Filed under: Deer, Hunting | Tags: muzzleloader deer hunting, nebraska deer hunting
Daniel Bauer of Lincoln, NE thoroughly enjoys Nebraska’s muzzleloader deer hunting season that opened today and runs through the entire month of December. I and my sons do as well!
Daniel says there’s always a good carryover of deer from the firearm season (especially this year), there’s still good deer movement with breeding taking place, there’s little to no hunting pressure in most places, there’s great chances of seeing all kinds of wildlife and around Christmas there’s an excellent opportunity to plan a hunt with family and friends. I couldn’t agree more!
Now, how much does Daniel enjoy the muzzleloader deer hunting season in Nebraska? Well enough to have bagged this nice, good-bodied mule deer buck while still-hunting in sub-zero, blizzard-like conditions in the canyon country near Valentine last year. Look at the pic! You’re a tough dude, Daniel!
I wonder where his father was at the time this Mulie buck was shot, hmmm. Was he back at the cabin in front of the wood-burning stove, nah! He was probably out fishing somewhere. After all, his father is – DARYL BAUER of the Game and Parks Commission’s Fisheries Division. He has the other blog on our Game and Parks website, entitled: “Daryl Bauer’s Barbs & Backlashes” at:
http://barbsandbacklashes.wordpress.com/
Now, GO FISH, woops, I mean GO HUNT.
Filed under: Wildlife Habitat | Tags: backyard habitat, brush piles for wildlife
One of the neat things you can do for wildlife in your backyard, on your acreage, or perhaps on your farm or ranch this time of year is to establish a brush pile. It can be simply done by collecting downed or trimmed tree limbs and branches, pruned brush, plus discarded Christmas trees at the end of the holiday season.
Many animals utilize these brush piles during winter for protection from predators and snow when other cover sources are buried. From quail to cottontails, I learned long ago that brush piles can ensure a good population of small critters in an area. Look for a multitude of songbirds, everything from dark-eyed juncos to Harris’s sparrows to frequent brush piles as well.
Though they are tremendously beneficial to wildlife, brush piles also attract raccoons, skunks and opossums. Because of this keep brush piles away from houses, barns and bird feeders located on or near the ground.
Building a brush pile is fantastic project for kids and adults alike. See the photo of a brush pile being constructed by my brother Steve and his family on their acreage near Gretna, NE.
BUILDING A BRUSH PILE
Materials List
- Fallen or cut tree limbs/branches of various sizes. After the holiday season, add real, cleaned off Christmas trees (no flocked trees) to the brush pile.
Construction Notes
- Stack your brush with the largest logs or branches on the bottom, lighter ones on top. If two big logs are available, lay them on the ground parallel to each other – this will provide adequate crawl spaces for the critters.
- Stack the lighter branches on top until your brush pile is at least 4 feet high and 6 feet in diameter. The ideal brush pile dimension is 10 feet by 10 feet.
- If Christmas trees are used at the end of the season, push them together so that their boughs interlock as this will help reduce some of the natural spring in the branches.
Site Selection
- Edges of wooded areas adjacent to grasslands, croplands or wetlands that offer some shelter from prevailing winds are best.
- Make sure that your prospective brush pile location isn’t going to be an unwelcome eyesore to homeowners or neighbors.
Installation and Maintenance
- Three or four smaller brush piles are better than one huge pile. Distribute these through an area for maximum effectiveness to wildlife.
- A crisp late fall or early winter afternoon is one of the best times to get some fresh air and construct a brush pile. It will then be ready as rugged mid-winter cover. It’s easy to check the success of your project. Following a new snowfall, tracks should be everywhere! See how many you and your kids can identify!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: gift ideas, holiday gifts, outdoor gifts
Hanna Momsen of Omaha, NE, age 12, shows off her nice whitetail buck she harvested in Burt County during the firearm deer hunting season this year (Look carefully, see Hanna’s earrings? Gotta love ‘em!). Take note here Santa Claus, on Hanna’s Christmas gift list: A new deer rifle with scope plus insulated camouflaged coveralls, a new backpack, oh and a new pair of earrings, maybe blaze orange in color?
So, as the holiday shopping season kicks off, what do you get as a holiday gift or stocking stuffer for the hard-to-buy-for outdoor enthusiast in your family? The new 2010 permits and stamps for hunting, fishing, fur harvesting and state parks as well as a subscription to the award-winning NEBRASKAland magazine make for super gifts that last all year long! Check out the photo below for some additional suggestions. Happy Holidays!
Filed under: Hunting, Wild Game Cooking | Tags: Cooking Deer, Wild Game, Wild Game Cooking Tips
Those of us who enjoy Nebraska’s many and varied fall hunting seasons have our freezers packed full of venison, wild turkeys, rooster pheasants, Canada geese and other assorted wild game species. The Wagner family loves eating a variety of wild game entrees over the holiday period! How about your family?
If you are new to cooking wild game or haven’t done it for a while, here are some basic principles to follow from Chef Dan Small who writes for Pennsylvania Outdoor News:
- Game is leaner and drier than most domestic meats, so use recipes that keep it moist!
- Game meat will be tender if you cook it for a short time on high heat or a long time on low heat. Game meat needs to be cooked thoroughly, but is best done medium-rare!
- Younger animals taste better and are tenderer than older ones. Use young game in most recipes; reserve older game for stews and braising.
- Aging game will help tenderize it and add flavor. As an example, you should age an old gobbler for about a week before freezing it or cooking it.
- Less is better. Simpler recipes are not only easier; they respect the nuances of game meat. Use sauces, spices and seasonings sparingly to enhance, not overpower your game.
- Fresh is best. When a game recipe calls for herbs, purchase them as you need them from the grocery store or start a small herb garden. Old herbs have little taste. Greg Wagner’s favorite herb to use with wild game is rosemary!
- Wines and Wild Game. To keep things simple, use white and rose wines for upland game birds, red wines for everything else.
- Let it soak! Let wild game meat soak in marinades overnight, or at least for an hour or two. This will help add flavor to and tenderize your meat.
- Rub it in. Sprinkle herbs and rub seasonings on your game meat with your fingers and then let it sit a while before cooking. Brush a light coat of olive oil on meat that has been dry rubbed to help seal in favors and moisture.
Dan Small says turning dead critters into delicious meals is not a daunting task. Dan summarizes: “Keep your game meat moist, serve it hot and use seasonings sparingly and your guests will start calling you a gourmet chef!” Right on, Dan! Bon appétit!
By the way, feel free to share your favorite wild game cooking secrets and recipes with us by leaving a comment. Thanks!
Filed under: Deer, Hunting, Uncategorized | Tags: deer hunting photos, Nebraska firearm deer hunting season
My nephew Seth Wagner with his nice whitetail buck.
My son Noah proudly poses with his whitetail spike buck.
A 4 X 4 whitetail buck I took on Sunday morning of the opening weekend.
Practicing what I preach for deer management, a good, healthy whitetail doe shot on Sunday morning as well.
Filed under: Deer, Hunting | Tags: deer blind, deer hunting, deer stand, wildlife watching
It’s a quiet, intensely personal sport; one that has no spectators, takes you away from computers, cell phones, Blackberries, IPods and television and forces you to slow down, smell the wind and observe nature in an intimate sort of way. There are no home field advantages here; in fact, every session in the field is an away game against your competitor while being at the whim of the weather. The hours of this unique sport are measured by the path of the sun, rather than by a scoreboard clock. Plus, it’s the little occurrences that happen during this experience that make it such a rich and rewarding one, like the chatter of a fox squirrel, coyotes yipping in the distance and that raccoon climbing the tree next to you.
Firearm deer hunting is such a fine way to watch wildlife and enjoy the great outdoors of Nebraska. You know, bagging a deer is purely a bonus, isn’t it?
Good hunting, be safe, enjoy! We’ll see you out there.
There aren’t very many deer hunters who possess the willpower, stamina or patience to sit in a tree stand, ground blind or on a ridge top all day long from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset to bag a deer. The older I get, the tougher it is to do that. But, let me tell you that it pays big dividends to stay in the field as long as humanly possible. Here’s proof.
Over the years, I have shot many nice, quality deer in late morning – around 11 a.m. during “the rut” of various firearm seasons. Surprised? Don’t be. Other hunters who are moving out of their stands in mid morning can actually push deer toward you. Also, larger bucks are still in the process of rounding up solitary does at that point. Conversely, I would tell you to be in your stand at about 2 p.m. so you’ll be ready when another hunter jumps deer heading to his or her stand at about 3 or 4 p.m.
If you’re a deer hunter, do something unorthodox but safely in the woods. It may produce some amazing results! Good deer hunting, be safe! See you out there!
Filed under: Deer, Hunting | Tags: Check stations, checking your deer, Nebraska firearm deer season
Firearm deer hunters in Nebraska must use official deer check stations to check in their deer. The new deer telecheck program IS NOT available for use during the Nov. 14-22 firearm deer hunting season due to the collection of research information. The telecheck program can be used to check in deer online or via telephone during all of the other deer hunting seasons. For more information about checking in your deer, including a listing of the official deer check stations, click this link below:
http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/hunting/pdfs/deer/DeerMaster.pdf
Good hunting, be safe! See you out there!
Copyright: NEBRASKAland Magazine
A special notice to the 75,000-85,000 firearm deer hunters that will be taking to their tree stands and blinds this Saturday, November 14 through Sunday, November 22: Watch for the Farmer!
As the Nebraska corn harvest continues firearm deer hunters are being strongly encouraged to talk to their farmer friends in advance of their hunt to know what fields those farmers plan to be combining.
Nebraska Conservation Officer Jeff Clauson of Waterloo stresses: “You may know where an individual farmer is combining this morning, but after he is done combining that particular corn field, which corn field is he heading to next? Find out ahead of time!”
Clauson says the other thing that comes into play here is a hunter education rule, and that is to be sure of your target and background. “I want deer hunters to ask themselves three things before firing a shot a deer: “Where’s the landowner, is that a legitimate target and what am I gonna hit if I miss.”
Clauson emphasizes that farmers and others who are not participating in the firearm deer hunting season should wear some sort of blaze orange or reflective clothing and even carry a flashlight or wear a head lamp during lower light periods to be seen by hunters.
Have a safe one. Good hunting. See you out there!
Filed under: Deer, Hunting, Uncategorized | Tags: archery deer hunting, bowhunting
Contrary to a rumor that has been spreading, the archery deer hunting season in Nebraska is not open during the firearm deer season which runs from 11/14 – 11/22.
The only exceptions are at the Gifford Point WMA near Bellevue (for those who already have the access permit) and at the Desoto NWR near Blair.
Good hunting. See you out there!
