How To

Every year about this time I warn you that I mostly blog about fish and fishing except when those beautiful, big, Tom turkeys are gobbling.  That time is NOW.  I will still be on the water when I get a chance, but there is so much to do in Nebraska’s great outdoors in the coming weeks, so you will have to forgive me if my one-track fishing mind is a little distracted.  Do not worry, I will continue to share …

If you manage it, they will thrive! “ “We don’t always understand that you cannot plant wildlife habitat and let it go, it needs to be managed,” says Eric Zach, Agricultural Program Manager here at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “A landowner must set the stage for better years regarding upland game bird nesting and brood-rearing cover,” he adds. Well put, Eric, well put! With that information in mind, we travel to our Wagner family farm in southeast Nebraska …

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 …

Harvesting a wild turkey in the springtime is quite an accomplishment in the Nebraska hunting scene! When that gobbler, jake or bearded hen is down, there’s the high five with your hunting partner in the blind, along with an immediate cancelling of the tag on your turkey permit, plus the various photo ops with your bird, of course. After all of that takes place, the work begins on establishing the best-tasting wild turkey possible at the dinner table. Here are six steps to follow to a succulent spring turkey. Prompt …

We’ve had and continue to have such extremely dry, windy conditions in Nebraska’s outdoor scene. A number wildfires (grass fires, brush fires, etc.) have unfortunately already taken place this spring! It’s critical to not be a firebug in our great outdoors! In other words, you don’t want you to be the person who is responsible for starting a wildfire when you’re having fun this spring camping, backpacking,  picnicking, fishing, turkey hunting, morel mushroom picking, etc. Many folks I know believe that lightning starts most wildfires. In fact, on …

If you’re a seasoned, veteran turkey hunter like me, one of the most rewarding experiences you’ll find is to take a kid to the field for the spring season! No question! Be sure to check the regulations/requirements for youth turkey hunting here in Nebraska. You’ll note that there are no minimum age restrictions and that the youth turkey hunting permit price is only $5.00! Conservation Officer Rich Berggren of Waterloo, NE, myself, and many, many others at Game and Parks …

The April 2014 NEBRASKAland is available on line right now. I love the cover!  Mouth full of teeth, big marble eyes, classic orange and chartreuse jig in its lips, CLASSIC!  Love it! To go along with the picture there is a great story inside on page 38 about our walleye egg collection efforts which are happening right now (something that I am out in the field helping with as I write this!). There are some great old stories about big …

Yes, I know the correct grammar is “sneaked out” but that just does not sound right to me.  Consider “Snuck Out” to be my redneck version, and that is exactly what I did. . . . March has been a busy month for me.  I worked a couple of weekends finishing up sport and boat shows for the spring, but as  I promised you in a blog post a couple of weeks ago, I would get on the water when …

Have you recently noticed when you use your net to get a fish in the boat, the hooks are sticking in the netting a little more frequently than they used to? And when they do, it takes way more time than it should to get them free? I may just have a solution for you. I have been experiencing this myself for the past year or so. I planned on getting a new replacement net, but decided to try something …

I am planning to be at the HUSKERland Muskie Hunters meeting this coming Wednesday night, April 2.  Their meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. and will be held at the Omaha Scheels store.  Show up a little early, we will meet in front of the Ferris wheel and then go downstairs to the meeting room. I will always tell you that one great way to become a better angler is to join a club!  There are several good Nebraska fishing …