Conservation

Stinkin’ weather. Yes, I am getting to the point that I am becoming grumpy.  No, it is not because of how long the winter has become, it is because it hasn’t been cold enough for me to be on the ice yet!!!!   GGGGGrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!! So, I have been entertaining myself with as many ice-fishing videos as I can find.  This one is from a couple years ago, but it is very entertaining and there is a thing or two you might …

My lighthearted blog post last Friday was about catching largemouth bass through the ice.  Some of  us “northern” boys really know how that is done, and in fact the bite for largemouth bass through the ice can at times be very good and is a lot of fun. I know our ice conditions in some parts of Nebraska are very much “iffy” right now, and let’s just say if you are getting on the ice, you better be very careful …

It’s Friday, time to lighten up.  I found this video, one of Fat Cat Newton’s, it was shot at the beginning of last year’s ice season, but the tips here will help going into this season. Yes, there was more to that video, if you want to see the rest of it, and more like it, if you want to waste some time this weekend, Fat Cat Newton. I watched that video and immediately thought of an interview I did …

The ice fishing season is just getting started in Nebraska; in fact some waters are NOT safe yet, but without a doubt anglers are hitting the ice where they can throughout the state.  I love to ice fish as much or more as the next guy and there are lots of reasons for that.  I absolutely understand that some fried fish are definitely part of the ice-fishing experience, and may it always be so!  Fresh fish caught from local waters …

CRAWFORD, Neb. – Christmas is just around the corner, but it was Father’s Day that brought a southeast Nebraska man and his son to northwest Nebraska this month for an experience of a lifetime. As a Father’s Day gift, Greg Hunter of Johnson has entered Nebraska’s bighorn sheep permit lottery each of the past four years for his father, Dave Hunter of Auburn. It proved a good investment as the elder Hunter’s name was the one drawn in the lottery …

Going to call attention to another blog/article in my blog today.  Yes, some of you will have already seen this in NEBRASKAland magazine or on the internet, but again this deserves to be seen by as many folks as possible, so I hope to call even more attention to it. The current issue of NEBRASKAland has a story entitled “Ice Fishing:  Search for the Heyday”.  Mostly, it is a story about one of the best ice anglers I know, and …

I have already suggested some things to do during this “‘tweener time” while we wait for safe ice.  Naturally, one thing we like to do as anglers is reminisce about past trips, past successes, big ones caught.  That reminiscing could include years past or just the current year, but for me, this time of year, I like to look back over the fall fishing that I just finished. I fish hard in the fall, as much as possible.  It is …

A distinctive finch with an unusual beak The red crossbill is a distinctive finch whose crooked beak usually catches one’s attention. Rather than being a deformity, the odd beak is an adaptation that the bird uses to extract its preferred food source – seeds from the cones of conifers such as pines, spruces and firs. Although its specialized beak may give the red crossbill an advantage in foraging on its preferred cone type, its relationship with conifer cone seeds is …

Nebraska’s Threatened and Endangered Species In spring 2004, I was attending a National Association of Interpretation certification and training program as a naturalist. The daily workshops were interesting, but as is often the case, the most memorable part of my trip took place during the meeting off-hours. I was spending the night in a cabin in the woods. I was also tired and very pregnant at the time, only a few weeks shy of my due date. As I was …

I am not going to pretend to know when we will have safe ice.  If I did know, I would still tell you that it is up to YOU to be sure that it is safe every time you walk on the ice.  I am not going to take someone else’s word for it and you should not either.  You have to make that call yourself. I will tell you that we are getting close to seeing safe ice, but …