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Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley

NEBRASKAland Associate Editor Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley was born in Nha Trang, Vietnam, and moved to the United States with her parents in 1992. She graduated from Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove, California, in 2008 and completed her bachelor’s degree at UCLA in 2012. Wheatley was editor-in-chief for her high school newspaper and continued to write in college, freelancing for various publications, the Tiger Woods Foundation and writing for her blog FoodForHunters.com. After graduating college, she moved to Nebraska in early 2013 to join the Commission as Regional Editor at NEBRASKAland Magazine. She then became associate editor in 2015. Wheatley enjoys hiking, camping, horseback riding, hunting, fishing and wild game cooking.

Venison Pot Pie

By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Servings: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 4 hours and 30 minutes Ingredients: • 1 pound of venison stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed but cold • Salt and freshly cracked pepper • 4 tbs. all-purpose flour, separated • 1 pound of baby bella mushrooms, quartered • Cooking oil • 1 medium onion, chopped • 1 medium to large carrot, peeled and large diced • 2 anchovy filets packed in …

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Make a Date with Mother Nature

  By Alie Mayes, Community Science Education Specialist You are looking to connect. So, you open your dating app and start scrolling through profiles. No, no, nope, heck no. And then, you pause. Something’s different about this one. It reads: “About Me: Life is all about the connections. I am dynamic, resilient and always seeking balance. Love Languages: Acts of Service and Quality Time What I’m Looking For: I’m Looking for a partner who is nurturing, always looking for the …

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Dove Hunting the Sandhills

Story by Angie Kokes Photos by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Dove hunting offers generous bag limits and opportunities statewide. Although these birds can be hunted in almost every corner of the world, one of the most serene destinations to do so is in the Sandhills of Nebraska. If you can hear the melancholy tune of an old windmill creaking, you have found the ideal location to try your hand at bringing these tasty morsels out of the sky, while marveling in magnificent …

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Kayak Camping

Tips for Multi-day Kayaking By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Kayak camping is exactly what it sounds like — a unique adventure that combines the best of two worlds. In high school, I was fortunate to spend a week in Alaska with the Girl Scouts, and like a dream come true, we paddled our way around the Kenai Peninsula and camped each night on different beaches. From the tranquility of a kayak, I witnessed marine wildlife from a perspective that would’ve been different …

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Mulberry Muffins

By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Mulberries should be peaking right now, and one of my favorite ways to eat them is in a muffin — or two. A couple hints on using mulberries: One, collect a combination of ripe and unripe berries for better flavor; ripe mulberries are sweet, but flat-tasting, and the acidity of unripe berries will improve the end result. Two, mulberries are so delicate that they can be a pain to handle. Forget about trying to remove the stems …

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Hunt Nebraska Podcast: Summer Camps & Pocket Knives

Julia Plugge from the She Goes Outdoors podcast joins the Hunt Nebraska Crew as they talk about summer camps. The discussion turns to pocket knives and which one is the best. Hunt Nebraska · Summer Camps and Pocket Knives Hunt Nebraska is the official page to share insight into Nebraska’s hunting and shooting sports community. Follow us to join other like-minded hunting and shooting sports enthusiasts to share stories, skills, tips and techniques about hunting in Nebraska. Follow Hunt Nebraska …

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Ernie’s Snapping Turtle

Recipe by Kim Rutten, Edited by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Ernie was Kim and Ben Rutten’s mother, who prepared the family’s favorite meal of fried and steamed snapping turtle before her passing in 2018. Below, Kim shares her mother’s recipe the way it was taught to her. To read Jenny’s story on the Rutten family’s tradition of hunting turtles, visit: https://magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/2022/06/the-turtle-family/ The season for snapping turtles is year-round, with a bag limit of five turtles and possession limit of 10. Ben Rutten …

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The Turtle Family

The Rutten Family of Cedar Rapids Pass on a Hunting Tradition The Ruttens of Cedar Rapids do something that no one else does: hunt snapping turtles with their bare hands. Every summer, the Rutten “boys” — geared in old tennis shoes, jeans and a T-shirt — ease down into the greasy, stagnant oxbow lake on the flood-prone family property, called “The Island.” Each man carries a pitchfork, while other family members wait on the bank ready with gunny sacks. Walking …

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Miso Walleye

If you’ve been to a sushi restaurant, then you’re likely familiar with miso soup. Miso is a Japanese seasoning made of fermented soybeans, salt and the fungus koji. Find it in the refrigerated section, sold as a thick, yellow-brownish paste stored in small tubs. Although miso’s main flavor is salty, it also can be nutty, earthy, savory and slightly sweet. And its uses far exceed just soup. White miso enhances flavor wherever it’s added and is not overpowering. For this …

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Northern Pike Recipe

Servings: 2 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Ingredients: • 2 northern pike fillets, boneless • 4 slices of prosciutto • 2 tablespoons of pesto • Freshly cracked pepper • 1 tablespoon of olive oil • Lemon wedges Directions 1. Cut each pike fillet in half to make 4 pieces. Spread pesto on one side of each piece. Sprinkle freshly cracked pepper on top. 2. Roll each piece of fish and carefully wrap with a slice of prosciutto. …

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