Big game permits & applications

Permit requirements

Deer hunters in Nebraska are required to have a Statewide or Unit Deer Permit and a Habitat stamp. View our Big Game Guide for exceptions.

Deer permits are issued as Draw units or Buy units. Draw units are determined by overall demand and may be applied for during the draw unit application period. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission provides information on the previous year’s draw results. Buy units (over-the-counter permits) are issued on a first-come, first served basis. Additionally, youth permits are available to youth under the age of 16. See the Big Game Guide for more on permits, unit names, species of deer and bag limits.

Read our harvest reports for information on Nebraska big game harvest results and season structure.

Draw permit application dates

• June 12-23 – Residents and nonresidents may apply for a preference point or one deer permit in the Pine Ridge Mule Deer Conservation Area (MDCA), Platte MDCA or Frenchman MDCA draw units. Results of the draw will be available July 7. Successful applicants will have until July 21 to complete the purchase of their awarded permits. Awarded but unpaid permits will result in the applicant losing preference points and forfeiting the permit. Forfeited permits may be made available to the next unsuccessful applicant, then go to the periods 7 and 8. Find information on the previous year’s draw results.

Permit sale dates

Unlimited quota permits

• July 10 – Residents, nonresidents and eligible landowners may begin purchasing unlimited quota Nebraska deer permits. Unlimited quota deer permits are resident statewide archery, resident statewide muzzleloader, youth, youth whitetail, nonresident restricted youth, limited landowner and special landowner.

Limited quota permits
Residents, nonresidents and eligible landowners will have staggered purchase dates for the remaining limited deer permits:

• July 11 – Residents may buy any limited quota deer permits.
• July 24 – Nonresidents may buy any limited deer permits.
• Aug. 7 – Residents and nonresidents may buy any remaining draw unit deer permits.

Permits will be available through the close of the hunting season or until the quota sells out.

Applications

Applications for special hunt participation at Gifford Point WMA will be accepted in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Lincoln and Omaha offices and at the Schramm Education Center during the period beginning Aug. 1-15.

Permit application dates

June 12-23 – Residents, eligible nonresident landowners and nonresident antelope archery hunters may apply for a preference point or one antelope permit in Banner North, Banner South, Box Butte East, Box Butte West, Cherry, Cheyenne, Dismal, Eastern Sandhills, Garden, North Sioux, Prairie Muzzleloader and North Sioux Muzzleloader draw units.

Results of the draw will be available July 7. Successful applicants will have until July 21 to complete the purchase of their awarded permits. Awarded but unpaid permits will result in the applicant losing preference points and forfeiting the permit. Forfeited permits may be made available to the next unsuccessful applicant, then go to the periods 7 and 8. Find Information on the previous year’s draw results.

Permit dale dates

Unlimited quota permits

• July 10 – Residents, nonresidents and eligible landowners may begin purchasing unlimited quota Nebraska antelope permits. Unlimited quota antelope permits are resident statewide archery and youth archery.

Limited quota permits
Residents, nonresidents and eligible landowners will have staggered purchase dates for the remaining limited antelope permits:

• July 12 – Residents may buy any limited antelope permits.
• July 25 – Nonresidents may buy any limited antelope permits.
• Aug. 8 – Residents, nonresidents and eligible landowners may buy any remaining draw unit antelope permits. Nonresident Antelope Archery permits are limited to 250. Resident antelope archery permits are unlimited in quantity (all units).

Draw permit application dates

• May 15, 2023 – June 2, 2023 – Landowner; Limited Landowner elk permits and preference points.
• June 12, 2023 – June 23, 2023 – Resident; residents application period for bull and antlerless elk permits and preference points. Application and application fee to be delivered to specific Commission district offices depending on unit. See Big Game Guide for additional information.

View Information on the previous year’s draw results.

Permit sale dates

• Aug. 9, 2023 after 1 p.m. CST, to close of season – Remaining elk permits available to eligible residents and landowners.

Bighorn Sheep Lottery

This once-in-a-lifetime hunt includes up to four days of guide service from Nebraska Game and Parks staff and up to four nights of meal and lodging at Fort Robinson State Park. Proceeds from the lottery provide support for the management of this historic species in five areas of Nebraska’s panhandle region.

Application dates

• April 15, 2024, after 1 p.m. CST, through Aug. 2, 2024 – Residents can apply for the bighorn sheep lottery during this period.

Permit application dates

• Spring: Jan. 8 after 1 p.m. CST – May 31, 2024
  • Hunters may purchase up to two spring permits in 2024.
• Fall: Aug. 12 after 1 p.m. CST – Nov. 30, 2024
  • Hunters may purchase one fall permit in 2024.

Applications

Application dates

Nov. 6 – Dec. 13, 2023

Permit applications

Applications for lottery permits shall be accepted from 1:00 p.m. CST on the first Monday in November through the second Wednesday in December prior to each open season. Mail applications must be received in the Commission’s Lincoln headquarters office by 5 p.m. CST, and internet applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. CST. All valid applications accompanied by the required fee (Administration Regulations, Chapter 1, Section 006) shall be considered equally in a random drawing. It shall be unlawful to submit more than one application per calendar year for a mountain lion permit. If more than one such application is submitted by or for any person, all of that person’s applications shall be excluded from the drawing and the accompanying fees shall be forfeited.

If the limit and/or female sub-limit has not been reached in one or both units by Feb. 29, a limited number (equal to the animals remaining in the year’s limit) of permittees will be allowed to hunt with the aid of dogs in an auxiliary season in the Pine Ridge. Permits for the auxiliary season will be granted to unsuccessful permittees from the initial season via a lottery. If the auxiliary season occurs, it will take place from March 16-31, 2024 or until the harvest limit is met.

Nebraska offers two big game multi species lotteries for resident and nonresident hunters. One permit in each lottery is awarded annually. The application period for the lotteries generally starts in January and ends in early July. Permits become available after 1 p.m. CST on the initial sale date.

Application dates

• Jan. 2 – July 5, 2024