The trees go in at the river.

We rechecked our rifles this morning to be sure they were still sighted in. Then helped my dad with a nice buck he got today with his bow. This afternoon we took time to plant 3 apple, 1 peach, and 2 oak trees. The fruit trees should start producing in 3 years and whatever mom doesn't pick for lunches and pies will fall and be eaten by deer. These trees will be a nice addition to their habitat. Right now we're getting settled in for the night and rested for opening morning tomorrow.

Shooting to have some fun this afternoon.

After cat fishing my dad came down to the river with the blue rock thrower and we did a little target shooting. As usual I let the little guy win. But hey, I can still beat him in a bike race... On a good day... If I get a headstart... Jeeze, that kid can shoot!

Tom Knapp will perform for free in G.I. Saturday!

This is an awesome sharp shooter show, we went to Norfolk years ago and saw it, he seldom is in the area, and I highly recommend making the time to go. Click here to find out more about this weekends event and click here to see his site. Very, very cool!

National 4-H Shooting Competition Was In G.I. Over The Weekend.

This shooting event drew 4-H'ers from across the nation to Grand Island. Find out more here.

Never shoot at a hard surface or water.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims family and the shooter and his family. This is one of the cardinal rules taught in Hunter Education. Please take the class if you haven't and be sure to follow all safety rules. Click here to read the full story.

11 becomes 12 as an outdoorsman emerges and his hero steps aside.

As Wallace Stegner observed: "...there is a time somewhere between the ages of five and twelve which corresponds to the phase ethologists have isolated in the development of birds, when an impression lasting only a few seconds may be imprinted on the young bird for life. This is the way a bird emerging from the darkness of the egg knows itself, the mechanism of its relating to the world. Expose a just hatched duckling to an alarm clock, or a wooden decoy on rollers, or a man, or any other object that moves and makes a noise, and it will react for life as if that object were its mother. Expose a child to a particular environment at his susceptible time and he will perceive in the shapes of that environment until he dies."

It is with grave concern that I announce to the world wide web that our 11 year old is just days away from becoming 12. I shudder as I see the window into his subconscious closing. His sponge of a mind is nearly saturated with experiences. Brain cells are developing at an alarming rate, creating a rational and logical tween where an awe struck lad once stood. The magic will soon be gone and he’ll spend the better part of his remaining years trying to rekindle the memories he’s made already.

As a parent and an outdoorsman, I feel like I’ve failed to pack as much of the outdoors into his head as I could have during the short handful of formative years we had together.

Statistics show that those who were not exposed to outdoor sports such as fishing and hunting as kids have around a 3% chance of partaking in those activities as adults. The number of outdoors-people is dwindling with no end in site. And I tried, as best I knew how, to instill into each of our kids the enjoyment and responsibilities of recreating outdoors. Now, as the youngest of our children bikes, swims, paddles or steps his hunting boots across that line in the sand. He’ll have more neurons connecting than ever, sending pulses of ambition to establish himself as a teen, then adult, and prove his worth to the world.

I pray that he will be reminded of:

Riding on the Billy Wolff Trail behind Hobby Lobby when he smells lilacs.

What a target perfectly lined up in his sites looks like when his fingertip touches cold steel.

How no worldly invention can be as therapeutic as warm loup river sand eroding from under bare feet.

That a puffed out chest and ear to ear smile just don’t seem right without a fish in your hand and dad pointing a camera at you.

Every weedeater or chainsaw exhaust smell beckons him back to the scent of his childhood 2-stroke ATV.

How grown-up the punishing kick of his new rifle’s first shot made him feel.

Cricket chirps and frog croaks heard from a campfire are possibly as close as you can get to heaven on earth.

How a crushed limestone trail sounds under bike tires and how the vibrations feel through the pedals and handlebars.

The smell of every fall from now on, takes him back to a riverside tree stand in 2008.

The deep-seated need to ‘do it again’ after the nauseating feel of your stomach in your throat and sting in your buns from a fast sleigh ride.

Propane will always smell like a warm duck blind breakfast on a clear and still, cold morning.

The tackiness of sunscreen and bug spray on your skin means good times are soon to be had.

Test riding an immaculate showroom bike necessitates a run through a virgin mud hole, regardless of the expression on the salesman’s face.

Root Beer and cheap chips tastes best from the front of a canoe.

With coveralls on and a shotgun in the back seat, city lights never looked better than in a pick-up mirror.

Of course I’ll continue to nurture (forcibly or otherwise) my interpretation of his love of the outdoors. But I know every outing will have less of an impact as he takes in less of the experience and worries more about whether we’ll get back in time for him to hangout with friends or for a date. The thought of girls, a job, his checkbook, and all the other responsibilities that lie across that line, will distance him from his boyhood outings I was lucky to be a part of. That disgusts me.

He had trouble coming up with what to say when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday. I said, “well, since you can’t think of a good gift anyway… I tell you what… it’s been a fun year, right?” “Yes” he says with a smile. “I thought so, ok, how about this, I’ll go down to the courthouse and have them change your birth-certificate so it’ll say you were born in 98 instead of 97, you can be 11 one more year, and we’ll even spend twice as much on your gift next year since we aren’t buying you one now. You can just skip this birthday.”

He declined.

Can’t say I’m surprised. But if it were up to me, I’d sure appreciate one more year of outdoor fun.

So now, as I trudge up to the courtesy desk of parenting, to exchange my hero’s cape for a has-been’s cane, I can’t help but feel a little sentimental about this ragged old cape.

Sure it looks ruff, with fish slime child-sized hand prints around the collar, it’s tattered and torn by bike wrecks, bloody from successful days in the field. You can shake river sand out of its seams and it smells like bug spray, sunscreen, bike sweat, fall hunts, root beer, campfire smoke, river water, and the love of three children and an adoring wife.

I’ll begrudgingly hand it to the clerk, and take that dang cane. The one that’ll make my kids turn away, when their out with friends, and I come around the corner. Their friends won’t see the cane. But my kids will. They’ll see me as I really am, an embarrassing, bumbling old fart who’s served his purpose and now should be put to pasture. But, mark my word, I’ll be back. Oh yes I will. I’ll stomp right up to that courtesy desk with this dang old cane and demand my cape back! You’ll know it’s me by the awe struck grandchild I’ll have in tow.

May 16th is Free Park Entry and Fishing Day.

Free Fishing & Park Entry DayDate: 5/16/2009

Time: All Day

Location: State Wide

Cost: Free Free Fishing and Park Entry Day.

No park entry permit or fishing license is required.

Buffalo Bill Recreation Area will be hosting a free fishing clinic from 10 am - 3 pm.

Alexandria State Recreation Area will be hosting a free kids fishing clinic from 9:30 am - 3 pm. Door prizes will be drawn at 3 pm and Zebco Rod and Reel will be awarded for Largest Fish, Largest Bluegill, and Largest Crappie (Youth Sixteen and Under). Fishing poles, bait and tackle will be provided to those without fishing equipment. A free hotdog cookout will be provided for participants.

Fort Robinson is offering free jeep rides, hayrack tours, and museum admission from 9 am - 4 pm. A fishing derby for children 12 and younger will be held from 9 am - 12 pm and prizes will be awarded to anyone who enters. A BBQ will be held on the lawn of Fort Rob from 12 pm - 1:30 pm.

Fremont SRA will be hosting a Kid's Fishing Day from 9 am - 12 pm at Lake #3. Food, Fun and Prizes. Bait and Tackle will be provided while supplies last. Platte River is hosting a Fishing Clinic from 9 am - 12 pm. Raffle drawings around 11 am and all kids win a prize.

Chadron State Park will be hosting a fishing clinic from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm.

Lake Minatare will be hosting a fishing clinic from 9 am - 1 pm.

Louisville State Recreation Area will be hosting a fishing clinic at Lake #1 from 9 am - 12 pm.

Eugene T Mahoney SP will be hosting a fishing clinic at the Owen Marina from 9 am - 11 am.

Ponca State Park will be hosting a fishing clinic from 9 am - 8 pm.

Two Rivers State Recreation Area will be hosting a fishing clinic at Lake #1 from 9 am - 12 pm.

Victoria Springs State Recreation Area will be hosting a fishing clinic from 9 am - 6 pm.Contact:

Also:

Nebraska Outdoor Expo - Public Day - May 16, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Fort Kearny SRA. The Expo’s Public Day, May 16 will offer over 30 hands-on skill activities and demonstrations that will make the Outdoor Expo a memorable experience. Family members of all ages, are invited to participate in the FREE fun interactive event. Novice or experience, you are invited to help celebrate Nebraska’s outdoor heritage. Join us at the new location, Fort Kearny Recreation Area (SRA), (located on Highway L50A south of Kearney) for the event of the season.Public Day Activity options include:Enjoy a free day at one of Nebraska’s State Recreation Areas Safety training and shooting 20 gauge shotguns or air guns Archery shooting at bullseye or full-sized animal 3D targets Compete in the 3D trail challenge Instruction and kayaking Visiting a trapper's camp to learn about trapping history and equipment Exploring various campsites Tasting outdoor cooking Hiking and bird watching along park trails Observing hunting dog training techniques Learn turkey hunting techniques from Nebraska’s professions Visiting with conservation officers, viewing law enforcement equipment Attending educational workshops on animal and bird behavior View Nebraska raptors and snakes Learn fish cleaning and cooking techniques Compete in the Nebraska Outdoors Challenge Explore the Kids Outdoors Discovery Dome Kick-off event for Nebraska’s 2009 Great Park Pursuit Outdoor Adventure Program.

See the Nebraska Game and Parks site for more info.

Hunter Education class ends successfully.

Guest speaker, Nebraska Game and Parks Officer Murray Johnson shares experiences and advice with students.

Congratulations. Good luck and best wishes to all the graduates.

Practice the skills you've learned on both the range and in the field.

They are an outstanding group of outdoors men and women. And will be a valuable addition to the sport.

I couldn't be prouder of the individuals that took this weeks class.

"You shoot like a girl" is quite a compliment!

Check out Kelly Audet's story on Omaha.com

May 16th Fort Kearney State Park Game and Parks Commission to Host Expo

Mark your callendar now to take the family to the Outdoor Expo - it's free.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will host Nebraska Outdoors: Expo 2009 on May 14-16 at Fort Kearny State Recreation Area located on Highway L50A south of Kearney. More than 7,500 individuals attended last year's Expo. This will be our first year in a new outdoor location, and we think the move to the Fort Kearny location will significantly enhance this FREE, family-oriented event. With eight lakes, camping areas and plenty of room for outdoor activities and demonstrations, we hope to continue our mission to encourage use and understanding of Nebraska's outdoors.

A wide variety of activities and exhibits are provided for participants to experience hands-on. Outdoor information and skills will be presented by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission staff as well as Cabela's and participating outdoor interest groups. The activity experiences differentiate the Expo from many sport shows.

The Expo is a free, family-oriented event.Highlights of the 2009 event include: An outdoor classroom for 4-6th grade on May 14 and 15. More than 2,600 students attended these classroom days in 2008; we anticipate this "outdoor classroom" will again be a popular educational event for schools within a 200-mile radius of the Kearney area. A public day from 9 am - 6 pm on Saturday, May 16. Featuring hands-on activities, presenters and a variety of exhibitors, this event attracted thousands of visitors of all ages from around the area last year.

Additional "on the water" experiences for those interested in kayaking, canoeing and fishing. A special kick-off even for Nebraska's 2009 Great Park Pursuit outdoor adventure program.

The Expo is for all skill levels. There is something for everyone, with 45 activities going on throughout the Expo. You can get acquainted with outdoor pursuits you've wanted to get into or pick up information that complements your present interests. You can hone safety shooting skills, see fish sampling equipment work or learn how to attract birds to a backyard feeder. Some activities will focus on specific skills such as canoeing or campfire cooking. Other sessions will add to your knowledge base of the outdoors as in wildlife management or Nebraska's raptors.

Twelve general activity areas are included in the Expo: Archery; Boating; Camping and Park Experiences; Dog Training; Fishing; Fish and wildlife management; Hunting; Law Enforcement; Natural World Encounters; Shooting; Trapping; Wildlife viewing and birding.

Shoot - It's a nice day to go shooting!

Took the 11yr old out to the Izzak Walton for some target shooting. He shot his 22ca. & 243ca. How about that bullseye with his 243ca at 100 yards? It's better than my target. (thats why mine's not shown) "Better luck next time dad."

Hunter Education

When we got the kids BB guns and started shooting with them in 2004, it didn’t take long and several of the neighbor kids showed up (our house was always the hangout anyway) with their BB guns wanting to join in.

If they were going to shoot around me they had to be safe. And when I one day saw one of them shooting off his back deck at a can in their yard and pointing toward our house I was more than happy to have him join us for some lessons on firearm handling.

I thought that if I’m going to be showing these kids how to shoot, I’d better make sure I’m telling them the right thing. I signed up to become a volunteer Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Firearm Hunter Education Instructor.

I have since taught in St. Libory at the Catholic Church and Palmer at the firehall with Arlo. In Grand Island with Mel and the others at the Grand Island Rifle Club. In Cairo and Boelus with my dad, Dave, Harold, Larry, John, Heath, Rick, Paul, and several others. In Seward at the Efree church, and in Lincoln at the Hunter Ed office and classroom.

Being an instructor has been a way I can give back to the sport and teaching with so many other instructors during the last 4 years has given me a wealth of knowledge and forged friendships with some great hunters. It has also served as a constant reminder that I need to conduct myself in the most positive light in the class room, on the range and in the field.

Nebraska is in need of more instructors and I encourage you to check out the game and parks website to sign up and become a certified instructor. Hunting has benefited wildlife in so many ways! But the number of hunters is dwindling as hunting and shooting are in competition with T.V., video games, and the over scheduled lives that our kids are faced with. It’s a great way to help insure the future of the sports we love and teach our youth about being safe, respectful and responsible outdoors men and women.

Shooting

I was shooting pop cans and paper targets for as long as I can remember. I went on to shoot competitively in 4-H with BB gun, 22 rifle (silhouettes) and Trap (blue rocks) with shotguns. It was a lot easier back then, the competition wasn’t nearly as serious as it is now. We were just a bunch of farm kids that met up each year at the fair and did our thing. I was schooled each year by my friend Gregg and a girl that was a year older. Until my last year (when they were too old). So I do have a couple of trophy’s to remember it by.

We got our oldest a BB gun years ago, I set up some straw bales against the outside of the garage and soon after got the other two Red Riders. We put a lot of holes in paper targets and pop cans those first couple of years. Then I enrolled our oldest in a beginner NRA youth rifle class held at the Grand Island Rifle Club taught by my friend Mel. And later in his advanced youth rifle class. He joined the Grand Island Rifle Club youth rim fire team and they competed at the annual State High School Rifle Competition. They did great as a team and he did great individually too.

I went on to help Mel teach other youth rifle classes and an adult ladies only class. Preparing for the competition we would shoot at least 3 times a week at Larry’s place outside of Palmer. Our oldest bought a 22ca. Salvage Bolt and put 4 power scope on it. All the shooting was done from the standing position at steel silhouettes. We found our own set of silhouettes on ebay and used them for practice. He was really something. I would shoot too while we were out there. It’s shocking how good you can get when you practice a lot.

Around that same time we saw Tom Knapp live in Norfolk. That was awesome! He’s the Harlem Globe Trotters of shooting. And seeing a show like that just fueled the kids’ interest in shooting. I couldn’t wait to get home and try some of his tricks. There is also a 1 hour long show that airs on the History Channel featuring him and some other sharp shooters. One of the tricks is shooting a playing card in half on edge. After a lot of practice I could cut a card at 25’ with a 22ca. I couldn’t do it now, but when we were shooting a lot I could. The 22ca. has always been my favorite firearm. The guns and ammo are affordable, and there is no kick.

After moving to Lincoln I took a NRA handgun class put on by Lincoln Parks & Rec. at the old indoor range near the old National Guard west of the state fairgrounds. That range is going to be demolished and I think it’s a shame. I joined several others at a city council meeting to speak out against the closing and demolition of that range. But they voted in favor of closing it to put in a housing development. Anyway, it was excellent class that I’d recommend to anyone, you’ll be able to find it taught elsewhere too. Many of the students hadn’t ever fired a gun before the class. And by the end we were all consistently getting good scores on our targets. About 5 years ago I got it in my head that I needed a revolver. So I went to a Omaha pawnshop and spent $80 on a 22ca. Well, I couldn’t hit jack with it. And naturally blamed it on the gun. I knew that my skills were fine, only that I needed to upgrade to a Ruger Single Six. After taking the handgun class, I realized that my cheap revolver shoots just fine, it was me that was the problem. But now I’m without a good excuse to buy a new handgun. The lesson here is, often times the shooter needs improving more than the inventory in the gun safe.

While on the subject of firearms I will tell you that I’ve only got the basics, a 22ca. long rifle and revolver a deer rifle, a 50ca. inline black powder and shotguns. I’ve still got every gun I’ve ever had. Each one is sentimental. I admire guys that have rooms filled with every make and model. But I’m definitely not one of them. I believe if you’ve got a safe, mechanically sound modern firearm and practice a lot you’ll be fine. Don’t get me wrong, Cabelas hates when I go into their gun room, because I drool all over the place and it’s a mess to clean up. But if your not a firearms expert your in good company here. I do believe in keeping your guns in a locked safe separate from your ammunition which should be locked up also. And keeping your firearms clean.

As soon as we moved to Lincoln I was on the hunt for a new place to shoot. I found the Lincoln Ikes Chapter and joined. We really enjoy going out there. You’ll also find other ranges in Lincoln that I haven’t shot at and can’t comment on.