Pine Ridge Deer Management Unit, Nebraska: deer harvest, public land and walk-in access
Nebraska's Pine Ridge Deer Management Unit covers 3,323 square miles across Dawes, Sioux and Sheridan counties. 9% of it is public land by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks area maps, mostly national forest or grassland, and Game and Parks' 2026-27 OFW map adds 29,929 acres of private walk-in land on 29 tracts. Game and Parks counted 1,556 deer taken across all seasons in 2025: 683 white-tailed bucks and 388 antlerless whitetails, plus 434 mule deer bucks and 51 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 landNational forest or grasslandBureau of ReclamationBLMState park or recreation areaOther publicOpen Fields and WatersPine RidgeWMANeighboring unitsLakeHighway
| Size | 2,126,588 acres (3,323 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Dawes, Sioux, Sheridan and Box Butte |
| Public land | 9% (192,355 acres) |
| Walk-in land (OFW, 2026-27) | 29,929 acres on 29 tracts (1.4% of the unit) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 1,556 (1,117 bucks) |
| Unit Buck permits, 2026 | Pine Ridge: 900; Private Land Pine Ridge: 150; Pine Ridge WT: 900 |
| WMAs with a page | Ponderosa WMA, Peterson WMA, Metcalf WMA, Gilbert-Baker WMA and Chadron Creek Ranch WMA |
| Towns in it | Chadron, Crawford, Rushville, Gordon, Hay Springs and Harrison |
How many deer are harvested in the Pine Ridge unit?
Game and Parks counted 1,556 deer across all seasons in 2025, down 33% from 2,339 in 2021. Mule deer were 31.2% of it. Of the white-tailed bucks checked in 2025, 45% were 3 or older.
| Year | Total deer | White-tailed bucks | Antlerless whitetails | Mule deer bucks | Antlerless mule deer | Whitetail bucks 3 and older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,556 | 683 | 388 | 434 | 51 | 45% |
| 2024 | 1,727 | 791 | 454 | 428 | 54 | 44% |
| 2023 | 1,466 | 692 | 395 | 344 | 35 | 44% |
| 2022 | 2,080 | 836 | 689 | 475 | 80 | 47% |
| 2021 | 2,339 | 989 | 659 | 570 | 121 | 41% |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 69, 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 4 deer depredation complaints in the unit in 2025, and a harvest objective of 700 mule deer bucks and 900 white-tailed bucks (Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 68).
How much public land is in the Pine Ridge unit?
9% of the unit is public land: 192,355 of its 2,126,588 acres, led by national forest or grassland at 146,287 acres. WMAs with a page of their own: Ponderosa WMA, Peterson WMA, Metcalf WMA, Gilbert-Baker WMA, Chadron Creek Ranch WMA, Bordeaux WMA, Bighorn WMA and Fort Robinson WMA. Game and Parks' map shows 9 WMAs in the unit in all.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| National forest or grassland | 146,287 | 6.9% |
| Game and Parks land | 44,343 | 2.1% |
| BLM | 1,718 | 0.1% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 1,097 | 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 7 | under 0.1% |
| State park or recreation area (not counted as hunting land) | 1 | 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 Pine Ridge unit?
Game and Parks' 2026-27 Open Fields and Waters layer maps 29,929 acres on 29 tracts inside the unit, 1.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawes County | 97.5% | 4,015 | 6 |
| Sioux County | 50% | 13,729 | 18 |
| Sheridan County | 37.1% | 1,507 | 5 |
| Box Butte County | 0.7% | 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 Pine Ridge 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. A hunter may hold only one Pine Ridge permit that allows a mule deer buck. Nonresidents get Pine Ridge permits through the June draw.
| Unit Buck permit, 2026 | Quota | Bag limit | Sold out in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Ridge | 900 | 1 AD2 | R - July 15, NR - DRAW |
| Private Land Pine Ridge | 150 | 1 AD2 | Aug. 3 |
| Pine Ridge WT | 900 | 1 WT | Nov. 14 |
| Antlerless Only permit, 2026 | Quota | Bag limit | Sold out in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO Pine Ridge | 100 | 1 AO, 1 AOWT | July 12 |
| AO WT Pine Ridge | 200 | 2 AOWT | Nov. 14 |
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 Pine Ridge unit
- Muzzleloader, Nonresident Archery and Restricted Statewide Buck permits are not valid for mule deer.
- Nonresident restricted youth permits are not valid.
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 Pine Ridge 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Ridge MDCA | 900, 898, 7/15/25 | 250, 2, 252, 110, 22, 132 | 43% |
| Pine Ridge MDCA PLO | 150, 153, 8/3/25 | 46, 1, 47, 25, 3, 28 | 49% |
| Pine Ridge WT | 1000, 1000, 11/14/25 | 0, 0, 0, 351, 49, 400 | 40% |
| Pine Ridge AO | 100, 99, 7/12/25 | 0, 21, 21, 1, 35, 36 | 46% |
| Pine Ridge WT AO | 500, 500, 11/14/25 | 0, 0, 0, 7, 225, 232 | 34% |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 68, 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 Pine Ridge unit?
Game and Parks' elk unit map overlaps it: elk unit 1, elk unit 2, elk unit 3 and elk unit 9. Pronghorn units that overlap it: Box Butte East, Box Butte West, Cherry, North Sioux, North Sioux Muzzleloader and 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 Pine Ridge unit?
Pine Ridge touches 2 other units. Their public land, walk-in acres and 2025 harvest, for comparison:
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Nebraska's Pine Ridge deer unit?
192,355 acres, 9% of the unit, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks area maps; the largest share is national forest or grassland (146,287 acres). Game and Parks' walk-in program adds 29,929 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting in 2026-27.
How many deer were harvested in the Pine Ridge unit in the latest year on record?
1,556 across all seasons in 2025, by Game and Parks' count: 1,071 white-tailed deer and 485 mule deer.
How many Unit Buck permits does the Pine Ridge unit have in 2026?
Pine Ridge: 900 (1 AD2); Private Land Pine Ridge: 150 (1 AD2); Pine Ridge WT: 900 (1 WT). Each is a Season Choice permit, good in archery, November firearm and muzzleloader seasons.
Which counties are in the Pine Ridge unit?
Dawes, Sioux, Sheridan and Box Butte. 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.
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