Wahoo Deer Management Unit, Nebraska: deer harvest, public land and walk-in access
Nebraska's Wahoo Deer Management Unit covers 4,144 square miles across Saunders, Butler, Polk, Cass and Douglas counties. 1.1% 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 2,809 acres of private walk-in land on 21 tracts. Game and Parks counted 4,544 deer taken across all seasons in 2025: 2,778 white-tailed bucks and 1,760 antlerless whitetails, plus 3 mule deer bucks and 3 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 wildlife refuge or WPAArmy Corps of EngineersState park or recreation areaOther publicOpen Fields and WatersWahooWMANeighboring unitsLakeHighway
| Size | 2,652,429 acres (4,144 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Saunders, Butler, Polk, Cass, Douglas, Lancaster, York and Sarpy and 7 more |
| Public land | 1.1% (29,527 acres) |
| Walk-in land (OFW, 2026-27) | 2,809 acres on 21 tracts (0.1% of the unit) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 4,544 (2,781 bucks) |
| Unit Buck permits, 2026 | Wahoo: 3,000 |
| WMAs with a page | Branched Oak WMA, Jack Sinn Memorial WMA, Gifford Point WMA, Oak Glen WMA and Wildwood WMA |
| Towns in it | Omaha, Bellevue, Papillion, Fremont, Columbus and Gretna |
How many deer are harvested in the Wahoo unit?
Game and Parks counted 4,544 deer across all seasons in 2025, down 14% from 5,264 in 2021. Mule deer were 0.1% of it. Of the white-tailed bucks checked in 2025, 26% were 3 or older.
| Year | Total deer | White-tailed bucks | Antlerless whitetails | Mule deer bucks | Antlerless mule deer | Whitetail bucks 3 and older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,544 | 2,778 | 1,760 | 3 | 3 | 26% |
| 2024 | 4,642 | 2,797 | 1,835 | 9 | 1 | 29% |
| 2023 | 4,924 | 2,994 | 1,926 | 3 | 1 | 28% |
| 2022 | 5,132 | 2,758 | 2,369 | 3 | 2 | 25% |
| 2021 | 5,264 | 2,942 | 2,313 | 3 | 6 | 20% |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 81, 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 3400 white-tailed bucks (Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 80).
How much public land is in the Wahoo unit?
1.1% of the unit is public land: 29,527 of its 2,652,429 acres, led by Game and Parks land at 15,713 acres. WMAs with a page of their own: Branched Oak WMA, Jack Sinn Memorial WMA, Gifford Point WMA, Oak Glen WMA, Wildwood WMA, North Lake Basin WMA, Redtail WMA, Little Salt Creek WMA, Two Rivers WMA, Spikerush WMA, Larkspur WMA, Renquist Basin WMA, Memphis Lake WMA, Bramble WMA and Flatsedge WMA. Game and Parks' map shows 22 WMAs in the unit in all.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| Game and Parks land | 15,713 | 0.6% |
| National wildlife refuge or WPA | 8,969 | 0.3% |
| Army Corps of Engineers | 4,845 | 0.2% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 3,636 | 0.1% |
| State park or recreation area (not counted as hunting land) | 15 | 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 Wahoo unit?
Game and Parks' 2026-27 Open Fields and Waters layer maps 2,809 acres on 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saunders County | 100% | 576 | 5 |
| Butler County | 100% | 1,153 | 9 |
| Polk County | 100% | 271 | 2 |
| Cass County | 77.5% | 0 | 0 |
| Douglas County | 99.9% | 0 | 0 |
| Lancaster County | 38.4% | 320 | 3 |
| York County | 43.8% | 78 | 1 |
| Sarpy County | 99.9% | 0 | 0 |
| Seward County | 42.2% | 800 | 5 |
| Hamilton County | 26.6% | 0 | 0 |
| Washington County | 35.5% | 0 | 0 |
| Dodge County | 12% | 0 | 0 |
| Colfax County | 15.4% | 140 | 2 |
| Merrick County | 11.3% | 805 | 3 |
| Platte County | 5.4% | 323 | 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 Wahoo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wahoo | 3,000 | 1 AD | Nov. 5 |
| Antlerless Only permit, 2026 | Quota | Bag limit | Sold out in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO Wahoo | 800 | 1 AOWT | Oct. 31 |
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 Wahoo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wahoo | 3600, 3598, 11/5/25 | 3, 1, 4, 1060, 255, 1315 | 37% |
| Wahoo AO | 1500, 1498, 10/31/25 | 0, 0, 0, 14, 388, 402 | 27% |
Source: Game and Parks' 2026 Big Game Recommendations, page 80, 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 Wahoo 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 Wahoo unit?
Wahoo touches 6 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 |
| Blue Southeast | 1.2% | 15,605 | 4,558 |
| Buffalo | 0.5% | 9,594 | 2,363 |
| Elkhorn | 0.2% | 4,026 | 1,837 |
| Loup East | 0.6% | 4,483 | 2,351 |
| Republican | 1.4% | 21,381 | 2,565 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Nebraska's Wahoo deer unit?
29,527 acres, 1.1% of the unit, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and Game and Parks area maps; the largest share is Game and Parks land (15,713 acres). Game and Parks' walk-in program adds 2,809 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting in 2026-27.
How many deer were harvested in the Wahoo unit in the latest year on record?
4,544 across all seasons in 2025, by Game and Parks' count: 4,538 white-tailed deer and 6 mule deer.
How many Unit Buck permits does the Wahoo unit have in 2026?
Wahoo: 3,000 (1 AD). Each is a Season Choice permit, good in archery, November firearm and muzzleloader seasons.
Which counties are in the Wahoo unit?
Saunders, Butler, Polk, Cass, Douglas, Lancaster, York, Sarpy, Seward, Hamilton, Washington, Dodge, Colfax, Merrick and Platte. 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 Blue Southeast Buffalo Elkhorn Loup East Republican