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UNL students can now rent hunting equipment on campus. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is now offering hunting equipment rentals at its Outdoor Adventure Center to any registered student on campus. In addition to bike, hike, camping, climbing and paddling gear, student hunters can now rent pop-up blinds, layout blinds, turkey decoy or waterfowl decoy combinations from the university for a small fee: $3 per day or $6 per weekend (3 days). The equipment is available through a grant partnership between …

Nebraska’s most popular hunting season – the firearm deer season – is right around the bend. Opening day for it is November 10th. Are you participating in it? Awesome! Many of us are. I am, as well! Hey, let me ask you some questions. Have you purchased your firearm deer hunting permit and habitat stamp? Have you brushed up on your deer hunting regulations and nearest check station locations? Have you firmed up permission with your farmer or rancher friends to hunt their private land? Have you sighted in your centerfire deer hunting …

They are really a lot like us humans. They live their lives on a relatively predictable, routine basis. In other words, they keep a schedule. They are wild ring-necked pheasants. And, when pheasant hunters learn to understand that schedule and interrupt it in the wild ring-neck’s landscape, they will be on the path to having increased opportunities for success and bagging a rooster for Nebraska’s Upland Slam challenge. So, let’s look at the average day for Phasianus colchicus in the fall/winter. What’s it like? The Wake …

New program offers improved survival rates, catch rates for walleye. For years, Game and Parks biologists have stocked walleye fingerlings in popular lakes and reservoirs across the state. Results have been mixed, with some waters yielding major benefits and others seeing poor survival. Southeastern Nebraska reservoirs fall into the latter category, where there has been limited success in building robust walleye populations, especially in waters with established largemouth bass populations. But a new way of raising walleyes for stocking is …

You all know that I usually try to lighten things up for the weekend with my Friday blog posts.  Oftentimes, I will use some unbelievable headline that I have found on the interwebs.  This one is a couple of years old, but it is a doozy! Wisconsin Man’s Prosthetic Leg Found in Beaver Dam I am not going to copy and paste the entire story; if you want to read it, you can find it here on the Twin City’s …

Preparation exceeds decoy set-ups and camouflage when filming your own hunts By Jake Jadlowski As a high school teacher, I routinely see all things bad about social media. There may be no quicker way to waste one’s time. But as an outdoorsman, social media provides a platform to keep track of what hunters and fishermen are doing all across the country. Hunting and fishing photos and videos dominate my Facebook and Instagram feeds and I’m probably guilty of spending just …

Story and photos by Ryan Sparks The first cool days of autumn bring a nagging urge to be outdoors – a primal upwelling to hear the crunch of leaves underfoot, stare up at migrating flocks and breathe the sweet smell of harvest. Every fall I look forward to days spent hunting deer and quail, Cornhusker football games, trips to the pumpkin patch and rich meals of wild game. Like many Nebraskans who also love wild game, I often look for …

Fundraising trail ride in Nebraska National Forest at Halsey celebrates 20th anniversary. Head, Heart, Hands and Health – since 1958, the Nebraska 4-H Foundation has been supporting youth through hands-on projects that encourage them to stay active and engaged in their communities, and prepare them for the future. With programs ranging from animal science to business to the arts to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the foundation’s mission is to help provide the financial backing and manpower needed to …

Slamming car doors, shifting cargo, stumbling feet. Each has been unkind to my fishing rods more times than I care to admit. After a fly rod somehow broke while riding freely in my truck bed this spring, it was time to take action to keep it from happening again. Of course, many excellent rod cases are available from retailers. After some research, though, I found a simple design created from a favorite inexpensive building material – PVC pipe. Not only …

Process allows researchers to monitor changes in survival, abundance and movement over time. By Tim Lyons and Mark Vrtiska Canada geese are perhaps one of the most easily recognized birds in Nebraska. From record lows in the 1960s, the goose population in Nebraska has rebounded, and geese are now common throughout the state. This growth has allowed increased recreational opportunities for hunters and wildlife-watchers, but also created problems in urban areas. Effectively managing the goose population, whether to sustain recreational …