Omaha Nebraska

[Brian Gillispie]

Hey all,


   I have just gotten a prn job in Omaha Nebraska.  The nature of this job is that I will still live in NC.  When they need me they will fly me out to work some shifts.  So,  What is the trad archery/ bowhunting situation in eastern Nebraska around Omaha.  I would only be able to bring minimal gear on the plane with me.  I dont expect to head out there for a few months.  What are the hunting seasons like there.  What are the favored big game to hunt?  What kind of hunting is most appropriate there, Ground? Treestands?  Blinds?  Helicopter mounted autocannon?...Just kidding  my bow is a bit long for a blind.

Let me know the lowdown,

Brian Gillispie

[ArrowAtomik]

There is some nice country if you can get on some private land (may not be as hard as you think).  Big game will only be whitetail, but very big whitetail!  The other big stuff is 6 hours west.  There is very good turkey and small game everywhere.  Also great pheasant if you want a challenge.  

Poke around on this website, it has alot:
 http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/hunting/hunting.asp

Omaha itself will be limited hunting available since its half a million people.  Do a search for this Gifford WMA near Omaha that has a lottery of maybe 200 access permits.  I'd suggest at least trying to get in on that as it restricts the weapons allowed and has extended bow season during the rifle season (peak rut).

Bring some clothes in the fall.  You'll see the weather on the plains is quite different from N.C. and will seem to change almost hourly.

[Caleb the bow breaker]

In 2008 the archery deer season starts 9/15/08.  My experience has been that it is easier to get permission for archers.  It is also a gimme if you are after does.  It can be difficult to get access to shoot bucks.  Also Nebraska requires bowhunter safety so that is definetly something to look into.  Almost ruined my hunting opportunity last year.  Give me a holler if you have any specific questions.

Caleb

[Houska]

Around here you have you choice of turkeys or Whitetails for big game. 6-8 hours west you get into mule deer and a few antelope.

Getting permission around Omaha can be a little tough because of the population, but I would recommend driving around and knocking on some doors. If you put the legwork in, you should be able to get onto some private ground.

Desoto can be a good public place to start. I use to hunt there when I first moved to Omaha, however since then they have more seasons, more hunters and fewer deer. If you do hunt there I would stay away from the trees because what I found out is the deer become conditioned to hunters in the trees. I started hunting off the ground in the high grass , thickets and lowland swamps and saw a lot more bigger bucks. There you can hunt the Iowa or Nebraska side with a Nebraska permit.

Good luck and be sure to catch a few Nebraska football games.

Matt Houska

[Wary Buck]

First off, I want to hear more about this "prn job."  I didn't know we had much of a porn industry here in the state...

I won't paint quite as optimistic a picture as some of the above on gaining private land access.  In my experience, it's pretty tough around Omaha.  Over half the population of Nebraska resides in 3 of our 93 counties, and two of those are the metro Omaha counties (Douglas and Sarpy) and the other is Lincoln (Lancaster).  Thus those counties and those adjacent to them get pounded.  

I live in Fremont, a neighboring county to Douglas and the only reason I have decent private access is because I grew up in a small town just west of here and have "connections."  Still, I think if you'd drive north and/or south of Omaha, you'll have better luck than driving west.  The Platte River is tougher to get on I think than the Missouri or Elkhorn or Nemaha river systems.  

I don't hunt public ground, but one about an hour NW of Omaha, south of West Point on the Elkhorn River called Powderhorn/Dead Timber is a good spot and underutilized before rifle season.  There are others, and the Game and Parks link above will point you in the right direction.

Deer season starts 9/15 and runs through 12/31 except for a nine-day closure in mid-November for the blaze orange iron-man road war.  We also share the entire month of December with muzzleloaders including for the first time in '08 the scoped in-lines.  MZ are already selling about as many tags as archery and this change will increase that number substantially I believe.  It is my belief that the MZ pressure is much higher in the east than the west.  

New for '08, each deer tag will be good for one either-sex deer and one bonus antlerless deer.  Many bowmen have been taking advantage of liberal antlerless bonus tags already.  Most years I'll end up taking one or rarely two bucks, but usually 3-4 does.  And being willing to kill does may get you on a property that otherwise would tell you no.

Lots of turkeys in most parts of the state.  Archers get first crack in the spring, starting 3/25 I think with shotgun firing up about 4/12 (but don't quote me on those dates).

Equipment-wise you can ground stand it in eastern Nebraska in many places, but a tree stand (and probably not a climber) is going to be your best bet.  The places that I hunt, a climber would be next to useless.  Lots of scraggly trees in just the right places, so I go with portable and tree steps or ladder sticks.

When you get to Omaha, hit the Scheels All Sports store and there are some good folks in there.  Full Draw Archery is run by another really good guy, Kent Colgrove.  Mostly compound guys of course, but good eggs.  There is also a Bass Pro just across the river in Council Bluffs, IA and a Cabela's in LaVista (SW suburb of Omaha) though I can't vouch for the archery help in either location.

Nebraska Traditional Archers have a website:
  http://nebraskatraditionalarchers.org/phpbb/index.php  

Their big fall rendezvous is literally in my backyard on the south side of Fremont, just 30 mi. west of Omaha.  Off top of my head I don't know the dates but usually mid-August.  They host other events including bow-building seminars, string shoots, a bunch of stuff...

And the Nebraska Bowhunters Association has been an extremely well-organized outfit, and is very trad-friendly.  Their address is below.

  http://www.bowsite.com/nba/  

Good luck.  Oh, and forgot:  nonresident deer tags are over-the-counter and probably limited to two standard archery tags.  Not sure on the price, but you also need a habitat stamp.  Same pretty much true with turkey tags.  No hunting license required with a big game tag unless you plan on shooting other critters.  Turks have always been considered big game, but don't quote me on that as there have been lots of changes the last couple years in our regs.