Nebraska Deer — Buffalo

Buffalo

Nebraska Buffalo covers 3,197,665 acres and lies 21 miles north-west of Kearney and 36 miles south-east of Broken Bow. 0% of it is public land. In 2018, hunters took 3,727 white-tailed deer here. The 2026 draw put up 120 nonresident tags here for 110 first-choice applicants.

Nonresident tags (2026):120 Applicants:110 Public land:0% Size:3,197,665 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every deer license type on offer in Buffalo, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.

1 license on offer · 120 tags · 110 applicants in the 2026 draw

Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.

Simple view Odds at every point level
  • BUFFALO-MDCA Buffalo MDCA 120 tags · 110 applicants · needed 0 pts
    95% Undersubscribed
What these columns mean
Your odds
the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
The badge
plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
Points needed
the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
Tags / applicants
tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.

What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)

License Up front Gone if you miss If you draw
Per application $0 $0 $369

Application window: opens Jun 1, closes Jun 12, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.

The country

Kearney St. Paul Ord North Platte McCook
Buffalo within Nebraska
FRENCHMAN-MDCA LOUP-WEST PLATTE-MDCA REPUBLICAN-MDCA REPUBLICAN-MULE Kearney Minden St. Paul Grand Island Broken Bow
Buffalo and its neighbours
Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.

Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.

Who owns the ground

  • Private 3,182,355 ac · 100%
  • State land 8,430 ac · 0%
  • National Wildlife Refuge 6,879 ac · 0%

Source: NGPC Public Access Atlas land layers: Other Public Recreation Lands, NGPC Properties 2024-2025, Park Areas, Conservation Partner Lands

How the hunting has gone

What Nebraska Game and Parks Commission publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast.

White-tailed Deer

Season Harvest
2018 3,727
2017 3,868

Mule Deer

Season Harvest
2018 750
2017 770

What people carried (2025 harvest)

  • Archery 201 · 79%
  • Muzzleloader 55 · 21%

What the agency says about the area

NGPC deer management unit "Buffalo"; permits drawn as Buffalo MDCA

Source: Nebraska Big Game Guide 2026 (unit names, public-land statements)

Boundary: Deer Management Units (NGPC hosted feature layer, Deer_Mangement_Units_2022)

Harvest: 2026 Big Game Recommendation Book (2025 season harvest; comparisons 2021-2025)

Harvest: 2025 Big Game Recommendation Book (2024 season harvest; comparisons 2020-2024)

Harvest: 2024 Big Game Recommendation Book (2023 season harvest; comparisons 2019-2023)

How we compute draw odds · All Nebraska deer hunts