Luke Madoona, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission big game program manager, told participants the commission expects to manage "big game populations at levels consistent with social and biological carrying capacities" and described how staff uses public input, surveys, research and harvest reporting to set permits.

Madoona said preliminary results from the nine-day November firearm season show "just under 28,000 deer checked," about 2% below 2023 and roughly 25% below the five-year average; he added the statewide deer harvest is down about 36% from 2019. "Overall, statewide, antlerless tags... were reduced by 45% from 2023," he said, and the commission cut November firearm permit quotas by 13% and antlerless-only quotas by 37% ahead of the season.

NGPC staff said the modest drop in total deer checked despite large permit reductions indicates higher hunter success this season in some areas and that population trends vary widely across units. Madoona said mule deer buck harvest was up about 9% from the previous year but remained well below earlier levels, while whitetailed buck harvest was down from 2019.

The commission is shifting more harvest reporting to TeleCheck. Madoona noted TeleCheck produces faster, more complete results than a prior mail survey and was adopted widely during COVID. He said a GIS review showed many hunters must drive more than 30 minutes to reach a check station and that local operators have been harder to recruit; those factors and higher response rates from TeleCheck weigh in favor of moving away from in-person checks.

Public commenters pressed several related topics during the meeting. Residents asked whether moving the November season date would catch a larger portion of the rut; Madoona said survey results show most hunters (about 68% of resident respondents in a 2021 deer hunter survey) want the November season to remain where it is. Commenters asked about county-based permit units and raising permit prices; Madoona said county-by-county units create administrative complexity and that the agency is evaluating permit boundaries and prices.

NGPC staff described a multiweek internal process to finalize permit recommendations: local staff hold meetings, then a statewide group meets in early February to review every permit and adjust quotas and boundaries. Madoona said the commission has discussed turning some permits into season-choice permits — a change likely for the 2026 season that would make some November permits valid across multiple seasons so hunters can choose when to use them.

The presentation noted an ongoing challenge collecting age structure data for management. With TeleCheck, fewer hunters bring heads to check stations; Madoona said staff still aged roughly 20% of harvested deer and are exploring options such as mail-in incisors to preserve aging sample sizes.

The meeting contained no formal votes or rule changes; staff said recommendations and final commission proposals will appear in the NGPC big game recommendation book posted online ahead of the April commission meeting.