Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Almost all respondents — more than 96 percent — of the 2017 turkey hunter survey said they would hunt Nebraska again based on their experiences.
“The survey data underscores many of the reasons Nebraska is the best turkey-hunting destination in the nation,” said Jim Douglas, Commission director.
Nebraska enjoys abundant turkey populations throughout the state, high hunter success rates, long seasons and ample availability of permits. Multiple permits are available for each hunter, and the state features youth permits for only $8.
Nebraska’s turkey population has flourished since the Commission reintroduced the species in the 1950s. Permit sales and hunter success have also climbed, with more than 20,000 birds harvested last spring at a success rate topping 67 percent.
Non-residents were more likely than residents to prefer turkeys of one subspecies to others, with about 49 percent indicating that they were chasing the Merriam’s subspecies. Those turkeys are most common in the Panhandle and Niobrara River valley, which also lay claim to most of the state’s public land. Nebraska also features birds with characteristics of the eastern and Rio Grande subspecies in other parts of the state.
