NGPC Opening Weekend Report...

[Harold]

From "Bumpus Bites":

Conditions Vary in Pheasant Opener

LINCOLN, Neb. – Plenty of good pheasant hunting was available throughout the state as the season opened over the weekend, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, despite some difficult conditions.

A wet October resulted in large areas of unharvested crops and miles of impassable unimproved roads, challenging many hunters to get to and find birds. Expect hunting to improve dramatically with drier weather and more crops out of the field.

No hunting accidents were reported.

Nebraska's pheasant season continues through Jan. 31, 2010. Only rooster pheasants may be taken. The daily bag limit is three and the possession limit is 12. Permits may be purchased at Outdoor Nebraska.org.
The following is a regional report of the opening weekend of the pheasant season:

Northwest
The area experienced one of the slowest pheasant openers in many years. Heavy snow two days before the opener resulted in many roads either drifted shut or muddy from melting snow.

Most conservation officers checked fewer than 20 hunters for the entire weekend, with few hunters having any birds. More than 75 percent of checked hunters were nonresidents who represented at least a dozen states.

The heaviest hunting pressure was on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land.

Northeast
About 90 percent of the corn remained in the field, as well as a fair percentage of soybeans. Hunters were represented by a good number of nonresidents.

CRP land was used extensively, with spotty success. Some hunters used Open Fields and Waters Program land.

Success appeared to be down, but hunter numbers up from last year in Washington and Burt counties.

Hunting pressure was light and success poor on Sunday.

Southwest
There was heavy snow in prime pheasant areas the day before the opener. Other areas received rain.

Overall, there were a good number of hunters, with about 85 percent of checked hunters being nonresidents. Most hunting took place on CRP land.
The number of pheasants harvested was not as good as last year, but many hunters were pleased with the number of birds they saw. Many birds were flushing wild and in cornfields.

Southeast
Pheasant numbers and success rate similar to recent years.
Open Fields and Waters Program and CRP lands were heavily used Saturday. There was heavy hunting pressure and good success on the northern Salt Valley complexes.

Quail numbers appear to be up.

Good numbers of pheasants and good success reported in Seward and western Butler counties.

Hunting pressure was down considerably on Sunday.

South-central
Hunting pressure was lower than normal for the opener. Conservation officers checked an average of 60 hunters each over the two-day weekend.

Most of the checked hunters were on public areas, such as the Rainwater Basin and CRP land. There were few nonresident hunters.

By 11 a.m. Saturday, 198 hunters were checked with 67 pheasants, six quail and one grouse.

Over the weekend, hunters averaged better than half a bird each. Hunters with the most birds were in the Rainwater Basin.
____________________________________

For Bumpus.

For the complete news release:

Bumpus' "Bites from our NGPC"

[south of 41]

Over the weekend, hunters averaged better than half a bird each.

[gwhunter]

Bird numbers up in Washington County? Yeah you bet!

[AnglerX]

75% and 85% nonresidents

wow!

[h20fowl_ne]

Northwest--More than 75 percent of checked hunters were nonresidents
Northeast --Hunters were represented by a good number of nonresidents.
Southwest --85 percent of checked hunters being nonresidents


In the southwest 8-10 vehicles we saw were out of state. The crp map land was wall to wall people (mostly Colorado). I kind of wonder if South Dakota does it better with the first 3 days of the season for resident hunters only and legal shooting time not starting till 10:00 to prevent the birds from being busted in the roost.

[AnglerX]

Resident Annual Small Game Hunt Permit$14.00
Resident Combination Hunt/Fish Permit$37.50
Nonresident Annual Small Game Hunt Permit$81.00



You do the math.... That does not include the habitat stamp fee either

[h20fowl_ne]

I know, Nebraska is like Motel 6 for out of state hunters. We will leave the light on for you. BTY did you figure in the new cost of stamps next year.

[Fish On]

Originally Posted by AnglerX

Resident Annual Small Game Hunt Permit$14.00
Resident Combination Hunt/Fish Permit$37.50
Nonresident Annual Small Game Hunt Permit$81.00



You do the math.... That does not include the habitat stamp fee either

Whats your point? Too cheap, too expensive?

[h20fowl_ne]

I think that we are letting the out of state guys off pretty cheap. I know the out of state hunters are good for the economy and spend a lot of money in the area they hunt in. It just seems in a time where it is getting harder and harder to get permission to hunt private owned property that the resident hunters should get to hunt some of the public lands a day or two before the out of state guys.

I don't mind the prices of permits increasing as long as we see some benefits state wide from the increases. I do get to hunt out of state from time to time and don't mind paying extra when that opportunity arises for me.

[snowgoose100]

Fish On I think he meant 85 % of the hunters(and there was alot out) paid 81.00 and they (state) is still broke.One thing to remember before jumping on a nonresidence price hike is that several states now do a ricipicole(sp)liscense with other states.If NE charges 100 for a Alabama resident then when a NE resident goes to Alabama they get charged 100.Not all the states are doing this but some are.I dont care what they do with the price I have bought my last hunting liscense in NE.It just got to pricey by the time you add everything in.All I had hunted last 2 years is snows in the spring and Im done giving the full price of the whole season to shoot a few birds if any that is now overpopulated and needs thinned down.

[AnglerX]

The numbers are just not adding up! They claim that permits are falling causing budget problems, yet the numbers of people who fish/hunt are up. The record numbers of deer,turkey, and now elk are being harvested. Every year it's a new record of harvest. Without permit sales how do we get record numbers? Single hunters buying multiple permits may make sense? But it's still sales of permits that increased.

[Chen rossii]

Originally Posted by AnglerX

Single hunters buying multiple permits may make sense? But it's still sales of permits that increased.

That could be it. Last year I bought 3 different deer permits, only to harvest a single doe during late season.

[Alex T.]

Without permit sales how do we get record numbers?

they could sell the same amount of permits as they did 5-10 years ago and still have record numbers this fall. Add in the "free" doe permits that most tags have nowadays and you can see why the numbers don't add up. If 85% of people checked came from out of state,that tells you something.......whether it's Nebraska's hunting is that good,out of staters are misinformed on how good Nebraska hunting is,or how bad their home state is compared to Nebraska for any particular game.

Alex

[fish4bass]

Definitely a lot of out of staters out this way. We saw people from colorado, kansas, virginia, texas, and louisiana I think was the other one.

[uglymike]

Half a bird average. I haven't hunted them in years, this justifies why I don't even bother. It's soooooo difficult to get permission on private land, and with the meager amount public land we have being pounded by the out-of-staters, why bother? Wonder how many of those non-residents will be back next year? If you're going to pay non-resident fees, might as well go to a state that has birds!!!!!!

[luvsitall]

Originally Posted by south of 41

Over the weekend, hunters averaged better than half a bird each.

Yeah me and a buddy had a fistfight over our 1 quial..I won and wouldn't share any...
Us resident hunters weren't dumb enough(or could go) to attempt a mid summer hunt with tons and tons and tons of cover...did I mention tons of cover.