The following refuge units have been opened for hunting and/or fishing, and are listed in alphabetical order with applicable refuge-specific regulations.
Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge
A. Migratory Game Bird Hunting. We allow hunting of ducks, geese, and coots on designated areas of the refuge subject to the following conditions:
1. Hunters may access the refuge from 1\1/2\ hours before legal sunrise until 1 hour after legal sunset along the immediate shoreline and including the high bank of the Missouri River. You may access the hunting area by water or, if by land, only within the public use area of the Island Unit.
2. You must remove all blinds and decoys at the conclusion of each day's hunt.
3. You must adhere to all applicable State hunting regulations.
B. Upland Game Hunting. [Reserved]
C. Big Game Hunting. We allow hunting of white-tailed deer in accordance with State regulations subject to the following condition: You must possess and carry a refuge access permit (signed brochure) at all times while in the hunting area. Hunters may enter the hunting areas only within the dates listed on the refuge access permit.
D. Sport Fishing. We allow fishing on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. We allow personally attended hook and line fishing and archery fishing (rough fish only) from \1/2\ hour before legal sunrise to \1/2\ hour after legal sunset.
2. We allow boating at no-wake speeds, not to exceed 5 mph (8 km), on side or back channels. We prohibit all watercraft in the Boyer Chute waterway or other areas as posted.
3. We prohibit the use of trotlines, float lines, bank lines, or setlines.
4. We prohibit ice fishing.
5. We prohibit digging or seining for bait.
6. We prohibit the take or possession of turtles or frogs.
7. Anglers may use no more than two lines and two hooks per line.
Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge
A. Migratory Game Bird Hunting. We allow hunting of waterfowl and coot in designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. We close the refuge to the general public from legal sunset to legal sunrise. However, hunters may enter the designated hunting area 2 hours before legal sunrise and must be back to their vehicle in the process of leaving the refuge 2 hours after legal sunset. Official shooting hours are from \1/2\ hour before legal sunrise until \1/2\ hour after legal sunset for deer, coyote, and furbearer hunters; and from \1/2\ hour before legal sunrise until legal sunset for all other hunters.
2. We only allow you to unleash dogs used to locate, point, and retrieve upland and small game and migratory birds on the refuge while hunting (see Sec. 26.21(b) of this chapter).
3. We open the refuge to hunting from September 1 through January 31 in accordance with State regulations.
4. We allow decoys, but hunters must remove them (see Sec. 27.93 of this chapter) at the end of each day.
5. We restrict vehicles to roads that are open to the public (see Sec. 27.31 of this chapter). We prohibit hunters taking vehicles off of approved roads to set up blinds, decoys, or to retrieve game or for any other purposes other than emergencies. We allow parking within one vehicle length of the road.
6. We prohibit publicly organized hunts unless authorized under a Special Use Permit.
7. We only allow temporary blinds and stands, and hunters must remove them (see Sec. 27.93 of this chapter) at the end of each day.
8. We only allow floating blinds on Island Lake. We prohibit all boats (including a floating device of any kind) on all other refuge lakes.
B. Upland Game Hunting. We allow hunting of cottontail rabbit, jack rabbit, furbearer, coyote, ring-necked pheasant, and prairie grouse on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. Conditions A1 through A6 apply.
2. We prohibit baiting. We allow electronic calls for coyote and furbearer hunting.
3. Coyotes and all furbearers or their parts, if left in the field, must be left out of view of the public. Otherwise hunters must remove them from the refuge and properly dispose of them.
C. Big Game Hunting. We allow hunting of white-tailed deer and mule deer on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. Conditions A1, A4, A5, A6, and A7 apply.
2. We prohibit tree stands that cause damage to the tree by penetrating into the bark and tree climbing spikes or screw-in steps that penetrate beyond the outer bark of a tree (see Sec. 32.2(i)).
D. Sport Fishing. We allow fishing on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. We close the refuge to the general public from legal sunset to legal sunrise. However, anglers may enter the refuge 1 hour before legal sunrise and remain until 1 hour after legal sunset.
2. We open Island Lake to fishing year-round and open Smith and Crane Lakes to fishing seasonally from November 1 through February 15. We close all other refuge lakes.
3. We prohibit the possession or use of live or dead minnows and the possession of any fish not taken lawfully from one of the refuge lakes open to fishing.
4. We only allow boating and float tubes on Island Lake. We prohibit use of internal combustion motors for boats on Island Lake; we close all other refuge lakes to boating or float tubing.
5. We prohibit leaving temporary shelters used for fishing overnight on the refuge.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge
Refer to Sec. 32.34 Iowa for regulations.
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge
A. Migratory Game Bird Hunting. [Reserved]
B. Upland Game Hunting. [Reserved]
C. Big Game Hunting. We allow hunting of deer and elk on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. We require the submission of a Big/Upland Game Hunt Application (FWS Form 3-2356). We require hunters to carry a signed refuge hunting access permit (hunt application signed by the refuge officer) while hunting. We require hunters to complete a Big Game Harvest Report (FWS Form 3-2359) and return it to the refuge at the conclusion of the hunting season.
2. We allow deer hunting with muzzleloader and archery equipment. We prohibit deer hunting with firearms capable of firing cartridge ammunition.
3. We establish the dates when the refuge is open to hunting access annually. We specify the hunting access dates on the refuge hunting access permit.
4. We allow deer hunting in the area defined as, ``Those refuge lands situated north and west of the Niobrara River.'' We allow access to this area only from designated refuge parking areas and the Niobrara River.
5. We prohibit hunting within 200 yards (180 meters) of any public use facility.
6. We allow hunter access from 2 hours before legal sunrise until 2 hours after legal sunset.
7. We allow horses within the wilderness area. We limit horse use to three groups at a time and no more than five horses per group. We prohibit horses from 2 hours after legal sunset until 2 hours before legal sunrise. We require registration at the refuge headquarters prior to horse use during the hunting season. We limit horse access to the wilderness area via the refuge corrals and buffalo bridge.
8. We allow canoes, kayaks, and float tubes capable of carrying no more than four people on the Niobrara River below Cornell Dam.
9. We require tree stands, elevated platforms, and ground blinds to be removed daily. We require hunters to clearly label unattended tree stands, elevated platforms, and ground blinds with the hunter's name and address or hunting license number legible from the ground. Tree stands, elevated platforms, and/or ground blinds may be put up no earlier than the opening day of deer season and must be removed by the last day of deer season.
10. We prohibit hunting during the Nebraska November Firearm Deer Season.
11. We prohibit the use of game carts or any other wheeled device to retrieve game on the Wilderness Area portion of the refuge that is opened for hunting.
12. We prohibit the marking of any tree or other refuge feature with reflectors, flagging, paint, or other substances.
13. We prohibit the use of electronic or photographic trail monitoring devices.
D. Sport Fishing. We allow fishing on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. We only allow fishing on the portions of the Minnechaduza Creek and downstream from Cornell Dam along the Niobrara River that flows through the refuge.
2. We prohibit the use of limb or set lines.
3. We prohibit the take of baitfish, reptiles, and amphibians.
4. We prohibit use or possession of alcoholic beverages while fishing on refuge lands and waters.
North Platte National Wildlife Refuge
A. Migratory Game Bird Hunting. [Reserved]
B. Upland Game Hunting. We allow hunting of squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, State-defined furbearers, and coyote on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. We close the Lake Alice Unit to all public entry from October 15 through January 14.
2. Hunters must be 15 years of age or younger. A licensed hunter 19 years of age or older must accompany youth hunters. We prohibit adults accompanying youth hunters to hunt or carry firearms. The accompanying adult is responsible for ensuring that the hunter does not engage in conduct that would constitute a violation of refuge or State regulations.
3. We close the refuge to public use from legal sunset to legal sunrise. However, youth hunters and their adult guides may enter the designated hunting area 1 hour prior to legal sunrise.
4. We only allow dogs for pheasant-hunting on the refuge.
C. Big Game Hunting. We allow archery hunting of mule deer and white-tailed deer on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. We close the Lake Alice Unit to all public entry from October 15 through January 14.
2. We close the refuge to public use from legal sunset to legal sunrise. However, archery deer hunters may enter the designated hunting area 1 hour prior to legal sunrise and remain until 1 hour after legal sunset.
C. Big Game Hunting. [Reserved]
D. Sport Fishing. Sport fishing is allowed on designated areas of the refuge pursuant to State law.
Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District
A. Migratory Game Bird Hunting. We allow migratory game bird hunting on Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA) throughout the District, excluding McMurtrey Waterfowl Production Area in Clay County, in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. We prohibit the use of motorboats. We allow only nonpowered motorboats and those powered by electric motors (see Sec. 27.32 of this chapter).
2. You must remove boats, decoys, portable blinds, other personal property, and any materials brought onto the area for blind construction at the end of each day (see Sec. Sec. 27.93 and 27.94(a) of this chapter).
3. You may leave temporary blinds, other than portable blinds, constructed of natural vegetation found on site overnight. We prohibit bringing any type of live or dead vegetation onto the WPAs for any purpose at any time (see Sec. 27.52 of this chapter). Construction of these temporary blinds does not constitute exclusive use of the blind (see Sec. 27.92 of this chapter).
4. We prohibit exercising, running, training, or hunting with dogs from May 1 to July 31; and dogs must be on a leash during this time period. At all other times during the hunting season, dogs must be under the owner's immediate control (see Sec. 26.21(b) of this chapter).
5. We prohibit camping and/or open fires (see Sec. 27.95(a) of this chapter).
6. We restrict the use of all motorized vehicles, including ATVs and/or snowmobiles, to designated parking lots only (see Sec. 27.31 of this chapter).
7. We prohibit the use of all firearms for target practice (see Sec. 27.41 of this chapter).
8. We prohibit the use of horses for any purpose (see Sec. 26.21(b) of this chapter).
B. Upland Game Hunting. We allow upland game hunting on Waterfowl Production Areas throughout the District, excluding McMurtrey WPA in Clay County, in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. Hunters may possess only approved nontoxic shot (see Sec. 32.2(k)).
2. We prohibit the shooting or harvesting of black-tailed prairie dogs.
3. Conditions A4 through A8 apply.
C. Big Game Hunting. We allow big game hunting on Waterfowl Production Areas throughout the District, excluding McMurtrey WPA in Clay County, in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions:
1. We allow portable tree stands and/or portable ground blinds; however, you must remove them along with any other personal property at the end of each day (see Sec. Sec. 27.93 and 27.94(a) of this chapter).
2. Conditions A3 through A8 apply.
D. Sport Fishing. We allow sport fishing on Waterfowl Production Areas throughout the District, excluding McMurtrey WPA in Clay County, in accordance with State regulations subject to the following conditions;
1. You must remove all boats, boat trailers, vehicles, fishing equipment, and other personal property from the WPAs at the end of each day (see Sec. Sec. 27.93 and 27.94(a) of this chapter).
2. Conditions A1 and A5 apply.
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge
A. Migratory Game Bird Hunting. We allow hunting of waterfowl and coots on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations and subject to the following refuge-specific regulations:
1. We close the refuge to the general public from legal sunset to legal sunrise; however, we allow hunter access from 2 hours before legal sunrise to 2 hours after legal sunset.
2. We only allow you to unleash dogs used to locate, point, and retrieve upland and small game and migratory birds on the refuge while hunting (see Sec. 26.21(b) of this chapter).
B. Upland Game Hunting. We allow hunting of sharp-tailed grouse, prairie chicken, ring-necked pheasant, dove, and coyote on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations and subject to the following refuge-specific regulations:
1. Conditions A1 and A2 apply.
2. Coyote hunting is allowed from the Saturday closest to November 13 through March 15. Shooting hours are \1/2\ hour before sunrise to \1/2\ hour after sunset. The use of dogs or bait to hunt coyotes is prohibited.
C. Big Game Hunting. We allow hunting of white-tailed and mule deer on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations and subject to the following refuge-specific condition: Condition A1 applies.
D. Sport Fishing. We allow fishing on designated areas of the refuge in accordance with State regulations and subject to the following refuge-specific regulations:
1. We close the refuge to the general public from legal sunset to legal sunrise; however, anglers may enter the refuge 1 hour before legal sunrise and remain 1.5 hours after legal sunset.
2. We prohibit the take of reptiles, amphibians, and minnows, with the exception that bullfrogs may be taken on refuge lakes open to fishing. [58 FR 5064, Jan. 19, 1993, as amended at 59 FR 55187, Nov. 3, 1994; 60 FR 62044, Dec. 4, 1995; 61 FR 45367, Aug. 29, 1996; 62 FR 47380, Sept. 9, 1997; 63 FR 46918, Sept. 3, 1998; 68 FR 57317, Oct. 2, 2003; 69 FR 54362, 54428, Sept. 8, 2004; 70 FR 54183, Sept. 13, 2005; 76 FR 3984, Jan. 21, 2011; 76 FR 56080, Sept. 9, 2011; 77 FR 56052, Sept. 11, 2012; 79 FR 14834, Mar. 17, 2014]