Nebraska Deer — Upper Platte

Upper Platte

Nebraska Upper Platte covers 2,819,695 acres and lies 25 miles north-east of Kimball. 0% of it is public land. In 2018, hunters took 1,153 mule deer here. The 2026 draw put up 120 nonresident tags here for 124 first-choice applicants.

Nonresident tags (2026):120 Applicants:124 Public land:0% Size:2,819,695 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every deer license type on offer in Upper Platte, 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 · 124 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
  • UPPER-PLATTE Upper Platte 120 tags · 124 applicants · needed 0 pts
    63% Real chance
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

Sidney Gering Chadron North Platte McCook
Upper Platte within Nebraska
PLAINS PLATTE-MDCA SANDHILLS Sidney Gering Alliance Ogallala
Upper Platte 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 2,806,796 ac · 100%
  • State land 11,738 ac · 0%
  • County or city land 1,026 ac · 0%
  • National Wildlife Refuge 134 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.

Mule Deer

Season Harvest
2018 1,153
2017 1,083

White-tailed Deer

Season Harvest
2018 407
2017 478

What people carried (2025 harvest)

  • Archery 77 · 55%
  • Muzzleloader 62 · 45%

What the agency says about the area

NGPC deer management unit "Upper Platte"; permits drawn as Upper Platte

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