Barbs and Backlashes

Got a little report to give you about a recent adventure.  I have a buddy from Iowa that I met through some turkey hunting I have helped him with ( Turkeys Down! Turkey Camp , Turkey Camp 2014 ).  I am always telling folks what a mixed bag capital Nebraska is, and this fall Don came back over to sample more of that.  He had a Nebraska archery pronghorn tag in his pocket, and figured while making the trip across our great state he …

I am old-fashioned enough that I still have a Webster’s New World Dictionary sitting on my desk top at all times, it is directly off my right shoulder.  The internet is great and I use it for a lot of my “word needs”, definitions, spelling, synonyms, etc., but the good ole red, hard-covered dictionary is still a very useful tool.  If you look up the word “trophy” in that book, you will find a whole list of definitions.  I like …

Duck seasons are in full swing in much of Nebraska right now and where they are not open, they soon will be.  From the predictions I have heard, it should be a great season. I enjoy the variety of fishing AND hunting opportunities we have in Nebraska, I like to dabble (pardon the pun) in all of them, but I have to admit to you that I am not a big waterfowl hunter.  I own exactly 13 duck decoys, has to …

Let me give you an update on some of what I have been up to lately. . . . I was once again honored to participate in our annual Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BO-W) workshop held at the 4-H camp in Halsey.  I was the instructor for our basic fishing and bow-fishing classes and one of the instructors for our on-pond fishing session.  Let me give you an idea of my schedule for that weekend, what I did, and show some pictures. …

Our family fishing events have been very popular and successful.  All of those events have been held during the summer in recent years until now!  We are hosting some fall family fishing events specifically highlighting the fall put & take trout fishing opportunities around the state. The rainbow trout that have been stocked in those waters mentioned above are almost always willing to bite, and it is a great time to be in Nebraska’s outdoors.  Grab the kids and GO …

I have been on the water a bit this week.  It is fall and the “fish eagles”, more appropriately ospreys, are definitely migrating through the state right now.  While fishing, every now and then my partners and I have heard a big splash and glanced over to see an osprey flying away with a fish.  Yes, they are strictly predators of fish, yes, fish I could be catching, but they do not get a lot and they sure are interesting to …

Some of you may know that we recently started stocking some striped bass in Nebraska, again.  There is more to the story. . . . Striped bass are a marine species that migrate into fresh water to spawn (anadromous is the big pointy-headed term for fish that live in the ocean but spawn in freshwater).  Sometime in the middle of the last century it was discovered that striped bass did not necessarily have to live in salt water, they could very …

You can see the October 2014 issue of NEBRSAKAland on-line right now! Again you will find that issue packed, in fact it is so packed that it is 74 pages long! As the cover shows there is a special section on waterfowl hunting, and I want to point out a story about the “Trout in the Classroom” program. And a story on preparing and eating crawfish, and a memorable Nebraska elk hunt, lots of excellent pictures and a whole lot …

You know I am fascinated by the predator/prey dynamics that happen below the surface of our waters. I also have a streak of orneriness that runs in my blood. I think I could have a lot of fun with this: Have a great weekend everyone.  Keep an eye out for “land sharks”.

Well, it rained again here in Lincoln last night–A LOT.  Pretty sure these tips are going to be relevant for a lot of waters in Nebraska in the next few days. . . . First of all, high and rising water tends to move fish towards the banks, up into newly flooded habitat.  In some cases the fish will move right to the water’s edge even though that edge might now be a lot farther up the bank. With heavy …