Outdoor notes: Please leave wildlife babies alone

Seeing young wild animals alone is common this time of year. Though some may wish to “rescue” these animals, don’t. Wildlife parents are doing their part to make sure their babies survive.

Here are some rules of thumb from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission regarding wildlife babies:

• Young non-feathered birds and nests with eggs discovered on the ground should be placed back in the tree. Baby birds covered in feathers found on the ground are being tended to by their parents; leave them alone.
• A lone fawn may appear to be abandoned or injured, but the mother frequently is off feeding or drinking. Do not move it. The longer the fawn is separated from its mother, the slimmer the chance it will be reunited with her. Know it is normal for a doe to leave its fawn to keep it from being detected by predators. Predators can see the doe as it feeds, so she leaves the fawn hidden and leaves the area to draw attention away from the fawn’s location.
• Baby rabbits are left unattended through much of the day and night. Mother cottontails do this to prevent drawing predators to the nest. If you see the rabbits, leave them alone.
• Do not try to raise wildlife babies as pets. As animals mature, they become more independent and follow natural instincts to leave and establish their own territories. Rescued animals are poorly prepared for life in the wild.
• Most wildlife babies are protected by state or federal law, and it is illegal to possess them.

Big game draw permit application period is June 12-23

Residents and nonresidents may apply for a draw status Nebraska deer permit in three mule deer conservation areas June 12-23. 

In 2023, the Platte Mule Deer Conservation Area, Pine Ridge MDCA and the Frenchman MDCA are the only deer permits in the drawing. A preference point may be purchased in lieu of participating in the drawing.

Residents and eligible landowners also may apply for a firearm or muzzleloader antelope permit, nonresidents may apply for an archery antelope permit and residents may apply for a general elk permit. An antelope preference point and an elk bonus point may be purchased in lieu of participating in the drawing.

The application period opens June 12 at 1 p.m. Central time. Applications must be received by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission by 5 p.m. Central time – or by 11:59 p.m. for online applications – on June 23. One application is allowed per person per species.

Draws are used to provide equal opportunity to obtain high demand permits. Resident and nonresidents are separated in the drawing, with at least 85% of permits reserved for residents.

Applications may be made at OutdoorNebraska.gov, via application form in the 2023 Big Game Guide, or in person at a Game and Parks permitting office. A list of offices is in the Big Game Guide.

Results of the draw will be available by the first Friday in July.

Visit OutdoorNebraska.gov, which includes a digital version of the Big Game Guide, for more information.

Commissioners approve a 2024 mountain lion season

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved staff recommendations for a 2024 mountain lion hunting season at its June 9 meeting in Alma.

For the first time, a mountain lion harvest season will take place outside the Pine Ridge as the Niobrara Unit is created, encompassing parts of Brown, Cherry, Keya Paha, Rock and Sheridan counties. The objective for the Niobrara Unit is to provide a harvest opportunity for mountain lions that allows the population to remain resilient and healthy, while slowing growth of the population.

Mountain lions in Nebraska are part of the larger western population that includes Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming, and are not isolated.

Mountain lion presence has been documented in the Niobrara River Valley of north-central Nebraska since 2001. There has been a resident reproducing population there since 2013 and information gathered through research suggests a population that is growing and will be resilient to harvest.

Season 1 in the Niobrara and Pine Ridge units will take place Jan. 2 through the end of February. The season will end immediately in a unit if the annual harvest limit or female sub-limit are reached. The Pine Ridge limit will be four mountain lions with a sub-limit of two females, and the Niobrara limit will be two mountain lions with a one female sub-limit. Up to 320 permits will be issued by lottery in the Pine Ridge Unit and up to 160 permits will be issued in the Niobrara Unit. An auxiliary season would be held March 16 through the end of March if the annual harvest limit or female sub-limit are not reached during Season 1 in a unit.

The Commission also approved changes to the river otter trapping season. These changes eliminate the overall season harvest limit and simplify the check-in process by allowing otters to be checked within two days after the close of the season and before the sale or transfer of the otter. The requirement of daily checking of season status is eliminated as well. The season will be Nov. 1, 2023, through Feb. 29, 2024. Each harvester will be limited to one otter per season.

In other business, the commissioners approved changes to sportfishing regulations that allow archery paddlefish permit holders to harvest paddlefish in the spillway below Gavins Point Dam. The north wall and discharge canal will remain closed to archery paddlefish fishing.

The Commission renamed the Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center in Lincoln the Nebraska Game and Parks Turpin Outdoor Education Center in the memory of Dick Turpin, a longtime Game and Parks employee and outdoor enthusiast. A dedication and special event open to the public will be hosted at a later date.

Ted LaGrange, wetlands program manager, was recognized for 30 years of service to the Commission and his contributions to Nebraska’s wetland resources and the wildlife that depend on them.

He later presented on the recent Wetlands of Nebraska Outreach and Education project aimed at increasing awareness of the importance of wetlands in Nebraska. The project produced five documentary films and several publications, all available at NebraskaWetlands.com.

Game and Parks coordinated the project, which was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Partners included the Platte Basin Timelapse group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Ducks Unlimited.

Former state Sen. Hughes appointed to Commission for District 5 

Former state Sen. Dan Hughes, of Venango, is the new District 5 commissioner to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. 

Hughes served two terms in the Nebraska Legislature — Jan. 2015 to Dec. 2022 — sitting on the Natural Resources Committee, chairing it from 2017 to 2021. He also served as chairman of the Executive Board. 

Gov. Jim Pillen appointed Hughes to the position, and the full Legislature confirmed the pick on May 30.  

District 5 includes the following counties in southwestern Nebraska: Perkins, Chase, Dundy, Lincoln, Hayes, Hitchcock, Frontier, Red Willow, Dawson, Gosper, Furnas, Phelps and Harlan. 

Hughes, who will serve a four-year term, succeeds Robert Allen of Eustis on the board. District 1 remains vacant on the board. 

Hughes and his wife, Josie, own and operate a family farming operation in Venango along with their two adult children. Hughes is a third-generation Nebraska farmer and businessman.  

He has a long history of public service. Hughes formerly served on the Grant/Perkins County School Board, the Nebraska Wheat Board, Nebraska Ethanol Board and the U.S. Wheat Associates, and is currently an active member of a variety of farm and community organizations. 

“I am looking forward to being part of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission,” Hughes said. “My fellow commissioners and the Game and Parks staff are dedicated to protecting and improving Nebraska’s natural resources and providing access and opportunities for Nebraskans and visitors alike.”  

To view a list of commissioners or districts or for more information, go to OutdoorNebraska.gov.