Nebraska deals with surplus deer
| Posted: Sunday, February 21, 2010 12:00 am |

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Night hunting with spotlights and limitless hunting without permits by landowners and their family members are no longer being considered as strategies for reducing Nebraska's deer population.

Lawmakers gutted the proposal that included those ideas Friday, and instead advanced a measure at the committee level that would allow the secretary of the state Game and Parks Commission to extend deer seasons by issuing executive orders, among other things.

"The deer can breath a little easier," Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala said.

The state's growing deer population is a sore point for many in the state. They say the deer population is too high, and that the animals are dangerous and a costly nuisance. Farmers have complained that crop damage from the wealth of deer is eating into their profits.

But even some who want the herd pared saw the original measure as overkill.

"The bill as originally intended was extreme," said Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh of Omaha, who introduced the measure. "It was a wake-up call and call to action."

Besides allowing the game and parks secretary to extend hunting seasons, the bill would allow owners of at least 20 acres and members of their immediate families to have an unlimited number of free permits to kill does.

Currently, landowner permits are only available to people with at least 80 acres, Lautenbaugh said.

The new bill is being considered at the same time the Game and Parks Commission is proposing an extra season to help cut Nebraska's plentiful supply of deer. If approved by the commission, an Oct. 2-11 season would be in addition to the November firearms season.

The extra season would be limited to female deer and be open to about two-thirds of the state.

If a area has to many deer means should be take to reduce the herd. I see nothing wrong with spot lighting them ect.

The laws were put in place to save deer to many deer its time to loosen the laws allowing people to kill them.

IF they really wanted to reduce the herds.
They'd open the seasons from Oct 1st til end of Jan. Regardless of kill, instead of 2-11th.

And by any means

We are starting to have the same problems in Australia. Here in Victoria they are dealing with the problem by dramatic extensions of season issuing permits for spotlighting restricted to Pacific properties and opening more areas to hunting

I grew up in East Central NE near Columbus. The deer population has been huge as long as I can remember. My major challenge was access. That was over 15 years ago. Everything is leased up for archery and rifle. I could sometimes get a place to hunt for muzzleloader season but that was never a guarantee.

I see two problems with the NE season:

1) the rifle season is too short with too many either sex/buck tags issued.

2) trying to develop trophy deer has created a major surplus of deer and very little is done by the leasee/landowner to do anything about it except when it is convienent for them to profit or complain about it.

Part of the issue is that the folks in NE are not always receptive to doe tags. By that, I mean I hunt there every year with what they call a "season choice" tag. It provides for me to hunt any season (nov. 11-Jan 15) with the weapon that is legal at the time. Between those times, some sort of firearm season (which I include a muzzleloader) is open. They are doe only tags and for $55 as a non-resident, it is a good deal. In the area I hunt, the state tacks on an additional doe tag as well. I get two doe tags for $55. Residents are lower, but in the area I hunt, they never sell out. I always get to fill both tags since the surrounding land is leased by outfitters and they do not shoot does. More people should do it.