Travel

There is no doubt that your morel mushroom hunting grounds along river bottoms and their tributaries in eastern and central Nebraska were greatly impacted by recent catastrophic flooding. This is the most widespread damage the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has experienced due to a natural disaster. In my 40 years with the agency and growing up near the Platte River, I have never witnessed any natural catastrophe to this magnitude. So, as an outdoor enthusiast, maybe you’ve been thinking: …

So, your spring wild turkey hunting grounds along river bottoms have been flooded, huh? I am sorry to hear that. The turkeys may or may not return to those river bottom grounds on a consistent basis. More than likely, severely flooded areas probably will be void of birds this season. It might be a good idea to do your homework and plan your route for heading for the hills. But maybe you have never hunted the rolling hills, steep grades and …

Prairie grouse dancing begins in mid-March and will last into May at a prairie near you. Read on for viewing locations. There are some things you just have to see to believe, and others you have to hear. Few provide a treat to both of those senses like watching prairie grouse perform their courtship dances in the spring. Sitting in a blind before first light, you will hear the birds fly into the lek before you can see them. When …

Here is the second part of my interview with Nebraska Cornhusker head football coach Scott Frost about hunting and a little fishing that aired recently on my Weekly TV Outdoor Report on Omaha’s WOWT 6 News: https://www.wowt.com/content/sports/Hunting-with-Nebraska-Head-Coach-Scott-Frost-Part-Two-507553831.html 

Flooding has truly affected us all in one way or another. Flooding has impacted my own family. Below is video from Friday, March 15, 2019 of flood waters going over the access road from Nebraska Highway 30 to  Timberwood Lake just west of the Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area where my daughter and son-in-law reside. Video courtesy of Wayne Preister of Ames, NE. https://www.facebook.com/greg.wagner.73/videos/10213219160584889/?t=4 My heartfelt thoughts go out to those who must deal with the aftermath of this historic …

It was an unlikely alliance: farmers and bicycle enthusiasts. Both were dissatisfied with the muddy, unimproved roads of the late 1800s. But it would take a lot of tax dollars to build a modern road system, and not everyone wanted to spend the money. And then came a new, noisy, four-wheeled invention … Nebraska’s early roads were unmarked trails across the countryside. Railroads received large government subsidies, but the dirt roads linking farms and towns were seen only as a …

A photographer captures the Pine Ridge’s East Ash Road through the seasons. The first time I laid eyes on this corkscrew turn nestled in the Pine Ridge of the Panhandle, I couldn’t help but question if I had stepped outside the borders of Nebraska. Such a far cry from the familiar geography of the Plains, the Pine Ridge is an area that has continually captivated me and keeps me coming back to discover more. As the seasons pass, the rugged …

I am shaking my head. It is so hard to believe. This scenario has been among the most surprising and shocking in my career as a conservation professional. More on that in a bit. All of us realize that wildlife-related crimes know no boundaries. Just like poaching game and fish, there are unethical, unscrupulous people, motivated purely by greed, who seek to profit without regard for natural resources, private or public property and ecosystem health. But now, valuable woodland habitat is …

Our Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Service Center/Office in Omaha at 8495 Frederick Street has reopened for business! Stop by! Valentine’s Day/2019 marked our reopening. We were closed for more than six months due to a fire on July 23, 2018 that occurred in the Frederick Plaza where we are located. Our space suffered extensive smoke and soot damage and had to be renovated from installing a new HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system on the roof to new carpeting …

Do you have dream hunt you like to do someday? You know what I mean … a hunt you’d like to complete before you “kick the bucket?” Perhaps you have compiled a bucket list of hunts. Maybe you can’t afford a grandiose adventure to a far away place for exotic game but would like to stay closer to home to accomplish a memorable hunting experience. If you are looking for some ideas about Do-It-Yourself (DIY), value-driven bucket list hunts that …