NOVEMBER 2018 • NEBRASKAland 33
numbers of sharpies and pheasants,
and the sporadic prairie-chicken as
well. Pheasant numbers are typically
very good in Box Butte and Sheridan
counties, but access is somewhat
limited in this area. Farther west,
the Oglala National Grassland and
surrounding OFW lands provide endless
opportunities for sharptails. This region
has a little bit of everything but you'll
have to travel a ways to find it.
Southwestern Nebraska –
Well-known for its pheasants, the
southwest offers a legitimate chance
to mix that up with bobwhites and
chickens. Prairie-chickens are found
in moderate densities throughout the
region but some of the best public
land opportunities will be on some
of the larger OFW tracts in Chase,
Perkins, Lincoln and Hayes counties.
Bobwhites are more prevalent to the
east – target some of the OFW lands
east of Highway 83 in Red Willow,
Frontier, Furnas, Gosper and Harlan
counties. Medicine Creek WMA near
Cambridge and Harlan County Lake
near Alma also support good numbers
of bobwhites intermixed with some
ring-necks. You'll likely have to travel
a ways north to find your sharpies –
look at Crescent Lake NWR, Halsey
National Forest, or some of the OFW
lands in the southern panhandle.
Southeastern Nebraska – This is
prime quail country intermixed with
some pheasant opportunities and
even a bonus chicken. There are some
excellent quail numbers on many of
the state-owned WMAs and OFW
lands throughout the region. To find
a prairie-chicken here, focus on the
larger tracts of open grasslands (which
are limited in this region) in Thayer,
Jefferson, Gage, Pawnee and Johnson
counties – and keep in mind you need
a special grouse permit if you hunt
east of Highway 81.
Regardless of how long it takes,
completing an upland slam is a major
accomplishment for a hunter, but it
shouldn't be the only goal. Nebraska
truly has some unique upland hunting
opportunities in nearly every corner
of the state and the best part is,
many can be found on public lands.
"The upland slam is meant to bring
awareness to our excellent mixed bag
opportunities, and also highlight our
state's great public land resources that
are available to everyone," said Laux.
After you purchase a small-game
license and harvest your first bird,
create an account at OutdoorNebraska.
org/UplandSlam and submit a
photograph and details about your
first bird. Then continue to log back in
and document your success. For more
information on public places to upland
hunt, visit OutdoorNebraska.org/
PublicAccessAtlas. For information on
the East Zone grouse permit, call 402-
471-5410. ■
A prairie chicken lands in a Sandhills meadow. Photo by Eric Fowler.
