Hunting

One of my (Greg Wagner’s) preferred hunting knives to use which was custom made by knife maker John Mulcair of Weston, NE.  You’ll notice that John formed the handle of this knife with a couple materials from one of my memorable, successful Nebraska spring wild turkey hunts. Photo by Katie Stacey/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. There is no other piece of equipment or utensil needed to perform as many tasks, in as many ways, under as many conditions, as the …

It’s winter. The daylight is short. The nights are long and dreary. Air temperatures outside are cold, downright frigid at times. Most likely, there’s some snow cover. We are all spending more a lot of time indoors this season, aren’t we? It is that time of year when we get that cooped-up, restless, nothing-to-do feeling that is referred to as “cabin fever.” Stuck inside, too many of us get weary and lethargic and spend long, endless hours watching TV re-runs, …

One young woman’s journey to becoming a hunter By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Harleigh Lisius wasn’t born into a hunting family, but she always knew she wanted to do it. The daughter of a fourth-generation farmer, the 23-year-old grew up among cattle, corn and beans near Juniata and spent countless hours playing in the shelterbelt on the farm, fishing her grandparents’ pond or camping. Every Thanksgiving, highly-anticipated visits from her aunt and uncle brought exciting tales of the couple’s lives as wildlife …

A few weeks ago I gave a little rundown on the fish caught during my several months of fall fishing (On the Water, Fall 2023).  Not knowing what our Nebraska weather might be, I have hinted since then that my open-water fishing for the year may not be done.  Oh, you know I would much rather be on the ice by sometime in December, but if life gives you lemons. . . . I kept fishing open-water in December.  In …

Four budding hunters were given the special opportunity to hunt on pristine ranch land in the Sandhills. By Justin Haag The description would surely get attention from near and far if posted by a real estate agent: “Outstanding mule deer property with 7,000 acres of pristine ranch land in the Sandhills of northwestern Cherry County. Has not been hunted in decades.” Four budding hunters were given the special opportunity to hunt such a property in December 2022 during the Nebraska …

Forty-five years is very long time for anything, isn’t it? Forty-five years is an exceptionally long time for working at the same organization. Think about it — four-and-a-half decades. WOW! This year, 2024, marks the beginning of my 45th year at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. My career spans a few different divisions within the agency – Fisheries, Parks and Information and Education (now Communications). I will be 62 years of age this year and I started working at …

The holiday season is upon us and the arrival of 2024 is just around the bend. The holiday period with the new year beckoning gives us a segue to pause and reset, recharge and re-focus our energies. In all sincerity, this season coupled with the new year allows us to curb our bad habits, improve ourselves, change our outlook on life to a positive one and see how we can make a difference. As avid outdoors-persons, this time of year …

Story and photos by Jeff Kurrus It’s easy to become entranced with these gigantic birds, their honks seemingly daring you to take the plunge into the deep water that is Canada goose hunting. But before you do, I’m going to encourage you not to. Find something, anything else, to do with your time. You’ll thank me for it. Just What I Needed First, you don’t have enough decoys. Well, maybe you do. But you probably don’t. In the beginning of …

I treasure my time spent alone in nature or in a rural setting, especially this time of year in Nebraska. If I don’t get some alone time in the great outdoors, I end up getting a little restless, grumpy and cabin fever-like (just ask my wife, Polly). Alone time is essential with the hustle and bustle of the season and all that is happening in this world. Sure, it is safer and more fun to share your outdoor adventures with …

Going to make a blog post of a personal nature today.  However, it again will touch a theme that I return to often–family. I have an aunt that is celebrating a milestone birthday in the next few days.  No, I am not going to say exactly how many years that might be.  I am not stupid. Nevertheless, it is a time to celebrate, and my Aunt Jeanene is well-worth the celebration!  I do not know that I can tell you …