Nebraskaland

166 Nebraskaland • April 2021 When John Gutierrez climbed down from his tree stand one afternoon in early December, he didn't have far to go to get back to camp. He walked just 200 yards to his tent. It's one of the many reasons he's made the trek from his home in Lincoln for the past 15 years to archery deer hunt at Indian Cave State Park. State parks are busy places from late spring, through summer and into fall, fi lled with campers, picnickers, hikers and bikers. Once the leaves drop in the fall and most campers are winterized, however, the parks are quiet. With abundant deer populations that need to be kept in check, opening the parks to late-season hunters made sense. Indian Cave is one of seven state parks that allow some kind of hunting, ranging from small game to deer, beginning in November or December. With most of its 3,400 acres of forested bluff s and Missouri River bottomland, all of it prime white-tailed deer habitat, open to hunting, it draws hunters from near and far: In 2020, 141 people from 13 states, including as far away as California and Florida, hunted the park. More than two-thirds were archers and the remainder hunted with muzzleloaders in January. Combined, they harvested 36 deer. Some would consider the hunting pressure on the high side. Gutierrez said it can be during the fi rst few weeks the park is open to hunting, but it's light the rest of the year. Like bowhunters anywhere, there are days when he doesn't see deer. But he says he usually sees more bucks than does, and some quality bucks at that. And he gets to see them throughout the rut. "I don't know of many public places you can go to see all of that," he said. Some hunters stay relatively close to the road. Others get as far away from it as they can, following the 22 miles of trails on foot or mountain bike to get into the backcountry before setting up a tree stand or ground blind. A few will pitch a tent at one of the backcountry sites or make camp in an Adirondack shelter. Others will park their camper or set up wall tents in one of the park's campgrounds, where showers are kept open as late as the weather allows. Gutierrez puts up three stands, one about a mile and a half from the nearest parking lot. He harvests a deer most years, switching to muzzleloader for the January antlerless hunt. Ash Hollow and Fort Atkinson state historical parks also off er some hunting opportunities. The types of hunts the parks off er varies, and a special free permit is required. Some like Eugene T. Mahoney and Platte River state parks have drawings that off er a limited number of archery and muzzleloader deer hunters the chance to harvest antlerless deer in designated areas for a few weekends in November, December and January. Expansive Fort Robinson State Park allows small and big game hunting on most of its 22,300 acres throughout the hunting season, with a limited number of hunters allowed in three zones during the fi rearm season. Ponca State Park off ers deer hunting in the main park and waterfowl and other hunting in Missouri River bottomland parcels to the north. Most of the Commission's 58 state recreation areas also allow hunting beginning on the Tuesday after Labor Day and extending to the end of the spring turkey hunting season. In all parks, hunting is not allowed near any public-use facility, including cabins, campgrounds and picnic shelters. And whether hunting the park or other nearby public or private land, all of the parks make great base camps for hunters looking to pitch a tent, park a camper or rent a cabin. For more information, go to OutdoorNebraska.org/ Stateparkhunting. HUNTING IN THE PARKS By Eric Fowler MIXED BAG Gutierrez walks to his deer stand at Indian Cave State Park. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND

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