Education

Now I know there is a large contingency of turkey chasers that feel a turkey is a turkey and will readily take a jake with ill effect to their psychy. Understand I have nothing against them. I like jakes. Heck, my dog is named Jake. But true to their upbringing, jakes can screw up a hunt like nobody’s business. Jakes are like a gange of teenagers. Young adolescent birds that hang out together. By themselves they are not much threat …

Ok, first I have a confession. I was only able to spend Friday morning in the turkey woods. The holiday weekend took me out of the state to spend time with family.  However, my brother spent three straight days chasing gobblers this weekend in eastern Nebraska and reported identical experiences to my lone endeavor – we are smack dab in the middle of the peak breeding phase.  Now this may sound like a good thing, but it can be the …

Here we sit on the Monday after the opening of the 2014 Nebraska Spring Turkey Shotgun opener. For a majority of our gobbler-chasers this was the official kick-off to our obsession.  What a wild weather-ride it was, too, in much of the state.  A beautiful and very warm Saturday followed by a Sunday that…well…wasn’t.  I welcome and look forward to hearing your turkey-observations from this past weekend as I share my own from the timber’s edge. Family Weekend.  The opening …

Camping down here in southeast Nebraska for the shotgun turkey opener with my brother-in-law Dave Flanagan. We had roosted several toms last night and were working some birds this morning in the power lines when we began to hear a strange noise. As the noise grew louder, we exited the blind to see what was going on. Man were we surprised when this helicopter buzzed us at around 70 feet. I could have hit it with a stick! They were …

Man, woman and child! It is finally here! This early season on turkeys is just a hoot. A lot of fun but it will tax you. One day they can be gobbling like mad, walking about like a lost puppy, the next day they are back in large groups acting like they don’t know you from tree bark. Welcome to the early season! The advantage we archers have is that we have the best chance of being in the field …

It’s time to chase some gobblers. Nebraska’s season opened for archery hunting on it’s usual March 25 date, this past Tuesday.  My brother Gabe and I celebrated by taking the decoys out for a sit.  The birds are still in winter flocks where I hunt. This means either you are covered up in birds or you have plenty of time to think. So, as the cardinal sang I started reviewing my 2013 season and what it may have taught me …

It is just human nature I guess. We take out the stops, bag limits, shell limits, equipment limits and, over time, we seem to value something less. Sometimes, I think that is the case for the snow goose. Don’t get me wrong…I love to chase these critters as much as anyone but after a few years of chasing these birds I have come to a new level of respect. To say the snow goose is an intelligent bird is to …

I just thought I would share a few images of the interior of the new Outdoor Education Center in Lincoln. The new facility will be the home of Hunter/Boater Education, Hunter Outreach Educators and offer indoor shooting opportunities for youth, families and those who enjoy the shooting sports. We look to open the doors in late spring. Hope to see you there!

I know there is a lot more season to go still in the hunting woods but I had to  spend a few minutes the other day reflecting on 2013 and all the memories made.  From outdoor workshops to hunts with family and friends, 2013 was just plain awesome!  I thought I would just share some of my 2013 memories with you. I started the spring with outdoor expos and turkey hunting and ended 2013 in the goose blind.  Everything in …

January 31.  It’s here, arriving with little fanfare, if any at all.  Dreaded by some, ignored by most, it is the last day of the upland bird season. And like the many that have come before it, I will be hunting. I am drawn to the final day of chasing birds for reasons I can explain and a few I cannot.  But, the simple fact is this is my last chance to hunt them for 7 months – 9 for pheasant and …