Post by Woody Williams on Apr 24, 2010 16:56:10 GMT -5
Nebraska agency declares open season on whitetail does
Whitetail bucks have to worry when hunting season rolls around.
While that's still the case, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission wants to create high anxiety for antlerless deer, too.
Game and Parks approved an assortment of hunting seasons Friday with the goal of killing 42,000 whitetail does in 2010.
Because females often give birth to twins or triplets, reducing the overall population requires increasing the doe harvest.
To hit the goal, hunters will have to kill 12,000 more antlerless deer than they did last year, said Kit Hams, big game program manager for Game and Parks.
And it would be a record for the state.
"We're going to really have to change some things to meet this goal," he said.
Leading the changes is a new season from Oct. 2 to 11 for antlerless deer only. Hunters will be allowed to use any legal weapon and buy unlimited permits for $10 each -- a discount of $20. The season will be open across about 60 percent of the state.
About nine out of every 10 permits in 2010 will include a free antlerless-only bonus tag. In total, 262,000 deer hunting permits and bonus tags could be issued in a state where the deer population is an estimated 375,000 animals.
In another first, the agency will require hunters in the Elkhorn and Wahoo units of eastern Nebraska to kill a doe before killing a buck. The so-called "earn-a-buck" regulation has largely proven unpopular with hunters in other states, but it can increase the antlerless harvest.
The state's highest deer densities are in the east and along major riverways. The seasons approved Friday try to target antlerless kill in those areas.
The goal is to reduce the population over three years, Hams said.
During Friday's public hearing in Lincoln, several people testified in support of the new seasons. But others said Game and Parks still isn't doing enough.
Craig Bolz, a farmer near Palmyra, said he thinks the October antlerless season will fall far short of its goal of killing 10,000 deer. Hunters won't want to hunt while it's so warm, he said.
Make "earn-a-buck" a statewide regulation, he said.
"If they shot five does before they shot a buck, we'd get this thing under control," he said.
Farmer Robert Schoen of Beatrice, whose son was killed in a deer-motorcycle collision, said he would prefer to see the antlerless season moved to November or December. He also favors "earn-a-buck."
But under questioning by commissioners, both farmers said they do not require hunters on their land to shoot a doe first. Both said they don't because they consider the hunters their friends.
"At Game and Parks, we can set seasons and permit fees, but we really need everybody to work with us," said Commissioner Norris Marshall of Kearney.
Reach Joe Duggan at 473-7239 or jduggan@journalstar.com.
Whitetail bucks have to worry when hunting season rolls around.
While that's still the case, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission wants to create high anxiety for antlerless deer, too.
Game and Parks approved an assortment of hunting seasons Friday with the goal of killing 42,000 whitetail does in 2010.
Because females often give birth to twins or triplets, reducing the overall population requires increasing the doe harvest.
To hit the goal, hunters will have to kill 12,000 more antlerless deer than they did last year, said Kit Hams, big game program manager for Game and Parks.
And it would be a record for the state.
"We're going to really have to change some things to meet this goal," he said.
Leading the changes is a new season from Oct. 2 to 11 for antlerless deer only. Hunters will be allowed to use any legal weapon and buy unlimited permits for $10 each -- a discount of $20. The season will be open across about 60 percent of the state.
About nine out of every 10 permits in 2010 will include a free antlerless-only bonus tag. In total, 262,000 deer hunting permits and bonus tags could be issued in a state where the deer population is an estimated 375,000 animals.
In another first, the agency will require hunters in the Elkhorn and Wahoo units of eastern Nebraska to kill a doe before killing a buck. The so-called "earn-a-buck" regulation has largely proven unpopular with hunters in other states, but it can increase the antlerless harvest.
The state's highest deer densities are in the east and along major riverways. The seasons approved Friday try to target antlerless kill in those areas.
The goal is to reduce the population over three years, Hams said.
During Friday's public hearing in Lincoln, several people testified in support of the new seasons. But others said Game and Parks still isn't doing enough.
Craig Bolz, a farmer near Palmyra, said he thinks the October antlerless season will fall far short of its goal of killing 10,000 deer. Hunters won't want to hunt while it's so warm, he said.
Make "earn-a-buck" a statewide regulation, he said.
"If they shot five does before they shot a buck, we'd get this thing under control," he said.
Farmer Robert Schoen of Beatrice, whose son was killed in a deer-motorcycle collision, said he would prefer to see the antlerless season moved to November or December. He also favors "earn-a-buck."
But under questioning by commissioners, both farmers said they do not require hunters on their land to shoot a doe first. Both said they don't because they consider the hunters their friends.
"At Game and Parks, we can set seasons and permit fees, but we really need everybody to work with us," said Commissioner Norris Marshall of Kearney.
Reach Joe Duggan at 473-7239 or jduggan@journalstar.com.
