Last week, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved a 2027 mountain lion hunting season at their meeting in Blair.
The following mountain lion recommendations that were brought to their June meeting originally were approved:
- the Niobrara Unit is expanded east to Nebraska Hwy. 14
- the Niobrara Unit harvest limit is increased to 10, with a sublimit of five females
- the Pine Ridge Unit harvest limit is reduced to three, with a sublimit of one female
- the Wildcat Hills Unit harvest limit is reduced to one
Other season regulations approved included:
- limiting hunting in an Auxiliary Season to just the Niobrara Unit,
- allowing 30 general permits and 20 limited landowner permits by lottery – to residents only – for each mountain lion in the harvest limit for each unit,
- changing the permit application period to begin at 10 a.m. Central time on the first Monday in November through the first Friday in December, and
- creating a half-price resident limited landowner permit, which applications must be received by the following Game and Parks offices by 5 p.m. local time by the close of the period: District office in Alliance – Pine Ridge and Wildcat Hills units; Bassett Service Center – Niobrara Unit.
- Allocating a preference point for unsuccessful limited landowner applicants. Points will be lost when applicants are drawn successfully.
Season 1 in all three units is Jan. 2-Feb. 28, 2027. The season would end immediately in a unit if the annual harvest limit or female sublimit were reached.
An Auxiliary Season will be held in the Niobrara Unit if the harvest limit is not reached during Season 1. The season would be March 13-31, 2027, except it would close immediately if either the harvest limit (remainder of the harvest limit from Season 1) or female sublimit is met. A number of permits equal to the number of lions remaining in the limit would be issued by lottery to unsuccessful permit holders from Season 1. Hunting with dogs would be allowed in this season.
Commissioners also approved a 2027 bighorn sheep regular hunting season. There will be one lottery and one auction permit for the season, which will be Dec. 1-22, 2027.
In other business, the commissioners approved increasing the base fee for various resident and nonresident hunt (small game), fish and fur harvest permits, stamps, application fees, tags, preference points, big game permits, and other fees.
