Hunting

Once again this spring I was asked to help with a turkey hunting camp held at Maranatha Bible Camp near Maxwell.  SkyQuest Outdoor Ministries hosts a couple of turkey hunting camps in Nebraska each spring, and I was one of the “locals” asked to help at their west camp.  The attendees this year came from Minnesota, Michigan and Iowa.  I was paired to hunt with Doug from Iowa and Randy from Minnesota.  Both gentlemen had killed turkeys before, and Randy …

Now I know there is a large contingency of turkey chasers that feel a turkey is a turkey and will readily take a jake with ill effect to their psychy. Understand I have nothing against them. I like jakes. Heck, my dog is named Jake. But true to their upbringing, jakes can screw up a hunt like nobody’s business. Jakes are like a gange of teenagers. Young adolescent birds that hang out together. By themselves they are not much threat …

I have been hunting turkeys for over 30 springs now.  That may or may not mean that I have learned anything about spring turkey hunting.  You will have to decide that.  I do know that I have some ideas about what I would consider to be critical equipment, “must haves”, for every spring turkey hunter.  Let me show you a picture of my Tom from last year, four of those 5 important pieces of equipment are included in this picture. …

Nebraska may be the only state in the union that recognizes Arbor Day as an official state holiday, but I am glad we do!  If you have not done it already, you need to go to Arbor Lodge sometime, see the mansion and grounds, and learn about the significance of this Nebraska holiday.  My buddy Randy Fox is superintendent there, tell him “Hi” for me. I will enjoy my day off, may not plant a tree, but probably will be …

Just wanted to throw a few Friday “Fungi” Fun pics your way. Here’s a cool t-shirt I want my wife Polly to buy for me. Well, maybe not. I’ll just dirty it up. I really get into my morel mushroom hunting, you know! Now, for a quick quiz on “morelling.” See if you can find all five morel mushrooms in this pic. Good luck! Happy morel mushroom hunting or whatever Nebraska spring outdoor adventure you’re planning this weekend! If only this jake wild turkey would …

Ok, first I have a confession. I was only able to spend Friday morning in the turkey woods. The holiday weekend took me out of the state to spend time with family.  However, my brother spent three straight days chasing gobblers this weekend in eastern Nebraska and reported identical experiences to my lone endeavor – we are smack dab in the middle of the peak breeding phase.  Now this may sound like a good thing, but it can be the …

Come with us as we go out morel mushroom hunting on my Weekly Outdoor Report on Omaha’s WOWT 6 News tonight! Morels have popped up in the moist areas of river bottom woodlands and parks here in eastern Nebraska! Soon morels will be emerging in hilly forested areas. They are one of nature’s tastiest delicacies! I’ll be covering some of the dos and don’ts for morel mushroom hunting on the report which airs LIVE on the WOWT 6 News Thursday at …

The turkeys are gobbling and I am not in the office much.  I do however have time to tell you some stories about recent success. . . . My family and I spent some time “back home” over Easter weekend.  We did all the family activities, and then spent as much time as possible in the field with the birds.  I am not going to tell you that we punched a bunch of tags, but my son Daniel did take …

BREAKING NEWS: I have received the first report of someone finding morel mushrooms along the Platte River. The pics below are from my friend Keith Anderson! Keith told me they grew 3/4 inch since he had seen them yesterday at 4:00 p.m. Thanks for the morel update, Keith! #Nebraskamorels

Here’s a #FridayFunny I came across on the Internet from Fatal Approach (Game) Calls about spring wild turkey hunting. The other day, I saw two big gobblers checking out me in my hunting blind. I think they were talking about turkey calling ability (or lack thereof)! That’s why they wouldn’t come within shooting range! Can turkeys laugh? Have a safe, fun weekend in the field. It’s all about making memories and the stories of the hunt! Remember, the helicopter incident with our Jeff Rawlinson of Game and Parks and his …