Addie Piernicky
Planning a hunting trip this fall? Look no further than Ogallala, Nebraska! Pheasants Forever Inc. is excited to introduce a new initiative focused on increased public access around Ogallala, Nebraska called the Nebraska Community Access Partnership (NCAP). Access to quality acres to pursue game is considered one of the limiting factors influencing hunters, especially individuals new to the sport. In addition, revenue from hunting can have significant impacts on local businesses and communities.
Pheasants Forever, Inc. and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission have recently received a grant award from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for $845,000 over 3 years. The funding creates more opportunity for private landowners to enroll high-quality CRP, rangeland and ungrazed grasslands voluntarily into a 5-year walk-in-hunting agreement through the Open Fields and Water Program (OFW). Landowners willing to allow public walk-in hunting access can receive a one-time sign-up bonus of $25/ac for quality CRP or $10/ac for working rangeland or undisturbed grasslands. This is in addition to OFW annual payments which range from $.50/ac-$15/ac depending on habitat quality.
The focus of this new initiative is within 60 miles of Ogallala, and offers the NCAP incentives within the focal area of Keith, Garden, Deuel and Arthur Co with secondary focus in Lincoln, Cheyenne, Perkins, Morrill and Kimball Co. The focal area has lodging and food resources already in place for a successful hunting trip! This in turn benefits the community by creating a new hunting ‘hub’ to benefit both hunters seeking quality areas in pursuit of a variety of game species (prairie grouse, pheasants, quail, pronghorn, mule deer, and turkey) and the community during ‘off season’ of summer tourism.
“We’re excited to bring this opportunity to the local communities like Ogallala and Paxton. The economic impact of the outdoor industry is critical for rural communities and these area businesses have great amenities to offer,” says Kelsi Wehrman, Nebraska State Coordinator. “The local PF Chapter, Western NE Ringnecks, and the private landowners have done a fantastic job supporting the effort. We’re thrilled with the early acreage results.”
Since rolling out the program in April of 2024, NGPC and Pheasants Forever Inc. biologists have enrolled over 44,000 acres of CRP and rangeland. With this new program, over 30,000 acres have been added to the Open Fields and Waters public access program, including new rangeland in Garden and Arthur County totally 26,000 acres! NCAP is a continuous enrollment, and we will continue to expand access in our core counties. This new partnership would not be possible without the support of partners including the Nebraska Environmental Trust, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and OnX Hunt. NCAP is part of the new national PF PATH program.
For more information about this new and exciting NCAP initiative please contact Addie Piernicky, the Ogallala Coordinating Wildlife Biologist at (308) 737-0944 or [email protected]