Platte Deer Management Unit, Nebraska: deer harvest, public land and walk-in access
Nebraska's Platte Deer Management Unit covers 5,076 square miles across Lincoln, Keith and Perkins counties. 0.6% 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 52,128 acres of private walk-in land on 85 tracts. Game and Parks counted 1,423 deer taken across all seasons in 2025: 567 white-tailed bucks and 215 antlerless whitetails, plus 556 mule deer bucks and 85 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 landBLMState park or recreation areaOther publicOpen Fields and WatersPlatteWMANeighboring unitsLakeHighway
| Size | 3,248,647 acres (5,076 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Lincoln, Keith, Perkins, McPherson, Deuel, Arthur, Garden and Logan and 3 more |
| Public land | 0.6% (19,730 acres) |
| Walk-in land (OFW, 2026-27) | 52,128 acres on 85 tracts (1.6% of the unit) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 1,423 (1,123 bucks) |
| Unit Buck permits, 2026 | Platte: 700; Platte WT: 500 |
| WMAs with a page | Clear Creek WMA, Wapiti WMA, Cedar Valley WMA, North River WMA and Ogallala Strip WMA |
| Towns in it | North Platte, Ogallala, Sutherland, Curtis, Madrid and Paxton |
How many deer are harvested in the Platte unit?
Game and Parks counted 1,423 deer across all seasons in 2025, down 52% from 2,957 in 2021. Mule deer were 45% of it. Of the white-tailed bucks checked in 2025, 38% were 3 or older.
| Year | Total deer | White-tailed bucks | Antlerless whitetails | Mule deer bucks | Antlerless mule deer | Whitetail bucks 3 and older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,423 | 567 | 215 | 556 | 85 | 38% |
| 2024 | 1,591 | 649 | 310 | 550 | 82 | 35% |
| 2023 | 1,855 | 649 | 523 | 548 | 135 | 32% |
| 2022 | 2,336 | 767 | 655 | 711 | 203 | 35% |
| 2021 | 2,957 | 1,009 | 774 | 875 | 299 | 35% |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 73, 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 a harvest objective of 800 mule deer bucks and 900 white-tailed bucks (Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 72).
How much public land is in the Platte unit?
0.6% of the unit is public land: 19,730 of its 3,248,647 acres, led by Game and Parks land at 19,685 acres. WMAs with a page of their own: Clear Creek WMA, Wapiti WMA, Cedar Valley WMA, North River WMA, Ogallala Strip WMA, Platte WMA, Muskrat Run WMA, Hershey WMA, Chester Island WMA, Pawnee Slough WMA, West Gothenburg WMA and East Hershey WMA. Game and Parks' map shows 19 WMAs in the unit in all.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| Game and Parks land | 19,685 | 0.6% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 6,088 | 0.2% |
| State park or recreation area (not counted as hunting land) | 440 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 45 | 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 Platte unit?
Game and Parks' 2026-27 Open Fields and Waters layer maps 52,128 acres on 85 tracts inside the unit, 1.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | 90.5% | 23,134 | 21 |
| Keith County | 88.9% | 17,843 | 25 |
| Perkins County | 57.4% | 8,844 | 35 |
| McPherson County | 42.9% | 0 | 0 |
| Deuel County | 56.8% | 8,679 | 19 |
| Arthur County | 30.3% | 26,700 | 3 |
| Garden County | 8% | 1,111 | 5 |
| Logan County | 15.7% | 0 | 0 |
| Dawson County | 7.1% | 3,060 | 6 |
| Custer County | 2.3% | 11,464 | 15 |
| Frontier County | 5.6% | 376 | 3 |
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 Platte 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 Platte permit that allows a mule deer buck. Nonresidents get Platte permits through the June draw.
| Unit Buck permit, 2026 | Quota | Bag limit | Sold out in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platte | 700 | 1 AD2 | DRAW |
| Platte WT | 500 | 1 WT | Sept. 2 |
| Antlerless Only permit, 2026 | Quota | Bag limit | Sold out in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO Platte | 50 | 1 AO | July 9 |
| AO WT Platte | 200 | 1 AOWT | July 23 |
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 Platte 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 Platte 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platte WT | 600, 599, 9/2/25 | 1, 0, 1, 179, 39, 218 | 37% |
| Platte AO | 100, 101, 7/9/25 | 0, 14, 14, 0, 30, 30 | 31% |
| Platte AO WT | 200, 200, 7/23/25 | 0, 0, 0, 2, 47, 49 | 25% |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 72, 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 Platte unit?
Game and Parks' elk unit map overlaps it: elk unit 4, elk unit 5, elk unit 11, elk unit 12 and elk unit 14. Pronghorn units that overlap it: Cheyenne, Dismal, Garden 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 Platte unit?
Platte touches 6 other units. Their public land, walk-in acres and 2025 harvest, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | OFW acres | Deer harvested, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 0.5% | 9,594 | 2,363 |
| Frenchman | 0.6% | 136,087 | 1,985 |
| Loup West | 0.2% | 5,401 | 1,023 |
| Plains | 1.2% | 38,662 | 1,158 |
| Sandhills | 3.4% | 8,433 | 1,812 |
| Upper Platte | 0.4% | 48,068 | 930 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Nebraska's Platte deer unit?
19,730 acres, 0.6% of the unit, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks area maps; the largest share is Game and Parks land (19,685 acres). Game and Parks' walk-in program adds 52,128 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting in 2026-27.
How many deer were harvested in the Platte unit in the latest year on record?
1,423 across all seasons in 2025, by Game and Parks' count: 782 white-tailed deer and 641 mule deer.
How many Unit Buck permits does the Platte unit have in 2026?
Platte: 700 (1 AD2); Platte WT: 500 (1 WT). Each is a Season Choice permit, good in archery, November firearm and muzzleloader seasons.
Which counties are in the Platte unit?
Lincoln, Keith, Perkins, McPherson, Deuel, Arthur, Garden, Logan, Dawson, Custer and Frontier. 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 Buffalo Frenchman Loup West Plains Sandhills Upper Platte