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Bow Hunt - $600 (McCook, NE)
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I have a great place to hunt big Mule deer in southwest Nebraska. I have about 600 acres of private land surrounding and near Five Bears Lodge. There are also some big state lakes close by (Swanson and Hugh Butler) and huntable CRP. It is very remote, but only about 30 minutes from McCook, which has a super Wal-Mart in case you forget something. The lodge is actually a remodeled farmhouse where my wife and I used to live in the middle of nowhere. It has one bedroom with a double bed and a big bedroom with two double beds. In the living-room it has a sleeper sofa so 4 people can sleep comfortably. I furnish the towels, blankets, soap, cooking utensils and plates, cups, silverware, etc. You furnish your own food and beer, etc.. It has a coffee maker, can opener, toaster, microwaves, full size fridge and electric stove, washer and dryer, shower/bath, and new TV (bring your own DVDs, no cable). It also has a fireplace, grill, and modern propane central-air furnace and a new air conditioner. I have been doing this for years and everyone has liked the lodge and the hunting. I do have a nice place to hang and wash your deer/s and a round bale looking blind that blows away every time the wind comes up, lol.
COSTS.
The lodging is a flat fee of $200 per night for bow hunters and a three night minimum. If you decide to stay another night or two and I have no other hunters coming in the cost goes down to $100 per night. $25 per day to hunt per bow hunter. Black Powder add $50 per day per hunter. I do not guarantee you will get anything, some guys get buck fever and couldn't hit a bull's ass with a scoop shovel (like me), but I do guarantee you will see big bucks. This is an unguided hunt. Many of the bucks taken off my land are hanging on a wall somewhere. I have 90 percent Muley which is a totally different hunt than whitetail. It is more of a spot and stalk.
AVALABILITY
All of September (except opening weekend), October, November (except rifle season) and December are open. Hunting Mule deer is not for the novice. They can tell the difference between a bow and a pair of fence stretchers in your hand!
Bow and Black Powder Hunters.
I allow bow, black powder, and spear hunting. I have yet to see a spear hunter, but Nebraska does allow it. For other than bow hunters you must have at least two hunters in your party in case somebody has an accident with black powder, or sticks their pard in the butt with a spear!
NUMBERS
Hard to guess numbers this early but I have been seeing Muley around and I would say numbers are lower than the last few years. On December 11, 2024 I counted 20 deer out grazing on my wheat field and this was about 4 pm—an hour or more before sunset. The country you will hunt is rolling hills with farm ground on top between the canyons. We hunted the heck out of them during rifle 2024 and seen some wide tall 4 x 4s, but none of my four boys would pull the trigger. They all have bigger bucks hanging in their bedroom!
PERMITS
This is in the Frenchman Unit. Go to the Nebraska Game and Parks website for more info. You can even call them and talk to a real person, which is kind of nice in this day and age. I am in the mule deer conservation area. You may hunt any sex, any species deer with a bow but last year Nebraska went to a point system and I don’t know all the particulars.
WAIVERS
When you arrive at Five Bears Lodge, you will be required to sign a standard type waiver. For crops I have cane and dryland corn. The deer like to come out and graze about sunup and just before dark. Many of the canyons have weeds and plum bushes. You will be the only deer hunters allowed on my property for the entire time you are here. If you book a hunt, I require a deposit of 50 percent.
CONTACT
Call or text Papa Bear at 3oh8-34oh-six22 five. My new IPhone will not answer any number not in my phone book so leave a message. These hunts are a lot of fun even if you don't get anything, and will be something you will never forget.