Flora & Fauna

Western Nebraska’s unique and diverse wildlife will again be the focus of Bioblitz, an annual event at Oliver Reservoir Recreation Area near Kimball on Friday and Saturday, June 19-20. Scientists and other naturalists will tell attendees about local wildlife and practices to improve habitat and monitor species. Educational and entertaining demonstrations and activities, including trapping animals for observation, are scheduled between 3 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday. Attendees who don’t want to miss any part of the event are …

It’s the time of year when lots of baby wild animals and birds are now on the outdoor scene in Nebraska. Interactions with these cute animals at a distance can be fun and educational. However, please remember that it is illegal and unsafe (for both you and the little critter) to harbor or possess young wildlife. It’s also inhumane to remove young wildlife from its natural surroundings/habitat (including your own backyard)! What’s interesting is that, although you may not see it, there’s a parent animal or …

Just received this note from Lindsay Shearer, Nebraska 4-H Camp Operations Coordinator, about a special offer on the 4-H Outdoor Skills summer camps listed here.  I recently wrote about these camps, and others, on the blog The Power of Summer Camp.      hershy “We still have several spots available in the Outdoor Skills Sessions that are hosted in partnership with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, at all 3 of our locations (State 4-H Camp, Destination Camps and Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center). …

I’ve always said the outdoor world presents many different twists and turns, and that’s what makes it so intriguing! I compare entering the outdoor world anytime to going out on that first date: You’re excited, you’re nervous, you’re not wanting to forget anything, you’re probably overdressed and you’re wondering what eventualities might take place. But, I think spending as much time as possible in the field and trying new things improves your overall outdoor knowledge and skill level. In my mind, you’re able …

As you may have heard, Wisconsin lawmakers are currently looking into expanding their blaze orange requirements for deer hunters to allow hot-pink to be worn as well.  The Wisconsin’s Sportsmen’s Caucus – a bipartisan group of lawmakers – hopes the introduced legislation could encourage an even greater breakdown of the gender-divide often seen in hunting, while maintaining the safety aspect of the blaze orange rules.  Females make up about 10% of the deer hunters in Wisconsin, but represent the fastest …

Get your Nebraska outdoor law and regulation questions ready for Conservation Officer Rich Berggren of Waterloo on my Saturday Morning Great Outdoor Radio Show. It airs LIVE from 9-10 a.m. CST on Omaha’s KOZN Radio/1620 AM “The Zone.” Here’s a photo of Rich on a youth spring wild turkey hunt. Rich and I will be covering various do’s & don’ts, regulation reminders and tips for fishing, boating, state parks, wildlife, hunting and even more. Rich will also touch on what it’s like to be a conservation officer. You’ll find this program to …

With just two weekends left in the 2015 Nebraska Spring Turkey Hunting Season, we may be in the ninth inning, but there is still time to score on a gobbler.  In fact, some hunters will find the best hunts of the season in the final days this year. During the peak of breeding, gobblers often have all the hen-attention they want. We are now past this point and the boys are working harder to find willing hens.   Some are more …

Officials of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission have implemented a temporary boating ban on Center Lake at Bridgeport State Recreation Area because of moose activity in the area. Officials say there has been a regular occurrence of at least one moose in and around Center Lake, the largest body of water in the park that is most often used by boaters. A moose has been known to visit an island at the lake in recent weeks. “It’s unfortunate that …

It was text book spring turkey the morning my son and I guarded the woodland edge in southern Nebraska.  The first bird sounded off from the roost as the dark of night just started giving way that cloudy early morning.  From the sounds of it the turkey was not far off, either. We clucked back a soft reply and were quickly cutoff by the bird.  A little while later we tried some yelps and received another excited response.  Every call …

One of the results of spending a lot of time in the field is capturing interesting wildlife photos. Sometimes, while shooting photos of one species you capture another. Such was the case recently when I was shooting photos of white-tailed deer in Washington County, NE. Did you note what’s in the background? I didn’t see that coyote initially when I was snapping pics of the deer. It goes to show that surprises make time outdoors, time well spent! Oh, and don’t forget your camera!