Nebraska hunting license

How much is a Nebraska hunting license?

A resident Nebraska hunting license (the annual hunt, or small game, permit) is $20, and the nonresident version is $128, as listed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for the current license year. Both prices already include the $3 issuing fee, so what you see is what you pay for the permit itself.

The permit is only half of the usual bill. Most hunters also need the Nebraska Habitat Stamp, which costs $25 for everyone, and duck and goose hunters add waterfowl stamps on top. A resident chasing pheasants therefore spends about $45 for the season, while a nonresident doing the same hunt pays about $153 before any extras.

If you also fish, the resident hunt/fish combo with the Aquatic Habitat Stamp is $57. Nebraska is also one of the few states that sells multi-year hunt permits (3-year and 5-year) alongside the annual one, which saves a trip to the counter each January. Deer, turkey, elk and other big game need separate permits that are not part of this price. The complete fee list appears in Game and Parks' 2026-27 Small Game and Waterfowl Guide.

Who needs hunter education for a Nebraska hunting license?

Nebraska uses an age window instead of a birth-year cutoff: every hunter from age 12 through 29 who hunts with a firearm or air gun must have completed firearm hunter education and carry proof while hunting. Hunters 30 and older are outside that window.

Bowhunters have a matching rule. Hunters 12 through 29 who hunt big game with a bow or crossbow need bowhunter education as well, and they carry proof in the field just like firearm hunters.

How you certify depends on age. Hunters 16 and older can finish an online-only course with no other requirement, or take a free classroom course. Students 11 to 15 take the online course followed by a two-hour in-person Hunt Safe session, or the same free classroom course. The rules are summarized in the guide's general information section.

Not ready for a course? The $5 Apprentice Hunter Education Exemption Certificate lets a new hunter aged 12 through 29 try hunting with an experienced, licensed hunter 19 or older close by. It can be bought once in a lifetime, expires Dec. 31, and can be renewed once for the next year.

Where can you buy a hunting license in Nebraska?

Game and Parks sells permits online at OutdoorNebraska.gov and GoOutdoorsNE.com, on a mobile device, at its permitting offices and through permit vendors around the state. Hunt permits, stamps and turkey permits can be bought, stored and shown on your phone, so many hunters never carry paper at all.

Buying on a phone is handy for a last-minute trip, while the permitting offices help if you have a question about which permit fits your hunt. Game and Parks' hunting information line is 402-471-0641. Before you pay, decide whether you want one season or a multi-year permit, since the longer terms bundle the Habitat Stamp.

1. Check whether you need hunter education (ages 12 through 29 with a firearm) or plan to use the $5 apprentice certificate.
2. Choose your hunt permit: annual, 3-year, 5-year or a hunt/fish combo, resident or nonresident.
3. Add the Habitat Stamp, plus waterfowl stamps if you hunt ducks or geese.
4. Buy online, on your phone, at a Game and Parks office or from a vendor, and carry the permit while hunting.

Buy a Nebraska hunting license on the official site

How do big game permits work in Nebraska?

Deer, turkey, elk, antelope, mountain lion and bighorn sheep each need their own permit, sold separately from the small game hunt permit. Game and Parks publishes those rules in separate big game guides, so check Game and Parks for current big game permit types, prices, application periods and seasons before you plan a deer or elk hunt.

A few points from the small game guide carry over. Landowner permit holders do not need the Habitat Stamp, and big game hunters aged 15 or younger must be accompanied by a licensed adult 19 or older. Everything else about a deer, turkey or elk hunt, from permit types to application timing, comes from the big game guides.

That split matters when you budget a trip. The small game hunt permit and Habitat Stamp cover upland birds, rabbits and waterfowl (with waterfowl stamps), but they will not let you take a deer or a turkey. Plan the big game permit first, then add the small game pieces if you want to chase birds on the same trip.

Do kids need a hunting license in Nebraska?

Resident kids under 16 do not need a small game hunt permit or a Habitat Stamp. Nonresident kids are treated differently: a nonresident of any age needs a permit to hunt small game or waterfowl, and the nonresident youth hunt permit costs $20.

Supervision depends on age and weapon. Hunters 11 or younger who use a firearm must be with a licensed person 19 or older. Youth 12 through 15 either complete hunter education or use the apprentice certificate, and young big game hunters stay with a licensed adult until they turn 16. The guide's hunter requirements chart lays out every age group species by species.

For families, the simplest route is to let a child start under supervision, then finish hunter education around age 12. Resident kids hunt small game free until 16, when the regular resident permit and Habitat Stamp apply.

What does a nonresident Nebraska hunting license cost?

A nonresident annual hunt permit costs $128, and the $25 Habitat Stamp is added for most hunting. Nonresidents also need the permit to hunt coyotes, prairie dogs and other nongame animals, which residents can hunt without stamps.

Short trips are where Nebraska stands out. The nonresident 2-Day Small Game Hunt permit is $89 and covers two consecutive days of small game or waterfowl hunting, with stamps bought separately. Hunters who return every fall can look at the 3-year and 5-year nonresident hunt permits instead of buying each season.

Hunting across the border too? Compare the Kansas hunting license or Iowa hunting license, or browse every hunting license by state.

What other rules apply to a Nebraska hunting license?

Permits and stamps follow the calendar year. Small game permits expire Dec. 31 no matter when you bought them, so a permit purchased in late fall covers only the rest of that season. If you hunt both before and after New Year's, plan on buying again in January or choose a multi-year permit.

• Hunter orange: Game and Parks says orange is not required for upland game hunting or trapping, but it is strongly encouraged, especially during the deer seasons. Check Game and Parks for the big game rules.
• Landowners: farmers or ranchers and immediate family who live on land they own or lease may hunt squirrel, rabbits, prairie grouse, partridge, pheasant and quail there without a hunt permit or Habitat Stamp. Seasons and limits still apply, as the guide's permit and stamp section explains.
• Lifetime permits: a resident lifetime hunt permit is $260 for ages 0 to 15, $355 for ages 16 to 45 and $260 for 46 and older. Nonresident lifetime hunt permits are $873 (ages 0 to 16) and $1,395 (17 and older). A lifetime Habitat Stamp is $500.
• Seniors and veterans: residents 69 and older, and resident veterans 64 and older, can buy a $5 hunt/fish/fur combo with the state stamps included. Eligible disabled resident veterans get it free.
• Deployed military: residents returning from out-of-state deployment within the last 12 months can get a one-time $5 combo permit with all state stamps.