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Nebraska

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Nebraska Unit Finder

Answer six questions and get Nebraska's deer, elk and antelope units ranked by habitat fit, 2026 seasons and permit quotas, public land and Open Fields and Waters walk-in access, for whitetail, mule deer, elk, antelope, turkey, pheasant, quail, prairie grouse and waterfowl.

How the Nebraska finder works

This tool scores Nebraska's 18 deer management units, 15 elk units (Unit 15, with no quota of its own, is not ranked) and 10 antelope units on USGS land-cover and elevation data, the share of public land such as the Nebraska National Forest, Oglala National Grassland and wildlife management areas, and the share of each unit in NGPC's 2026–2027 Open Fields and Waters walk-in tracts. NGPC publishes harvest by unit on OutdoorNebraska.gov, which could not be downloaded for this site, so there is no harvest history in the score.

Season fit uses NGPC's 2026 Big Game Guide: archery, November firearm, muzzleloader and late antlerless deer seasons with each unit's Unit Buck quota and 2025 sell-out date; elk bull and antlerless seasons with quotas and 2025 draw odds; antelope archery, muzzleloader, October firearm and late doe/fawn seasons with quotas and points needed. Turkey uses the 2026 Turkey Guide and the Commission's new 2027 spring openers. Birds and waterfowl are ranked by county with the 2026–27 Small Game and Waterfowl Guide.

Species covered

  • Mule deer
  • White-tailed deer
  • Elk
  • Pronghorn antelope
  • Wild turkey

Upland birds (ranked by county)

  • Ring-necked pheasant
  • Sharp-tailed grouse
  • Gray (Hungarian) partridge
  • Quail

Waterfowl and migratory birds (ranked by county)

  • Ducks
  • Canada and dark geese
  • Snow and Ross's geese
  • Mourning dove
  • American woodcock

About every species on the species page →

Data sources

Nebraska hunting FAQ

When does Nebraska's 2026 November firearm deer season open?

Nov. 14–22, 2026 (nine days starting the Saturday closest to Nov. 13). Archery runs Sept. 1–Dec. 31, muzzleloader Dec. 1–31, and the late antlerless-only firearm season Jan. 1–15, 2027.

Which Nebraska deer units sell out first?

In 2025 the Buffalo and Republican either-species Unit Buck permits sold out July 11, Pine Ridge July 15 and Platte's whitetail permits Sept. 2. Platte and Frenchman either-species permits are drawn for residents.

How hard is it to draw a Nebraska elk tag?

Hard for bulls: in 2025 zero-point odds ranged from about 1 in 34 (Unit 131) to 1 in 487 (Unit 1). The bull draw moves to a bonus-points-squared system in 2026. Antlerless odds are much better, often 1 in 1 to 1 in 7.

Nebraska harvest leaders

The units with the highest average reported harvest for each species. High totals often reflect large areas and many hunters; the tool above also weighs harvest per square mile, hunter success, habitat and access.

Ducks (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Clay County: 10,706 per year
  2. Lincoln County: 10,661 per year
  3. Scotts Bluff County: 10,194 per year
  4. Morrill County: 10,121 per year
  5. Saunders County: 8,346 per year

Canada and dark geese (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Morrill County: 16,011 per year
  2. Scotts Bluff County: 13,334 per year
  3. Garden County: 7,535 per year
  4. Butler County: 6,517 per year
  5. Lincoln County: 5,609 per year