Our Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Service Center/Office in Omaha at 8495 Frederick Street has reopened for business! Stop by! We were closed for more than six months due to a fire on July 23, 2018 that occurred in the Frederick Plaza where we are located. Our space suffered extensive smoke and soot damage and had to be renovated from installing a new HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system on the roof to new carpeting and flooring. We sincerely appreciate …

It is obviously still winter. However, the length of daylight is increasing. Deer have begun shedding their antlers. Some sandhill cranes have arrived already along the Platte River in south-central Nebraska. These are indicators that spring is just around the bend. For those of us who spring wild turkey hunt, our thoughts are drifting to the woods where we stake our blinds and decoys. A walk in the woods where wild turkeys reside or frequent is a refreshing and welcomed activity in winter on a nice, bluebird-like …

It’s winter. The daylight is short. The nights are long and dreary. Air temperatures outside are cold, downright frigid at times. There’s probably some snow cover. We are all spending more a lot of time indoors this season, aren’t we? It is that time of year when we get that cooped-up, restless, nothing-to-do feeling that is referred to as “cabin fever.” Stuck inside, too many of us get weary and lethargic and spend long, endless hours watching TV re-runs or …

Forty years is very long time for anything, isn’t it? Forty years is an exceptionally long time for working at the same organization. Think about — four decades. WOW! This year, 2019, marks the beginning of my 40th year at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. My career spans a few different divisions within the agency – Fisheries, Parks and Information and Education (now Communications). I am currently the public information officer and manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks …

Do you have dream hunt you like to do someday? You know what I mean … a hunt you’d like to complete before you “kick the bucket?” Perhaps you have compiled a bucket list of hunts. Maybe you can’t afford a grandiose adventure to a far away place for exotic game but would like to stay closer to home to accomplish a memorable hunting experience. If you are looking for some ideas about Do-It-Yourself (DIY), value-driven bucket list hunts that …

If you’re a deer hunter in Nebraska, chances are you have wrapped up or are getting ready to wrap up your season (the late deer hunting season closes at 30 minutes after sunset on Jan. 15). Question for you: Have you ever considered scouting after the last deer hunting season closes for the remainder of the winter? I have and I do it! Deer hunting is a year-round process and post-season scouting for deer is part of it! So, why …

C-R-P, grassland conservation and early successional habitat. When those letters and words are brought up in a conversation, chances are the ring-necked pheasant will be mentioned in a sentence or two. Yes, CRP, grassland conservation and early successional habitat and pheasants all go together, but they also go with a lot of other wildlife. You see, our family farm is enrolled in the Unites States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Conservation Reserve Program or what is referred to as the CRP. …

The arrival of 2019 is just days away. In fact, it might have rolled in already, depending on when you are reading this blog post. The new year gives us a segue to reset, recharge and re-focus our energies. In all sincerity, the new year allows us to curb our bad habits, improve ourselves and change our outlook on life to a positive one. As outdoors-persons, the new year affords us an opportunity to give back to the outdoor community …

I am a hunter. I write and speak about hunting. I take images and record videos of hunting. I interact with hunters. Hunting is a major part of both my personal and professional lives. With my occupation (as a public information officer for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission) and through my personal social media accounts, I am asked frequently about “why I hunt.” The answer is not a simple one.  And, no, “it ain’t about the killin’ or just …

Anyone who waterfowl hunts knows that movement in a decoy spread is crucial. Yeah, there are a plethora of motion decoys on the market to buy — battery-powered ones, mechanical flappers, windsocks, bags, kites, moving shells, etc. However, there is another kind of motion decoy used in waterfowl hunting by the hunter him or herself — the flag. Who would have thought that attaching a set of fabric wings with relatively stiff wire on a wooden dowel in a T-shaped form …