In the Wild with Greg Wagner


ASK THE CONSERVATION OFFICER

Get your Nebraska outdoor law and regulation questions ready for Conservation Officer Jeff Clauson of Waterloo when he joins me for this Saturday’s Great Outdoor Radio Show airing on Omaha’s ESPN Radio 1620 AM from 9-10 a.m. CDT. The show can also be heard live on www.1620thezone.com 

The phone numbers to call where you can ask your questions, are :

Locally 951-1620

Toll-Free, Nationwide 1-877-951-1620

Don’t be bashful. When it comes to outdoor activities, Jeff and I always say this: “There’s no such thing as a dumb question, only dumb mistakes made by not asking that dumb question.”  Perhaps you have a question about some of the new deer hunting regulations here in Nebraska.

We look forward to chatting with you on the air!



THE SPOOKTACULAR BLIND

I wanted to share with you the blind where I’m hunting whitetail does with my rifle during this early October Antlerless Deer Hunting Season in southeastern Nebraska. My cousin’s husband, Mark B. who oversees/manages my uncle’s farm – is a fantastic artist (and hunter), check out what I refer to as the “spooktacular” blind with its Halloween motif, ya’ gotta love it! Deer hunting is all about having fun, isn’t it?

Here’s the view from the blind where deer emerge from the timber in late afternoon.

Look closely, see the whitetail doe laying on the ground? The spooktacular blind produces results!

Deer hunting is also about experiencing Nebraska’s brilliant autumn sunsets. I’m seated in the blind looking out another window right about sunset.  

I’ll see my friends and relatives out there, and you maybe at the gas station, in my big game hunting blaze orange costume headed to the spooktacular blind, boo!



OCTOBER ANTLERLESS DEER SEASON FEEDBACK
 
Received just moments ago … Sharing the feedback with all of you … Keep the reports comin’ … Congratulations Jill!!! … GW.
 
Greg,
 
Just wanted to share a success story.  My wife Jill has been trying to harvest a deer for the past 3 or so years.  Because of my business, we have only been able to hunt the December  black powder season and have not had any luck.  Last night, Jill took a nice whitetail doe, her first deer! 
 
 
She now has that elusive first deer under her belt and is already talking about hunting for a buck in December.  She commented on how enjoyable it was during the nicer weather.
 
Steve Evers
Wildlife Creations


OCTOBER ANTLERLESS DEER SEASON UPDATE

It was a good opening weekend in the field for me and my hunting partner to do our part for deer management with our centerfire rifles during Nebraska’s special October Antlerless Deer Hunting Season targeting whitetail does. Did you participate in this season? How’d you do? Give us an update if you feel inclined. For us, despite crops still standing in the field, deer movement was good, better than expected, actually. I shot the two young whitetail does pictured below during the late afternoon session yesterday, October 3rd on a relative’s farm next door to ours in Sarpy County. The does come out of big, broad area of timber onto a grassy pasture and were making their way to  adjacent unharvested soy bean fields.

My hunting partner Andre also had success and shot this adult whitetail doe yesterday morning, October 3rd with his rifle. He took this nice doe along a well-used deer trail in woods leading to a core bedding area for the whitetails.

Get specific information for yourself and your hunting partner(s) on the October Antlerless Deer Hunting Season (which continues through October 11th in more than half of the state) by reading over a copy of the 2010 Big Game Guide. It’s accessible by clicking here: http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/hunting/guides/biggame/pdfs/biggame.pdft

Take care, might see you in the office. Well, probably not. I’ll be heading back to the deer blind soon to harvest more antlerless whitetails. I hunt from a unique deer hunting blind, more on that in the coming days … Stay tuned!!!



MUST-TRY, HEALTHY, TASTY GROUND VENISON BURGER RECIPE

This is a must-try, healthy, tasty recipe for those of you who have or will have ground venison in the frig or freezer this fall or winter. It’s actually a healthy twist on an older recipe in my file. Even non-hunters and non-wild game meat eaters visiting the Wagner abode have thoroughly enjoyed this recipe! It serves eight people. Bon appetite! See you out there, grill-side! By the way, if you would like to receive or donate some venison, don’t forget about our Nebraska Deer Exchange Program here: http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/hunting/programs/deerexchange/

Recipe Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onions
  • 3 tablespoons fat-free, plain yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 pounds ground venison
  • 8 whole wheat or multi-grain hamburger buns, split
  • 8 slices reduced-fat or low-fat Pepper Jack cheese

Recipe Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, mustard and lime peel; cover and refrigerate until serving.
  2. In a bowl, combine the onions, yogurt, jalapeno, salt and pepper. Crumble meat over mixture and mix well. Shape into eight patties. Grill until meat is no longer pink. Serve on buns; top with cheese and mayonnaise mixture … Mmmm!


BROADCASTING FROM MAHONEY STATE PARK

I’ll be broadcasting my crazy, zany, outdoor information-filled Great Outdoor Radio Show on Omaha’s ESPN Radio 1620 AM from Mahoney State Park near Ashland this Saturday morning. I’ll be in the Kiewit Lodge from 9-10 a.m. during the park’s annual fall art show and rib-fest event. Stop by!

 

If you can’t make it to the park for the broadcast, you can listen online, at: www.1620thezone.com

You’ll wanna come by though, and see what hats I’ll be wearing, ha!

Here’s a link for some brief info on the art show and rib-fest: http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/calendar/index.php?&y=2010&m=10&d=02&eventdatetime_id=162

See you out there, broadcasting at the park!



TROUT COMING TO STANDING BEAR!

A quick blog to let you Omaha-metro area anglers know that pan-sized rainbow trout are scheduled to be stocked

in Standing Bear Lake, 138th & Fort Street in northwest Omaha, 

weather and other factors permitting, sometime between Oct. 12-15.

So, you can begin to stock up on your Powerbait, canned sweet corn kernels, etc.

As that time frame draws closer, I will try to let you know exactly when the rainbows will be stocked in ‘the bear’.

After the stocking, I’ll see you out there, with my son Noah, hoping to catch a  couple rainbows, 

to bring home to the kitchen!



NEBRASKA CROP HARVEST INFO

    

The corn harvest underway on a farm in Hamilton County about 20 miles south of Aurora, NE. Photo courtesy of Steven Larson.

 The crop harvest is underway, yesssss! Fellow outdoorsmen/women, you can go to these valid websites to obtain the latest info on how the 2010 crop harvest is progressing here in the Cornhusker State.    

http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/cropwatch/archive?articleID=4288672   

http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Nebraska/index.asp   

If you are aware of any other reputable websites for crop harvest info, please share them with us by leaving a comment. That would be most appreciated! We all know that standing crops in the field can really impact our hunting, whether we’re after rooster pheasants or whitetail deer. I encourage you to stay on top of the current data with regard to the state’s crop harvest. Of course, there’s no better way to get that sort of info than from your local landowner. If you plan to do some hunting on his or her ground, offer to help with the harvest in some fashion. Also, if you have a hunt planned during the harvest, make certain to find out what fields the landowner will be combining so everybody stays safe, nobody interferes with the harvest and where game might be located.    

Combining corn at low light in Hamilton County. Photo by Steven Larson.

  Hope to see you out there, helping the Nebraska farmer with the harvest if you’re hunting his or her land!  

Assisting with the crop harvest in Hamilton County. Photo by Steven Larson.

 



NOTICE TO ALL CARTER LAKE USERS

Carter Lake in northeast Omaha.

Just additionally getting the word out to you – the Carter Lake user – about what’s gonna be happening at the 3-mile long, 320-acre oxbow lake in northeast Omaha beginnng this Monday, Sept. 27th. If you haven’t seen it, here is the recent Game and Parks news release issued about it.

Rotenone Fish Renovation Scheduled for Carter Lake

LINCOLN, Neb. – Carter Lake will be closed to the public Sept. 27 to Oct. 1. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will renovate the Douglas County fishery as part of the lake restoration project. Common carp, bullhead and other non-game fish have been adversely affecting water quality in the lake.

Staff from both states will apply rotenone to the lake and surrounding small ponds to remove rough fish. Boat ramps in Omaha and the city of Carter Lake will be closed during the week. Crews from both states will collect dead fish for disposal.

Homeowners are encouraged to have boats on lifts or remove them from the water so the rotenone application and fish clean-up will be easier. Fish found near docks should be pushed toward open water, and fish should not be consumed by humans following rotenone application.

The lake is scheduled to be restocked in October with largemouth bass, channel catfish and bluegill. The lake has no length restrictions or bag limits, but new regulations will go into effect next year.

Keeping you in the loop. Take care! GW.



PREPARING TO DO(E) MY PART, HOW ABOUT YOU?

I just purchased my resident $11.00 October Antlerless Deer Hunting Season Permit to harvest two antlerless whitetail deer with any legal weapon in the open management unit from Oct. 2-11. What a bargain!

Are you a deer hunter? Look at the map below, do you have any land within the management unit boundaries where you deer hunt?

Why not take advantage of this early season opportunity to do(e) your part for the landowner, the motorist, the wildlife manager and more so, for the overall health of the whitetail herds in these respective areas.

Remember, you can actually buy as many of these October Antlerless Deer Hunting Season Permits as you want!  In case you’re wondering, the nonresident price for the October permit is $55 (still a bargain). Here’s where you go to purchase your permit (and current habitat stamp if you don’t have one already):   https://ngpc-permits.ne.gov/NGPC-PS/faces/public/welcome

Don’t forget your blaze orange cap and vest in the field. See you out there, do(e)ing your part!