Nebraska Game and Parks has issued an immediate temporary closure of the Clear Creek Wildlife Management Area near Lewellen and Lake McConaughy. Safety officials implemented this closure to ensure public safety as emergency responders actively manage wildfires in the region.

To support responders, all public access to the area is restricted until further notice. This critical safety measure includes a complete restriction of the airspace above Clear Creek to allow unrestricted access for aerial firefighting operations.

The State of Nebraska and Nebraska Game and Parks urge everyone to exercise an abundance of caution during this time. Game and Parks advises the public to check with local officials and monitor local media for the latest safety updates before planning any travel in affected parts of the state.

Game and Parks reminds everyone that a temporary ban on campfire is in effect at all Nebraska state park areas and wildlife management areas.

First responders are stretched thin in many areas of the state as they react to fires where dry conditions and high winds persist. Many agencies, including Game and Parks, have been assisting.

Wildlife captures providing insights to big game species

Wildlife officials bolstered research and monitoring efforts of big game species in Nebraska with the help of a contracted helicopter crew in February.

With cooperation from landowners, elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep were captured, processed and returned to the landscape in specific regions of the state.

Bighorn Sheep

The most recent of the captures was Feb. 23 when 32 bighorn sheep were fitted with radio collars in the Wildcat Hills and Pine Ridge. The captures were part of a continuing effort to track movements, distribution, habitat use, survival and disease prevalence.

In recent years, bighorn sheep captures have been conducted annually by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in collaboration with many conservation partners. Once extirpated, the species stands at about 220 sheep in the Panhandle.

Mule Deer

In mid-February, 58 mule deer were fitted with tracking collars or solar ear tags in the Wildcat Hills for a study aimed at investigating the impact of chronic wasting disease in the species. Additional biological samples were collected for data about mule deer health and to develop and evaluate tools for CWD detection in live animals.

The research project, now in its third year, is a partnership between Game and Parks, the National Wildlife Research Center and Colorado State University. Researchers are working to develop understanding about how CWD affects deer populations, identify areas of increased transmission through accumulation on the land, and determine CWD infection status and behavioral responses by observing how animals use the landscape.

Elk

In a research project led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, elk captures were conducted in hunting units 7 and 14 of the state’s central and north-central regions Feb. 2-6.

This is the fourth and final year of the project’s capture phase with 28 elk captured and radio-collared. Since 2022, 229 elk have been collared throughout the species’ range in Nebraska.

The project is evaluating resource selection, movement, survival and population dynamics of elk.

The analysis phase has begun and is set for completion in 2028. Findings will guide management decisions for the species.

Commissioners to consider 2026-2027 waterfowl recommendations

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will consider 2026-2027 waterfowl hunting season recommendations at its March 20 meeting at Ponca State Park.

The meeting will start at 8 a.m. at the park’s Resource and Education Center, 88090 Spur 26, Ponca.

Staff recommendations will include a transition to a three duck-zone configuration instead of four. Boundary changes to duck zones and goose units approved by commissioners last June resulted in duck Zone 4 being relabeled to Zone 1. The former Zone 1 is being absorbed into Zone 2.

There also will be a recommendation for a nine-day early teal season in both Low Plains and High Plains zones due to blue-winged teal breeding population status.

The 2026-2027 Nebraska waterfowl recommendations are:

Early Teal:

Low Plains – Sept. 5-13

High Plains – Sept. 5-13

Daily bag limit – six; Possession limit – 18

Youth, Veteran, and Active-Duty Military:

Zone 1 – Oct. 17-18

Zone 2 – Sept. 26-27

Zone 3 – Oct. 17-18

Daily bag – Same as regular season

Duck and Coot:

Zone 1 – Oct. 24-Nov. 11 and Nov. 24-Jan. 17

Zone 2 – Oct. 3-Dec. 15 and Jan. 6-27 (High Plains)

Zone 3 – Oct. 24-Jan. 5 and Jan. 6-27 (High Plains)

Daily bag – Tier 1: six ducks, with restrictions; Tier II: three ducks, any species, any sex; Possession limit – three times the daily bag limit

Dark Goose:

Platte River Unit – Oct. 28-Feb. 9

Niobrara Unit – Oct. 28-Feb. 9

North Central Unit – Oct. 3-Jan. 15

Daily bag limit – five; Possession limit – 15

White-fronted Goose:

Statewide – Oct. 3-Dec. 13 and Jan. 25-Feb. 9

Daily bag limit – two; Possession limit – six

Light Goose Regular Season:

Statewide – Oct. 3-Dec. 30 and Jan. 25-Feb. 9

Daily bag limit – 50; Possession limit – none

Light Goose Conservation Order:

East Zone – Feb. 10-April 15

West Zone – Feb. 10-April 5

Rainwater Basin Zone – Feb. 10-April 5

Daily bag and possession limits – none

The commissioners also will consider staff recommendations to crow seasons and falconry waterfowl seasons.

Also on the agenda is a staff recommendation to approve the acquisition of the 112-acre Oswald Tract in Fillmore County as an addition to Redhead Wildlife Management Area.

Staff also will give several presentations, including a look at Game and Parks’ events celebrating the nation’s 250^th anniversary, educational programming at Ponca SP, rainbow trout production and stocking, the 100^th anniversary of Nebraskaland Magazine, a review of oak blight in Nebraska, and the conservation officers’ internship program.

To view a complete agenda, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov and click on Public Notices.