Travel

For those wanting to observe the night sky, Nebraska’s remote locations are tops. One such place has earned official confirmation of its brilliance after dark. By Justin Haag For lovers of solitude, it is hard to imagine a better place to be. The occasional howl of a coyote, hoot of an owl, moos from cows. The eerie sound of ice forming over a lake on a cold December night. On occasion, the quiet, but growing, roar of a truck’s engine …

Tersh Kepler of Omaha, NE, one of the Midwest’s foremost morel mushroom hunting experts, is hoping for two things these early spring days: More what he calls “liquid gold” and warm rays from BOB in the sky. The “liquid gold” would be more measurable precipitation in the form of rain and the warm rays from BOB would be the heat provided by the big orange ball in the sky, the sun. Kepler says the conditions have been very windy and …

April Wildlife Viewing: For most of the year, prairie grouse are inconspicuous, but come mid-March through early May, male birds are ready to perform. By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist The iconic greater prairie-chicken dances in Nebraska may only be second to the sandhill crane migration. Photos and art of the dancing chickens can be found on postcards, in shops and museums throughout the state, and it’s no surprise among those who have witnessed this natural phenomenon unfold before their …

We are in the first portion of spring on the calendar. Green grass shoots are sprouting in my Omaha, NE yard. The days are getting longer. Water temperatures are warming. The time is now to get ready for some early spring fishing action! Emma Wagner-Nichols, your blogger’s daughter, caught this crappie in chilly, sunny weather in a private sandpit lake in Dodge County, NE. Photo courtesy of Emma Wagner-Nichols of Elkhorn, NE Have you put new line on your reels? …

By Jeff Kurrus, Nebraskaland Magazine Not all fishing trips are created equal, nor do they need to be. Some are after-work, two-hour jaunts in the middle of the summer and others are all-day ice-fishing affairs where the mind, and body, are exhausted at day’s end. And while each is pleasurable in its own fantastic ways, these aren’t the only types of trips to make. Some require windshield time first. Here are my favorites. The Bite The message boards fill up …

By Delanie Bruce, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies & Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Many of us relate March to the beginning of spring, madness over college basketball and hunts for the infamous pot of gold. But there’s another magic that starts this month – the symphonies of birds calling. For instance, you might recognize the high-pitched “howk-howk!” of snow geese flying overhead or the “kar-r-r-r-o-o-o” of prehistoric sandhill cranes preening on a sandbar. Nebraska is a particularly special place …

Spring has sprung! The amount daylight is increasing. The weather will be warming. In Nebraska, there are a multitude of activities that you can do in early spring. Here are eight to encourage you to step outside. (1) View Early Spring Birds. A wide variety of opportunities await Nebraska bird watchers in early spring. The migration of wild fowl is truly something to behold! The spring spectacle of the sandhill crane migration along the Platte River in south-central Nebraska should …

Best of Show BEST OF SHOW – Wondrous Woodies Photo by Roy Swoboda, Meadow Grove @wild.focus.photography With more than 3,500 entries submitted through Instagram, the 2022 Nebraskaland Magazine Photo Contest once again drew a record number of stunning images, forcing us to add an additional category, Invertebrates, to our perennial categories of Wildlife, Flora, Scenic and Recreation. This year’s Best of Show winner, “Wondrous Woodies,” by Roy Swoboda of Meadow Grove, was taken on a slough near the Missouri River …

March Wildlife Viewing — Sandhill Cranes By Olivia DaRugna, Watchable Wildlife Biologist Observing the convergence of over a million sandhill cranes along the Central Platte River is like immersing yourself in a nature documentary. The sandhill crane migration is truly one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles, on par with the awe-inspiring caribou migrations across northern Alaska and Canada or the mass movement of wildebeest herds across the Serengeti in Tanzania. The best part about the sandhill crane migration is …

You just read the title of this blog and I know what you’re thinking (or voicing aloud): “Come on, Greg, really? Us hunters and anglers need to be physically fit?” After all, aren’t we just sitting in blinds and boats or on the bank? Au contraire. Think about those long walks early in the morning or later in the afternoon getting to where you want to go. You’re tromping through muddy fields, taller grass, mucky marshland or dense woods … …