Nebraska publishes deer harvest in a form FDR could rank for 18 hunt units. Blue Southeast Management Unit is highest at 1.4 deer harvested per square mile in 2025. Wahoo Management Unit has 1.1 in 2025 and Blue Northwest Management Unit has 1.1 in 2025. Harvest in a hunt unit includes private land, so the public share is shown next to each unit. The rankings describe reported harvest and do not measure access or hunting pressure.
KEY FINDINGS
- Blue Southeast Management Unit has the highest harvest per square mile at 1.4. The agency reported 4,558 deer on 2,085,509 acres in 2025.
- 18 hunt units are ranked. Ranks compare areas measured in 2025 and each row shows its own newest year.
Nebraska public land rankings
Best public land in Nebraska
Derived FDR figures from state agency numbers. Season measured 2025. Captured October 19, 2026. Harvest per square mile is the agency's deer harvest divided by the area's size. Success rate is the agency's published rate or harvest divided by hunters. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Order uses the unrounded values and tied values share a rank. Blank cells mean the agency did not publish the figure.
Download all ranked rows (CSV)
Hunt units
Top 15 of 18 ranked hunt units by deer harvest per square mile. Hunt units include private land, so the public share column shows how much of each unit is public land open to hunting.
15 of 18 hunt units shown
| 1 | Blue Southeast Management Unit | 2,085,509 | 2025 | 4,558 | 1.4 | 36.3 | 1.1% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Wahoo Management Unit | 2,600,714 | 2025 | 4,544 | 1.1 | 40.6 | 1.0% |
| 3 | Blue Northwest Management Unit | 1,803,384 | 2025 | 3,105 | 1.1 | 14.0 | 0.5% |
| 4 | Missouri Management Unit | 1,988,586 | 2025 | 2,242 | 0.72 | 15.9 | 0.5% |
| 5 | Loup East Management Unit | 2,128,937 | 2025 | 2,351 | 0.71 | 6.5 | 0.2% |
| 6 | Keya Paha Management Unit | 1,744,961 | 2025 | 1,859 | 0.68 | 39.8 | 1.5% |
| 7 | Republican Management Unit | 3,167,912 | 2025 | 2,565 | 0.52 | 46.7 | 0.9% |
| 8 | Buffalo Management Unit | 3,178,110 | 2025 | 2,363 | 0.48 | 25.0 | 0.5% |
| 9 | Pine Ridge Management Unit | 2,123,878 | 2025 | 1,556 | 0.47 | 295.6 | 8.9% |
| 10 | Loup West Management Unit | 1,666,184 | 2025 | 1,023 | 0.39 | 3.7 | 0.1% |
| 11 | Frenchman Management Unit | 3,834,510 | 2025 | 1,985 | 0.33 | 1.6 | 0.0% |
| 12 | Elkhorn Management Unit | 3,659,032 | 2025 | 1,837 | 0.32 | 7.5 | 0.1% |
| 13 | Platte Management Unit | 3,207,423 | 2025 | 1,423 | 0.28 | 27.7 | 0.6% |
| 14 | Calamus East Management Unit | 1,477,039 | 2025 | 628 | 0.27 | 1.6 | 0.1% |
| 15 | Calamus West Management Unit | 2,670,705 | 2025 | 1,108 | 0.27 | 198.1 | 4.7% |
01Hunt units
18 hunt units ranked on harvest per square mile
Blue Southeast Management Unit has the most deer harvested per square mile at 1.4 in 2025. Wahoo Management Unit has 1.1 in 2025 and Blue Northwest Management Unit has 1.1 in 2025.
The public share is the part of each unit that is public land open to hunting.
02Basis of this report
Sources and method
FDR divided the agency's deer harvest by the area's size to get harvest per square mile. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Ranks compare areas measured in 2025 and each row shows its own newest year.
Nebraska figures are the agency's deer harvest for each deer management unit across all seasons, with mule deer and whitetails added together because the agency prints them apart.
Success rate is the agency's published figure or harvest divided by hunters. Tied values share a rank and the order uses the unrounded values.
A ranking does not evaluate an individual property and does not confirm that it is open to hunting for you.
Sources
- outdoornebraska.gov (archived copy)
NOTES AND SOURCES
- Derived FDR figures from state agency numbers. Season measured 2025. Captured October 19, 2026. Harvest per square mile is the agency's deer harvest divided by the area's size. Success rate is the agency's published rate or harvest divided by hunters. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Order uses the unrounded values and tied values share a rank. Blank cells mean the agency did not publish the figure.
Fully Drawn Research is an independent data analysis desk, not affiliated with any state wildlife agency, transportation agency, mapping provider or outfitter. FDR rankings are independent analysis of state agency numbers. A ranking does not evaluate an individual property.
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