Small game, particularly squirrel, is a great way to introduce youth or novices to hunting. Skills, equipment and licensing are more basic than other types of hunting.
    “A hand-me-down .22 rifle or smaller gauge shotgun and almost any hardwood stand of trees can offer a successful endeavor for a new hunter,” Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Hunter Education Coordinator Jackson Ellis said.
    Squirrel season—Aug. 1 through Jan. 31, 2019—is the first of Nebraska’s fall hunting seasons. This leaves the hunting woods available to novices and their mentors.
    Nebraska residents younger than age 16 can harvest squirrels without a hunt (small game) permit or Nebraska Habitat Stamp. Residents 16 and above and all nonresidents require the permit and stamp. A Hunter Education certificate is required for anyone age 12 through 29 who hunts with a firearm.

To read the full story, subscribe to the e-edition online or call the Breeze at 308-394-5389 to subscribe to the print edition