Outdoor Nebraska - Nebraska Game & Parks

Merriam's Spring Turkey Hunt - Steve Schumacher

2013-12-18T09:53:00.001-06:00

I drove 1,200 miles from Ohio to hunt Merriam Turkeys in Nebraska with Scott Croner. The trip proved to be one of the best hunting decision I ever made.

I was able to arrive at Uncle Buck's Lodge by noon on the day before my scheduled three day hunt. Since the previous hunters had already tagged out and the weather forecast for the next few days wasn't good, Scott told me to grab my gear and off we went.   An hour later I had my trophy Merriam. Fortunately I have a good heart as this bird was taken at 6 yards.    The next day, in a snow blizzard and 30 mile per hour winds we navigated a long stalk on a trophy Rio Grand Turkey which I harvested at 35 yards.

Scott Croner is second to none, when it comes to turkey hunting.   If you listen to what he tells you in preparing for and during the hunt, you will kill birds. Croner enhances the hunt with his knowledge and enthusiasm for turkey hunting. He understands and shares in the excitement and the importance of your hunt.

With the pending bad weather, I was pleased to be tagged out on the first scheduled day of my hunt by 11:00 am, with two trophy birds.

Not only was it a great hunt, but the accommodations and hospitality at Uncle Bucks Lodge was first class.   The food was fabulous and I even got to check and feed cattle with (Walt) the owner of the ranch.

Not regrets on this trip! I highly recommended this hunt.

Go prepared and be ready! It can be fast and furious.

Steve Schumacher

Francis McLaughlin On HIs Way To A Grand Slam With A Merriam's Gobbler

2013-10-07T16:55:00.001-05:00

I would like to thank the Nebraska Hunting Company for his help in getting me a Merriam's turkey. Scott is totally committed to getting you a turkey. He is focused on hunting and will put you on birds. For me this is the third leg of a Grand slam, now only needing the Osceola. Another group hunting while I was in Nebraska completed 3 grand slams! One needed a Merriam's, the other two needed a Merriam's and a Rio!

Thanks to Nebraska Hunting Company for my Merriam's and awesome hunting memories. Thanks to Marilyn and Walt for the hospitality and wonderful accommodations at Uncle Buck's Lodge.

Frank McLaughlin
4/23/2013

Waterfowl Hunting In Nebraska - Mallard, Canada Geese, Gadwall, Widgeon, Teal

2013-10-06T07:53:00.001-05:00

Fully Guided Waterfowl Hunts

400 gpm pump (guaranteed to have water)
duck & Canada goose decoys included
Heated 24ft pit blind
guide
$150 per hunter / per day

Snow Goose Guides - GUIDED SPRING SNOW GOOSE HUNTS $175 Per Day - HEATED PIT BLIND AVAILABLE - OVER LARGE GHG FULLBODY DECOY SPREADS IN MISSOURI

2012-11-05T07:42:00.000-06:00

GUIDED SPRING SNOW GOOSE HUNTS OVER LARGE GHG FULLBODY DECOY SPREADS IN MISSOURI - Heated Pit Blind Available

$175 per hunter / per day - full day hunt no extra charge
Hunt over large GHG fullbodies, Dead Decoys, and Sillosocks snow goose decoy spreads
Goosegetter electronic callers
Top notch equipment and guides
Heated Pit Blind Available - Hunting with over 200 floaters ($200.00 per hunter / per day)
To Book Your Hunt Call 855-473-2875

Nebraska Waterfowl Lease Memberships - Mallards, Gadwall, Widgeon, Teal, Canada Geese

2012-10-15T20:27:00.000-05:00

Waterfowl Hunting Lease Memberships
Nebraska Waterfowl Leases
Missouri River Waterfowl Leases

400gpm pump (guaranteed to have water)
duck & Canada goose decoys included
24ft pit blind
limited to 10 members
guests are included (based on availability)
less 300 yds from the Missouri River
includes limited spring snow goose hunting (Mound City, MO.)
$1000.00 per membership

Call Scott - 402-304-1192

Inside-Out, Brown Sugar-Glazed Jalapeno Duck Poppers

2012-10-15T09:14:00.002-05:00

Per my previous post Brining Wild Duck, I essentially said that the taste of wild duck usually has me running for the hills. But I was determined to like it. Waterfowl is a huge part of the hunting world, and it was a real shame that I did not care for it. So this week, I set out to find a way to get rid of the gamey taste of duck. I brined the duck breasts for three days, and my efforts were paid ten times over!

What we have here are duck breasts which have been brined for 3 days, then marinated in olive oil, rosemary, garlic and red wine vinegar. They were then filled with cream cheese and julienned jalapeno peppers, then wrapped in bacon and glazed with brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon, which caramelized beautifully over hot coals.

Joe and I absolutely loved these! They were spicy, salty and sweet all at the same time. They certainly didn't last long. We hope you all love them too!

Servings: 2 appetizer servings (10 poppers)

Prep Time: 1-3 days, depending on how long you want to brine

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

- 2 brined duck breasts, cut into 10 pieces (brining is optional)

- 5 slices of bacon, cut into halves

- cream cheese

- 1 jalapeno, cored/seeded and julienned

- 10 toothpicks

Marinade:

- 2 tbs. olive oil

- 2 tbs. red wine vinegar

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 1/2 tsp. dried crushed rosemary

- freshly ground pepper, to taste

Brown Sugar Glaze:

- 3 tbs. brown sugar

- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

- 1 1/2 tbs. water

We brined the duck, but this is totally optional. To view instructions on how to brine, please click here.

1. Butterfly the breast pieces. The bright red color reminded us of sushi tuna.

To butterfly, cut the duck breasts horizontally, but not all the way through. Lay flat. You now have thinner, larger pieces.

2. Lay the butterflied duck pieces flat between two pieces of plastic wrap. Then lightly pound with a flat mallet to flatten the pieces a little more. We used the poor man's rolling pin. Move the duck to a medium bowl.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, rosemary and freshly ground pepper.

4. Add the marinade to the duck. Marinade at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

5. To make the glaze, combine brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Then add water and whisk well.

Taking notes as we go ... all a part of the recipe developing process!

At this point, you should probably get your grill ready.

6. Remove the duck from the marinade and fill with cream cheese and jalapeno match sticks.

Then roll everything together with half a slice of bacon. Pierce a toothpick through the poppers to keep everything intact for grilling.

7. Grill (in our case broil) the poppers until the bacon is cooked on both sides. When they're just about done, baste both sides with the Brown Sugar Glaze. Don't do this beforehand because the glaze will just burn.

Remove toothpicks and serve!

Great at the duck blind warmed up!

Brining Wild Duck and Other Waterfowl

2012-10-15T09:14:00.001-05:00

I often complain about wild duck. Joe likes it fine, but to me, it's bloody and gamey and makes my nose curl whenever I eat it. I guess it's to each his own, but I was very determined to like it-- some way, somehow. If prepared correctly, I think anything can taste good.

Wild duck is extremely dark, as you can see in the photo to your right. The color is almost purple or blue and this is due to the fact that ducks are very bloody. To get rid of the "gamey" taste, you have to try to leech out as much blood as you can. In the photo above, the duck has been brined for 3 days, leaving a very light exterior and a beautiful ruby red color inside. We've tried brining before, but it made the duck really salty. So this time around, we used a combination of a light salty brine and just cold water. We also extended the brining time, because it does takes more than a day to get all that blood out. When it came around time to cook, Joe said, "Wild duck-- the other white meat!" The meat no longer smelled and tasted "gamey." You don't have to brine for 3 whole days, like we did. I think 2 days will do just fine. It also depends on your own taste.

Ingredients: Should be enough brine for the breasts of 2 ducks

- 4 cups of water

- 1/4 cup kosher salt

- 1/4 cup brown sugar

1. In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Then add kosher salt and brown sugar. Mix until dissolved. Turn off heat and allow brine to cool.

Our duck breasts were cut up into big chunks. You can do the same or keep them whole.

2. Move the breasts to a nonreactive bowl.

3. Submerge the duck breasts with cooled brine, covering completely. It is important that you let the brine cool completely. Adding hot/warm brine will ruin your meat and encourage bacterial growth.
Cover and store in the refrigerator. Brine overnight and replace the bloody brine with ice water the next day.

Early Season Waterfowl Secrets - Natural presentation and preparation are the keys to opening day ducks and geese.

2012-10-15T08:57:00.003-05:00

When nebraska waterfowl seasons open, whether that’s a September 1 resident season or the regular opener, uneducated birds present a small window of opportunity for fantastic shooting. But by no means does “uneducated” mean that they’re dumb.
Early-season ducks and geese focus on specific arrangements of birds and decoys on the ground when deciding whether to drop in. Likewise, the number of decoys, as well as your calling, blind and setup, can make or break a hunt. To get it all right, you have to do some background work.

Scouting
You can hit the same spots time and again and hope the birds come by. But if you’re looking to fill straps and experience sore shoulders, you have to get off your butt and start glassing at critical times.
“Scouting is the most important thing you can do. Just because a spot looks ducky doesn’t mean it’s going to hold ducks,” says John Vaca, the national pro staff manager for Final Approach. “You need to get out and watch the birds—study which species are out there, how long they’re there and where exactly they’re coming in from and landing, as well as wind direction and other weather details. It’s absolutely key during the early season.”
Reality Check
How you arrange decoys can either entice far-off flocks to take a closer look and finally commit to landing or send up a red flag and cause them to just keep moving.

Keep It Small
During the early season, birds don’t typically travel in massive flocks, as they do later in the year. While scouting will tell you exactly how many live birds are on the ground, as a general rule you can count on laying out approximately two to four dozen decoys in molds of species you note during scouting.

Family Groups
Early on, waterfowl move and feed in family units. Place decoys in groups of three to five within the greater scheme of your setup for ducks should suffice in most instances.

Landing Holes
Putting out a perfect spread of full-body decoys won’t do a bit of good if you don’t give live birds a place to land. The finishing area should be dictated by the number of birds within landing flocks. The more birds, the bigger the hole you’ll need for them in your spread.
Calling Keep it simple and natural. Basic clucks and moans for geese and two-to-nine quack sequences and a feed chatter.

nebraska waterfowl seasons, nebraska hunting, top gun hunt club, nebraska outfitters, canada geese, mallards, waterfowl lease

Duck Hunting Tips To Get Started

2012-10-08T09:28:00.000-05:00

Duck hunting is a fun, exciting and very tiring sport. Whether hunting with family, friends, wife or father, just being out in the field with them enjoying nature is what hunting is about. Duck hunting is challenging and there are many techniques to use when hunting waterfowl. Like our previous deer hunting tips, here are some duck hunting tips and things to consider when you’re out in the field:

Where to hunt?

There are many different places where you will find ducks congregating, but one of the main ingredients here is water. One of your options include a flooded field. Some farmers will pump in water in one of their empty fields once all their beans or corn has been cut to allow a place for ducks to come and feed. If you’re hunting in a flood field, you probably won’t need a boat or canoe to setup your decoys and retrieve your birds. I would recommend getting a good ground blind like the Bunker Blind from Drake. If you have a ditch bank near your flooded field, you can always lay down in it.

Another area to find ducks are sloughs that are running along the side of creeks and rivers. You can usually spot them fairly easily when you see all the cattails along the side of the water. Ducks find refuge in this area where the cattails are blocking a lot of the wind. They will sometimes rest and feed here all day long. You will need a canoe or boat depending on the depth of the slough you are hunting.

Personally, I’ve never hunted on the river. I’ve always been in either the creeks, sloughs or flooded fields. If duck hunting on the river, look for the islands and sandbars. Those are usually great places for ducks to land and have a wide view of the area to feel safe while feeding.

What gun and shell size to use?

While it’s best to check your State Regulations Hunting & Guidelines first, I would recommend using a 12 gauge pump action shotgun. Some people prefer 2 3/4″ shells and some use 3″ shells. For both, waterfowl and turkey, I prefer using a 3 1/2″ shell. I shoot a Benelli Super Nova and the 3 1/2″ shells seem to shoot the best for me. It might be a little bit more recoil, but nothing I can’t handle. The shells I shoot are Winchester Xpert Hi-Velocity #3 3 1/2 shells. There are many shells on the market. You have to find the right combination for you, your gun and the ducks.

What Should I Wear?

It depends on where you’re hunting. If you’re hunting in a creek, river or slough where you need a boat or canoe, then there’s no need for you to be wearing waders up to your chest. If you’re hunting flooded fields or timber, then you might want to invest in a pair of good waders like the Drake Eqwaders. Otherwise, you just need a nice pair of insulated boots to keep you warm.

What Decoys and Spread to Use?

Setups vary from place to place. If you’re hunting in a deeper creek or river, make sure you have heavier weights attached to your decoys. Hunting over a flooded field or creek and you shouldn’t need as much weight. As far as the size of your spread, it can vary from place to place as well. If you’re hunting in some flooded timber and you are hunting from a boat, you should set about a dozen decoys out. Make sure to look up and see if you can see an opening in the trees. If you can’t, then the ducks won’t come in to you. I usually find that a small spread of 1 – 2 dozen decoys is fine. If you have a Mojo or something that can produce small splashes or waves, then definitely use that too.

One of the most common decoy spreads is the “U” pattern headed directly towards the wind. The ducks will be circling and eventually fly down into the wind in the middle of your spread. I’ve also set up about 1 – 2 dozen decoys just along the edge of a flooded field in no specific pattern and had success. There’s also a guy I know using just 6 mallard decoys that flap it’s feet to make splashes in the water and he always has great results.

How To Call Ducks?

I’m not a championship caller by all means, but I know how to call ducks into shooting range. There are many different types of calls you should know about ducks including: quack, greeting, feeding, hail and many more. If you don’t master any other call, you should at least get the basic quack call learnt if you want a duck to come into your spread. Click here to here a basic duck quack call.

I could write a book on all the different duck hunting scenarios, gear to have and all the decoy patterns you can use, so not everything is covered in this article. These are some of the basic tips of duck hunting. Hopefully this will get your started in this exciting sport!

If you have any other comments, questions or tips related to duck hunting, please leave a comment below.

State Hunting Regulations and Guidelines

2012-10-08T09:27:00.002-05:00

State Hunting Regulations:

Alabama – Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Alaska – Department of Fish & Game

Arizona – Game & Fish

Arkansas – Game & Fish Commission

California – Department of Fish & Game

Colorado – division of Wildlife

Connecticut – Department of Environmental Protection

Delaware – division of Fish & Wildlife

Florida – Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

Georgia – DNR, Wildlife Resources division

Hawaii – Dept. of Land & Natural Resources

Idaho – Fish & Game

Illinois – Dapartment of Natural Resources

Indiana – DNR – division of Fish & Wildlife

Iowa – Department of Natural Resources

Kansas – Department of Wildlife & Parks

Kentucky – Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Louisiana – Department of Wildlife & Fisheries

Maine – Hunting Info

Maryland – Department of Natural Resources

Massachusetts – Division of Fisheries & Wildlife

Michigan – Department of Natural Resources

Minnesota – Department of Natural Resources

Mississippi – Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks

Missouri – Department of Conservation

Montana – Fish, Wildlife & Parks

Nebraska – Game and Parks Commission

Nevada – Division of Wildlife

New Hampshire – Fish and Game Department

New Jersey – Division of Fish & Wildlife

New Mexico Wildlife

New York – Hunting

North Carolina – Wildlife Resources Commission

North Dakota – Game and Fish Department

Ohio – Department of Natural Resources – Division of Wildlife

Oklahoma – Department of Wildlife Conservation

Oregon – Department of Fish & Wildlife

Pennsylvania – Game Commission

Rhode Island

South Carolina – Department of Natural Resources

South Dakota – Game, Fish and Parks

Tennessee – Wildlife Resources Agency

Texas – Parks and Wildlife

Utah – Division of Wildlife Resources

Vermont – Fish and Wildlife Department

Virginia – Department of Game & Inland Fisheries

Washington – Department of Fish & Wildlife

West Virginia – Department of Natural Resources

Wisconsin – Department of Natural Resources

Wyoming – Game and Fish

Provincial Hunting Regulations:

Alberta

British Columbia

New Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador

Northwest Territories

Nebraska Waterfowl - Duck Seasons 2012

2012-09-28T09:51:00.000-05:00

Season Dates:
Zone 1: Oct. 13 – Dec. 25
Zone 2 (Low Plains): Oct. 6 – Dec. 18
Zone 2 (High Plains): Oct. 6 – Dec. 18 and Jan. 2-23, 2013
Zone 3 (Low Plains): Oct. 20 – Jan. 1, 2013
Zone 3 (High Plains): Oct. 20 – Jan. 1, 2013, and Jan. 2-23, 2013
Zone 4: Oct. 6 – Dec. 18

Daily Bag/Possession Limits: Six ducks. May include no more than five mallards (of
which no more than two can be hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, two pintails and
one canvasback. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit.

Merganser Bag/Possession Limits: The daily bag for mergansers is five, which may
include no more than two hooded mergansers. Mergansers do not count toward the daily
bag and possession limits for other ducks. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit.

Coot Daily Bag/Possesion Limit: The daily bag for coots is 15. The possession limit is
twice the daily bag limit.

Legal Methods of Take:

Shotgun (10 gauge or smaller. All shotguns must be plugged. The combined capacity of the chamber and magazine is no more than three shells)
Bow and Arrow
Electronic calls are prohibited.

Shooting Hours:
30 minutes before sunrise to sunset

Requirements:

Resident:	Nonresident:
Hunt Permit	Hunt Permit
Habitat Stamp	Habitat Stamp
Hunter Education	Hunter Education
Nebraska Waterfowl Stamp	Nebraska Waterfowl Stamp
Federal Migratory Bird Stamp	Federal Migratory Bird Stamp
HIP Registration	HIP Registration

Snow Goose Hors D’Ouevres

2012-09-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
2-3 snow goose breasts
1 cup orange juice
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup honey
1 tbsp. garlic
1 tbsp. cracked black pepper

Directions:
1. Make an orange juice-balsamic vinegar marinade by combining the juice, vinegar, honey garlic, and pepper.
2. Marinate the breast halves. (I don’t know how long exactly. We brought the geese in at noon and ate them at 7:30, so I guess somewhere between 1 and 7 1/2 hours.)
3. Heat canola oil in a skillet. They grow canola around Coronation, but that’s not why Tim uses it. He specifies canola oil because you can heat it to very high temperatures without the oil starting to smoke and scorch.
4. Sear the breasts quickly in very hot oil. They should be blood-rare inside. If they are so rare you are slightly afraid to eat them, they’re perfect.
5. Slice thin.
6. Serve with a dipping sauce. Tim used a local favorite, Sawmill Sesame Steak Sauce, but he said another steak sauce or mango chipotle salsa or apple chutney would work very well, too.

Swiss Turkey Breast Over Rice

2012-09-28T09:45:00.002-05:00

2 large boneless turkey breasts, cut into three portions each
Nonstick cooking spray
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 (10-3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1 (8-oz.) bag herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted

Arrange turkey breasts in a lightly-greased, 3-quart baking dish. Top with cheese. Combine soup and milk in bowl. Spoon over cheese. Sprinkle with stuffing mix. Drizzle butter on top. Cover, and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve over wild rice.

Turkey Breast And Gravy

2012-09-28T09:44:00.001-05:00

1 large (14"x20") oven bag
1 tablespoon flour
2 packages (7/8 ounce each) turkey gravy mix
3/4 cup water
4 to 8 pound wild turkey breast
Salt, black pepper
2 medium onions, quartered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shake flour in the oven bag; place in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Add gravy mix and water to the bag, and squeeze the bag to blend. Season turkey breast with salt and pepper, and place in the bag. Place onions in the bag around the turkey.

Close the oven bag with a twist tie; cut six 1/2-inch slits in top. Bake 1-1/4 to 2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the breast reads 170 degrees. For easy slicing, allow the turkey to stand in the oven bag 10 minutes. Stir gravy before serving.

Nebraska Rifle Deer Season - Nov. 10 -18, 2012

2012-09-21T08:07:00.003-05:00

Statewide and unit tags are available online for the Nebraska 2012 firearm deer season. To book a hunt go to www.nebraskatrophyoutfitters.com or call 855-473-2875

Brett with his 2012 rifle deer.

2013 Merriam's SpringTurkey Hunting - Nebraska Hunting Company

2012-08-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

Complete Your "Grand Slam" with a Merriam's Turkey

April 13, 2013 - May 31, 2013

All Inclusive Guided

Merriam's Turkey Hunts

Call or Email Now To Book You 2013 Hunt

402-304-1192

$1295.00 - Two Gobblers

Merriam's Spring Turkey Hunting Brochure

Nebraska Waterfowl Lease Memberships – Mallards, Gadwall, Widgeon, Teal, Canada Geese

2012-08-17T16:58:00.000-05:00

Top Gun Hunt Club - Nebraska City, Nebraska
Waterfowl Hunting Lease Memberships
Nebraska Waterfowl Leases

600 gpm pump (guaranteed to have water)

duck & Canada goose decoys included

24ft pit blind

limited to 10 members

guests hunt for free

less 800 yds from the Missouri River

includes limited spring snow goose hunting (Mound City, MO.)

$500.00 per membership

Call Scott – 402-304-1192

Spring Snow Goose Hunts - Squaw Creek NWR - Mound City, Missouri-Pit Blind Hunts Available

2012-02-05T19:39:00.000-06:00

Spring Snow Goose hunts available February through March. Full Body Avery GHG decoys, Silo Socks, flyers and custom eletronic callers. $175 per hunter / per day. Heated Pit Blind Hunts Available
Call 402-304-1192 To Book Your Hunt!

Guided Spring Snow Goose Hunts - Mound City, Missouri

Nebraska Trophy Whitetail Hunting - Private, Public, or an Outfitter

2011-02-12T12:46:00.001-06:00

Nebraska Trophy Whitetail - Outfitter

Geography

The highest concentrations of whitetail deer in Nebraska can be found in the river bottoms and surrounding agricultural fields. Nebraska Game and Parks controls the deer population by splitting the state into deer management units. Each deer management has a specific quota intended to manage the overall population and quality of bucks.

Regulations

Nebraska whitetail hunting seasons open on September 15 with an archery season, followed by several management hunts in October. The management hunts, taking place between October 2 and 11, allow you to harvest antler-less deer with any weapon. An eight-day firearm season occurs in November with a muzzleloader season taking place during the entire month of December. Before hunting a specific season, you must purchase the appropriate deer permit, habitat stamp and have proof of hunter education.

Considerations

The rut, or breeding period, typically takes place during the November firearms season and is one of your best opportunities for shooting a deer. Be ready to use a variety of hunting methods based on the time of year, weapon and surrounding terrain. Use a tree stand or ground blind positioned along travel routes or feeding areas during the early archery season. During the muzzleloader season in December, the deer will be focused on feeding after the rut to prepare for the winter. Look for deer to enter the agricultural fields as they feed.

Public Land, Private or an Outfitter

If you are interested in a do-it-yourself hunt, Nebraska offers several public land hunting opportunities, however, less than two percent of the state is available for public use. The most productive public areas are wildlife management areas and walk-in areas. Current maps can be obtained through the Nebraska Game and Parks. However using an outfitter often will put you where the deer are.

Potential

Realtree, a camouflage and hunting company, ranked Nebraska as the ninth best whitetail hunting state for a record book buck. Seven of the top 10 counties--Otoe,Gage, Sarpy, Lancaster, Douglas, Cass, Nemaha and Pawnee--are all in the southeast corner. The other three counties include Dakota, Lincoln and Clay.

Nebraska Hunting Accidents Down In 2010

2011-02-10T17:42:00.000-06:00

LINCOLN (AP) — The number of hunting accidents in Nebraska is down.
The Nebraska Games and Parks Commission on Monday says there were eight accidents in 2010, including one death. There were 12 hunting accidents, including two deaths, in 2009.

Officials say seven of the accidents in 2010 involved the discharge of a firearm. In October, a man died after he was shot by a 14-year-old boy while hunting in Washington County. The teen was carrying a loaded and cocked muzzle loader, and it discharged as he was crossing a log, hitting the other hunter in the back.

The other accident in 2010 involved a hunter falling from an elevated stand.

The commission says hunting accidents are rare in Nebraska, but safety remains a concern.

Light Goose Conservation Action Begins Feb. 6

2011-02-09T06:56:00.000-06:00

(LINCOLN, Neb.)- Efforts to control the light goose population continue with the Light Goose Conservation Action, which begins Feb. 6, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The dates for the conservation action are: Zone 1, Feb. 6-April 18; Zone 2, Feb. 6-April 1 and Zone 3, Feb. 6-April 18. White and blue-phase snow geese and Ross' geese may be taken statewide during the conservation action, but different regulations apply in each zone. Read the 2009 Nebraska Waterfowl Guide, which includes regulations for the 2010 conservation action, at Considerable effort has been put toward the reduction of the mid-continent snow goose population. This population attracts attention because of the damage to Arctic habitats it has caused. The use of methods to increase harvest has resulted in more than a million snow geese being harvested annually since 1998, with nearly 1.5 million taken in 1999. It is estimated that 1.4 million snow geese would have to be harvested annually to reduce the population. There are no bag or possession limits during the conservation action and hunters may shoot 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Hunters may use unplugged shotguns and electronic calls during the conservation action. Hunting is allowed statewide except for several state wildlife management areas and federal waterfowl production areas in the Rainwater Basin region of central Nebraska. In Zones 1 and 2, hunting will be allowed only on Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. Beginning March 24, hunting will be allowed seven days a week. In Zone 1, it is illegal to hunt within a half-mile of the outer channel of the Platte River between U.S. Highway 281 and Nebraska Highway 14. In Zone 2, it is illegal to hunt light geese within a half-mile of the outer channel of the Platte River between Feb. 8 and March 10. The no-hunting area expands to 3 miles (changed from 5) between March 11 and April 1 to provide protection for endangered whooping cranes. Conservation action hunters age 16 and older are required to have a Nebraska hunt permit, Nebraska Habitat Stamp, Nebraska Waterfowl Stamp, Federal Migratory Bird Stamp, and a Harvest Information Program number. Permits may be purchased at OutdoorNebraska.org.

Platte River Valley Report - Nebraska Hunting

2011-02-09T06:53:00.000-06:00

Lot of geese in Platte valley. River has a lot of ice and water, so use caution. No snow geese in valley yet. The rain water basin is also frozen with NO snow geese.

Deer Hunters Free Bucks With Antlers Locked Together

2011-02-05T15:42:00.000-06:00

Hughesville, Mo -- A deer hunting party armed with ropes and a battery-powered saw began tracking their quarry on Jan. 21 with hopes of helping two large white-tail deer live.

The night before, two bucks were spotted on Alan Meyer’s farm with their antlers locked together, about 12 miles north of Sedalia in the Hughesville area. They apparently became entangled during a fight, exhaustion and starvation their apparent fate.

But Meyer, along with family and friends, began tracking the two deer in the snow. They didn’t want to see animals they respect suffer.

“Quite a few us, we’ve all deer hunted together, and everybody just wanted to see them turned loose,” he said.

Luckily, they snow help them track the bucks.

“Sometimes the tracks were jumbled,” Meyer said. “At other times, you could hardly tell anything was wrong and they were walking side by side.”

They found the tangled 8- and 10-point bucks, but the deer ran from the rescue party, crashing through a few fences and at one time being astraddle a fence with antlers locked.

The deer fell down a few times and the hunting party tried to put a rope around their rear feet to hold them still, but the deer managed to get up.

Finally, the deer fell and Blake Meyer and Aaron Clark grabbed the bucks’ rear legs and stretched them out. The weary deer then lay still. Gary Clark used a portable battery-powered saw to cut off a main beam from one buck’s antlers. It was enough to free the deer. The dazed bucks staggered away from one another and quietly walked their separate ways into the brush.

Also helping to track and hold the deer down were Ryland Chamberlain, Trent Templeton, Justin Thomas, Jason Chamberlain and Dustin Meyer of Pettis County.

Alan Meyer, 54, said there was a time or two when the party thought they might have to kill the deer to end their suffering.

“But we stayed with it and got ‘er done,” he said. “It was a once in a lifetime experience.”

Dick Turpin Narrates Mountain Lion Video Going For The Kill

2011-01-30T08:34:00.000-06:00

Dick Turpin, legendary Nebraska outdoorsman and 40 year employee of Nebraska Game & Parks, happened upon a mountain lion kill in north central Nebraska. In this video, Dick narrates the video he shot of the lion coming in to it's deer kill site.

Missouri Hunters Shoot Mountain Lion

2011-01-29T07:26:00.002-06:00

Hunters say animal posed threat. Fourth recent confirmed report brings total to 14 in Missouri since 1994.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has confirmed that a group of hunters killed a young male mountain lion west of La Plata, Mo., on Saturday, Jan. 22. According to conservation agents investigating the incident, the group was hunting coyotes on a landowner's farm when several came within 20 yards of the big cat. None of the hunters had dogs. Members of the group immediately contacted conservation agents to report the incident.

At this time, no charges have been filed since it appears that the cougar presented enough danger to the hunters to warrant the shooting.
Mountain lions are protected under the Wildlife Code of Missouri. The Code does allow the killing of any mountain lion attacking or killing livestock or domestic animals, or threatening human safety. The incident must be reported to the MDC immediately and the intact carcass, including the pelt, must be surrendered to the MDC within 24 hours.
The animal weighed 128 pounds. Members of the MDC Mountain Lion Response Team will examine the animal to gather additional information, including DNA, to help determine where the big cat came from.
This is the second young male mountain lion killed in Missouri this month and the fourth confirmed report of a mountain lion in Missouri since November.
"These four reports bring our total number of confirmed reports over the past 16 years to just 14," said Rex Martensen of MDC's Mountain Lion Response Team.
Martensen added that, like in this situation, it appears that mountain lions seen in Missouri are young males roaming from other states in search of territory.
"Young male mountain lions go in search of new territories at about 18 months of age and during this time of year," he explained. "To date, we have no evidence to suggest that a breeding population of mountain lions exists in Missouri."
He added that mountain lions are nocturnal, secretive and generally avoid contact with humans.
Mountain lions (Puma concolor), also called cougars, panthers and pumas, were present in Missouri before pioneer settlement. The last documented Missouri mountain lion was killed in the Bootheel in 1927. The closest populations of mountain lions to Missouri are in South Dakota and a small population in northwest Nebraska.
Martensen added that MDC has never stocked or released mountain lions in Missouri and has no plans to do so.