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This week in North Platte the Miss Nebraska Scholarship Pageant is under way. What does that have to do with the outdoors one might ask? I was fortunate enough to find the answer to that question myself. Three of the contestants in the pageant wanted to further their knowledge and skills about the outdoors as part of an award they can earn for the pageant. Miss Nebraska Pageant, contestants not only showcase their knowledge, education, talent, beauty and a platform, …

What a great weekend it was – the weather held out so the public could come enjoy all the different outdoor learning events at the Kearney Outdoor Discovery Family Day. The well attended event was held at the Fort Kearney State Recreation Area. I haven’t seen this many people excited and enjoying an event like this for well… I can’t even remember how long it’s been! This event made me remember why I love my job with NGPC so much …

When it comes to Instagram, there are two camps: those who absolutely love it and those who hate it. A lot of hardcore photographers will grumble and gripe, criticizing the application and its users because it’s not “real photography.” And they’re right. Instagram is NOT photography. It requires very little technical know-how that real photographers who use real cameras spend years to perfect. Unless if you actually know how to work a real camera, I would advise Instagram users to …

Do you know what you’re looking at below? A one-eyed channel catfish whose eye looks to be completely healed. They sure are tough suckers. How tough? Stay tuned to an upcoming issue of NEBRASKAland Magazine and I’ll tell you. You of course know what you’re looking at in the second photo – the answer to the time on the lake when your stringered fish were completely gone.

If you’re like me, you probably saw numerous bald eagles in Nebraska this winter and early spring — if not on the wing then in photographs circulating the Internet. The bald eagle’s resurgence is a true conservation success story. Today, though, I find it appropriate to give a little publicity to the bald eagles’ lesser mentioned cousin, the golden eagle. When I told NEBRASKAland associate editor Jeff Kurrus that I planned to photograph golden eagles at a nest in a …

It’s been a day or two, so I certainly don’t remember everything about elementary school. However, one thing I remember, much to my teachers’ chagrin, is that it involved a lot of daydreaming. What about? This time of year, the thoughts surely focused on getting out of the classroom to do some fishing and camping. Of course, those activities usually took a back seat until school dismissed for summer, so forgive me if I harbored some feelings of jealousy as …

I went to Fort Atkinson yesterday for a Press Day Event. In addition to meeting great people from the media, I also had the pleasure of bumping into Greg Wagner. Here are some photos of Greg’s brief stint as an 1820s infantryman. Always a pleasure, Greg. 🙂 Here are some more photos from the Press Day event. We had a great turn out. Professionals from the press and the community attended. Here’s Julie Ashton from the Friends of Fort Atkinson …

I’ve never caught a walleye. I’ve never even eaten one. But I’ve sure learned a lot about them in the last month… from setting out lines, to egg collection, hatching, treating, marking and stocking. They’re such amazing, resilient little fish. I kind of feel like a proud mamma– even though the guys did all the work. Shout out to the guys at the Calamus Fish Hatchery. I think you are all the bee’s knees. Thanks for putting up with me.  …

After reading numerous wild turkey hunting success stories on the Internet, I figure some might find comfort in hearing from someone who hasn’t been able to bag a tom this season. Two weekends in a row my 10-year-old son and I have failed to be within range to fire a shot at a tom. The two of us are far from being the most accomplished turkey hunters in the woods, but it seems the gobblers just aren’t as responsive in …

American White Pelicans made their presence known – it was a pelican invasion if you will. Pelicans are one of the world’s largest birds and the past week or two there were hundreds – maybe even thousands of them in west central Nebraska utilizing our rivers, interstate lakes and reservoirs. Every spring migration I look forward to seeing the pelicans. I’m not sure what it is that intrigues me about the pelican, but I sure love to watch this giant …