Tag Archives: Nebraska hunting

The morning air is crisp and cold. Hardwood trees stand motionless and silent — faint brush strokes against the slowly lightening predawn sky. As light emerges, wild plants still green are bejeweled with dew. Small sounds begin to carve the creek bottom. A raucous calamity of crows can be heard in the distance. An assertive, vociferous blue jay appears on a limb. Two fox squirrels squabble amid the leaves on the woodland floor. The insistent nasal yammering of a white-breasted …

I call these few months right after the first of the year “Sport Show” season.  This weekend is the big one, the Omaha Boat, Sports and Travel Show.  Might as well watch the promotional video: There will pretty much be something there for everyone, bring the whole family.  Stop by the “Goose Pit” and pick the brains of the experts; I know Keith Kavajecz is one of the very best walleye pros. I love wandering around sport shows and seeing …

Are you a hunter? Have you have received a couple emails from us at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission asking something about hunting surveys? If so, answer them, don’t delete or trash them! But, why? Why does Game and Parks care about what I think as a hunter or what wild game I put in my freezer during these past seasons? Well, let me tell you that our wildlife biologists are genuinely, genuinely interested in what you think about the different aspects of hunting here in Nebraska and how you did in the …

Only those who have walked into the silent woods together in the predawn hours and waited motionless for white-tailed deer amid the woods in a stand or blind as the different hues of daylight unfolded truly understand. Only those who have watched a canine companion intently work with a grassy field for upland game birds with family members and friends truly understand. Traditions. They are a major part of us and our values. They help to shape who we are. And, …

I have always held the opinion that younger adults are a portion of the population that could be recruited into the lifestyle of hunting. After all, they have time and money to spend on it. They just need someone to guide them through the process of becoming a hunter, and then, of course, to take them to the field. I believe involving younger adults could prove to be one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to generate a new …

I know spring fever has exploded into an epidemic.  You might as well feed it some more! . . . Are you kidding me?  Roland Martin and Jimmy Houston both????!!!!!  “Oh Son!” and “Hee hee hee“! Dick Turpin too?  I may never be in our Nebraska Game & Parks Commission booth when I am supposed to be working–I will be listening to the seminars! In the middle of it all, booth #1225, you will find our Game & Parks Commission …

Truth be told, I’m finding it difficult to cope as I wait anxiously for Nebraska’s spring wild turkey hunting seasons to arrive. The days are getting longer, we’ve had some of those abnormally warm winter days, and hints of green are emerging on my lawn! Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m really looking forward to experiencing the spring migration of waterfowl and sandhill cranes, in addition to hunting snow geese, but it’s hard not to not think about wild turkeys in the springtime when there is …

I am currently in the field enjoying spending quality time with family and friends during Nebraska’s 2015 firearm deer hunting season (despite some of our ever-changing Nebraska weather conditions, HA!). We are seeing improved numbers of white-tailed deer on our farm and the adjacent farms that we hunt in southeastern Nebraska and had success on the opening weekend. My 18 year-old son Noah, a high school senior, who has enjoyed playing football at Omaha’s Creighton Prep High School, sums up his firearm deer hunting experience in …

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. …