Flora & Fauna

Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioners and staff are in the midst of the Rooster Roundup — a quest to hunt pheasants on public land throughout Nebraska. The first stop on their journey is described below. The morning was a typical fall Nebraska morning as hunters hit the field at Sherman Reservoir Wildlife Management Area (WMA) for pheasant hunting. Pheasant and quail numbers are up this year providing upland game hunters with plenty of opportunities to get out and walk many …

Ring-necked pheasants are really a lot like us humans. They live their lives on a fairly predictable, routine basis. When a pheasant hunter learns to understand that schedule and interrupt the pattern, he or she will be on the path to having increased opportunities for success. Pheasants begin their day waking at roost sites, usually in areas of short to intermediate height grass or weeds where they have spent the night. At first light, they head for roadsides or other areas …

One of the most rewarding experiences for me has been making time to take my own kids out hunting. I have worked hard to pass along that great Nebraska hunting heritage and to instill in them an interest in hunting with an appreciation for nature. Consequently, today all of them enjoy various hunts here in the Cornhusker State. Having four kids ages 27, 23, 21 and 18, I know what it is like to usher in, nurture and train young hunters. …

The air is crisp and cold. Hardwood trees stand motionless and silent — faint brush strokes against the slowly lightening predawn sky. Small sounds begin to carve the creek bottom. A raucous calamity of crows can be heard in the distance. An assertive blue jay appears on a limb. Two fox squirrels squabble amid the leaves on the woodland floor. In the grass beyond the trees, a rooster pheasant cackles; greeting the first full rays of the sun. Suddenly, and …

Halloween draws attention to them! Movies like Arachnophobia also draw attention to them. Looking back in history, they have been revered in hundreds of myths, stories, folk tales and art pieces all over the world. The mere thought of them can make the hair stand up on the back of your neck! And, walking into one of their webs this time of year makes a person absolutely freak out! Eeeeeekkkk! Spiders, they are creepy. They are members of the Phylum Arthropoda, the Class Arachnida and the Order …

This may be the weekend to introduce your next duck hunting buddy to the sport.  Nebraska’s Youth Waterfowl Days take place Sept 26 & 27 (in duck zones 2 & 4), Oct 3 & 4 (in zone 1) and Oct 17 & 18 (in zone 3).  These extra days are an incentive for young hunters (15 years old and under) to get a head-start on the regular season when they are accompanied by their adult buddy (19 years or older). …

On my Weekly WOWT 6 News Outdoor Report, while you’re watching some neat video of wild turkeys, I’ll be verbalizing why you – the hunter of any game species – should consider buying a turkey permit this fall in Nebraska and then taking to the field after a couple of birds. One of the main reasons for going turkey hunting in the fall is that it presents a wonderful opportunity to take a youth outside. He or she would really enjoy a 2015 …

As a longtime hunter, landowner and natural resources professional, I still just don’t get why some hunters feel the need to bait areas with artificially made materials/substances to bring game animals in to a particular area to be harvested within the confines of our laws/regulations (for info on Nebraska’s new baiting laws/regulations with reference to hunting, click here.) Why? Is it because it involves minimal effort and is cheap? Is it because you saw the flashy advertisement for the product …

Professors lead squirrel studies with broader applicability.  By Sarah Kocher You could say Wesleyan biology professors Cody Arenz and Gary Gerald have gone a little nuts. Nevertheless, the pair has been radio-tracking campus squirrels since a revamped entry-level biology course debuted in the spring semester of 2015.  The goal: field biology in an urban setting. “Being at Nebraska Wesleyan… it’s a challenge to just dart outside, watch some mountain lions and dart back inside in a three-hour lab period,” Arenz …

Wild bats. They get such a bad rep. Most likely it’s because they’re portrayed in popular culture and the media as scary, blood-sucking, rabid creatures of the night that live in dark, stank places. They are the subjects of creepy, Halloween tales and horror stories. Gosh darn, I think that’s a shame! As a resource professional, I view bats as a native, beneficial component of our natural world and so should you! In fact, I think they’re cool. No, check that, I think they’re beautiful! Look! So, here are 10 things you should know about …