Conservation

I know everything you are hearing about right now relates to the coronavirus.  I also know that some of that news changes not only by the day, but by the hour.  I wish I could avoid that topic all together, but that is not the case now.  So, let me share with you some coronavirus information as it relates to our outdoor recreation.  This news release just went out: Commission takes measures to keep staff, public safe in response to …

I do not know what to blog about today.  The past couple days have been unlike anything any of us have ever experienced.  Many of us are wondering what is going to happen next???? Under “normal circumstances” I would tell you to GO FISH! Unfortunately, it is March and you know early spring in Nebraska means crazy weather changes.  This weekend looks cold and wet, snowy. If we get stuck indoors for very long, or God forbid, quarantined, I am …

Last adventure report I called that I might not be done ice-fishing yet. I was not. Made it to more northerly parts of the state last week and crawled onto the ice one last time.  Believe me, my partner and I spent as much time checking to make sure we could get on and off and go where we wanted, as we did fishing.  Neither one of us ventured anywhere without the spud bar, ice picks and life jackets. You …

Last month some of our wildlife biologists and fisheries biologists teamed up for a little project.  Many of our wildlife areas could use some cedar tree thinning.  Dropping them in the water will attract fish.  The recent effort I want to tell you about was done at East Gothenburg interstate lake.  Here are a few pictures: Those cedar trees will be in the water now, and there will be fish in them!

The Joint Venture and the Rainwater Basin By Jeff Kurrus Late this fall, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Rainwater Basin (RWB) Joint Venture Coordinator Andy Bishop, who toured me through the Basin, meeting ranchers and landowners who have very intimate knowledge of this landscape and how they benefit from the wetlands, and how the wetlands benefit from them. I also had the chance to spend some time on the basins myself, shotgun in hand in search …

Nebraska’s popular archery spring wild turkey hunting season is just around the corner It opens on March 25. And, seemingly a growing number of hunters (like myself) have added another piece of legal archery equipment to their repertoire — the modern crossbow. The increasing popularity of crossbows for hunting and harvesting game is even showing up in Game and Parks surveys. Some folks will be quick to let you know that a crossbow or arbalest is a firearm. That is …

The news release went out earlier this week, so let me spread it around some more: Rainbow trout stockings scheduled this spring LINCOLN, Neb. – Catchable-size rainbow trout are being stocked in city ponds and lakes across the state by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. These stockings will enhance fishing opportunities this spring, especially in urban areas. Trout fishing also is a great way to introduce children to fishing because simple and inexpensive equipment may be used. The stocked …

I am very sure not a single Nebraskan will ever forget 2019.  In fact this month of March is going to remind many of us of unpleasant memories. I have blogged several times about last year’s flooding and its impacts, but I want to return to the subject one more time.  Many of our fisheries resources were impacted by last year’s flooding, and yes, recovery is going to take some time. Recently, Eric Fowler published a comprehensive story on the …

A reminder: Applicants to see changes to archery paddlefish process LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will accept archery paddlefish permit applications March 1-14. Applicants will notice some changes in the application process this year. The application period begins at 1 p.m. Central Time on March 1. Mail applications must be received in Game and Parks’ Lincoln office by 5 p.m. and online applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. on March 14. A person must be …

Got an opportunity for some volunteers to help us collect fish.  Just let me say this. . . . While reading the following call for help, remember that this work goes on regardless of weather conditions, in March, right after the ice has gone out.  You will be wet, you will be slimy, you will have snot dripping from the end of your nose and into your beard (beards strongly recommended).  You will also need to be dependable; if you …