Nebraska putting limits on deer permits

With Nebraska’s permit quotas reduced for the upcoming deer seasons, hunters may find tags easily obtained in the past will be in limited supply. Hunters can help improve chances of getting a permit by applying during the respective periods in June and July.

Changes to permit quotas are driven by changes in the field, notably a severe decline in deer harvest last year. The 2022 deer harvest was down 11% statewide from 2021 and down 22% from 2020. Mule deer buck harvest was the lowest since 1981 and whitetail buck harvest was the lowest since 1994. As a result, nonresidents will find fewer permits will be available to them.

Some of the permit changes for 2023 are:

• Nonresidents will be limited to 10,000 total either-sex and buck-only deer permits. Youth and landowners are not included in that quota.

• Nonresidents will be limited to 15% of the available November firearm permits in each of the following units: Frenchman Mule Deer Conservation Area, Platte MDCA, Pine Ridge MDCA, Upper Platte, Sandhills, Plains and Calamus West.

• The statewide archery permit quota for nonresidents will be reduced to 3,000, from 5,000 in 2022. The permit also will not be valid for mule deer in the MDCA. Nonresidents wishing to archery hunt for mule deer in an MDCA unit must use either a Buffalo, Frenchman, Pine Ridge, Platte or Republican MD MDCA permit; the archery season has been added to that permit to accommodate for that opportunity.

The statewide muzzleloader quota will be reduced to 1,000, from 2,000 in 2022. MDCA restrictions still apply.