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Yes I did.  I joined the thousands of bird hunters that took to the field the past couple of days to chase the cackle-birds and bobwhites that filled my dreams and thoughts in the days and nights leading up to that special October Saturday.  This won’t surprise anyone that has read any of my past preseason bird blogs (Rooster! Rooster!). Once again I had a great weekend, too.  As you’ve likely read or heard the numbers for both ring-necked pheasants …

A couple of weeks ago I shared a Cabela’s commercial that I really liked, The Feeling Never Ends.  This Friday I have another one, this one from Orvis: I post these videos not because I am promoting any company, business or product.  But, Cabela’s and Orvis both have some really good stuff and if you are like me, you already have a bunch of it, and find something new to buy at nearly every opportunity. No, I post these videos …

Always something neat happening in the world of wildlife research.  Hunters oftentimes play an important role in the process, too.   Pheasant hunters have the chance to take part in some current University of Nebraska – Lincoln research going on this bird season.  hershy How we hunt:      A study of pheasant and hunter movements in Southwest Nebraska On a clear, chilly morning this past October, the distant cackle of pheasants greeted hunters arriving at CRP fields, signaling the return …

Pheasant and quail hunters take to the fields this Saturday (10/29) with the opener of the 2016/17 “bird season”.  Jeff and Hershy talk with Upland Habitat and Access Program Manager John Laux for some Outdoor Nation-insider information on early season strategies for success. Laux will also shed some light on the many facets of the Berggren Plan for Pheasant – which is Nebraska’s Mega-Plan for improving Pheasant Hunting in the state.  Become part of the Outdoor Nation by joining the …

I had some meetings to attend “out west” a couple of weeks ago.  That gave me a chance to re-visit some places I do not get to nearly enough.  Fall is one of the prettiest times to be there.  I had to stop and catch my breath when I finally saw the end of the road. The view was just as pretty looking back from whence I had just come. Here is one of the cathedrals I visited. And looking …

Every season there is something going on if you are a fisheries biologist.  I would not say that there is any “down time”.  However, I would say that spring and then fall it is particularly busy.  Right now, Nebraska’s fisheries biologists are on the water sampling fish populations on a variety of waters across the state. Nebraska’s fisheries biologists conduct what we call “standard surveys”.  Those are fish population surveys that are carried out according to standardized, scientific methods in …

For most upland game bird hunters, taking to the field provides a lot more than just the act of shooting at birds.  It’s a great opportunity for exercise, stress relief, camaraderie and simply enjoying this time of year.  Nebraska Game and Parks encourages all those going afield to remember the basic safety rules of hunting, such as always keeping your gun pointed in a safe direction, treating every firearm as if it’s loaded, keeping your finger off of the trigger …

I am going to plagiarize myself in this blog post and repeat something I wrote a few years back, back before this whole blogging thing.  I will update some figures and so forth, and add some comments, but this originally ran in the January/February 1998 issue of NEBRASKAland magazine. Determining the value of a fish is difficult.  Some anglers see fish and fishing as an integral part of life and might consider fish priceless.  Others might set its value based …

Want to mention another excellent Nebraska fishing organization, the Cornhusker Fly Fishers.  They meet monthly at our Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium south of Gretna.  If you check their calendar, you will see that this is a very active bunch of anglers doing fly-tying, fishing events, casting classes, meetings and a whole lot more.  Many of them are volunteer fishing instructors and also help with kid’s fishing events, family fishing nights, sport shows, and Expos.  If you are an angler, especially a fly angler, …

A few weeks ago a story ran in the Omaha World-Herald about a new comprehensive plan addressing stream habitat needs across the state.  Please take some time and read the Marjie Ducey story, Plan aims to preserve streams across Nebraska. I wanted to mention this in a blog post to fill in a few blanks.  First of all, if you are interested in details, if you want to see the actual 120-page plan, here it is, Cool Water Stream Management …