Dove Season Begins September 1 in Nebraska
With the annual dove season opener on Sept. 1, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has some reminders for hunters, as well as recommendations for areas to hunt.
Dove hunting is a fun activity for many hunters each fall and provides an excellent opportunity to introduce youth and other novice hunters to hunting.
Doves are abundant statewide and, with generous bag limits, provide some excellent wing-shooting opportunities. Doves may be hunted statewide Sept. 1 – Oct. 30, 2021, with daily bag and possession limits of 15 and 45, respectively. Bag and possession limits are for mourning, white-winged and Eurasian collared-doves in aggregate. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset.
Sunflowers, millet and wheat, which generally provide good food sources and dove hunting opportunities, have been planted on numerous wildlife management areas earlier this year. For a listing of these “dove fields,” view the 2021 Dove Hunting Fact Sheet at Outdoornebraska.gov/
Preseason scouting is recommended due to changing habitat conditions. All publicly accessible sites throughout the state – including federal, state, conservation partner and private lands enrolled in Game and Parks’ Open Fields and Waters Program – are displayed in the 2021-2022 Public Access Atlas, which can be found at OutdoorNebraska.org/
Hunters are reminded that they must obtain landowner permission prior to accessing private lands in Nebraska.
Nebraska residents 16 years and older and all nonresidents are required to have a valid Nebraska small game hunting permit, habitat stamp and Harvest Information Program number. Get the free HIP number at OutdoorNebraska.gov/hip or at any Game and Parks office. Federal and state migratory bird hunting stamps, or duck stamps, are not required to hunt doves. Shotgun plugs are also required, restricting it to no more than three shells.
Hunters who harvest a dove with a leg band should contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at reportband.gov. In addition, randomly selected hunters will be asked to save one wing from each dove during the first week of the season and mail them postage-free to the Service.
Eurasian collared-doves also may be harvested between Oct. 31, 2021 and Aug. 31, 2022, with bag and possession limits of 15 and 45, respectively.
For summaries of hunting regulations, read the Small Game and Waterfowl Guide at Outdoornebraska.gov/guides. Purchase permits at OutdoorNebraska.org.
Learn to Hunt Dove workshop is Aug. 30
New and experienced hunters are encouraged to participate in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Learn to Hunt workshops this fall. The series begins at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 with Learn to Hunt Dove, a Facebook Live event.
These free, one-hour workshops cover basic hunting strategies, proper equipment, permit requirements and where to hunt for a variety of Nebraska game species. Novice hunters interested in picking up new skills or current hunters seeking to diversify the game they pursue would benefit from these workshops.
Some workshops will be online while others will take place at the Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center in Lincoln. Registration is required for all in-person workshops. All workshops begin at 7 p.m. and may be viewed on Facebook Live through the Hunt Nebraska Facebook page.
Other upcoming workshops are: Learn to Hunt Waterfowl: Early Teal – Aug. 31; Learn to Hunt Deer: Archery – Sept. 15; Learn to Hunt Small Game – Sept. 22.
For a full list of fall Learn to Hunt workshops and to register, visit outdoornebraska.gov/workshops.
Duck Slam returns to challenge Nebraska waterfowl hunters
You love it: being in the blind, setting up the spread, turning a flock, watching them cup, taking the shot and seeing a great retrieve. Duck hunting is time well spent.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Ducks Unlimited are proud to bring back the popular Nebraska Duck Slam, a challenge for duck hunters to take advantage of Nebraska’s great duck hunting opportunities.
The Duck Slam challenges hunters to harvest a teal (blue-winged or green-winged) of either sex, as well as drakes of three other species: an American wigeon, a mallard and a northern pintail. All ducks must be harvested in Nebraska, and hunters must upload a photo of each harvest at OutdoorNebraska.org/DuckSlam.
Those who successfully complete the slam will receive an official certificate, a Duck Slam pin and Central Flyway bragging rights. Additionally, all hunters who complete the Slam during the 2021-2022 season will be registered to win one of several great prizes generously donated by Ducks Unlimited. A drawing for the grand prize, a Special Edition Ducks Unlimited Franchi Elite 20-gauge shotgun, will take place next February.
The Duck Slam officially opens on Sept. 4, the first day of early teal season, and runs through Jan. 26, 2022, when duck and coot season ends in zones 2 and 3. Season dates vary by species and zones.
Hunters can find detailed season dates and a link to the Small Game and Waterfowl Guide at OutdoorNebraska.org/DuckSlam. Hunters can view land open to public hunting in our Public Access Atlas at OutdoorNebraska.gov/
Upland Slam challenge begins Sept. 1
Hunters again are challenged to go afield with family and friends this fall to complete the Nebraska Upland Slam by harvesting all four of Nebraska’s primary upland game bird species.
The challenge of the Upland Slam, a partnership among the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Pheasants Forever, Inc., and Quail Forever, is to harvest a ring-necked pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse, greater prairie-chicken and northern bobwhite quail in Nebraska this season.
Successful hunters upload a photo of each harvested bird through an online platform and provide details about their hunt. Those who complete the Slam will receive an official certificate and pin and be entered into a drawing to win one of several grand prizes, including a Dickinson Arms Hunter Light 28-gauge over/under shotgun.
Nebraska is renowned as a mixed-bag hunting destination and is a great place to pursue a variety of bird species across diverse habitats. “Participation in Nebraska’s Upland Slam has increased in recent years and this has been a great way to promote what our state has to offer in terms of upland hunting opportunities,” said John Laux, Game and Parks’ upland habitat and access program manager.
All participants who submit at least one harvest to the Nebraska Upland Slam will be automatically entered into monthly drawings for prizes sponsored by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. Prizes include Scheels Gift Cards, hunting vests, Yeti Cups, wall art, memberships to the two conservation groups and more.
Resident hunters 15 or younger are encouraged to participate in the slam to be entered into a separate drawing for a resident youth lifetime hunt permit. Additionally, upon the fourth and final bird submission, hunters can acknowledge their hunting dog’s achievement by uploading a photo of their dog afield to receive an official Top Dog tag and certificate.
The first three seasons of the Upland Slam were a great success, with more than 850 hunters participating, and more than 330 first-time harvests (first time in someone’s lifetime to harvest that species).
Hunters can begin working on their 2021-2022 Slam on Sept. 1, when the seasons for sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie-chicken open. The seasons for pheasant and bobwhite begin Oct. 30. The seasons for all four species close Jan. 31, 2022.
Visit OutdoorNebraska.org/UplandSlam for more information, official rules and entry details.
