Nebraskaland

June 2021 • Nebraskaland 17 elk, but when it became 40 or 50 or more, their tune changed and they spoke up. The number of landowners telling us that we have too many elk has drastically increased in the past few years." The concern among landowners is highest in areas with row crops interspersed among or adjacent to elk habitat. "The amount of damage they can do in corn is significant," Meduna said. More and more landowners are doing their part to control the herd by allowing access to more hunters, helping them get an elk and then getting the next hunter in to do the same. In 2020, the number of antlerless elk permits increased by 40 percent from 2019, antlerless harvest went up 84 percent and success jumped 14 points to 59 percent, the highest rate ever. Splitting the antlerless season in two more units to spread out hunting pressure this fall should help maintain the success. Meduna said biologists will continue to balance landowner needs with hunter success as it adjusts permit numbers in the years to come. The age and trophy quality of bulls harvested continues to increase, and success remains high for this once-in-a-lifetime permit. The increase in pronghorn doe permits also is in response to landowner concerns. About 1,300 surveys were sent and 500 returned. Of those, 49 percent said there were too many pronghorns, especially in the southern Panhandle, and 72 percent said they experienced some damage, primarily to crops and fencing. Meduna said the increase in doe permits could bring harvest back to levels not seen since the 1970s, when hunters took home between 300 and 500 each fall, making up roughly half of the harvest. Drought and a number of hard winters in the 1980s reduced the population to the point that only buck tags were issued for many years, even into the first decade of this century. "We're in the process now of turning that dial back up," Meduna said. "Landowners have told us that what we've been doing hasn't been enough, so we're definitely trying to be responsive to that." The Commission is also capping the number of nonresident archery pronghorn tags at 250. Sales of this permit, which had been unlimited, ballooned from 133 in 2010 to 543 last year, driven in part by COVID-19 pandemic and also by eastern hunters looking for something new to try. Resident archery tags also increased by 200. Many of the new hunters found their way to public land on the Oglala National Grassland. "That had an affect not just on the crowding of the hunters, but of hunting success for some of the other permits," said Meduna, noting that the pressure pushed so many pronghorn out of the area that firearm success dropped 17 points to 47 percent. The cap on nonresident permits was the option favored by most pronghorn hunters surveyed by the Commission this winter. Hunting Elk in a Private Land State Drawing an elk permit in Nebraska isn't easy: 6,000 people applied for 501 permits in 2020. And with much of their range on private land, fi nding a place to hunt once you draw a tag isn't easy either. But it is not as diffi cult as some may lead you to believe, and with the desire of many landowners to reduce the number of elk on their land, it is getting easier. With an additional 345 permits available for the coming season, odds of drawing will be better but fi nding a place to hunt could be a challenge. Luke Meduna, big game program manager with the Commission, provides these tips for those lucky enough to draw. • When you draw a permit, head to your unit as soon as possible and start knocking on doors. Landowners are more apt to grant permission to hunters they meet in person. Do not wait until the season opens to ask. • Be fl exible. Some landowners only grant access for a week or less, allowing them to off er access to more hunters throughout the season. Most reserve the fi rst week or two of the general season for bull hunters. Take what you can get and make the most of it. For a variety of reasons, cows are more diffi cult to hunt and harvest than bulls. These are herd animals, there are relatively few of them compared to deer and they are extremely sensitive to pressure. Don't expect your hunt to be anything like a late-season white-tailed doe hunt. • Take any advice the landowner gives you. They know the habits of elk on their property best. • While few elk are harvested on public land, Meduna thinks that is primarily due to lack of eff ort. If you don't fi nd elk one day, they could be there the next. Four trophy bulls came from public land or Open Fields and Waters land in 2020. • You don't have to pay for access. A University of Nebraska-Lincoln study surveyed hunters who had elk permits between 2011 and 2016 found 58 percent of bull hunters and 19 percent of cow hunters paid for access. Landowners managing for elk are more likely to charge, especially for bulls, but success tends to be higher. • Give yourself time. The same UNL study found antlerless elk hunters spent an average of 7 days in the fi eld, bull hunters 6.4 days. • Be respectful of landowners and thank them for the opportunity, whether you were successful or not. • Contact the Game and Parks offi ce in your unit. Biologists may be able to point you in the direction of landowners who allow hunting.

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