LINCOLN, Neb. – The Oct. 24-25 statewide youth pheasant, quail, and partridge season for hunters ages 15 and younger provides an excellent opportunity to mentor new hunters.
“The youth season provides a great opportunity to expose young family members and friends to hunting in a more controlled environment,” said John Laux, upland game program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
Game and Parks’ Take ’em Hunting Challenge motivates hunters to take a pledge to introduce someone new to hunting as recruiting new hunters is vital to maintaining strong hunting traditions in Nebraska.
Resident youth (age 15 or younger) do not need a permit to hunt small game, but nonresident youth must have a hunt permit and habitat stamp. Only youth are allowed to hunt during the youth season, except at designated Special Youth Hunt locations where accompanying adults also are allowed to hunt.
Game and Parks will release rooster pheasants at the following Special Youth Hunt locations/ wildlife management areas (with county):
Arrowhead (Gage), Kirkpatrick Basin North (York), Cornhusker (Hall), George Syas (Nance), Wilkinson (Platte), Oak Valley (Madison), Powder Creek (Dixon), Randall W. Schilling (Cass), Rakes Creek (Cass), Peru Bottoms (Nemaha), Twin Oaks (Johnson), Hickory Ridge (Johnson), Yankee Hill (Lancaster), Branched Oak (Lancaster), Sherman Reservoir (Sherman), Pressey (Custer), Arnold Trupp (Morrill), Bordeaux (Dawes), and N-CORPE east tract (Lincoln).
At Special Youth Hunt locations, the daily bag limit is two rooster pheasants for youth and one rooster pheasant for the accompanying adult (must be licensed hunters age 19 or older). Non-toxic shot is required at Kirkpatrick Basin North, Peru Bottoms, Randall W. Schilling and Wilkinson, but otherwise all hunting regulations apply.
For more information about the youth season or to find places to hunt, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov/Upland or contact Game and Parks at 402-471-0641. Learn more about Take ’em Hunting at OutdoorNebraska.gov/takeemhunting.
