OutdoorNebraska

21 Twenty one percent of the hunters surveyed in 2012 (Lisa Pennisi and Namyun Kil, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, unpublished data) stated that they would not con nue to hunt without public access lands, and 66% of those surveyed were primarily pursuing upland game, so we believe OFW and similar programs are cri cal to maintaining or increasing current rates of pheasant hunter par cipa on. Maintaining hunter par cipa on is vital, because communi es in which pheasant hun ng con nues to be a viable tradi on a ract part of the $848 million economic impact across Nebraska due to hun ng. This e to economic development provides a natural nexus for conserva on interests to work with local communi es within our focus and opportunity areas in providing more access to quality hun ng. Controlled Shoo ng Areas (CSAs) provide an alterna ve means of providing pheasant hun ng opportuni es to hunters as well as providing a business opportunity to those who vend these services. CSAs operate throughout a longer season than the state's established upland gamebird seasons and with more liberal bag limits to allow hunters to extend their seasons and harvest opportuni es. Care will be taken to provide these opportuni es and yet protect wildlife resources and hunter interests. Future assessments of the biological, economic and legal ramifica ons of liberalizing CSA rules and policies will be undertaken to determine if regulatory oversight can be lessened to the benefit of both CSA operators and their customers alike. C1) Public and Non-governmental Organization Lands Open to Hunting Strategies • Maximize hun ng access opportuni es on NGPC lands commensurate with hunter sa sfac on objec ves • Foster partnerships and provide incen ves to maximize the number of non-NGPC acres that are open to public hun ng access • U lize research and available informa on to iden fy priority access sites, and incen vize landowner enrollment accordingly Tactics Con nue to maintain hun ng access on all NGPC wildlife management areas and selected state recrea on areas, state parks, and state historical parks Con nue to iden fy addi onal NGPC-owned lands (including trails) where pheasant habitat and hun ng opportuni es could be created or improved Con nue to communicate with other land-holding state agencies regarding addi onal hunter access possibili es Con nue to promote access incen ves and op ons to land-holding non-governmental organiza ons Con nue research in partnership with UNL on the rela ons among hun ng pressure, hunter sa sfac on, and game abundance and behavior to ascertain poten al benefits of unlimited versus restricted access on areas open to public hun ng Assess the current por olio of federal lands in Nebraska currently closed to hun ng, iden fy those that poten ally could be opened, and begin a dialogue with the appropriate federal agencies to ascertain their future access status

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