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From the pages of NEBRASKAland Magazine.

The Outsider

I know when I’m the outsider. As a longtime Nebraskaland Magazine writer and photographer, I’m well aware when I’m interrupting someone’s hunting or fishing trip. So when I went on a top-secret hunt near Ashland with a group of hunters I barely knew, I had been gifted an exclusive trip. But it wasn’t the first time I had been on a hunt like this. On the night before the open day of pheasant season in 2008, I was at Frank’s …

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Not Going to Eat That?

Your Dog Will Pheasant heads, freezer-burned fish, deer liver, duck feet … these are things that I might have tossed in the past. There are parts of an animal that I simply can’t use. Or waste from freezer-burned meat. Or meat that ended up not tasting good. I hate waste, but it happens. So, when my husband and I brought home our 8-week-old Pembroke Welsh corgi puppy last winter, our problems were solved. I’ve come up with a few creative, …

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Clear Creek Goose Hunt

An Adventure Story I love to duck and goose hunt and go whenever the opportunity presents itself. One of the first places I hunted waterfowl years ago was at Clear Creek Wildlife Management Area near Lewellen. I still love going to this public hunting area. For those who have never been to Clear Creek, there are a few things to know before you hunt. When the duck and goose season begins, hunters can access the seasonal refuge and special hunting …

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Ice Bubbles

As a photographer drawn mostly to small subjects like bugs and flowers, it can be hard to find much to photograph after the end of the growing season. Most invertebrates die, migrate or go dormant. Plants wither and turn brown. It’s fun to seek out interesting texture and patterns after a fresh snow or on a frosty morning, but those opportunities are relatively uncommon during most winters. When I start to feel especially stir crazy, one of my go-to remedies …

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Plains Onion

The Not So Plain Plains Onion Of our state’s six species of native onion, the Plains onion, though small in stature, has the largest, and in my opinion, most elegant flowers. Unlike the other onions, its flowers are scented, a sweet fragrance reminiscent of hyacinths or cloves. Unfortunately, hidden among the prairie grasses, this uncommon little onion is rarely seen, except when exposed by its colorful May blooms. Rose-colored Petals Aptly named, the Plains onion (Allium perdulce) grows throughout the …

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Ahead of Their Time

There might be a few high school kids who hunted more than Blaine Dorn and Kobe Clevenger. Or harder. Or more passionately. But there can’t be many. From the start of the archery deer season in September through duck and goose seasons to the end of goose season in February, these two members of the Chase County High School class of 2020 in Imperial hunted every chance they could. They were back in the field for the spring turkey season, …

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Finding the Right Duck Call

I remember getting my first “real” duck call. It was a gift from a friend, and I couldn’t wait to give it a try. After several failed attempts to make it sound like a duck, I realized that maybe it wasn’t the right call for me or maybe I just wasn’t very good at blowing it. It was then that I went on a search to find the right call for my skill level and my budget. I forged ahead …

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Reflecting on the Crown-tipped Coral

One morning last July, I was riding in a UTV down a trail at Indian Cave State Park with ecologist Krista Lang, when I blurted out “Stop, stop, stop!” What had I seen? What had so excited this botanist? There, deep in the oak woods, growing on a log, was a beautiful crown-tipped coral mushroom. One of our missions that day was to photograph mushrooms, and this was a perfect specimen — fresh, big and immaculately shaped. But there was …

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Five Wingshooting Tips

‘Tis the wingshooter’s favorite time of the year. With quail, pheasant and waterfowl seasons open, why wouldn’t it be? Keep these tips in mind this month: Know the loads you’re shooting. Pellet count, energy and velocity are big deals when wingshooting. The more you know about what you’re firing from your gun, the better you can make adjustments when you’re afield. It’s much easier to diagnose your problems of the day when you know what loads you’re firing. Shoot the …

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Make Safety a Priority Every Deer Season

Most hunters think that an accident won’t happen to them, but anyone who has fallen from a tree stand thought the same thing. Those who have had the misfortune say that it happened so fast they had no time to react. At the end of the day, returning home safely should be every tree-stand hunter’s top priority. Falls account for the vast majority of injuries and deaths that involve tree stands. Although modern tree stands are made better than ever …

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