Story and photos by Jeff Kurrus There is a long list of ways to raise money. In the outdoor world, it’s often banquets, auctions or raffles. Others host fishing tournaments, shoots or competitions like one-box hunts. One Johnson County resident, however, came up with an entirely different plan to raise money to support his community. Arlen Beethe, with the support of the Elk Creek Men’s Club, had a thought: Why not introduce a 16th century game made popular in Europe, …

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist For many hikers, spring or fall is the prime time to be out in nature. But the truth is, anytime is a good time to be outside — even in the winter! As the days get shorter and the weather gets more iffy, it’s easy to lose motivation to get outside. While hunkering down in front of a TV might seem like the more attractive thing to do, know that hiking in the winter …

“Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable. I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours. Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds, until the foxes …

A few common birds’ nests in Nebraska By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist I’m sure all of us have seen a bird’s nest before. It’s normally a conglomeration of sticks, mud, twine, leaves and sometimes trash, like wrappers or old fishing line. Whatever the material it’s constructed from, a bird’s nest is truly an amazing feat of engineering. Imagine your own home: It’s strong enough to weather a storm, it’s waterproof, it protects you from the cold and the heat, …

By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska As we’ve just celebrated another Veterans Day, here are three flags belonging to the first soldiers to formally represent Nebraska in the U.S. Army. Nebraska Territory had only about 9,000 men of military age when the Civil War began, but it sent more than 3,000 of them into the Union armies. The First Nebraska Infantry Regiment fought in two major battles in 1862, playing a crucial role at the Battle of Fort Donelson and …

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist I’m sure some of us can think of nothing better to do in the winter than sleeping through the entire thing. Being able to avoid the cold and early darkness in the warmth and comfort of bed sounds just about perfect. Well, some animals do sleep all winter, but it’s much different than what we’d imagine for ourselves. Hibernation takes a lot of preparation, and it’s an often-misunderstood behavior in animals. There are very …

By Jeff Kurrus Fall stockings of put-and-take rainbow trout draw anglers out of the house for a holiday season meal, but where this autumn ritual gets really interesting are those lakes where top-notch fisheries already exist. There, you’ll have no idea what’s fighting on the other end of the line. Lakes Grove Lake — The trophy northern pike in this northeastern Nebraska lake near Royal are just as excited about fall trout stockings as anglers, and as they put on …

By Ryan Sparks I can vividly recall the two animals I’ve shot and didn’t recover. The memories still give me a gut-wrenching feeling of loss and remorse. The first loss was a Montana mule deer I tracked with a friend for several hours before falling snow made it impossible to continue. The second was a Nebraska white-tailed buck. I searched for him for three days, but never found him. He’s still the biggest buck I’ve ever seen. There are many …

By Jamie Bachmann, Wildlife Educator In Nebraska, high summer reigns as the busiest season for family camping, but I’m the kind of mom who prefers to camp in seclusion, seeking to avoid the distractions of busy campgrounds. With less than 3 percent of land in Nebraska designated as publicly accessible, opportunities for isolation are limited. But when my kiddos were young, I heard tales — near legends — of families embracing cold-weather camping. Then in March 2003, a single car …

By Monica Macoubrie, Wildlife Education Specialist Turtles are some of the oldest living and unique animals on the planet. Let’s start with the obvious: their shell. A turtle shell is unlike any other physical, protective device found on an animal. Most turtles have a hard shell made from beta keratin. These hard shells are covered in scutes, similar to scales, which gives them rigidity for protection. But not all turtles have hard shells. Nebraska is home to two species of …