Successful hunters also have to invest time into scouting areas for waterfowl.
While the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission provides some information
regarding water conditions for certain areas of the state, hunters need to
investigate other areas and gather information on local waterfowl abundance
and conditions. The variable weather conditions in Nebraska could also mean
that an area that was full of ducks last year may be dry this year, making
planning one of waterfowl hunting's most valuable steps.
Waterfowl Harvest in Nebraska
Although a variety of waterfowl migrate through Nebraska, the primary
species of waterfowl that hunters encounter are dabbling ducks and Canada
geese. In fact, since 1999, 96 percent of the duck harvest in Nebraska has been
comprised of dabbling ducks, such as the mallard, gadwall, blue- and green-
winged teal, pintail, American wigeon, shoveler and wood duck, and
93 percent of the goose harvest was Canada geese.
Hunters can encounter diving ducks and other geese during regular fall
hunting seasons, but if a white-front goose hunt of a lifetime is what you're
after, Nebraska is probably not the place to start. However, during the light
goose conservation order, millions of snow and Ross's geese will stop in
Nebraska before heading north, and Nebraska is one of the leading states in the
Central Flyway in light goose harvest during that period.
Breaking down duck harvest in Nebraska requires one more step, and
that's separating mallards from the rest of the dabbling ducks. As with other
Central Flyway states, Nebraska's duck harvest is comprised of 50-60 percent
mallards, with the majority of these being harvested in November. Conversely,
dabbling duck harvest other than mallards is late September and throughout
October, ending about mid-November. On average, the period in late October
and early November appears to be the best for total duck harvest.
Canada goose harvest is primarily large Canada geese, from resident flocks
in Canada, the Dakotas and Nebraska. About 20 percent of the Canada goose
NEBRASKAland Magazine • Waterfowl Hunting Nebraska
PHOTO
BY
LUKE
KATHOL
Average Daily Harvest of Mallard and Other Ducks in Nebraska 2002-2010
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
9/30
10/05 10/10 10/15 10/20 10/25 10/30 11/04 11/09 11/14 11/24 11/29 12/04 12/09 12/14 12/19 12/24 12/29 01/03 01/08 01/13
MALLARDS OTHER DUCKS
