Pheasants Forever is bringing back its annual Pheasant Tail Feather Contest, encouraging hunters across the state to participate in a friendly competition during pheasant season.
Addie Pernicky, a biologist with Pheasants Forever and coordinator of the Nebraska Community Access Partnership (NCAP) outlined the contest ahead of the pheasant hunting season.
The contest begins this weekend and runs through Jan. 31, 2027. Hunters who harvest a pheasant on public access land enrolled in the Nebraska Open Fields and Waters Program can submit a photo of their bird’s tail feather measured against a yardstick.
Official NCAP yardsticks will be available at Lured In, The Watering Hole, Lake McConaughy's Visitor Center, Pronto in Grand, and in Sidney which has yet to be determined.
Pernicky said NCAP has enrolled approximately 64,000 acres over the past two and a half years across the southern Panhandle, including Keith, Arthur, Deuel, Garden and Perkins counties, expanding public hunting opportunities.
Hunters can contact Pernicky at 308-737-0944 for more information about the contests and public-access opportunities.