Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Nebraska Game & Parks Approves First Hunting Season There For The Cats
On Friday, June 21, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission met in Ogallala and agreed to approve the staff recommendations for a 2025 mountain lion hunting season.
The commission endorsed a first time hunting season in the Wildcat Hills.
The commissioner created the Wildcat Hills Unit joining the existing Pine Ridge Unit and Niobrara Unit. The Wildcat Hills Unit will include parts of Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Cheyenne, Garden, Kimball and Banner counties. An additional change was the Niobrara Unit was moved to U.S. Highway 281.
According to Sam Wilson, furbearer/carnivore program manager, "The objective for the unit is to provide a harvest opportunity for hunters that will keep the lion population resilient while slightly reducing their numbers."
Game and Parks genetic surveys in 2023 estimated that there are 70 mountain lions in the Pine Ridge, up from the last estimate of 33 in 2021. Surveys that will allow population estimates for the Niobrara and Wildcat Hills are presently being conducted. Twenty-seven mountain lions were documented in the Niobrara Valley during 2023, and 24 were documented in the Wildcat Hills.
The hunting season will be divided into two time periods. Season 1 will be from Jan. 2, 2025, to the end of February. Season 2 is March 15-31. The season will end immediately if the limit is reached.
Here are the limits:
• The Pine Ridge limit will be 12 mountain lions with a sub-limit of six females.
• The Niobrara limit will be four mountain lions with a two female sub-limit.
• The Wildcat Hills limit will be three mountain lions with a two female sub-limit.
In the Pine Ridge Unit, up to 960 permits could be issued by lottery. There also could be 320 permits issued in the Niobrara Unit and 240 in the Wildcat Hills Unit. Only residents will be able to secure a permit.
No spotted mountain lions (kittens) or mountain lions accompanied by another mountain lion (because it would likely be a female with dependent kittens) are allowed to be hunted.
Permits are available on outdoornebraska.gov.
