Blue Southeast Deer Management Unit, Nebraska: deer harvest, public land and walk-in access
Nebraska's Blue Southeast Deer Management Unit covers 3,283 square miles across Richardson, Jefferson, Gage, Pawnee, Nemaha and Otoe counties. 1.2% of it is public land by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks area maps, mostly Game and Parks land, and Game and Parks' 2026-27 OFW map adds 15,605 acres of private walk-in land on 136 tracts. Game and Parks counted 4,558 deer taken across all seasons in 2025: 3,064 white-tailed bucks and 1,490 antlerless whitetails, plus 3 mule deer bucks and 1 antlerless mule deer.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, 2021 to 2025. Seasons: the 2026 Big Game Guide. Land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 and agency area maps. Walk-in: Game and Parks, 2026-27.
Game and Parks landArmy Corps of EngineersState park or recreation areaOther publicOpen Fields and WatersBlue SoutheastWMANeighboring unitsLakeHighway
| Size | 2,100,967 acres (3,283 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Richardson, Jefferson, Gage, Pawnee, Nemaha, Otoe, Thayer and Johnson and 1 more |
| Public land | 1.2% (25,961 acres) |
| Walk-in land (OFW, 2026-27) | 15,605 acres on 136 tracts (0.7% of the unit) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 4,558 (3,067 bucks) |
| Unit Buck permits, 2026 | Blue Southeast: 3,500 |
| WMAs with a page | Randall W. Schilling WMA, Alexandria WMA, Pawnee Prairie WMA, James N. Douglas WMA and Peru Bottoms WMA |
| Towns in it | Nebraska City, Falls City, Plattsmouth, Fairbury, Auburn and Wymore |
How many deer are harvested in the Blue Southeast unit?
Game and Parks counted 4,558 deer across all seasons in 2025, down 1% from 4,584 in 2021. Mule deer were 0.1% of it. Of the white-tailed bucks checked in 2025, 50% were 3 or older.
| Year | Total deer | White-tailed bucks | Antlerless whitetails | Mule deer bucks | Antlerless mule deer | Whitetail bucks 3 and older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,558 | 3,064 | 1,490 | 3 | 1 | 50% |
| 2024 | 4,518 | 2,960 | 1,555 | 1 | 2 | 43% |
| 2023 | 4,365 | 2,949 | 1,414 | 2 | 0 | 40% |
| 2022 | 4,476 | 2,858 | 1,610 | 3 | 5 | 40% |
| 2021 | 4,584 | 2,917 | 1,653 | 7 | 7 | 42% |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 49, the unit's harvest comparisons by year (all seasons and permit types). Buck ages are Game and Parks' estimates from check-station data.
Game and Parks also reports 9 deer depredation complaints in the unit in 2025, and a harvest objective of 3000 white-tailed bucks (Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 48).
How much public land is in the Blue Southeast unit?
1.2% of the unit is public land: 25,961 of its 2,100,967 acres, led by Game and Parks land at 18,970 acres. WMAs with a page of their own: Randall W. Schilling WMA, Alexandria WMA, Pawnee Prairie WMA, James N. Douglas WMA, Peru Bottoms WMA, Rock Glen WMA, Rose Creek WMA, Burchard WMA, Hickory Ridge WMA, Table Rock WMA, Meridian WMA, Bowwood WMA, Arrowhead WMA, Rakes Creek WMA, Diamond Lake WMA, Little Blue WMA, South Fork WMA, Flathead WMA, Taylor's Branch WMA, Kinter's Ford WMA, Mayberry WMA, Thomas C. Matter WMA, Aspinwall Bend WMA, Lores Branch WMA, Prairie Knoll WMA, Four-Mile Creek WMA, Margrave WMA and Wilson Creek WMA. Game and Parks' map shows 32 WMAs in the unit in all.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| Game and Parks land | 18,970 | 0.9% |
| Army Corps of Engineers | 6,991 | 0.3% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 649 | under 0.1% |
| State park or recreation area (not counted as hunting land) | 54 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside Game and Parks' unit boundary from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee and designation lands with open or restricted public access) and Game and Parks properties (WMAs, recreation areas, parks) and Game and Parks other public recreation lands; the water of the larger reservoirs is left out.
How much walk-in hunting land is in the Blue Southeast unit?
Game and Parks' 2026-27 Open Fields and Waters layer maps 15,605 acres on 136 tracts inside the unit, 0.7% of its ground. OFW land is private land Game and Parks leases for walk-in hunting, trapping or fishing; driving on it is prohibited. County totals for the counties the unit touches:
| County | Share of the county in this unit | OFW acres in the county | OFW tracts in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richardson County | 100% | 4,595 | 31 |
| Jefferson County | 89.2% | 1,089 | 8 |
| Gage County | 53.3% | 1,933 | 19 |
| Pawnee County | 99.9% | 1,995 | 17 |
| Nemaha County | 100% | 3,204 | 28 |
| Otoe County | 56.5% | 791 | 20 |
| Thayer County | 45.1% | 1,294 | 8 |
| Johnson County | 55% | 3,219 | 29 |
| Cass County | 17.2% | 0 | 0 |
Walk-in acres inside the unit measured by FilledTag from Game and Parks Open Fields and Waters, 2026-2027; county acres and tract counts are Game and Parks' own figures for each tract.
When is deer season in the Blue Southeast unit in 2026?
Archery runs Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026, the November firearm season Nov. 14 to 22 and muzzleloader Dec. 1 to 31, with a late antlerless-only firearm season Jan. 1 to 15, 2027. New for 2026, Unit Buck permits use the Season Choice format: one permit is good in archery, November firearm and muzzleloader seasons with the legal weapon for each.
| Unit Buck permit, 2026 | Quota | Bag limit | Sold out in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Southeast | 3,500 | 1 AD | Oct. 28 |
| Antlerless Only permit, 2026 | Quota | Bag limit | Sold out in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO Blue SE | 2,000 | 1 AOWT | Nov. 4 |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Guide, page 13 (Unit Buck permits) and page 17 (Antlerless Only). AD is any deer, AD2 any deer except an antlerless mule deer, WT whitetail, AOWT antlerless whitetail.
Statewide, antlerless mule deer may not be taken on land open to public hunting, except Open Fields and Waters land (Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Guide, page 19).
How did the Blue Southeast permits do in 2025?
| Permit, 2025 | Quota, sold, sell-out | Deer taken (MD bucks, MD antlerless, MD total, WT bucks, WT antlerless, WT total) | Success on first deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Southeast | 3500, 3508, 10/28/25 | 2, 0, 2, 1207, 230, 1437 | 41% |
| Blue Southeast AO | 2000, 2000, 11/4/25 | 0, 1, 1, 20, 542, 562 | 28% |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 48, 2025 harvest data for the unit. Success is the share of permit holders who took a deer, as Game and Parks reports it.
Is there elk or pronghorn hunting in the Blue Southeast unit?
Game and Parks' elk unit map overlaps it: elk unit 15. Pronghorn units that overlap it: Prairie Muzzleloader. Elk permits are all drawn; nonresidents can hunt pronghorn only with archery, landowner or late doe/fawn permits.
Units: Game and Parks elk hunting units; Game and Parks antelope hunting units. Rules: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Guide, page 20 to 26.
Which deer units border the Blue Southeast unit?
Blue Southeast touches 3 other units. Their public land, walk-in acres and 2025 harvest, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | OFW acres | Deer harvested, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Northwest | 0.6% | 3,992 | 3,105 |
| Republican | 1.4% | 21,381 | 2,565 |
| Wahoo | 1.1% | 2,809 | 4,544 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Nebraska's Blue Southeast deer unit?
25,961 acres, 1.2% of the unit, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks area maps; the largest share is Game and Parks land (18,970 acres). Game and Parks' walk-in program adds 15,605 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting in 2026-27.
How many deer were harvested in the Blue Southeast unit in the latest year on record?
4,558 across all seasons in 2025, by Game and Parks' count: 4,554 white-tailed deer and 4 mule deer.
How many Unit Buck permits does the Blue Southeast unit have in 2026?
Blue Southeast: 3,500 (1 AD). Each is a Season Choice permit, good in archery, November firearm and muzzleloader seasons.
Which counties are in the Blue Southeast unit?
Richardson, Jefferson, Gage, Pawnee, Nemaha, Otoe, Thayer, Johnson and Cass. Walk-in land by county is on each county's OFW page where one exists.
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations.
- Seasons, permits and rules: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Guide.
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1. Walk-in land: Game and Parks Open Fields and Waters, 2026-2027. Unit boundary: Game and Parks deer management units.
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Numbers are copied from Game and Parks, the USGS and the Census Bureau, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Nebraska hunting Open Fields and Waters by county Blue Northwest Republican Wahoo