Cara Pesek
Public Relations Manager | cara.pesek@nebraska.gov | 402.471.5565

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Big Game Society to auction elk tag April 13

LINCOLN – A bull elk tag will be auctioned off at the Nebraska Big Game Society (NBGS) banquet Thursday, April 13 in Lincoln. The banquet will be held at Wilderness Ridge Golf Club, 1800 Wilderness Woods Place.

Those who wish to bid but cannot attend may call in their bids for free. Call-in bidders must first notify the NBGS by 5 p.m. on April 7 at 402-430-9191 or via email at NBGS11@gmail.com.

Only residents are eligible for the tag, which will be auctioned at 7 p.m. CST. The high bidder will receive a bull elk tag valid in any elk management unit during a 2017 open bull elk season using any legal weapons for that season.

All proceeds from the elk tag auction will be used by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for the preservation of elk herds and hunting opportunities in the state.

Tickets for the banquet are $60 each or $500 for a table of eight. Dinner is at 6:15 p.m. Contact Jon Thomas at 402-430-9191 or email: NBGS11@gmail.com.

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Tests confirm spread of CWD to Lancaster County

LINCOLN, Neb. – A sick deer in Lancaster County tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease, in early March. This is the first known case of CWD in Lancaster County. 

CWD is a degenerative disease that attacks the brain of an infected deer or elk, eventually causing emaciation, listlessness and death. It is generally thought that CWD is transmitted from animal to animal through the exchange of bodily fluids, but other modes of transmission may exist. CWD has been found in 35 Nebraska counties, but no population declines attributable to the disease have yet occurred.

Help limit the spread of CWD by refraining from feeding deer and elk. This practice is not recommended and increases the risk of disease transmission.

Hunters are advised to dress animals at the place of kill, avoid spreading spinal cord or brain tissue to meat, and dispose of the head (brain), spinal column and other bones at a licensed landfill.

Learn more about CWD at OutdoorNebraska.gov/cwd. Please direct any reports of sick deer to the nearest Game and Parks office.

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Take boater safety course before season begins

LINCOLN, Neb. – While boating season still is months away, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission suggests that now is the time to take a boater safety course.

A list of boating safety classes is available at boatsafenebraska.org. The list includes six-hour classroom courses and three-hour home-study review and test courses. More classes will be added to the list during the year.

Persons born after Dec. 31, 1985, who operate a motorboat or personal watercraft in Nebraska, must have successfully completed the Nebraska boating safety course. They also must be in possession of a course certificate when operating the boat.

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