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jeff rawlinson

Jeff is the Education Manager in the Communications Division with Game and Parks where he has worked for the last 15 years. He oversees the Hunter Education, Boater Education, Hunter Outreach and Shooting Range Development for the Commission and is a devout hunter, angler, wildlife viewer, naturalist, father and husband. He holds a BS and MS from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He has been a Hunter Education Instructor for over 20 years, NRA firearms instructor and range officer, National Archery in the Schools Program Archery Instructor Specialist and member of the National NASP Board, sits on the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Hunter Recruitment and Retention Committee and Education Committee. Jeff is an avid handgun hunter, loves to chase turkeys in the spring, squirrel hunting enthusiast and philosopher of the outdoors. He is an avid shooter and loves to spend outdoor time with family and friends. He has a passion for exciting others about the outdoors. A history buff, Jeff is a strong supporter of our North American Model of Conservation and tries to spread the message of its importance and relevance every chance he gets.

Late Firearm Season Tactics

So you enjoyed the opening weekend but did not harvest a deer yet.  No need to panic as some of the best hunting is still to come over the next few days.   A lot of deer will be harvested in the final weekend of the firearm deer season and there are many tactics that are at play now that can enhance your chances of filling a tag. Weather – this weekend will usher in a cold front like we have not …

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Summer Squirrels

Most that know me will admit the “kid” has never left me.   My wife would likely agree with that and then some.  Part of my childhood was chasing bushy tails in oak trees on my uncle’s farm.  From the first hunt…I was hooked.  I have been ever since! Early season squirrels (our season starts August 1) can be a lot of fun and a real challenge.  We can finally get back into the field and that in itself is …

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Hunters Take Center Stage in USA Shooting Sports at the Rio Olympics

Team USA did outstanding at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games. More specifically, Americans competing in shooting sport events were on fire! It is also interesting to note how many of our Olympic shooting sports leaders came to the sport with a hunting background.  In fact, for several Olympians, hunting is absolutely part of who they are! The very first Gold Medal awarded this Olympics was won by 19 year old, Virginia native, Ginny Thrasher in the 10-meter air rifle …

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Big Game Handgun Hunting Primer

Those that know me know that handgun hunting is my passion.  I would rather use a handgun than any other method of take for small and big game.   I think this started from days when my Dad would take me to the farm for an afternoon of plinking with our 22 LR pistols. We would also watch old westerns movies that made me dream about riding the range with a six-gun on my hip! Those days had a huge …

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Let’s save Hunting

I really hope that is not something we have to say in the coming years but to tell you the truth…it is not looking good.  All hunters, anglers and shooting sports enthusiasts should be very concerned.  Things are about to change.  How they change depends on you! The Problem Each state continues to witness declining hunter and angler numbers, a trend that has been occurring for the past 30 years.  In 1992, peak hunting license sales Nationally peaked for hunters …

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The Fun of a Trail Gun

I am a gun guy.   I shoot a lot, I reload my own ammo, I like to be outdoors and guns just go perfect with the outdoor lifestyle.   Over the years, I have enjoyed many a trail gun during my outdoor pursuits. What is a trail gun you ask? For me, it is a handy, portable, light weight, accurate pistol that goes with me on the trail when camping (outside of state park and recreation areas) or hunting in the …

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Jake Decoys Work

We have come a long ways with our decoys over the last ten years.   20 years ago we had a few hard body decoys and some foam critters that looked like a ginger bread cutout.  They worked but when things went south, you always felt like it could have been the decoy.  They just looked like lipstick on a pig! Over the last few years, manufacturers have begun to figure out that the key to decoys is posture.   …

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Long Live Trashtalker!

Once in a great while we are blessed with a bird that challenges us to the core!  Trashtalker was that bird.  We met four years ago during a hunt with my daughter.  We had set up in a large hollow or draw that had not shown much activity in the past.  But then…it happened!  A bird sounded off not 100 yards away in the hollow.  It gobbled….roughly 70 times in 45 minutes!  Never met such a vocal bird.  We called …

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Early Season Turkeys Can Be Fickle

It is hard to type on the ipad as I sit here strapped to my bow release.  But we are finally back in the spring turkey woods.  Aaaaah does it feel good to be  home.   I almost forgot how fickle these early season birds can be. Throughout the winter, turkeys have been grouped up into winter flocks.  Partly because resources are limited and partly because they had nothing better to do.  Now that we are entering the early phases …

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Cycles of Success

What I am about to tell you may be used by some to justify the next purchase of a rifle, bow or shotgun.   You may want to tape this to the refrigerator as soon as you read it.   But I guarantee you that, if you are a shooting sports enthusiast, hunter or angler, you will swell up with pride.  How the funding for the greates conservation model the world has ever known all came together to provide us the hunting, fishing and …

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