Nebraska otc

[Pahunter1]

I have family on the eastern side of Nebraska and thinking about heading out this fall for a rifle hunt. How far west do you need to go to get into good populations of mule deer and public land?

 

[William Sublette]

Prayers sent.

 

[jrm02]

Generally speaking, the western half/two-thirds of the state is where you will find mule deer; the majority of the public land is in the western half as well. Keep in mind four of the rifle units are in the Mule Deer Conservation Area, and two of those are not OTC. The closer you are to the big metro areas (Omaha, Lincoln), the more crowded public land tends to be. Also keep in mind the rifle season is only 9 days, with the majority of the tags OTC, in a state with only 3% of its land being public (I think Nebraska is ranked 47th as far as % of the land that is public). Not trying to scare you off, just making sure you're setting realistic expectations from a hunting pressure standpoint.

 

[MasterTimo]

I totally agree with jrm

 

[Laramie]

Seriously, if you don't have private land to hunt on, I wouldn't make the trip. I saw the same 1 mile piece of public get hit by 17 different groups on opening weekend. It was that way on every public piece I drove by. I am fortunate enough to have permission on a couple of properties, otherwise I wouldn't bother. Archery and muzzleloader are a little better, but it is still pretty busy.

 

[Pahunter1]

Generally speaking, the western half/two-thirds of the state is where you will find mule deer; the majority of the public land is in the western half as well. Keep in mind four of the rifle units are in the Mule Deer Conservation Area, and two of those are not OTC. The closer you are to the big metro areas (Omaha, Lincoln), the more crowded public land tends to be. Also keep in mind the rifle season is only 9 days, with the majority of the tags OTC, in a state with only 3% of its land being public (I think Nebraska is ranked 47th as far as % of the land that is public). Not trying to scare you off, just making sure you're setting realistic expectations from a hunting pressure standpoint.

That’s what I needed to know. I appreciate it

 

[Jhill1980]

I have family on the eastern side of Nebraska and thinking about heading out this fall for a rifle hunt. How far west do you need to go to get into good populations of mule deer and public land?

If you can drive 5 hours from the Lincoln/Omaha Metro area. You can get into some large public land tracts that are in the Sandhills Hunt Unit. Valentine Refuge and Mckelvie forest are both good sized areas. They do receive a fair amount of hunting pressure. But, anyone willing to work harder than sitting in their truck will find space to themselves. Valentine refuge is split between two hunting units. Which sucks. But, the eastern half is predominantly marshland.

 

[Pahunter1]

If you can drive 5 hours from the Lincoln/Omaha Metro area. You can get into some large public land tracts that are in the Sandhills Hunt Unit. Valentine Refuge and Mckelvie forest are both good sized areas. They do receive a fair amount of hunting pressure. But, anyone willing to work harder than sitting in their truck will find space to themselves. Valentine refuge is split between two hunting units. Which sucks. But, the eastern half is predominantly marshland.

Thankyou!

 

[Cornhusker]

Halsey National Forest is also a good possibility although the secret is out and it was really heavily hunted last year. Good Luck!

 

[jrm02]

Halsey National Forest is also a good possibility although the secret is out and it was really heavily hunted last year. Good Luck!

The secret has been out for a while now. Of the large (and large is a relative term when compared to other states) continuous chunks of public land in Nebraska, it's the closest to the major metro areas, so it tends to get the highest amount of pressure.

 

[NebraskaFlatLander]

The larger tracts of publicly accessable ground (private owned but enrolledin open fields and waters program) Close to the interstate out by Gothenburg and North Platte also get a lot of pressure,. I assume this is because of the loation being close to the interstate.... There public ground oppurtunities as others have said, just gotta work and think outside the box. Any large tract of ground in Nebraska is hit hard, Halsey, Mecelvie and Valentine all stick out to guy on a map due to the size of them. Same as the Pine Ridge area around Chadron and Scotts Bluff, but every year guys manage to get it done, and you cant stalk them from the couch. Good luck to ya

 

[Forkieslayer]

I’ve went to western Nebraska the past 2 years. It all depends on what your expecting. Are you going to see other hunters? Yes. Are you going to see deer? Yes. Are you going to feel like you have to run over to the first 2 1/2 year old buck before someone else shoots it? Yes. But honestly not many of the hunters will walk very far from what I’ve seen and rutting mule deer are awesome.