With the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in full swing, the WOWT 6 Sports Machine crew and I will take to the snow cover with cross-country skis for our weekly WOWT 6 News Outdoor Report. Cross-country skiing is a fun winter outdoor activity to enjoy in our parks as well as a great workout, trust me on the workout thing! I went out early to practice for our segment to see how rusty my cross-country ski skills were/are. Mouth open … tongue out …

I closed the Canada goose hunting season in Nebraska’s East Management Unit yesterday afternoon.  And, a fine afternoon hunting session it was despite the frigid temperatures! I was invited to hunt with top Canada goose calling ‘young guns’ Nick Bilava, Casey Eikmeier and Weston Cooper along with their highly-trained hunting dogs. It was an incredible experience hunting with the seasoned young fellas on their beautiful spread! Whenever you have the chance, hunt with the younger crowd, do it! Share what you know! …

You know the face (with or without the beard). You’ve seen him here on this website with his popular blog. If there’s discussion about Nebraska fish and fishing he’s right smack in the middle of it all!  And, he comes to my Saturday morning outdoor talk radio show to visit with you! Do you know this guy? Yup! Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Fisheries Outreach Coordinator and Biologist Daryl Bauer comes to the Omaha airwaves tomorrow morning to talk Nebraska fish and fishing with you! He’s …

In the spirit of the Winter Olympic Games, we’re gonna take you sledding on this week’s WOWT 6 News Outdoor Report! Recognize this sled run? That’s right, we’re heading to Mahoney State Park at I-80 Exit #426 near Ashland, NE for some winter outdoor fun! Find out more details about the sled/toboggan runs at the park by tuning in tomorrow night (Thursday night) during the sports segment with Ross Jernstrom and I LIVE on the WOWT 6 News 6 p.m. CST newscast. Here’s a sample of what it’s like to …

 A quick note to let you know that The Great Outdoor Radio Show I host heads to the Nebraska Buck N Bird Classic at the CenturyLink Center in downtown Omaha tomorrow (Saturday) morning. I’ll be LIVE there from 9-10 a.m. CST to visit with the classic organizers and various outdoor experts. The broadcast airs on Omaha radio station KOZN/1620 AM “The Zone” and I promise, it’ll be fun and informative! Stop and catch the action, and then enjoy the event! Also, my fellow compatriots at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission …

Did you know that cabins and other lodging facilities are available for rental this time of year at five Nebraska state park lands with various discounts and special packages? They sure are! Find out which ones and more about state park lodging by tuning in to my Weekly Outdoor Report segment tomorrow (Thursday) evening during the 6 p.m. CST sportscast with Ross Jernstrom on Omaha’s WOWT 6 News. Can you guess the park where these cabins are located? Here’s another hint. One …

I recently received the email message (and photos) below from Colorado and wanted to share it with all of you. Jane Gustafson, who heads our Game and Parks Marketing Section, says that the focus of agency advertising efforts is to get kids in the field hunting and to make Nebraska the place where they do this. She also says that many Nebraskans have family out-of-state and what a better way to encourage these folks to come back, visit and spend …

The growing outdoor sport of ice fishing will be featured on my Weekly Outdoor Report airing on Omaha’s WOWT 6 News Thursday night LIVE during sports on the 6 p.m. CST newscast with Ross Jernstrom. See video of action on the ice at the Mahoney State Park CenturyLink Lake while I provide some quick tips and reminders for you ice anglers with a focus on ice conditions and safety for beginners. Fish caught through the ice are absolutely delicious! Tune in …

OUTDOOR TIP: Always, and I mean always, take a camera you with you on any outdoor adventure to capture lasting images of the experience. The camera, whether it’s on your iPhone, Smart Phone, or is a small pocket-sized digital camera, or even is a large digital one with a foot-long lens, helps to lock in memories and validate outdoor stories. Here’s my camera, nothing fancy, but it does the job fairly well. I took my camera with me yesterday afternoon to my buddy Steve’s farm in Saunders County, …

Do you know the annual economic impact that outdoor recreation has in Nebraska? Like my Game and Parks cohort, Cara Pesek, I expected the number to be big, but it’s bigger than we both thought — $2.4 billion annually! WOW! Hunting has an $848 million impact annually, fishing has a $324 million impact annually, wildlife viewing has a $722 million impact annually and state parks have a $749 million impact annually. In this state, the great outdoors greatly impacts the Nebraska economy. Okay, all that being …