Deer check-in going electronic

Starting this fall, Nebraska hunters have the option to electronically report their November firearm deer season harvest or take their deer to a check station.

While checking in deer is mandatory, hunters may choose to check in their deer at a check station or through Telecheck for the first time this nine-day firearm season.

In the past, hunters were required to take their harvest to a physical check station during the firearm season while deer harvests during the remainder of the year were reported through Telecheck.

Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance still will be conducted in eastern deer management units during the firearm deer season. Firearm hunters in the Missouri, Elkhorn, Loup East, Wahoo, Blue Northwest, and Blue Southeast deer management units are encouraged to report their harvest in person and voluntarily submit their deer for free chronic wasting disease sampling. However, they may opt for Telecheck, as well.

Telecheck is a free service that allows hunters to check their deer from the field or at home, by telephone or online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The online option is strongly recommended for those who opt to Telecheck. It was introduced in Nebraska in 2010 to save time and fuel costs for hunters. It also was a faster way for Game and Parks to obtain harvest data. Until now, it’s only been used to report deer taken in seasons outside the November firearm season and for other species.

The November firearm deer season is Nov. 16-24.

Deer taken during the November firearm season must be delivered to a check station or checked via Telecheck no later than 1 p.m. on the day following the close of the season. Deer taken outside the November firearm season must be Telechecked within 48 hours of the kill and no later than 1 p.m. the day after the season closes.

Check stations will be maintained at the following locations: OxBow Motel, Nelson, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Red Cloud, Sinclair 81 Express, Hebron, Ampride, Clay Center, Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, Geneva, and Ampride South, Hastings.