Nebraska's Spring Woods

This time of year Nebraska gobblers are out strutting their stuff, hoping to impress the hens whose sides they never leave.

This morning they weren't calling much, and I was lucky that I spotted them before they spotted me. I crept in as close as I dared, set up two decoys, and started calling softly. They gobbled every time I hen-yelped and they eyed my decoys up and down, but I guess my plastic birds just don't compare to the real thing cause they never came.

It's still early in the archery season, and most of the hens have yet to be bred. Trying to coax a gobbler into leaving his ladies is just about impossible. I finally gave up and turned to Plan B: sneak within bow range. I got pretty close too, until this young doe walked up and ruined things.



I don't think she had any idea what I was at first. Still, she bounced off waving the white tail of warning, and the turkeys grew nervous. Though I followed them a little, I never could get close enough for a shot; and eventually left, not wanting to spook them completely out of the woods. The rest of the morning was filled with photos.


Since it is Spring, the bird-nerd blood in me is running thick, so here are a few species you don't find in Utah or Idaho that I spotted this morning.

Northern Cardinal

Winter Wren

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Harris's Sparrow

The Wild Life of Cedar Row

Recently I've come down with a severe case of cabin fever. I catch it every Spring when the frozen world begins to thaw and my restless mind starts aching to play outdoors. In the past, various therapies have cured my fever, such as shed-antler hunting, birdwatching, 3D archery tournaments, and Cabela's spending binges; but this year I've found my cure in playing around with trail cameras. I first became converted to their use back in July (click here to read), and this actually isn't my first post about it (click here). These are just the latest pics.

On a section of public land near my home the Division of Wildlife Resources has planted a variety of trees and grasses to house and feed the local wildlife. One particularly dense row of cedar trees acts as a natural wall that funnels traveling deer to my yellow "x" where there is a single, heavily-used "gateway" to the cornfield nearby. I've marked what deer trails I know in red.


I placed my trail camera in that "gateway" hoping to get a shot of a buck or two before they shed last year's antlers. What I found instead was this...


...and this...

It snapped hundreds of pictures of coons, rabbits, possums, deer, turkeys, bobcats, coyotes, and more, all within just three days. I never expected to see such a party going on in one row of cedars. Rather than post dozens of the pictures here, I just photoshopped some of the good ones together into one photo. The final product has a cool effect.

Here's a scene from the night life. How many different species can you identify?


Stay tuned for future posts of more critter pics and other fever-curing outdoor festivities.

Lions and Tigers and Bears...well, not Tigers

Strangely enough, one of the things I miss most about hunting in Utah and Idaho is that it's done in the presence of mountain lions and black bears.


There's just something about an after-dark hike back to the truck down a cold, lonely canyon that makes your neck hairs stand straight up. The anxiety-induced adrenaline bursts from every predator-shaped shadow are addictive. I've only ran into bears a couple of times in the woods and have yet to encounter a cougar while not in my truck, but it's not uncommon to hike a dusty afternoon trail back to camp and see bear or cat tracks on top of your morning footprints. That was exactly the case here, (click the pic to enlarge if you need).


On my last Utah elk hunt before moving to Nebraska my buddy and I spotted these old claw marks in the bark of an aspen tree.


He's from Mississippi so he thought it was the coolest thing. I didn't understand what he was feeling until I hunted this year out here in Cornland where the most vicious animal you'll encounter on the three minute walk down the dirt road back to the car is the farmer's drunken daughter making out with her boyfriend in the grass. Well... you might see a bobcat if you're lucky, but it's just not the same adrenaline rush.


The truth is human encounters with mountain lions and black bears are very uncommon, and usually end with the animal scared and fleeing the scene. Still, it makes me feel like more of a man carrying a gun "just in case".

Trail Cam Captures

I got a trail camera for Christmas a month or so ago and have set it up several times. Here are a few photos just for the fun of it.

I threw some birdseed out onto my back porch and caught several pics and videos of these House Sparrows bouncing around. This chunky little guy decided he'd steal a free meal as well.


In this video you can see the sparrows dart for the bushes once they spot the danger fast approaching, (watch the top of the fence).


That Sharp-shinned Hawk was the coolest thing I had caught on camera until this week when I placed my trail cam in the woods.


If you look close you can see the coyote in this video holding something in his mouth, perhaps a squirrel? A rabbit? The pheasant I missed earlier in the year?


Late one night a couple of months ago I let Rudy out to do his doggy business just before going to bed. I hadn't even closed the back door when he erupted into a barking fit that I knew meant something or someone was in our backyard. Expecting to see a cat or our neighbor, I stepped onto the back porch and was surprised to catch a glimpse of one of these being chased away:

I had never seen a possum before that night. I figure it lives nearby because I've spotted it twice since then. I've set up the trail cam a few times trying to catch a photo (this one isn't mine), but no luck yet. Not long after that I caught another trespasser in my yard but this one was quick, (unlike possums), with a ringed tail (like a coon), but skinny as a cat (unlike a coon) and I only got a glimpse in the dark. I'd really like to catch a picture of it because I think it was a ring-tailed cat, though all the books say they don't live around here.

Farmland Fun

Other than my recent duck hunt post, I haven't written much lately about my adventures here in the wild and rugged farmland of Nebraska. I miss the Rocky Mountains and the public-land-deer they provide, but I had my share of fun up until the seasons closed.


Rudy and I have been chasing birds all fall. He flushed his first pheasant in late October and my twelve gauge brought it to the ground. Rudy was on it like a hawk with his propeller-like tail swinging frantically behind. I commanded him to retrieve, not knowing quite what he would do with a bird half his size. He stuck his nose to it and then looked up at me with a confused look on his face as if to say, "Ya wahme da wha!?" (He's from the ghetto so he talks like that). Again I told him to fetch it, to which he incredulously replied, "Dis sucka ain' no dove, man. You gotta be ou yo freakin mind!" He then moseyed off to go find a tree to pee on.

I left my camera home that trip so this is the only picture I have of the bird.


A few weeks later we were out looking for a new place to hunt deer, (because the whole rifle-hunting world moved into my little honey hole once the corn harvest was over). Rudy flushed a flock of quail out from this little patch of cover.

As startled as I was, I'm surprised I had time to get my gun up and drop the last bird through that opening in the trees. Rudy got it, left it at my feet and ran off looking for more. I had to call him back to take this picture.

I marked where the covey landed, flushed them again and shot one more. These were the first Bobwhites I'd ever seen. They fly incredibly fast. I wish we had 'em back home in Utah.


The last week of deer season (last week of the year) I spent many cold mornings and evenings trying to find a deer on public land. I saw three small bucks and a few does, like these...

...but none came within range of my traditional black powder muzzleloader. Why don't I use a better gun, you ask? I tell you in a post or two from this one.

With or without venison this year I had fun. Hopefully I can find some private land to hunt deer on next year, but at least the dog and I have access to birds.