Sandhills Deer Unit: public land and hunting map
Sandhills Deer Unit is one of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC)’s 18 deer management units in Nebraska. It covers about 7,796 square miles (4,989,396 acres), and roughly 3.3% of it is public land: Forest Service 2.3%, Fish & Wildlife Service under 1%, state land under 1%.
- 3.3%public land
- 7,796square miles
- 164,650public acres
- 6neighbouring units
Measured Oct 12, 2026 from agency boundaries and USGS PAD-US 4.1 · sources and method
Who manages the land
- U.S. Forest Service2.3%
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceunder 1%
- State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies)under 1%
Share of the unit’s area. Federal agencies plus state wildlife, trust and natural-resource land, as the WikiHunt map classifies it. The rest is private, tribal, local or other land.
Units next to Sandhills Deer Unit
Nebraska season dates, 2026
Statewide general seasons. Many units have their own dates, quotas or draw-only hunts, so check the unit in the regulations before you go.
| Species | Season | 2026 dates |
|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery Deer | Sep 15 – Dec 31 |
| Deer | Firearm Deer | Nov 15 – Nov 23 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader Deer | Dec 1 – Dec 31 |
| Pronghorn | Rifle Antelope | Oct 1 – Oct 15 |
| Turkey | Fall Turkey | Oct 1 – Jan 31 |
Full notes on the Nebraska page · Nebraska regulations.
Questions
How much of Sandhills Deer Unit is public land?
About 3.3% of Sandhills Deer Unit (164,650 of 4,989,396 acres) is federal or state public land in USGS PAD-US 4.1, mostly U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies). Public land is not always open land: check access and closures before you go.
Who manages the land in Sandhills Deer Unit?
U.S. Forest Service: 2.3%; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: under 1%; State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies): under 1%. The rest is private, tribal, local government or other land.
Which units border Sandhills Deer Unit?
Calamus West Deer Unit, Keya Paha Deer Unit, Loup West Deer Unit, Pine Ridge Deer Unit, Plains Deer Unit and Platte Deer Unit.
Where are the season dates and rules for Sandhills Deer Unit?
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) sets them. Start at the Nebraska hunting regulations. WikiHunt shows the statewide general seasons on the Nebraska page and in the app.
Sources and method
- Boundary: Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC), the same layer the WikiHunt map draws.
- Public land: USGS Protected Areas Database (PAD-US) 4.1, Fee Managers layer (public domain).
- Method: the unit and PAD-US polygons are simplified to about 100 m and measured on a grid of about 250 cells across the unit, so overlapping records are counted once. Expect about ±1 percentage point.
- Season dates: WikiHunt’s season table, updated Sep 2, 2026, checked against each state’s published regulations. Dates change; the regulations win.
- Last updated: Oct 12, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.