Indian Cave State Park to Host Annual Campfire Christmas in July

Indian Cave State Park to Host Annual Campfire Christmas in July
Indian Cave State Park caves. (Photo Courtesy: NEBRASKAland Magazine, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission)

LINCOLN, Neb. – Bring the family to Indian Cave State Park on July 27-28 for the Fifth Annual Campfire Christmas in July.

Activities will include a campground decorating contest, craft fair, appearance by Santa Claus, horse-drawn wagon rides, food vendors, games for families, outdoor movie at the amphitheater, and a half-price youth lifetime permit drawing.

A park permit is required for each vehicle entering the park. For more information, contact the park at 402-883-2575 or ngpc.indian.cave@nebraska.gov.


Super Tag lottery permits drawn by Game and Parks

LINCOLN, Neb. – Zachary Welch of Ainsworth and Oren Smith of Parsons, Kansas have been drawn as lottery winners of two Super Tag multispecies big game permits. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission drew the names July 10.

Frank Nemeth of Chadron and Gary West of Ridge Spring, South Carolina have been drawn as winners of the Combo multispecies big game permits.

The Super Tag and Combo permits are valid in 2018 and 2019. The Super Tag bag limit is one elk, one antelope, one deer and two turkeys. The Combo bag limit is one antelope, one deer and two turkeys. The permits are valid in open seasons with appropriate equipment.

Welch had one of 1,536 Nebraska resident entries in the single-entry Super Tag lottery. Smith had five of 2,163 entries (1,127 residents and 1,036 nonresidents) in the multiple-entry Super Tag lottery.

In the multiple-entry Combo lottery, Nemeth had three of the 465 entries for the resident permit, and West had one of the 322 entries for the nonresident permit.


Summer is great time to take hunter education

LINCOLN, Neb. – Summer – well ahead of hunting seasons – is a great time to obtain hunter education certification.

Although classes are available year-round, most traditional classroom courses and Hunt Safe Sessions are offered in the fall and spring. Mid-August through mid-November is packed with course offerings throughout the state. February and March also offer many classes.

Firearm and bowhunter education covers the safety aspects of firearms and archery equipment, as well as the conservation management and ethics that go with hunting.

“While more classes are offered in the fall, demand also increases significantly into late September, October and November, so space in these classes can fill quickly,” Hunter Education Coordinator Jackson Ellis said.

In Nebraska, all hunters age 12 through 29 must carry proof of successful completion of a firearm hunter education course when hunting any game species with a firearm or air gun, or proof of successful completion of a bowhunter education course while hunting deer, elk, antelope or bighorn sheep with a bow and arrow or crossbow.

Although hunter education is not required until age 12, students can complete the course at age 11. A number of options are available. A traditional, 10-hour classroom course for firearm or bowhunter education is available. Dual classes that include the curriculum for both firearm and bowhunter education also are offered. These dual classes are a minimum of 14 hours of instruction.

“The classes are scheduled by our excellent certified volunteer instructors, who donate their time,” Ellis said.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission also offers online hunter education. Students age 16 and older may complete all of the course requirements online. Students age 11 to 15 may also complete their hunter education online, but they also are required to take a two-hour Hunt Safe Session. During the Hunt Safe Session, volunteer hunter education instructors spend face-to-face time discussing the most important safety aspects of the course.

For a listing of all posted traditional classroom courses and Hunt Safe Sessions, and information for the online courses, visit huntsafenebraska.org. All traditional classroom courses and Hunt Safe Sessions are free of charge.

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