Free Places to Shoot near Omaha

[Rlemons23]

I was wondering if there was any public land  close to Omaha to take my 11 year old daughter shoot. 

[bk09]

The closest one I know is Hamburg Bend WMA just south of Nebraska City. If you plan on taking a while to shoot it would probably be worth it.

[GreyGeek]

Hamburg Bend WMA

[GreyGeek]

Found this on the web:

Hi Kidney,

Thanks for dropping us at Game and Parks a note. Target shooting is permitted on most wildlife management areas (WMAs) in Nebraska, but the activity is prohibited on certain areas which are posted. Within close proximity to Omaha, target shooting is prohibited on many WMAs due to very high use & obvious safety reasons along with hunts being interrupted, plus extreme litter problems.

Listed below you will find some options/recommendations for Wildlife Management Area (WMA) target shooting near Omaha. These options/recommendations are about a 90-minute drive or so away from the metro and come from Mike Remund of our Game and Parks Wildlife Division based out of the Osage WMA near Tecumseh

*Southwest Osage WMA - East parking lot
*Southeast Osage WMA - Northwest parking lot
*Twin Oaks WMA - Everything with the exception of the two northern parking lots

If you need individual maps of these areas, let me know. We have them here at the Game and Parks Omaha Office and can fax them to you if need be. Also, click here for more information about these WMAs and others in the current Nebraska Guide to Hunting and Public Lands:
http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/hunting/guides/smallgame/pdf/HuntGuide.pdf (https://webmail.east.cox.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Foutdoornebraska.ne .gov%252Fhunting%252Fguides%252Fsmallgame%252Fpdf% 252FHuntGuide.pdf)

Mike reminds everybody to not use the guard rail posts as target backstops and to please pick up any litter (spent ammo casings, paper targets, etc.) before leaving the area.

I hope this information assists you. Holler if you have questions. Be safe and
good target shooting!

Best Regards,

Greg Wagner

[GreyGeek]

I went to  the Nebraska Game  and Fish website and  searched their 2012 Hunting  Guide for WMA & SRA that DO NOT allow target practice. 
http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/hunting/guides/smallgame/pdf/HuntGuide.pdf

There are 240 WMA and 33 SRA.   52 DO NOT allow  target practice.  There are 277 WMA and  SRA which allow waterfowl hunting but 117 of them only allow non-toxic shot.

Here is the  list of 52 WMA's & SRA's that DO NOT allow target shootings.  You can use your browser "Find" command  to look  for your county:

BasswoodRidgeWMA – Dakota County; 2NW of Homer; deer, rabbit, squirrel, turkey;
No target shooting; 360 acres

BuckskinHillsWMA – Dixon County; 2W, 2S of Newcastle; pheasant, quail, rabbit,
waterfowl; No target shooting; 340 acres

Oak ValleyWMA – Madison County; 2½S, 1W of Battle Creek; deer, dove, pheasant,
quail, rabbit, squirrel; No target shooting; 640 acres

OmadiBendWMA – Dakota County; 2N, 2½E of Homer; pheasant, quail, waterfowl;
Borders Iowa by land; Contact Game and Parks for map; No target shooting; 33 acres

WoodDuckWMA – Stanton County; 1½W of Stanton on Neb. Hwy. 24; 2S, 1½W, 1N;
deer, dove, pheasant, quail, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; No target shooting; 1,523
acres

YellowbanksWMA – Madison County; 3N of Battle Creek on Neb. Hwy. 121, 2½W, ½N,
½W; deer, dove, pheasant, quail, rabbit, squirrel, turkey; No target shooting; 664 acres

Bluestem Lake SRA – Lancaster County; 3W of Sprague; deer, pheasant, quail, rabbit,
squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; no target shooting; 742 acres

BranchedOak Lake SRA/WMA – Lancaster County; 3N of Malcolm; deer, pheasant,
quail, rabbit, turkey, waterfowl; portion of area closed to waterfowl hunting; no target
shooting on portions of area; camping limited to 3 days in a 6-day consecutive period;
4,406 acres

Conestoga Lake SRA – Lancaster County; 2N, ½W of Denton; deer, dove, pheasant,
quail, rabbit, squirrel, turkey; no waterfowl hunting; no target shooting; 716 acres

GiffordPointWMA – Sarpy County; 2E of intersection of Fort Crook Road and Childs
Road; deer, rabbit, squirrel, turkey; no target shooting; area closed to all access from Sept.
1 to close of all deer seasons, except archery and muzzleloader deer hunting is allowed
with special access permit; contact area manager at 402-296-0041; archery spring turkey
hunting only; 1,300 acres

HedgefieldWMA – Lancaster County; 1½S, 3E, ½N of Hickman; dove, pheasant, quail,
rabbit, squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; no target shooting; camping limited to 3 days in a 6-day
consecutive period; 114 acres

Jack SinnMemorialWMA – Lancaster County; 2S of Ceresco; and 1S, 3E of Ceresco;
deer, pheasant, quail, rabbit, waterfowl; nontoxic shot only; no target shooting; 1,352 acres

KilldeerWMA – Lancaster County; 2½N of Martell; deer, dove, pheasant, quail, rabbit,
turkey, waterfowl; no target shooting; camping limited to 3 days in a 6-day consecutive
period; 90 acres

OliveCreek Lake SRA – Lancaster County; 1½E of Kramer; deer, pheasant, quail, rabbit,
squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; no target shooting on portions of the area; 612 acres

OsageWMA – Johnson County; 3N, 2W, ¾N of Tecumseh; deer, dove, pheasant, quail,
rabbit, squirrel, turkey; no target shooting in west parking lot on Southwest Osage and in
south parking lot on North Osage; 778 acres

Pawnee Lake SRA – Lancaster County; 3W, 3N of Emerald; deer, pheasant, quail, rabbit,
squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; trap and archery ranges available; no centerfire or rimfire rifles
or pistols; no target shooting in northwest portion; 2,544 acres

RakesCreekWMA – Cass County; ½E, 2S, 2E, 1S, ½E of Murray; deer, dove, pheasant,
quail, rabbit, squirrel, turkey; no target shooting; dog training area; 316 acres

SchillingWMA – Cass County; ½E 1N of Plattsmouth on U.S. Hwy. 34, U.S. Hwy. 75
or Neb. Hwy. 66; deer, dove, pheasant, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; north portion
closed to all access Sept. 1-4 for youth dove hunt; contact area manager at 402-296-0041;
archery deer hunting only; no rifles and handguns; nontoxic shot only; no target shooting;
1,755 acres

RhodenWMA – Cass County; 1E, 1N of Plattsmouth; deer, rabbit, squirrel, waterfowl;
nontoxic shot only; no target shooting; access via Schilling WMA; archery deer hunting
only; 48 acres

Stagecoach Lake SRA – Lancaster County; 1½S, ½W of Hickman; deer, pheasant, quail,
rabbit, squirrel, turkey; no target shooting on portions of the area; 412 acres

TwoRivers SRA/WMA – Douglas County; 6S, 1W of Valley; deer, dove, quail, rabbit,
squirrel, waterfowl; open after Labor Day; shotguns and archery only; nontoxic shot only;
no target shooting; 960 acres

WagonTrain Lake SRA – Lancaster County; 2E of Hickman; deer, pheasant, quail, rabbit,
squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; dog training area; no target shooting on portions of the area;
1,062 acres

WildwoodWMA – Lancaster County; 2N, 2W of Agnew; deer, dove, pheasant, quail,
rabbit, squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; camping limited to 3 days in a 6-day consecutive
period; no target shooting on portions of the area; 491 acres

William Gilmour/Tobacco IslandWMA – Cass County; 1S of Plattsmouth; deer, dove,
pheasant, turkey, waterfowl; nontoxic shot only; no target shooting; 1,604 acres

WilsonCreekWMA – Otoe County; 1S, 3E, ½S of Otoe; dove, pheasant, rabbit, quail,
waterfowl; no target shooting; 42 acres

YankeeHillWMA – Lancaster County; 2½E, 1S of Denton; deer, dove, pheasant, quail,
rabbit, squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; no target shooting; camping limited to 3 days in a 6-day
consecutive period; dog training area; 938 acres

Ayr LakeWMA – Adams County; 4S of U.S. Hwy. 6, 1E Hastings; dove, pheasant,
waterfowl; nontoxic shot only; no target shooting; 160 acres

BirdwoodWMA – Lincoln County; North Platte I-80 interchange, ½ S, 3W, 1N across
I-80 overpass; waterfowl; no target shooting; 33 acres

BlueHeronWMA – Dawson County; S of Gothenburg I-80 interchange; deer, dove,
rabbit; no target shooting; 61 acres

CambridgeDiversionDamWMA – Furnas County; 2E of Cambridge; deer, dove, rabbit,
squirrel, turkey; no target shooting; 20 acres

EastGothenburgWMA – Dawson County; Gothenburg I-80 interchange, ½ S, 3½ E;
dove, rabbit, waterfowl; no target shooting; 37acres

EastHersheyWMA – Lincoln County; North Platte I-80 interchange, ½ S, 7½ W, 1½ N;
dove, rabbit, waterfowl; no target shooting; 40 acres

East SutherlandWMA - Lincoln County; Hershey I-80 interchange, ½ S, 3W, ½ N; dove,
rabbit, waterfowl; no target shooting; 35 acres

EastWillowIslandWMA – Dawson County; Cozad I-80 interchange, ½ N, ¼ W, ¼ N,
1W, ¾ S, 1 W; deer, dove, quail, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; no target shooting; 37
acres

Fremont SloughWMA – Lincoln County; North Platte I-80 interchange, 1½ S, 4¾ E, ½
N, ¼ E; dove, rabbit, waterfowl; no target shooting; 41 acres

FrenchmanWMA – Hayes County; 1½N of Palisade; deer, dove, pheasant, quail, rabbit,
turkey, waterfowl; no target shooting; 98 acres

HayesCenterWMA – Hayes County; 12NE of Hayes Center; deer, dove, pheasant, quail,
rabbit, turkey, waterfowl; no target shooting; 118 acres

HersheyWMA – Lincoln County; Hershey I-80 interchange, ¼ S, ¼ E; rabbit, waterfowl;
no target shooting; 123 acres

Loch LindaWMA – Hall County; from Alda I-80 interchange, 1N, 2E, ½S, 1½E on
south side of I-80; deer, dove, pheasant, quail, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; no target
shooting; 38 acres

MuskratRunWMA – Lincoln County; 4W, 2N, ½W of North Platte on U.S. Hwy.
30; deer, dove, quail, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; nontoxic shot only; no target
shooting; 155 acres

NorthRiverWMA – Lincoln County; 3N of Hershey; deer, dove, pheasant, quail, rabbit,
squirrel, turkey, waterfowl; no target shooting; 681 acres

Ogallala StripWMA – Keith County; NW quadrant Ogallala I-80 interchange; deer,
dove, quail, rabbit, turkey, waterfowl; no target shooting; 456 acres

OxfordWMA – Furnas County; 5W of Oxford; deer, quail, rabbit, squirrel, turkey,
waterfowl; no target shooting; 23 acres

Pawnee SloughWMA – Lincoln County; ¾ W of Maxwell on County road; dove, rabbit,
waterfowl; no target shooting; 71 acres

PlatteWMA – Lincoln County; 6E of North Platte; deer, pheasant, quail, rabbit, turkey,
waterfowl; no target shooting; 242 acres

RedWillowDiversionDamWMA – Red Willow County; 9NE of McCook; deer, dove,
pheasant, quail, rabbit, waterfowl; no target shooting; 56 acres

WestBradyWMA – Lincoln County; Brady I-80 interchange, ¾ N, ½ W, ¼ N, 1½ W;
dove, rabbit, waterfowl; no target shooting; 16 acres

WestCozadWMA – Dawson County; Cozad I-80 interchange; ½ N, ¼ W, ¼ N, 1W, ¾ S,
¼ E; dove, quail, rabbit, waterfowl; no target shooting; 48acres

WestGothenburgWMA – Lincoln County; 4½ E of Brady on Highway 30 and ¼ S; deer,
dove, rabbit, squirrel, waterfowl; no target shooting; 51 acres

WestHersheyWMA – Lincoln County; Hershey I-80 interchange, ½ W, foot access only;
dove, rabbit, waterfowl; no target shooting; 31acres

WestMaxwellWMA – Lincoln County; Maxwell I-80 interchange, ¾ N, ¾ W, ¼ S; dove,
rabbit, waterfowl; no target shooting; 13 acres

WillowIslandWMA – Dawson County; 5¼ W of Cozad on U.S. Hwy. 30, ¾ S; dove,
rabbit, waterfowl; no target shooting; 75 acres

[bk09]

There are many places you can shoot that don't have a satisfactory area to shoot SAFELY. Figured that out when I went to a wide open one with only a couple small trees one time.

[Bucket]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a WMA close to the Omaha metro where there is suitable terrain, facility, and authorization?