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LINCOLN, Neb. – While boating season still is months away, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission suggests that now is the time to take a boater safety course. A list of boating safety classes is available at boatsafenebraska.org. The list includes six-hour classroom courses and three-hour home-study review and test courses. More classes will be added to the list during the year. Persons born after Dec. 31, 1985, who operate a motorboat or personal watercraft in Nebraska, must have successfully …

Are you a hunter? Have you have received a couple emails from us at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission asking something about hunting surveys? If so, answer them, don’t delete or trash them! But, why? Why does Game and Parks care about what I think as a hunter or what wild game I put in my freezer during these past seasons? Well, let me tell you that our wildlife biologists are genuinely, genuinely interested in what you think about the different aspects of hunting here in Nebraska and how you did in the …

We see them everywhere in Nebraska. They are readily spotted in our yards, acreages, farms, ranches, parks, wildlife management areas and various other places. We see a variety of them when we are hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, biking, camping, picnicking and participating in other outdoor activities. They are “nongame” wildlife species. They number in the thousands and are not hunted, trapped, fished, harvested or collected. They are birds, mammals, fish, mollusks and crayfish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and plants. And, they …

The Christmas spirit is alive and well at the Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center thanks to the archers and firearm shooters that frequent the center.  The holiday decorations went up the week of Thanksgiving, with a new twist this year.  The annual Christmas tree was adorned with tags from the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program. The tags supplied by the Salvation Army of Lincoln identify needs of area children as well as some Christmas gift ideas.  Individuals can …

What’s hunting without traditions?  Well yes, it’s still hunting, and it’s still great, but it’s our traditions that make it even better.  Hunting itself can be a tradition, but I’m talking about all the stuff that goes along with it – the stuff we look forward to year after year: the favorite “lucky” hat, granddad’s gun, who sleeps in which bunk, or what I’ve discovered to be a Nebraska tradition – chili and cinnamon rolls.  Any hunter who has logged …

LINCOLN – A bull elk harvested by a Seward girl in September is not only the new non-typical record for Nebraska, it also ranks 16th in the all-time world records maintained by the Boone and Crockett Club. Hannah Helmer’s bull, harvested on the Sept. 24 opener of the elk season in the Hat Creek Unit near Crawford, was officially scored at 430 6/8 on Nov. 30 by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission wildlife biologist Randy Stutheit. That topped the previous …

LINCOLN – Alicia Hardin has been selected as the wildlife division administrator for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The wildlife division administrator oversees the Commission’s hunting and wildlife conservation programs. “Alicia brings a wealth of knowledge to the position,” Commission Director Jim Douglas said. “Over the years she has worked directly with many programs and initiatives, and she will bring valuable first-hand experience and insight to this role.” Hardin, a 16-year veteran of the Commission, has been an assistant …

LINCOLN – Nebraskans can support wildlife and conservation education in the state by purchasing a special vehicle license plate. Vehicle owners can order the new Mountain Lion Conservation Plate. An extra $5 is charged for the alpha-numeric plates and an additional $40 is charged for custom message plates at time of initial issue and annual renewal. The Mountain Lion Conservation Plate and the Game and Parks Commission Educational Fund were created earlier this year with the passage of LB 474. …

I was down in Nebraska City the other weekend for the Apple Jack Festival. I never pass up a chance to climb a tree and there is nothing like picking your own apples from trees rooted in Nebraska soil.  This got me thinking about all the other Nebraska fall treasures I might be under-utilizing.  As I was pondering my many life questions, I felt myself suddenly slipping backwards. I had stepped on a large, round acorn which caught me off …

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 …