Upland Hunting - Omaha

[PawPawWPG]

My wife and I are visiting a military friend stationed in Omaha this Christmas season. It’s her friend, so the compromise was that I’ll bring the dog and my shotgun.

Is there any decent upland hunting within three hours of Omaha? This is my first time hunting out of state for anything, so I’m still figuring out the process. I’d also consider a guide, but would prefer to do it on my own.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gila]

Ring necks, huns and quail all close by....pick a direction and go there. Three hours West for sharptail and chickens. Look at the Nebraska hunting atlas for public areas to hunt. Iowa also, Kansas, Missouri. Great hunting all around.

 

[rustneversleeps]

Ring necks, huns and quail all close by....pick a direction and go there. Three hours West for sharptail and chickens.

Where are you finding huns in Nebraska?

 

[Gila]

Northwest of Omaha up to and around Yankton. Also in Iowa in the hills north of Offutt AFB. Probably other areas but that's where I have bagged them

 

[Pucky Freak]

I hunt public ground all up and down the MO river on the IA side for pheasant and quail just S of Omaha all the way S to the MO border. More quail the further south you go. Right around Christmas is one of my favorite times to go. Yeah, birds have been pushed, but usually before heavy weather kicks in, and often before all the corn is picked. Cold and deeper snow concentrate roosters to heavier cover. Some of the best spots are thicker cover adjacent to picked crops at least 300 yards from any road. Much of this area was decimated by flooding this spring, so if you can strategize as to how this pushed and concentrated birds onto adjacent areas for this fall you can be in for some great hunting. Good luck, and feel free to shoot me a PM if you want more info.

 

[shb]

I've seen more polar bears in NE than huns.




fwiw

 

[hogcarpy]

Another tip, check the Nebraska Game and Parks website. They list the public locations that they stock with pheasant.

 

[JDH]

The atlas also has a lot of private that is open to hunting. Never hunted it but one area I looked at was a ditch line that looked like upland good cover.

 

[isu22andy]

Iowas pheasant population has exploded in the last 2-3 years from all the CRP ( Conservation ground requires you to put it to natural prairie essentially ) . Live a hour from Omaha and I know a few public pieces that hold birds . Plenty of opportunity within an hour drive.

 

[jnd1959]

I hunted Iowa 45 years ago. Had family in Council Bluffs. I'd like to hunt it again for old time sake.

 

[Gila]

On my ranch in South Dakota I had a pet covey of huns around the yard. Here in NM have coveys of Scaled and Gambels quail. Every once in a while they go into the barn to pickup dropped oats. The huns in NW Iowa, NE Neb., East River SD, have always been few and far between. You could hunt for years and never see one. On a good year though, you could bust a covey once in a while depending on where you hunted. The only place I have known where huns have a good population is the Montana bottom lands. They used to take clients out to hunt over Brittanys, but I don 't remember his name or the place. I regret not going out there. Good luck to ya. The ringnecks won't disappoint!

 

[Rzrbck918]

Ive hunted pheasant in Western Nebraska, if you decide to go further than 3 hours from Omaha, PM me. SW of North Platte has some great public hunting.

 

[Rzrbck918]

On my ranch in South Dakota I had a pet covey of huns around the yard. Here in NM have coveys of Scaled and Gambels quail. Every once in a while they go into the barn to pickup dropped oats. The huns in NW Iowa, NE Neb., East River SD, have always been few and far between. You could hunt for years and never see one. On a good year though, you could bust a covey once in a while depending on where you hunted. The only place I have known where huns have a good population is the Montana bottom lands. They used to take clients out to hunt over Brittanys, but I don 't remember his name or the place. I regret not going out there. Good luck to ya. The ringnecks won't disappoint!

Is a hun the same as a grey partridge?

 

[Coop]

Let me know if you find something in the Omaha area on the Nebraska side because I have checked out plenty of the public places around here and not found a thing (deer or birds). Granted, I am still pretty new to the area.

 

[PawPawWPG]

Thought I’d share a few pics from my trip - thank you for all the help and guidance. This was my first ever out-of-state hunting trip, and I was able to get on more birds than I ever would have imagined. I also got my truck stuck in the mud, and realized my wing-shooting needs a lot of work!