Nebraska Deer — Sandhills

Sandhills

Nebraska Sandhills covers 4,996,094 acres and lies 61 miles south-west of Valentine and 77 miles east of Alliance. 3% of it is public land, mostly national forest (2%) and wildlife refuge (1%). In 2018, hunters took 1,345 mule deer here. The 2026 draw put up 180 nonresident tags here for 366 first-choice applicants.

Nonresident tags (2026):180 Applicants:366 Public land:3% Size:4,996,094 acres

Your chance of drawing here

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

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

SANDHILLS Sandhills 180 tags · 366 applicants · needed 0 pts

9% Point builder

Hunt	Your odds (0 pts)	Points needed	Tags / applicants	Season
SANDHILLS ↗ Sandhills	9% Point builder	0 steady since 2024	180 / 366	Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026

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

Sandhills within Nebraska

Sandhills 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 4,821,726 ac · 97%
National Forest 114,735 ac · 2%
National Wildlife Refuge 41,348 ac · 1%
State land 18,198 ac · 0%
Bureau of Reclamation 86 ac · 0%

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

Nearby areas

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.