Education

From the moment I witnessed Katniss Everdeen fling that first arrow, I knew we were on to something special.  Archery is cool, and Katniss has made it cooler to millions of young boys and girls who now want to possess the same skills she has.  The good news?  Thanks to  facilities like the Nebraska Outdoor Education Center, now they can! Join us December 6th from 10am – 4pm for Archery on Fire, a free family day of outdoor skills fun. …

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  As I wrote in the blog  My Thanks a couple of years ago it is a chance to spend time with friends and family without the stress of gift buying and giving.  Yet, thanks to the special day falling on a Thursday, many of us receive the gift of time during this week.  Time is  something that will be in short supply once the weekend is over and we find ourselves in the …

Few things on this planet can rival the excitement of  opening weekend of the Nebraska Firearm Deer Season.  Small towns all across the state are a buzz with orange clad hunters making the annual pilgrimage to their favorite haunts to chase deer critters, share stories, spend time with families and just live like outdoorsmen and women for a few days. The recent arctic blast should prove to be a huge bonus for deer hunters this weekend.  Plunging temps should result …

Today is the day to join the guys from the Nebraska Game and Parks over lunch and talk all things hunting during the live Twitter Chat (12 noon – 1:00 p.m. CST).  NGPC Hunting Outreach Specialists Jeff Rawlinson and Aaron “Hershy” Hershberger, along with Big Game Manager Kit Hams, will be online to offer up tips for the upcoming November deer season.   Feel free to ask them for thoughts about waterfowl, upland bird or any Nebraska hunting season, too. …

Welcome to November and all it has to offer in its short 30-day span.  For the hunter the toughest part may be choosing just what to chase next. The migration is on and all parts of Nebraska’s duck zones are currently open. There are a good number of local Canada geese around the state and there will be more added as it cools down further north. Bird season is open and you can pursue grouse, chickens, pheasant and quail.  (and …

It’s prime time for hunting in Nebraska and next Wednesday, November 5, over the lunch hour you will have the chance pick the brains of NGPC Hunting Outreach Specialists Jeff Rawlinson and Aaron “Hershy” Hershberger.  Hit them up for tips, tricks and thoughts regarding the upcoming November deer, waterfowl, upland bird or other hunting season. You can be part of the live Twitter Chat (12 noon – 1:00 p.m. CST) by tweeting questions to @NEGameandParks using  #HuntNebraska.  If you are …

I can still remember my fist trip to the incredible Nebraska Sandhills with a shotgun in hand.  It was nearly 25 years ago and it literally changed my life. The Nebraska Sandhills are home to many species of game birds including the northern zone of our ducks coming from the Dakotas into the central part of the state as well as my favorite game bird of all time, Sharp-tailed grouse.   There is no better place to chase this bird …

As I pointed out in a 2012 Blog,  tomorrow (10/25) marks the beginning of a new year for many upland bird hunters.  And according to the 2014 Upland Game Outlook we can expect to do a bit better than last year, especially with quail.  I hope this an upward trend that continues for some time – suitable habitat and weather being the limiting factors – and know I am not alone. I am a bird hunter, with a slight bias …

It happens just about every year.  The ducks that are around have been around for a while and they seem to have it all figured out.  They not only avoid your decoys, many disappear during shooting hours and those that stick around land on the wrong side of the pond. Some call it the October Lull.  But all of us wildfowlers grumble bad words as we watch our lonely dekes bobbing in the water. We try our best to derive …

The 23rd Annual Nebraska Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Weekend took place this past weekend in the Nebraska National Forest – Bessey Unit, near Halsey, NE.  What a tremendous weekend it was, too.  Some great October weather was made even better as 110 adult women came together to talk nature, conservation, fishing, hunting and shooting. You can check out some pics from this weekend on the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Nebrask Facebook Page. With 65% of the women attending for the first time …