Tag Archives: hunting experience

We are now just under one week away from the opening day of Nebraska’s largest hunt – the firearm deer hunting season. It opens this Saturday, November 15th. I can hardly wait! This is one of the absolute best times of year to be outside with the deer rut happening! My lovely wife Polly of 26 years says that everything comes to a grinding halt in the Wagner family with the opening of that deer season. It’s a wonderful tradition though. For many …

You’ve been sitting there quietly enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of nature while waiting for the wild game specie you’re hunting to appear. Then the moment comes when the sky is full of color as the top of the sun’s disc first breaks the plane of the horizon in the morning, or when the top of the sun’s disc sinks below the horizon in the evening. You marvel at the color in the sky while the  stresses of life leave you. The draw of sunrises and …

Mixed bag opportunity. Not much pressure. Reasonably priced permits and stamps. Mobile apps for information and some permits. Special $5.00 youth permits. Long seasons. Generous bag limits. Great tradition. Crisp mornings, warm afternoons, and the nicest folks you’ll meet anywhere! WHEW! Believe it or not, those are just some of the reasons why I think you should consider planning a hunting trip here in Nebraska this fall or winter! Having lived in Nebraska all of my life and traveled the state extensively, …

“A man may not care for golf and still be human, but the man who does not like to see, hunt, photograph, or otherwise outwit birds or animals is hardly normal. He is supercivilized and I for one do not know how to deal with him.”  – Aldo Leopold. It’s mid-June and I’m grumpy. There’s yard work to be done, household projects to be completed, weekly errands to be ran, and a variety 0f other tasks that need to be accomplished. Ugh, the rat race gets …

The Nebraska Tourism Commission announced this week that it approved a new brand campaign, entitled: “Nebraska Nice.” This campaign emphasizes one of Nebraska’s strongest assets — us, it’s people. However, “Nebraska Nice” has a two-fold meaning.  It’s not only about we-Nebraskan’s being nice to our visitors and to each other, as we are, but it’s also a reference to the “nice moments” that make the best vacations memorable and special.  It’s about that special moment that is talked about for years and years to come. …

“The journey of life is sweeter when traveled with a dog …” Unknown. I have always commented that dogs complete the hunting experience, especially when it comes to waterfowl.  This is so true in the current Light Goose Conservation Order hunting period on Snow and Ross’s Geese here in Nebraska! I have been fortunate to witness some outstanding dog work with some affectionate canines! I thought I’d share some of the images I captured by digital camera of these four-legged hunting companions along with their owners. Above, this is Copper, …

The temperature is hovering around zero degrees Farenheit outside of our house in Omaha’s Metcalfe Park neighborhood this early March morning. I’ve now begun to count the days until the archery edition of Nebraska’s spring wild turkey hunting seasons kicks off. I’m certain that the birds on my hunting property are still bunched up as they were a couple weeks ago. It shouldn’t be too much longer before wild turkey courtship rituals enter the picture, right? I know that breeding is dictated by photoperiod (day length or amount …

OUTDOOR TIP: Always, and I mean always, take a camera you with you on any outdoor adventure to capture lasting images of the experience. The camera, whether it’s on your iPhone, Smart Phone, or is a small pocket-sized digital camera, or even is a large digital one with a foot-long lens, helps to lock in memories and validate outdoor stories. Here’s my camera, nothing fancy, but it does the job fairly well. I took my camera with me yesterday afternoon to my buddy Steve’s farm in Saunders County, …

Just last night, after returning home from my outdoor TV gig at Omaha’s WOWT Channel 6, and unloading my vehicle filled with various pieces of waterfowl hunting gear/TV props (goose decoys, layout blinds, camouflage clothing, etc.), a new neighbor and I got to talking. After exchanging pleasantries and ‘small talk,’  she asked me the question: “So, why do you hunt?” I explained to her that hunting is who I am, it is part of my fabric and I conveyed to her my deep, eternal affection of and the connections I have …

I love hunting in Nebraska, especially fall wild turkey hunting. To me, it’s the process, it’s the experience, that I enjoy the most. I’ve always said and continue to say that “huntin’ is not all about the killin’.”  It’s about the intrinsic things that are connected to the hunt that some hunters overlook or take for granted. It’s about the relationships – the friendships –  developed with landowners. It’s about noting any old buildings and items around the farmstead and …