FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
More than 100 hunters complete Nebraska Upland Slam
LINCOLN, Neb. – The second year of the Nebraska Upland Slam gave more than 200 hunters a reason to take advantage of the state’s excellent mixed-bag hunting opportunities.
The Nebraska Upland Slam, a partnership between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska chapter of Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever, challenged hunters to harvest all four of Nebraska’s primary upland game bird species – ring-necked pheasant, northern bobwhite quail, sharp-tailed grouse, and greater prairie-chicken during a single hunting season
In all, 122 hunters completed the Slam, including 107 from Nebraska. The remaining Slams were completed by hunters from nine states, including the only youth to do so, Blake Bohlender of Fort Collins, Colorado.
In an effort to encourage more hunters to go afield, this season, participating hunters who harvested at least one species were entered into monthly drawings for prizes. Awareness of the Slam grew nationwide, as hunters participated from 22 states across both years.
In the Slam’s second season, 274 hunters harvested at least one species, with a total of 764 submissions recorded. Just over half of these occurred on publicly accessible lands. The Slam also provided first-time experiences for 156 individuals across both years. Nearly 14% of all submissions were reported as the first-time a species had been harvested in a person’s lifetime.
Hunters who completed the Slam received an official certificate and pin and were entered into an end-of-year grand prize drawing from Pheasants/Quail Forever, which occurred at the Nebraska State Habitat Meeting on Feb. 1 in Kearney. Grand prize winner Jeff Duffey of Minden, Nebraska drew a Browning Silver 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun, Lance Goings of Cherokee, Iowa won a Pheasants Forever print, and Benjamin Esker of Effingham, Illinois won an Orca cooler. The names of all hunters who successfully completed the Slam can be found at OutdoorNebraska.org/UplandSlamFinishers.
The Upland Slam helped promote Nebraska’s excellent mixed bag opportunities and increased awareness of hunting on publicly accessible lands. The challenge also motivated new hunters to participate, providing one more reason to go afield in pursuit of Nebraska’s upland gamebirds.
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Hunting trip planners available on Game and Parks’ website
LINCOLN, Neb. – Start planning a 2020 spring turkey hunt today by downloading trip planners at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s website.
These printable, species-specific trip planners – which are available for prairie grouse, quail, pheasant, upland bird mixed bag, mule deer and wild turkey – condense a variety of useful information into two easy-to-read pages.
Areas offering best hunting and public access opportunities for each respective species are highlighted in the trip planners. They reference lodging options, highlight other recreational activities in the area, and recommend mixed-bag opportunities that can add great variety to a hunting trip. Each trip planner lists season dates, necessary permits and other important information.
“Our diverse landscape and abundant public access make Nebraska a hunting destination for people from around the nation,” said John Laux, Game and Parks’ upland game program manager. “Today’s hunters have access to a wide variety of online resources available to help them plan their next successful hunt and Nebraska’s trip planners make it more convenient than ever.”
Download the trip planners at OutdoorNebraska.gov/TripPlanners.
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