Flora & Fauna

Nebraska’s Threatened and Endangered Species In spring 2004, I was attending a National Association of Interpretation certification and training program as a naturalist. The daily workshops were interesting, but as is often the case, the most memorable part of my trip took place during the meeting off-hours. I was spending the night in a cabin in the woods. I was also tired and very pregnant at the time, only a few weeks shy of my due date. As I was …

MINATARE, Neb. — The public is invited to attend a special birdwatching event at Scout’s Rest Campground of Lake Minatare State Recreation Area. The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission are conducting the Family Christmas Bird Count at the lake on Dec. 15 from 9-11 a.m. The lake is closed from Oct. 15-Jan. 15 each year as part of the North Platte National Wildlife Refuge, but is opening for this exclusive event. The Bird …

CHADRON, Neb. — Beginning Monday, Dec. 3, and as weather allows over the next few weeks, fire officials in forested areas of the northern Panhandle plan to burn slash piles. Both the Pine Ridge Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission plan to ignite piles during the next several weeks. The agencies will notify the public about specific locations as the burning begins. At various times, smoke will likely be visible …

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 evening, plus having exciting stories to tell when you get …

Its here.  The rut is on.  November Deer Season starts  Saturday. Nebraska is a deer hunting state.  And true to our title of the Mixed Bag Capital the state has 2 species of deer. To experience the most from this year’s deer season here are the five things you gotta do… 1) Find the does.  The bucks are doing just that and so should you.  Being 100 yards or so downwind of several travel routes to/from bedding areas can mean …

Let’s discuss the constants, myths, and what you can do to advance your white-tailed deer hunting experience during the rut. Look online, or watch outdoor television, and you’re bound to see or hear someone talking about “the rut,” one of nature’s most intriguing rituals as bucks and does appear more and more across the landscape. When exactly the rut takes place and precisely how deer – particularly whitetails – behave then is a source of great debate. Millions of dollars …

You have heard of and perhaps been participating in the Upland Slam challenge. Maybe you’re working on successfully completing your Trout Slam. But, have you ever done a woodland double? Woodland double? What’s the “woodland double?” It is harvesting a deer and a turkey in one hunting session, when legally possible. Oh yes, after checking regulations, you will find that it’s very doable in Nebraska. It’s an unofficial competition though, more of a personal test of skill and ability. And, guess what? …

Nebraska’s most popular hunting season – the firearm deer season – is right around the bend. Opening day for it is November 10th. Are you participating in it? Awesome! Many of us are. I am, as well! Hey, let me ask you some questions. Have you purchased your firearm deer hunting permit and habitat stamp? Have you brushed up on your deer hunting regulations and nearest check station locations? Have you firmed up permission with your farmer or rancher friends to hunt their private land? Have you sighted in your centerfire deer hunting …

They are really a lot like us humans. They live their lives on a relatively predictable, routine basis. In other words, they keep a schedule. They are wild ring-necked pheasants. And, when pheasant hunters learn to understand that schedule and interrupt it in the wild ring-neck’s landscape, they will be on the path to having increased opportunities for success and bagging a rooster for Nebraska’s Upland Slam challenge. So, let’s look at the average day for Phasianus colchicus in the fall/winter. What’s it like? The Wake …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Producers in south-central and southeastern Nebraska now can apply for funding to help improve grasslands for grazing and wildlife. Cost-share of up to 75 percent is available to install management practices. Management practices eligible for financial assistance include: brush management, payment for grazing management, resting rangeland, prescribed fire, fencing and watering facilities for livestock, converting cropland to grassland bird habitat, and more. Through the Grassland Bird Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) …