Mountain lion hunting season gets nod for 2020

    The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has approved a 2020 mountain lion hunting season.
    The season will provide a harvest opportunity for up to eight mountain lions in two sub-units within the Pine Ridge of northwestern Nebraska.
    Officials says next year’s season will allow the population to remain resilient and healthy, while halting growth or moderately reducing the population size.
    The season will be similar to this year’s, except hunting on public lands will be allowed in both sub-units, shooting hours will be sunrise to sunset, opening day will be Jan. 2, 2020 and proof of gender must be naturally attached to a harvested cat when checked.
    The application period will be Sept. 3-27. A total of 320 permits will be issued in each sub-unit by drawing.
    For more information on the mountain lion season, visit outdoornebraska.gov/moun tainlionhunting/.
    Additional information about mountain lions in Nebraska is available at outdoor nebraska.gov/mountainlions.
    Also at the June 21 meeting, staff presented the agency’s new Natural Playscapes Guide. This 92-page guide, which was created for park superintendents, communities and schools interested in building natural play areas, is available at OutdoorNebraska.org.
    Conservation Officer Tim Williams, who covers Hall, Merrick and Hamilton counties, was presented the Shikar-Safari Wildlife Officer of the Year award for 2019. Shikar-Safari Club International is a conservation-based organization that annually recognizes wildlife law enforcement officers in all states, provinces and territories in the United States and Canada.