OutdoorNebraska

OTHER ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES Nebraska Elk Hunter Access Program New in 2024, NGPC and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation developed a voluntary program available to landowners with elk hunting opportunities. The objective is to increase elk hunter opportunity while assisting and compensating landowners for coordinating hunters. Nebraska's elk population predominately resides on private land with limited opportunities on public properties. In recent years, elk hunting permit sales and demand for elk hunting access has increased. NGPC recognizes the opportunities private landowners offer to hunters while investing time and effort to do so. Hunters and landowners are encouraged to contact district offices (see page 3) for more information. Nebraska Community Access Partnership (NCAP) The Nebraska Community Access Partnership (NCAP) is an initiative with Pheasants Forever, Inc., OnX Hunt, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and the Keith County Chamber of Commerce made possible through a grant awarded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust. This initiative has increased public access opportunities through the Open Fields and Waters (OFW) program near Ogallala and the southern panhandle. NCAP provides bonus payments of $10–$25 an acre to landowners willing to enroll in OFW for five years. Since 2024 we have enrolled over 60,000 acres into the NCAP program and continue to increase public hunting locations through community-based partnerships with new primary emphasis on Cheyenne and Perkins Counties. Platte River Recreation Access (PRRA) Program The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) has purchased and restored numerous tracts of land along the Central Platte River to provide habitat for threatened and endangered species. In 2011, PRRIP partnered with Game and Parks to develop the Platte River Recreation Access Program to provide limited, walk-in public access on select PRRIP lands through an online reservation system. Around 6,000 acres of land along the Platte River are available through the PRRA program. These properties have area- specific regulations for public use relating to hunting, fishing and other authorized activities. Given that access is limited to a specific number of users, PRRA lands are not displayed in this atlas. To learn more about PRRA, view available properties or make reservations, please visit PlatteAccess.org. Additional information is provided on page 115. NEW Managed Access Program (MAP) The Managed Access Program (MAP) is a reservation-based hunting system designed to provide controlled access to hunting lands while promoting wildlife conservation. Through partnerships with Nebraska's private landowners and conservation partners, the Managed Access Program provides hunters with exclusive access opportunities. To access MAP properties, each individual must register within the current permit system at GoOutdoorsNE.com under the "Recreational User" login. After registering, hunters can reserve access to MAP properties through their customer profile dashboard, obtain permission slips, and make reservations. Are Nebraska's "School Lands" Open to Public Access? In recent years, Game and Parks has received an increasing number of questions regarding access to properties owned by the Board of Educational Lands and Funds (BELF), which are often referred to as "school lands." Popular mapping software used by hunters often displays BELF lands as publicly accessible and also tends to label their ownership inconsistently. Unlike some surrounding states, Nebraska's BELF lands are not open to public access unless otherwise posted. State Refuges – These are established by statute and closed to hunting except as noted in statutes. These are private lands where landowner permission is required to hunt, and include: Garden (includes Clear Creek WMA Refuge), Dodge-Saunders, Boyd-Holt and Lincoln County Refuge. 6

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