November Firearm deer harvest down 7% statewide

Preliminary results from the 2025 Nebraska November firearm deer season show statewide harvest fell 7% from 2024, which was expected, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Harvest went from 28,056 last year to 26,029 this year. Given that populations are down after several years of drought, harsh winters, and disease outbreaks — and permit numbers have been reduced to aid in recovery — the lower harvest was no surprise.

Whitetail harvest is down 10% from last year. Whitetail buck harvest is off 3% from 2024. Antlerless harvest fell 26% from last year and 54% from five years ago.

Mule deer harvest rose 4% from last year. Mule deer buck harvest is up 6% from last year. Antlerless mule deer harvest is down 9% from last year and 67% from five years ago.

Game and Parks’ goal is for herds to recover to a high enough population that buck harvest can increase 20% for whitetail and 25% for mule deer.

“It’s important to remember herd recovery takes time,” said Luke Meduna, Game and Parks’ big game program manager. “We’ve taken action to help our deer populations rebound. We’ve reduced antlerless tags 64% over the last five years and buck permit sales have been reduced more than 15% — but we have a way to go before we get back to where we want to be.

“November Firearm permits were reduced 2% and antlerless tags were reduced 20% from last year, so the changes we’ve seen from last year’s harvest correlate with the changes in permits,” he said.

Meduna added that hunters should start seeing the results of the reduced antlerless whitetail harvest in buck harvest results over the next few years.

Nebraska’s deer herds have faced several years of challenges, contributing to the current results. Permit numbers and harvest were increased in 2019 and 2020 to address depredation issues affecting producers across much of the state. Since then, severe drought has affected nearly all the state, increasing hemorrhagic disease and reducing habitat quantity and quality, which negatively impacted deer abundance. Severe winters also have reduced available food sources and increased stress, further affecting deer populations in northern Nebraska.

Available November Firearm permits have decreased each year since 2022. They decreased by 2% in 2025, 13% in 2024, 6% in 2023 and 4% in 2022.

Final harvest results will be available following the close of all deer seasons. Archery season closes Dec. 31, while muzzleloader season is Dec. 1-31. The late antlerless season is Jan. 1-15, while the River Antlerless late season is Jan. 1-15.

Hunters are invited to learn more about the 2025 season, big game research, management and more at the big game public meetings scheduled in person and online in December and January. Find a meeting at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov.

Find additional information about deer management, harvest success and other hunting opportunities at OutdoorNebraska.gov.