28 2019 Annual Report
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Wildlife
A D D R E S S I N G D A M A G E
C A U S E D B Y W I L D L I F E
Nebraska's landowners are important partners in
conservation. Creating and providing wildlife habitat,
providing access for public hunting to control populations
and continual communication provide for successful
wildlife management.
The Commission has been proactive in response to crop
damage by deer, pronghorn and elk. The agency's Damage
Control Permit protocol was rewritten in 2019. The new
protocol removed obstacles preventing the use of damage
control permits as a tool for addressing crop damage done
by big game. Although damage control permits have been
issued for deer for many years, 2019 saw a more aggressive
use of these permits for pronghorn and elk.
Other steps taken in 2019 to address depredation were:
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Landowner meetings were held in Wauneta,
McCook and Oxford, with 109 landowners attending.
Landowners were encouraged to contact Commission
personnel to report damage caused by big game.
Commission staff also reached out to other
landowners who have had damage in the past.
•
The Commission issued a series of outreach messages
throughout the year, through news releases and
broadcast announcements, reminding landowners of
the many resources available to address depredation
issues.
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The new Antlerless Hunter Database was created in
the summer. Hunters willing to harvest only antlerless
deer can sign up online and offer their contact
information. Landowners can access this database to
find hunters in their area willing to harvest antlerless
deer.
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A Contact a Biologist online tool was created to
allow landowners to contact the Commission and get
immediate help addressing depredation issues.
The Commission's renewed and increased response
to depredations is an effort to connect landowners
experiencing damage losses by big game to solutions that
work.
Wildlife
