Home » Featured » Six Cures for (Late-Winter) Cabin Fever

Six Cures for (Late-Winter) Cabin Fever

Brrrr! It’s been so cold outside! Temperatures have been running far below normal as evidenced this past week by the large thermometer I have in our backyard. Off and on, I continue to suffer from cabin fever! How about you?

thermometer

From my vantage point in eastern Nebraska, we’re kind of in between seasons in the state’s outdoor scene, too. As a sportsman, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of snow and Ross’s geese for light goose conservation order hunting here in eastern Nebraska and open water fishing for various game fish like channel catfish from shore in some of my favorite water bodies that remain mostly frozen.

Fortunately though, I have come up with some simple cures for this spell of late-winter cabin fever. These are six I exercise and you may want to consider as well if you are suffering from some episodes of cabin fever.   

1. Cook Wild Game. Dig into your freezer, grab a package or two of wild game you have harvested. Thaw it out. Try a different recipe with it. Visit the popular Food for Hunter’s blog. Maybe make a smoked, wild Canada goose breast meat sandwich with Norwegian cheese and a touch of horseradish as I did the other day!

wildgamesandwich

2. Play with the Dog. Or take a long walk your dog. Both of you can get some fresh air, have some fun and get some exercise in the process. I really enjoy playing with my daughter and son-in-law’s dog, Koda, in our fenced backyard on a daily basis.

dogplayinginfencedyard

3. Go Over Your Gear. The snow and Ross’s geese will be flying very soon. Nebraska’s 2015 archery spring wild turkey hunting season opener is March 25th. Our fishing waters will be ice-free before you know it. Why not go through your gear and get ready for your favorite spring outdoor pursuit before it arrives. I better sort through my turkey hunting stuff and practice calling, don’t you think?

turkeyslatecall

4. Watch a Good Outdoors-Related Movie. Think about it. What’s your favorite outdoors-related movie? We all have one. Pop some popcorn, snatch a soda pop from the frig, sit down and watch that flick! In my case, it’ll be an “oldie,” but a “goodie.” The powerful 1972 epic “Jeremiah Johnson” about a mountain man starring Robert Redford (right).

jeremiah-johnson-1972-02-g

5. Take a Hike. Bundle up, layer up and go for a hike in a nearby natural environment. Smell the cool, clean, fresh air! Go for a walk in the woods perhaps in a public park or state park or maybe on a private farm or ranch (with landowner permission, of course).

woods

6. Photograph Birds. You don’t need expensive equipment to enjoy photographing birds in your backyard. See how many bird species are frequenting your yard and capture them on camera for lasting images and to share with others on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.! Who doesn’t love watching birds, right?

easternbluebird

About greg wagner

A native of Gretna, NE, a graduate of Gretna High School and Bellevue University, Greg Wagner currently serves as the Communications and Marketing Specialist and Manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's Service Center in Omaha. On a weekly basis, Wagner can be heard on a number of radio stations, seen on local television in Omaha, and on social media channels, creatively conveying natural resource conservation messages as well as promoting outdoor activities and destinations in Nebraska. Wagner, whose career at Game and Parks began in 1979, walks, talks, lives, breathes and blogs about Nebraska’s outdoors. He grew up in rural Gretna, building forts in the woods, hunting, fishing, collecting leaves, and generally thriving on constant outdoor activity. One of the primary goals of his blog is to get people, especially young ones, to have fun and spend time outside!

Check Also

Do Cranes Sleep?

Trail cameras on the Platte River catches sandhill cranes on their bellies. Story and photos …