Hunting

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 …

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 …

Nebraska’s popular spring shotgun wild turkey hunting season occupies center stage on my outdoor television segment on Omaha’s WOWT 6 News this week. That’s because the spring shotgun turkey opener is this Saturday, April 12th! I don’t know about you but I am so pumped up for it! Spring wild turkey hunting is one of my favorite outdoor sports/activities. There’s nothing like it! I’ll be offering a safety reminder or two plus few hunting tips for those of you going turkey hunting this spring. A …

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 …

With Nebraska’s spring wild turkey hunters taking to the timber, I bring (who I believe to be) the Grandmaster of Wild Turkey Hunting to you on my one-of-a-kind, Saturday morning Great Outdoor Radio Show. Who is the Grandmaster of  Turkey Hunting? It’s this man! None other than legendary turkey hunter, veteran turkey call maker, and humorist Dick Turpin of Lincoln, NE! Dick joins me LIVE along with his sidekick Dudley Moore on my hour-long program airing tomorrow (Saturday) morning  from 9-10 a.m. …

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 …

I did a rain dance outside in the front yard of my home in the Metcalfe Park Neighborhood of Omaha, NE earlier this morning. Like the outfit (my jammies)? My poor neighbor, Brian, had to witness the rain dance while backing out of his driveway to go to work, sorry about that, Brian. Hey, precipitation is falling, woo-hoo! As a nature lover, how could one not think about the benefit of this moisture to the soil and, of course, for morel mushrooms in the woods! …

“The journey of life is sweeter when traveled with a dog …” Unknown. I have always commented that dogs complete the hunting experience, especially when it comes to waterfowl.  This is so true in the current Light Goose Conservation Order hunting period on Snow and Ross’s Geese here in Nebraska! I have been fortunate to witness some outstanding dog work with some affectionate canines! I thought I’d share some of the images I captured by digital camera of these four-legged hunting companions along with their owners. Above, this is Copper, …