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Its likely the sound of firecrackers and pyrotechnics at this time of year that gets me thinking about the upcoming hunting seasons.  In particular, I have a desire to dust off the ol’shotgun and break some bluerock.  It never hurts that each year I spend a few days in late June as a shotgun referee at the 4-H National Shooting Sports Championships, held in Grand Island at the beautiful Heartland Public Shooting Park.   This gives me the chance to watch …

While it might be harder to think about hunting season when summer temperatures are getting into the high 90’s, hunting season is just around the corner! Archery deer, dove, and teal seasons will kick off in less than two months and those months can skip by faster than you expect. That’s why some forethought now will make for a stress free slide into the best time of the year. Anyone between the ages of 12 and 29 hunting in Nebraska …

Duck and goose season may not be top-of-mind for many Nebraskans – except for the die-hards that never quit thinking about it.  But that doesn’t mean waterfowl management is on-hold. I was able to tag along with our state’s biologists recently to take part in the annual Canada goose banding efforts.  We were able to capture video of the process and get an explanation by Dr. Mark Vrtiska, Nebraska’s Waterfowl Program Manager, of the importance of banding geese. I haven’t …

Federal Duck Stamps will go on sale today and will be followed by thousands of waterfowl hunters as they pay homage to conservation efforts that have been supporting wildlife for nearly 85 years.   But, like all stories, the facts are worth learning about. As the United States thrust forth into the new century, the trajectory for our Nation’s wildlife was dark.   This large scale loss of flora and fauna was exacerbated by the 1930s with the onslaught of the Great Depression …

You can’t miss them. You really can’t. Around bridges over rivers or creeks this time of year, they immediately snatch your attention. Maybe it’s their sheer numbers (hundreds, if not thousands of them) and their extreme aerial acrobatics that catch your eye. Or, maybe it’s them coming in and out of their clusters of gourd-like mud nests clinging to the walls beneath bridge overhangs that capture your awareness. Or, perhaps it is the throng of bird activity along the muddy bank of a stream or mud hole …

Roasting marshmallows over a campfire is one of the highlights of a camping trip or an outdoor gathering, especially to a state park area. No question. You would think roasting a marshmallow over the coals and embers in that furnished fire ring may seem like the easiest thing to do, right? Not necessarily. How many times have you seen someone pull their stick from the fire to reveal a perfectly roasted marshmallow? That’s right, not very often. What you normally see is somebody quickly removing their …

Still have an open Nebraska Spring Turkey Permit?  If so, you could be holding the golden-ticket to some of the best memory-maker hunts the spring has to offer.  You might need some minor tweaks to your strategies, though… More and more hens are starting to nest full time now.  While some others, for whatever reason, won’t be nesting at all this year.  So gobblers are trolling for any and all the remaining hens interested in breeding while avoiding hens that …

You’re a hunter. You’re an angler. Or, perhaps you’re both like me. Maybe, you’re even a trapper. You know that you are the principal contributor, the main backer of wildlife conservation, management, habitat enhancement and protection in our country. You know that hunters and anglers were the driving forces behind the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, a set of wildlife management and conservation principles established more than a century ago that declare fish and wildlife belong to all Americans, and that they need to be scientifically managed in a way …

In the May issue of NEBRASKAland Magazine, you will find a story and photos about one of my favorite places in the Panhandle – an area that might sometimes be overshadowed by its neighbor. The Oglala Grassland is a region in northern Dawes and Sioux counties that borders Nebraska’s stunning Pine Ridge and the South Dakota border. The region is designated one of the Panhandle’s 11 designated biologically unique landscapes in the Natural Legacy Project – the state’s wildlife action …

As the trees bud, the lawns green and the flowers bloom, did you know that may have food growing in your yard, lot, garden or field? I bet you do! Now that spring has finally sprung, some of the more prolific, more accessible wild edible foods make their initial appearances. It’s when edible wild plants are at their most tender, tastiest stage. And your own backyard, garden, vacant lot, alleyway or patch of woods or prairie, could very well be the closest and most productive place you’ll find to forage this time of …