Elkhorn Deer Management Unit, Nebraska: deer harvest, public land and walk-in access
Nebraska's Elkhorn Deer Management Unit covers 5,749 square miles across Madison, Cuming, Burt and Dodge counties. 0.2% 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 4,026 acres of private walk-in land on 34 tracts. Game and Parks counted 1,837 deer taken across all seasons in 2025: 1,465 white-tailed bucks and 366 antlerless whitetails, plus 6 mule deer bucks and 0 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 WatersElkhornWMANeighboring unitsLakeHighway
| Size | 3,679,370 acres (5,749 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Madison, Cuming, Burt, Dodge, Wayne, Pierce, Stanton and Thurston and 8 more |
| Public land | 0.2% (7,062 acres) |
| Walk-in land (OFW, 2026-27) | 4,026 acres on 34 tracts (0.1% of the unit) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 1,837 (1,471 bucks) |
| Unit Buck permits, 2026 | Elkhorn: 2,500 |
| WMAs with a page | Wood Duck WMA, Yellowbanks WMA, Oak Valley WMA, Red Fox WMA and Basswood Ridge WMA |
| Towns in it | Norfolk, Wayne, West Point, Stanton, Tekamah and Neligh |
How many deer are harvested in the Elkhorn unit?
Game and Parks counted 1,837 deer across all seasons in 2025, down 43% from 3,212 in 2021. Mule deer were 0.3% of it. Of the white-tailed bucks checked in 2025, 24% were 3 or older.
| Year | Total deer | White-tailed bucks | Antlerless whitetails | Mule deer bucks | Antlerless mule deer | Whitetail bucks 3 and older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,837 | 1,465 | 366 | 6 | 0 | 24% |
| 2024 | 2,099 | 1,324 | 769 | 5 | 1 | 27% |
| 2023 | 2,352 | 1,507 | 842 | 1 | 2 | 19% |
| 2022 | 2,548 | 1,519 | 1,028 | 1 | 0 | 19% |
| 2021 | 3,212 | 1,948 | 1,250 | 9 | 5 | 19% |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 57, 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 0 deer depredation complaints in the unit in 2025, and a harvest objective of 2400 white-tailed bucks (Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 56).
How much public land is in the Elkhorn unit?
0.2% of the unit is public land: 7,062 of its 3,679,370 acres, led by Game and Parks land at 4,974 acres. WMAs with a page of their own: Wood Duck WMA, Yellowbanks WMA, Oak Valley WMA, Red Fox WMA, Basswood Ridge WMA and Powder Horn WMA. Game and Parks' map shows 10 WMAs in the unit in all.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| Game and Parks land | 4,974 | 0.1% |
| Army Corps of Engineers | 2,088 | 0.1% |
| State park or recreation area (not counted as hunting land) | 1,777 | under 0.1% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 1,586 | 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 Elkhorn unit?
Game and Parks' 2026-27 Open Fields and Waters layer maps 4,026 acres on 34 tracts inside the unit, 0.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County | 100% | 260 | 3 |
| Cuming County | 100% | 498 | 5 |
| Burt County | 100% | 358 | 2 |
| Dodge County | 88% | 0 | 0 |
| Wayne County | 100% | 160 | 1 |
| Pierce County | 77.1% | 268 | 3 |
| Stanton County | 100% | 529 | 4 |
| Thurston County | 100% | 53 | 1 |
| Colfax County | 84.6% | 140 | 2 |
| Antelope County | 38.4% | 779 | 17 |
| Platte County | 40.9% | 323 | 3 |
| Washington County | 64.4% | 0 | 0 |
| Dixon County | 43.8% | 949 | 13 |
| Dakota County | 78.8% | 801 | 7 |
| Boone County | 27.2% | 1,882 | 4 |
| Cedar County | 11.4% | 1,902 | 18 |
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 Elkhorn 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhorn | 2,500 | 1 Buck | Nov. 9 |
| Antlerless Only permit, 2026 | Quota | Bag limit | Sold out in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO Elkhorn | 200 | 1 AOWT | July 21 |
| AO Elkhorn West | 200 | 1 AOWT | Oct. 9 |
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.
Special rules for the Elkhorn unit
- Special provisions may apply to hunting deer or other wildlife species within the boundaries of the Omaha and Winnebago reservations.
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Guide, page 19.
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 Elkhorn 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhorn | 2500, 2500, 11/9/25 | 3, 0, 3, 692, 15, 707 | 28% |
| Elkhorn AO | 200, 200, 7/21/25 | 0, 0, 0, 1, 44, 45 | 23% |
| Elkhorn West AO | 200, 200, 10/9/25 | 0, 0, 0, 2, 33, 35 | 18% |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 56, 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 Elkhorn 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 Elkhorn unit?
Elkhorn touches 4 other units. Their public land, walk-in acres and 2025 harvest, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | OFW acres | Deer harvested, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calamus East | 0.1% | 19,388 | 628 |
| Loup East | 0.6% | 4,483 | 2,351 |
| Missouri | 2% | 5,936 | 2,242 |
| Wahoo | 1.1% | 2,809 | 4,544 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Nebraska's Elkhorn deer unit?
7,062 acres, 0.2% of the unit, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks area maps; the largest share is Game and Parks land (4,974 acres). Game and Parks' walk-in program adds 4,026 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting in 2026-27.
How many deer were harvested in the Elkhorn unit in the latest year on record?
1,837 across all seasons in 2025, by Game and Parks' count: 1,831 white-tailed deer and 6 mule deer.
How many Unit Buck permits does the Elkhorn unit have in 2026?
Elkhorn: 2,500 (1 Buck). Each is a Season Choice permit, good in archery, November firearm and muzzleloader seasons.
Which counties are in the Elkhorn unit?
Madison, Cuming, Burt, Dodge, Wayne, Pierce, Stanton, Thurston, Colfax, Antelope, Platte, Washington, Dixon, Dakota, Boone and Cedar. 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 Calamus East Loup East Missouri Wahoo