Jlin45
Active Member
I plan on going to SC NE this fall for a WT rifle hunt. I will be hunting public. I hear it's a warzone. Any positive insight before I cancel and choose another state?
Nebraska 2023 Deer Hunt
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choprzrul
Well-Known Member
What unit?
If you have a permit for an area that includes Interstate 80 in it, use OnX to find public access along the Platte River. Get a pair of waders and a small decoy boat to wade through the river to islands and set up your tree stand. Better chance of avoiding the crowds I'd think. I'm a native of Kearney and have waded that river in the dark with ice chunks hitting me to go goose an duck hunting.....you will want to scout in the daylight and wade out to see what the water depth is like. Dragging that decoy boat will help transport your stand and gear on the way out....and hopefully a dead deer on your way back.
No guarantee that someone else won't be out there....but most folks aren't going to get into the water to deer hunt in November.
This is the type of area I'm thinking about:
Jlin45
Active Member
Republican
choprzrul
Well-Known Member
Once this number reaches zero, nonresidents will no longer be able to buy a deer permit:
choprzrul
Well-Known Member
There's a pretty good density of Open Fields (black outlines) in the SW corner of that unit:
Jlin45
Active Member
Thanks! I Already bought two tags
Taco John
Well-Known Member
I would cancel, it's a chit show of epic proportions.
Nebraskans with options don't even hunt Nebraska.
Nebraskans with options don't even hunt Nebraska.
choprzrul
Well-Known Member
My son and I, native Nebraskans, travel from CA to hunt NE. We have a lot of options between CA and NE, but we choose NE and really love it.
Just my $0.02.....
Conner220
New Member
I've hunted the Sacramento-Wilcox area before, every year up until last year, and it is absolute insanity. There are so many hunters out there that you can do a 360 spin and everywhere is dotted with orange like a christmas tree. The parking areas are full by 6 PM the night before, and everyone else just parks along the road and walks in. I have never shot a deer out there during rifle season, despite going out there for the past 7 years. It keeps getting worse every year.
I chatted with the warden about it last year and he said they counted 117 vehicles on opening morning, despite there being only about 500 acres of established deer hunting area. It's awful. BUT I have a buddy that hunts around Harlan County Lake in the Republican unit and he says he almost never sees another hunter out there, and he gets a decent buck every year. There's a few thousand acres of good habitat, too. So I'm trying that place out this year. Just my $0.2
I chatted with the warden about it last year and he said they counted 117 vehicles on opening morning, despite there being only about 500 acres of established deer hunting area. It's awful. BUT I have a buddy that hunts around Harlan County Lake in the Republican unit and he says he almost never sees another hunter out there, and he gets a decent buck every year. There's a few thousand acres of good habitat, too. So I'm trying that place out this year. Just my $0.2
Did you have a successful hunt?
Jlin45
Active Member
Yes! I punched both buck tags on opening day on public.
Congratulations man!!
Jlin45
Active Member
I drew a MDCA mule deer tag this year!
