Conservation

It is the late period for deer hunting now and things can sure get tougher. In fact, things can even get tougher than they were during the regular firearm deer hunting season. After all, the rigors of the rut are pretty much over. But don’t put away your gear! Hear me out. I want to use a football analogy that many of you who hunt deer will understand when it comes to the late-season. For a football team, it is …

Last blog post I gave a little run down of my fishing adventures this fall.  Oh, by the way, we still have open water and I ain’t done yet. I mentioned in that post that fall is my favorite open water fishing of the year.  There are a lot of reasons for that, but good opportunities to catch big fish rank near the top of the list. Also believe that the autumn provides some of the most gorgeous sunsets of …

A week ago I gave a report on the hunting successes members of my family have had this fall (Family in the Field, Fall 2023).  I did that because I also love to hunt.  Unfortunately, as I mentioned at the end of that blog post, there is so much fish and game and so little time.  I would like to do it all, but just cannot.  I have however slipped out and chased roosters a couple of times this fall.  …

One of the beauties of the outdoor pursuits is that they are full of Do-It-Yourself opportunities.  I am betting most hard-core anglers at one time or another have fooled with making their own lures, sinkers, leaders, rods and more.  In some cases we start making our own not only because it is rewarding, but because it is better than what we can obtain off the shelves of the local sporting goods store. If you have thought about building your own …

The holiday season is upon us and it’s filled with many hunting traditions as family and friends get together, especially in waterfowl hunting blinds. For most of us, hunting is about much more than a successful harvest. It’s about spending time afield bonding with family and friends, watching the sunrise over a river wetland on a crisp morning or watching the sunset from a harvested cornfield on a warm, windy, brisk evening, plus having exciting stories to tell when you …

Friday, weekend is here, time to lighten up. Having said that, given people’s lack of humor, I am afraid I feel I must also post this disclaimer:  The following link and its subject are not meant as an endorsement of poor fish-handing techniques.  If you think I am being hypocritical, I have crawled up on the catch & release soapbox, and necessary best fish handling practices MANY times, Fish Handling, Good, Better, Best, You ARE Going to be Releasing Fish, …

Starting this blog post with a disclaimer.  This particular post ain’t going to be about fishing.  If that bothers you, quit reading now.  However, I realize most of you also enjoy our great outdoors in many ways including hunting.  Yes, I love to hunt too, but admittedly end up spending more time on the water, even in the fall. What I really want to do with this blog post is continue with a theme that I mentioned before Thanksgiving.  A …

A year ago now, I was already on the ice!  Over the Thanksgiving weekend last year, spent a bit of time with family pulling some fish through an ice hole! We caught some bluegills and largemouth bass that day, nothing big, but you can see we had fun!  A week or two earlier, my son had already dried off some nice pike through the ice! I am not a meteorologist and even if I was, I could not tell you …

Something of a mystery, Nebraska’s bobcat population remains healthy. By Justin Haag As I moved among patches of shoulder-high weeds at an abandoned farmstead in search of pheasants, I glanced over to see my younger brother, fresh out of hunter-safety training, become excited as he entered a clearing. “Whoa, what was that? It looked like a lion,” he shouted as an unfamiliar creature scurried into cover. Despite any skepticism by those of us in the hunting party that day, we …

Again, by this time I know these news items are not going to be of interest to many.  But, on the chance that there are a few that would want to know, and knowing how long it takes word to get around. . . . Cottonwood-Steverson WMA boat ramp reopens after repairs The boat ramp at Cottonwood-Steverson Wildlife Management Area, located north of Hyannis in Cherry County, has reopened. The ramp underwent significant repairs due to the undermining, settlement and …