OutdoorNebraska

Conservation 12 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission 2025 Annual Report Landmark turkey study field work completed Nebraska Game and Parks biologists and their partners completed gathering critical wild turkey field data that will shape future management of this important game species. To build this dataset, researchers tagged and tracked more than 500 turkeys in southwest Nebraska and the Pine Ridge over the past three years, documenting the fate of nests and offspring. Data analysis has begun and will reveal how genetics, habitat use, reproduction, movement, predators and hunting pressure influence turkey populations. This knowledge will help inform management decisions that ensure future generations can enjoy pursuing this species. This five-year project is a collaboration among the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and the University of Georgia. It would not have been possible without the more than 100 landowners who granted access to trap and monitor turkeys on their property. Elk research hits milestone Nebraska Game and Parks and University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers reached a key milestone in their multiyear elk research project in February 2025, collaring 39 elk, bringing the project total to 200. The 18 bulls and 21 cows were captured in Elk Management Units 4, 5, 7 and 14 and fitted with GPS transmitters and ear tags. Data from these collars, as well as from camera traps, will help biologists better understand elk movement, habitat use and factors influencing survival. Hunter harvest remains the leading source of elk mortality. It accounted for 65% of collared elk deaths during the 2024 season and serves as a key tool for keeping populations at desired levels. Collaring efforts will continue in 2026 — the final year of captures — with 21 additional elk to be tagged in Units 7 and 14. Game and Parks thanks landowners who granted access across the study area and made this work possible. Nebraska is 97% privately owned, making partnerships with landowners essential to wildlife conservation. A researcher uses telemetry to find tagged turkeys in the Pine Ridge. JUSTIN HAAG A researcher uses a swab to collect samples from an egg at a failed nest site in the Pine Ridge. JUSTIN HAAG This elk was one of several collared in various locations around the state as part of a multiyear research effort. ERIC FOWLER

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