We are fortunate in District 42 to have many hunting opportunities. We have everything from Mullen’s Sandhills Sharptail Shootout to pheasant, deer, elk, and antelope populations in the southern part of the District. Many in the medical community choose to move here for the hunting opportunities and we are lucky to have a natural amenity that can draw professionals to the area.

As I write this article, we begin a Special Elk Depredation Season for an area in southwest Nebraska that includes the northeast corner of Perkins County, southeastern edge of Lincoln County, and the southern border of Keith County.  The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (“Commission”) implemented the special season to reduce the over-population of elk within the designated area. Over the past several years, elk have caused significant crop loss and damage to irrigation equipment.

In 2018, several local landowners began to see small herds of elk in the summer through harvest. Elk activity, typically caused by eating and trampling crops, has caused significant damage.  Many landowners agreed to let hunters enter their property during the regular hunting seasons at no cost. However, many did not want to use their once-in-a-lifetime bull permit or cow permit to hunt a less populated area with center pivots and standing corn.

Over the past three years, hunters have taken 17 elk, six bulls, and 11 cows in the designated area.  Since 2020, only two more elk have been taken despite the Commission offering eight damage control permits and increasing three-fold the number of permits issued during the regular season.

This past December, the Commission met with over a dozen landowners who had previously requested damage control permits to discuss the need for a special depredation season. Ultimately, the Commission determined a special depredation season may help address the problem before it starts and released details of the season on June 21, 2022.  Soon after, I was contacted by a few constituents regarding concerns and scheduled a meeting with Commission staff.  I was very pleased to find that the Commission leadership involved with the special season was very open to responding to my questions and my constituents’ concerns.  I was most impressed with their genuine interest in addressing the issues by all the parties involved: landowner, hunters, neighbors, and wildlife advocates.

As a land owner myself, my immediate concern was to confirm that landowners were able to control who entered their property and address the safety concerns of farmers who are in the middle of irrigation season. I have listed below the specific questions I asked and their responses:

1. Given the height of the corn by mid-July, is it safe to hunt? Historically, the regular season begins on August 1, so corn will actually be shorter at the beginning of the hunt this year.
2. Why issue unlimited permits when there a limited number of elk? If a limited number of permits are issued, there generally is a rush to obtain the permits and the permit holders may or may not have access to the properties.  By issuing “unlimited” permits, hunters have time to obtain permission to hunt prior to obtaining a permit. As of July 1, 127 permits have been issued to 90 hunters and we are continuing to monitor available land access in the designated area.
3. How will the hunters process the elk? Elk may be field dressed and packed on ice.  A central cooling unit has been set up within the designated area to assist hunters with getting the meat cooled down to avoid waste.
4. How would the elk be checked? The elk can be checked by phone to reduce the time needed to get the elk dressed and the meat on ice.

The Commission has committed to holding a post-season meeting in mid-August to meet with landowners and other interested parties to evaluate the season and get input as to how any future hunts may need to be conducted.  Like anything new, the Commission is very aware that there will be mistakes made but, to their credit, they have made every effort to try to balance the needs of all the interested parties to ultimate achieve the goal of reducing the population of elk who are creating damage to farmer field, provide opportunities for hunters to enjoy the sport, and help keep the public safe.

I am hopeful that this special hunting season is successful and achieves the desired goals.  If anyone has specific questions regarding the season, or encounter problems, I encourage them to reach out directly to the Game and Parks Commission at their North Platte office and attend the August meeting.

Constituents can reach Senator Mike Jacobson at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov or 402-471-2729. Our door is always open!