Nebraska deer hunting: units, walk-in land and WMAs
Game and Parks runs deer hunting in 18 deer management units. Nebraska is 97% private, so its 2026-27 Open Fields and Waters map, 326,855 acres on 816 contracts, matters as much as the 817,394 acres of public land counted by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks area maps. The November firearm season runs Nov. 14-22, 2026 (2026 Big Game Guide, page 11).
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: the 2026 Big Game Guide. Harvest: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, to 2025. Walk-in: Game and Parks, 2026-27. Land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 and agency area maps.
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When are Nebraska's 2026 deer seasons?
| Season | Dates |
|---|---|
| Archery | Sept. 1-Dec. 31, 2026 |
| October River Antlerless firearm | Oct. 1-15, 2026 |
| Special Landowner | Nov. 7-9, 2026 |
| November firearm | Nov. 14-22, 2026 |
| Muzzleloader | Dec. 1-31, 2026 |
| Late antlerless-only firearm | Jan. 1-15, 2027 |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Guide, page 11.
When do you apply or buy?
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Landowner draw application period | May 18-29, 2026 |
| General draw application period | June 1-12, 2026 |
| Resident permit purchase period | July 8, 2026 to the close of seasons |
| Nonresident permit purchase period | July 22, 2026 to the close of seasons |
| Remaining permit purchase period | Aug. 5, 2026 to the close of seasons |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Guide, page 5.
Individuals may have two permits that allow the harvest of a buck per year; the Commission was to consider changing that to one at its June 2026 meeting (page 11). Antlerless mule deer may not be taken on lands open to public hunting, except Open Fields and Waters lands (pages 12, 13 and 19). Nonresidents draw Sandhills, Upper Platte, Plains, Calamus West, Pine Ridge, Frenchman, Platte, Republican, Buffalo and Loup West permits in June; other units' permits go on sale July 22 (page 7).
What is new for 2026?
- November Firearm permits became Season Choice Unit Buck Permits, valid in archery, November firearm and muzzleloader seasons with the legal weapon for each (page 4).
- River Antlerless was divided into four units: Niobrara, Lower Platte, Blue River and Lower Missouri (pages 4 and 15).
- The Pine Ridge-Plains boundary at Box Butte Reservoir WMA/SRA now follows the area's north boundary, so the whole area is in the Plains unit and Pine Ridge permits are no longer valid there (page 4).
- The nonresident buck permit quota was cut from 10,000 to 9,000 (page 4).
- Statewide archery and muzzleloader bag limits are Any Deer except antlerless mule deer (page 4).
Nebraska's deer management units
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | OFW acres, 2026-27 | Deer harvested, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Northwest | 2,834 | 0.6% | 3,992 | 3,105 |
| Blue Southeast | 3,283 | 1.2% | 15,605 | 4,558 |
| Buffalo | 4,996 | 0.5% | 9,594 | 2,363 |
| Calamus East | 2,312 | 0.1% | 19,388 | 628 |
| Calamus West | 4,202 | 5% | 16,790 | 1,108 |
| Elkhorn | 5,749 | 0.2% | 4,026 | 1,837 |
| Frenchman | 6,013 | 0.6% | 136,087 | 1,985 |
| Keya Paha | 2,730 | 1.5% | 8,300 | 1,859 |
| Loup East | 3,352 | 0.6% | 4,483 | 2,351 |
| Loup West | 2,607 | 0.2% | 5,401 | 1,023 |
| Missouri | 3,159 | 2% | 5,936 | 2,242 |
| Pine Ridge | 3,323 | 9% | 29,929 | 1,556 |
| Plains | 6,377 | 1.2% | 38,662 | 1,158 |
| Platte | 5,076 | 0.6% | 52,128 | 1,423 |
| Republican | 4,977 | 1.4% | 21,381 | 2,565 |
| Sandhills | 7,806 | 3.4% | 8,433 | 1,812 |
| Upper Platte | 4,406 | 0.4% | 48,068 | 930 |
| Wahoo | 4,144 | 1.1% | 2,809 | 4,544 |
Harvest: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations. Land and walk-in measured by FilledTag inside Game and Parks' unit lines from USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks Open Fields and Waters, 2026-2027.
How much walk-in hunting land is in Nebraska?
326,855 acres on 816 contracts for 2026-27. The counties with the most: Chase (46,557), Furnas (27,461), Arthur (26,700), Lincoln (23,134) and Keith (17,843). Every county's OFW acres.
How much public land is in Nebraska?
817,394 acres by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks area maps, under the managers counted here, 1.7% of the state. Nebraska's school trust lands are not open to public access unless posted (2026-27 Public Access Atlas, page 6), so they are not counted.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the state |
|---|---|---|
| National forest or grassland | 351,425 | 0.7% |
| Game and Parks land | 223,147 | 0.5% |
| National wildlife refuge or WPA | 175,842 | 0.4% |
| Army Corps of Engineers | 59,106 | 0.1% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 44,604 | 0.1% |
| State park or recreation area (not counted as hunting land) | 8,125 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 4,982 | under 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 2,892 | under 0.1% |
175 WMAs have a page of their own: see them all, or start with Calamus Reservoir WMA, Merritt Reservoir WMA, Medicine Creek WMA and Swanson Reservoir WMA.
Questions hunters ask
When is Nebraska's November firearm deer season in 2026?
Nov. 14-22, 2026. Archery runs Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, muzzleloader Dec. 1-31, and the late antlerless-only firearm season Jan. 1-15, 2027 (2026 Big Game Guide, page 11).
What changed for Nebraska deer permits in 2026?
November Firearm permits became Season Choice Unit Buck permits, valid in archery, November firearm and muzzleloader seasons. River Antlerless split into four units, the nonresident buck permit quota dropped from 10,000 to 9,000, and the Pine Ridge-Plains line moved so all of Box Butte Reservoir WMA is in the Plains unit (Big Game Guide, page 4).
What is Open Fields and Waters in Nebraska?
Private land Game and Parks leases for walk-in hunting, trapping and fishing. Its 2026-27 map has 326,855 acres on 816 contracts; the Big Game Guide puts the program at 471,000 acres.
How much of Nebraska is public land?
Nebraska is 97% privately owned (Big Game Guide, page 5). USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks area maps show 817,394 acres under the managers counted here, 1.7% of the state, led by national forest or grassland.
Get a Nebraska hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Nebraska are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Nebraska included.
Where these numbers come from
- Seasons, permits and rules: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Guide; Game and Parks' 2026-27 Public Access Atlas.
- Harvest: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations.
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1. Walk-in land: Game and Parks Open Fields and Waters, 2026-2027. Units: Game and Parks deer management units.
FilledTag is not part of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Game and Parks' hunting pages are the final word on every rule.