Volume 86, Issue 6, 2008
July 2008
- Identifier:
- nela.2008_086_06
- Title:
- Volume 86, Issue 6, 2008
- Issue Name:
- July 2008
- Date Issued:
- 2008-07-01
- year:
- 2008
- month:
- July
- Season:
- Summer
- PDF filename:
- NL_86.06_2008_Jul_Spreads_Entire.pdf
- Publisher:
- Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
- Format:
- Periodical
- volume:
- 086
- issue:
- 06
- number:
- 086.06
- Decade:
- 2000s
- Type:
- Rights Holder:
- Copyright Nebraskaland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, all rights reserved.
- Extracted Text:
-
Volunteer fireman Eric Fitzgerald of Loup City stands ready at Sherman Reservoir’s annual Fourth of
July fireworks show. Photo by Matt Houska.
NEBRASKAland Magazine
Published by the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
NebraskalandMagazine.com
$4.95
Volume 86, Number 6, July 2008
10 Miles Maryott
Oshkosh hunter, guide, artist, taxidermist and convict.
BY JON FARRAR
20 Asian Carp
Another exotic causing trouble.
BY ERIC FOWLER
22 Outdoor Photography: Landscape and Wildlife
You don’t have to have an expensive telephoto lens to take
good photos of wildlife.
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY BOB GRIER
26 The Biggest,Baddest Fish in Nebraska
Is the flathead the baddest predator in the state? This
Nebraska angler thinks so. TEXT AND PHOTOS BY JEFF KURRUS
32 Fort Kearny State Recreation Area
A place on the Platte for outdoor people.
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY JON FARRAR
36 Ospreys in Nebraska
10
●
Once a rare sight here, migrant ospreys are now common and
one pair has built a nest in Nebraska. TEXT AND PHOTOS BY BOB GRIER
42 One Month at a Time
A look at the Cornhusker Fly Fishers, an eastern Nebraska
fly-fishing club. TEXT AND PHOTOS BY JEFF KURRUS
8 Mixed Bag
Shore lunches, chatterbaits, white turkeys...
46 Outdoor Update
The Niobrara again makes a list of top 10 threatened rivers.
47 Book Review
42
●
26
●
Lisa Knopp’s Interior Places.
49 Parks and Places
Whitney Lake is a closely held secret.
Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Outdoor News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Portraits from the Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Cover: An osprey carries a trout headfirst as it flies off to a tree to eat its catch. Once rarely
seen in Nebraska, ospreys are now common migrants and are even nesting in the state. See
story on page 36. Photo by Bob Grier. Opposite: A white-tailed dragonfly (Plathemis lydia)
rests on an eroded bank at Griffith Prairie north of Aurora. Photo by Chris Helzer.
22
●
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 3
big impact onnity during their lifetime and we would like
to preserve as much of their
contributions as possible.
Ron Wolvin
Keith County Historical Society
Ogallala, Nebraska
Published by the
Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission
Director: Rex Amack
Assistant Directors:
Roger Kuhn, Kirk Nelson, Sam Sidner
Commissioners
Chairman:
James Ziebarth, Wilcox
Vice Chairman:
George E. Hall, Bridgeport
2nd Vice Chairman:
Jerrod Burke, Curtis
Dr. Mark Pinkerton, Wilber
Ron Stave, Waterloo
Dr. Kent Forney, Lincoln
Lynn Berggren, Broken Bow
Mick Jensen, Blair
Magazine Staff
Editor: Doug Carroll
Associate Editor: Jeff Kurrus
Art Director: Tim Reigert
Senior Editor: Jon Farrar
Regional Editors:
Eric Fowler, Bob Grier, Rocky Hoffmann
Circulation: Donna Robinson
Photo Librarian: Sarah Johnson
Marketing/Advertising: Jane Gustafson
For advertising information e-mail
advertising@ngpc.ne.gov
or call (402) 471-5481
NEBRASKAland
ISSN: 0028-1964
VOL. 86 / NO. 6
JULY 2008
Published monthly, except for Jan./Feb. and Aug./Sept.
issues, by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200
N. 33rd St., Lincoln, NE. Copyright 2008, all rights reserved.
Please address comments or questions to this address.
Periodicals postage paid at Lincoln, Nebraska, and other
locations. POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to
NEBRASKAland, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370.
NEBRASKAland is available on audio cassette from the
Nebraska Library Commission Talking Book and Braille
Service, Suite 120, 1200 N St., Lincoln, NE 68508. (800)
742-7691. NEBRASKAland Magazine and the Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission reserve the right to reject
any advertising not in keeping with the agency mission.
Rates: $18 for one year; $33 for two years; $44 for
three years. Nebraska residents must add
appropriate sales tax.
To subscribe call 1-800-NEBLAND (632-5263),
or go online to: NebraskalandMagazine.com.
For address changes and questions about your
subscription, e-mail donna.robinson@ngpc.ne.gov.
4 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
Fishing with Dad
We thought NEBRASKAland
might be interested in these pictures
taken in April 2007 at Merritt
Reservoir near Valentine.
The pictures are of my husband,
Todd Keller, and our daughter
Hannah. On this particular day she
said to Todd, "Daddy, you need a
little girl to help you fish!"
I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Thanks so much!
Kerry Keller
Bassett, Nebraska
Good-All Reels
Enjoyed the story about the GoodAll Reels of Ogallala by Rocky
Hoffmann and the article was full of
information I did not have. I am a
member of the Keith County
Historical Society and we do have a
collection of information about the
Goodall family of Keith County but
very little in the way of the fishing
equipment Robert Goodall made
after the war years. We do have a
few of the reels in our collection at
the Mansion on the Hill museum
and just recently had someone
inquire about the value of these
reels. I think this story found in
the March 2008 issue of
NEBRASKAland Magazine may
have helped to increase their value
or at least an appreciation of the reel
by the collectors.
I have just recently completed the
Goodall family display on the 3rd
floor of the Mansion on the Hill and
would like to ask if there would be a
problem with using this page or an
enlargement of this page to be
included in this Goodall Display.
Robert and Clarice Goodall made a
Leucistic Cardinal from Oklahoma
My husband and I had noticed this
very beautiful bird in our backyard
near Oklahoma City a few times
before I was finally able to catch
him on camera – he proved to be
very camera shy. While we were
able to identify him as a cardinal,
his true identity remained a mystery
to us until I described him to my
father, a lifelong subscriber of
NEBRASKAland Magazine. He
shared with us your recent article on
leucistic cranes, and finally, our
mystery was solved! Thank you for
helping us give a name to this truly
beautiful specimen of Mother
Nature!
Gina Grimes
Piedmont, Oklahoma
going to our web site at
NebraskalandMagazine.com,
clicking on the “Online Gift
Catalog” button on the left side of
the page, then clicking on
“Publications.”
You can also order past issues
through our office by calling (800)
632-5263.
-Editor
You can purchase “America Looks
West” and other special issues by
District Office III
2201 N. 13th St.
Norfolk, NE 68701
Phone (402) 370-3374
District Office IV
301 E. State Farm Rd.
North Platte, NE 69101
Phone (308) 535-8025
District Office VI
1617 First Ave.
Kearney, NE 68847
Phone (308) 865-5310
Omaha Office
1212 Bob Gibson Blvd.
Omaha, NE 68108
Phone (402) 595-2144
Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium
21502 W. Highway 31
Gretna, NE 68028
Phone (402) 332-3901
World Wide Web site: www.OutdoorNebraska.org
E-mail: info@ngpc.ne.gov
Administration
Ted Blume (Adm.)
Craig Stover (Asst.)
Wes Loos (Asst.)
Rod Loos (Asst.)
Murray Johnson
Carp on a Stick
Here’s a picture of seven-year-old
Ty Rannals of Omaha with a 21pound grass carp shot while bowfishing near Yutan.
Luann Rannals
Via e-mail
American Looks West
I am interested in obtaining a
copy of NEBRASKAland Magazine’s
"America Looks West: Lewis and
Clark on the Missouri." Is that
possible?
I'm an Oklahoma author with
relatives related to Meriwether
Lewis.
Thanks!
Terrye Robins
Via e-mail
Headquarters
2200 N. 33rd Street
Lincoln, NE 68503
Phone (402) 471-0641
District Office I
East Hwy. 2, Box 725
Alliance, NE 69301
Phone (308) 763-2940
District Office II
524 Panzer St., Box 508
Bassett, NE 68714
Phone (402) 684-2921
Send your comments to:
Doug Carroll, Editor
NEBRASKAland Magazine
P.O. Box 30370
Lincoln, NE 68503
or e-mail doug.carroll@ngpc.ne.gov
Please include your postal address
and telephone number.
Letters may be condensed and edited
for clarity. Photographs are
welcome and will be returned.
Under federal and/or state law, discrimination is prohibited on the
basis of race, color, religion, age, gender, marital status, national
origin, disability or political affiliation. If you think you have been
discriminated against in any program, activity or facility by the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission or want more information,
contact the Commission in Lincoln, NE, at (402) 471-0641 or the
Equal Opportunity Commission, Lincoln, NE, (402) 471-2024,
TTY/TDD (402) 471-4693).
Lincoln
471-5531
Lincoln
471-5532
Lincoln
471-5591
Ogallala (308) 284-8056
Lincoln
471-5003
Panhandle
Officer
City
Phone (308)
Jim Zimmerman (Sup.) Gering
436-7561
Walt Meyer
Chadron
432-4398
Scott Brandt
Gering
436-3418
Heath Packett
Gordon
282-2553
Dennis Thompson
Ogallala
284-6450
Dan Zuehlke
Ogallala
284-4815
Doug Pollard
Oshkosh
772-9950
Frank Miller
Valentine (402) 376-1183
Dan Kling
Whitney
432-8367
Southwest
Officer
City
Phone (308)
Roger Thompson (Sup.) N. Platte
532-9175
Ray Dierking
Brkn. Bow
872-3078
George Sund
Cambridge
697-4629
Michael Thome
Cozad
784-4362
Matt Andrews
Elwood
785-3025
Dirk Greene
Imperial
882-5328
Virgil Gosch
McCook
345-2185
Dudley Sorensen
N. Platte
532-0747
Rich Routh
Rep. City
799-2085
South-central
Officer
Jerry Pecha (Sup.)
Jeff Jones
Terry Brentzel
City
Phone (308)
Kearney
865-5327
Clay Center(402)762-3124
Doniphan (402)845-2021
Randy Pomplun
Darin Gress
Dale Johnson
Mark Reeves
Robert Finke
Richard Seward
Fullerton
536-2987
Hebron (402) 768-2287
Kearney
237-1079
Loup City
745-0662
Milford (402) 761-3537
Ord
728-3115
Northeast
Officer
Tom Zimmer (Sup.)
Dale Davis
Ross Oestmann
Steve Oberg
Daniel Roberts
Jon Reeves
Marion Shafer
Pat George
Eric Wiebe
Tim Williams
Cory Krause
City
Phone (402)
Norfolk
371-6625
Bassett
273-1700
Bloomfield
373-4412
Columbus
564-5937
Fremont
721-7852
Kennard
427-7378
Norfolk
371-2031
O’Neill
336-1588
Ponca
755-2566
Neligh
887-1335
West Point
372-6979
Southeast
Officer
Duane Arp (Sup.)
Sean McKeehan
William Krause
Jeremy TenKley
Mike Luben
Douglas Kramer
Dina Barta
Stacey Lewton
Levi Krause
Russell Mort
Dan Evasco
Jeff Clauson
City
Gretna
Ashland
Auburn
Beatrice
Colon
Lincoln
Lincoln
Lincoln
Louisville
Nebr. City
Papillion
Waterloo
Phone (402)
332-2965
944-4174
274-3789
228-1437
443-4278
466-9001
483-2358
476-0436
234-2212
873-5684
592-6733
359-5301
Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers 1-800-742-7627
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 5
Tune In To
Turpin Time
Veteran outdoorsman Dick
Turpin offers outdoor tips in
Turpin Time, produced by the
Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission.
Each 60-second spot
features Dick's trademark
humor, and includes advice
on camping, hunting, fishing,
cooking, wildlife viewing or
safety.
KOLN-KGIN (LincolnGrand Island)
Thursdays: 6:50 AM
Thursdays: 6:00 PM Sports
KNOP (North Platte)
Thursdays: 11:30 AM News
Fridays 6:55 AM
KDUH (Scottsbluff)
Tuesdays: Noon, 5:30 PM
and 10 PM News
KMEG (Sioux City IA)
Wednesdays: 6 PM News
6 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
Three of Nebraska’s eight state parks were recently listed among ReserveAmerica’s
Top 100 Family Campgrounds.
Nebraska State Parks, Rec
Areas Named to List
Many Nebraskans believe the state
has some of the finest state park
areas in the nation, and a recently
released survey confirms that.
ReserveAmerica, the nation’s
leading recreation reservation service,
recently announced its Top 100
Family Campgrounds list to help
park-goers plan their vacations.
Nebraska parks among the Top
100 Family Campgrounds are
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (SP),
Fort Robinson SP, and Ponca SP. All
eight Nebraska state parks and five
of the state’s recreation areas are
listed among 15 different categories.
The selection of the Top 100
Family Campgrounds was based on
testimonials, campground ratings
and feedback provided throughout
the year by park rangers, regional
park managers and campers. Almost
4,000 parks were reviewed. The
final 100 campgrounds were
determined by specific familyfriendly criteria, ranging from
educational programs and visitor
centers to camping amenities and
overall beauty and scenery. Such
factors as the quality and availability
of hot showers, laundry facilities,
hiking trails, family beaches,
radio-free zones, visitor centers,
educational programs, children’s
events and location were also
considered.
The award categories, and the
Nebraska parks included, were:
• Top 100 Family Campgrounds –
Eugene T. Mahoney SP, Fort
Robinson SP, Ponca SP.
• Top 25 Amazing Spots – Fort
Robinson SP.
• Top 25 Biking Trails – Chadron
SP, Platte River SP.
• Top 25 Bird-Watching Spots –
Fort Kearny SRA, Ponca SP.
• Top 25 Canoeing Spots – Ponca
SP, Smith Falls SP.
• Top 25 Educational and
Historical Facilities – Fort Robinson
SP, Ponca SP.
• Top 50 Fishing Spots – Calamus
Reservoir SRA, Lake McConaughy
SRA, Lake Ogallala SRA.
• Top 50 Hiking Trails – Fort
Robinson SP, Indian Cave SP, Ponca
SP.
Top 25 Kid-Friendly Parks –
Eugene T. Mahoney SP, Fort
Robinson SP.
• Top 25 Park Beaches – Calamus
Reservoir SRA, Lake McConaughy
SRA.
• Top 25 Picnic Areas – Niobrara
SP, Platte River SP.
• Top 25 Romantic Spots –
Eugene T. Mahoney SP, Ponca SP.
• Top 25 Scenic Views – Fort
Robinson SP, Niobrara SP.
• Top 25 Tours and Events –
Eugene T. Mahoney SP, Niobrara SP.
• Top 25 Unique Cabins – Fort
Robinson SP, Two Rivers SRA.
“We’re pleased to be included
among the best parks the nation has
to offer,” said Roger Kuhn, the
Commission’s assistant director for
parks. “With the summer camping
season upon us, now is the time
to get out and enjoy Nebraska’s
wonderful parks.”
To make a reservation at a
Nebraska state park, go to the
Commission’s web site,
www.OutdoorNebraska.org, then
click on “Online Camping” and
“Lodging Reservations.” The site has
easy-to-use maps, photographs and a
shopping cart so users can reserve
multiple arrival dates or multiple types
of units such as cabins, campsites,
picnic shelters and lodge rooms.
Hunter Education
Instructors Recognized
More than two dozen hunter
education instructors were recently
recognized for 20 or 21 years of
service teaching firearm or bowhunter
education classes in their areas and
received an award for their efforts,
according to Mike Streeter, Nebraska
hunter education coordinator.
Those honored who had 21 years
of service were Jerry L. Archer of
Franklin; Roger L. Eaton, Chadron;
Patrick J. Franklin, York; Randy
Haddix, Broken Bow; Larry Janicek,
Republican City; Richard J. Laux,
Jr., Omaha; James A. Menke,
Nelson; Carrol L. Moseman,
Herman; Mike Nowak, Omaha;
Ervin Pronske, Craig; Richard
Schneider, Hay Springs; Raymond
Stratman, Clay Center; and Edwin
H. Wellman, Hooper.
Honored for 20 years of service
were Fred J. Bacon, Tekamah;
Arthur E. Childers, Omaha; Nick
Clement, Scotia; Jim L. Edwards,
Ord; Mark Feeney, St. Paul; Kenneth
L. Hoppe, Pierce; Ricky A. Leth,
Cairo; Mike Moeller, Beemer;
Robert J. Nickel, Minden; John A.
Ross, Bancroft; Harold Veeder,
Cairo; Brad K. Woodle, Omaha; and
James Zimmerman, Gering.
Each instructor was presented a
knife with a special inscription for
their years of service to the program.
They join the 144 volunteer instructors
who previously have received this
award.
“As a result of their efforts and the
efforts of all the Hunter Education
Program instructors who have been
involved over the years – today there
are almost 1,100 active volunteers
across the state – hunting in Nebraska
remains one of the safest outdoor
activities that a person can enjoy,”
Streeter said.
Each year volunteer instructors
provide approximately 19,000 hours
of effort and reach more than 8,000
students. To date, more than 250,000
students have received hunter
education training in Nebraska. ■
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 7
8 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
Roadside Raptors
Joel Jorgenson
Driving down Interstate 80 or any
number of Nebraska
highways, it is
quite common
to see birds of
prey on the
side of the
road. Why? It’s
simple: Food.
Red-tailed hawks
are the most common species along
the interstate and the mowed grass,
with patches of thicker vegetation
along the fence rows, presumably has
large numbers of voles and mice that
are relatively easy for these hunters
to detect.
In certain areas, such as in eastern
Nebraska where you have endless
land devoted to agriculture fields, the
interstate corridor represents an area
of habitat that isn’t available in much
of the landscape. Plus, along the
interstate raptors have no shortage of
perches.
Chatter Baits
The Depth of Ants
Chris Helzer
Ants are some of the most fascinating
creatures on earth. Their complex
social structure, which includes
queens, workers, soldiers, drones and
other roles, allows colonies to function
almost like one large individual. They
are extremely effective at building and
defending their homes and their ability
to use scent trails to lead each other
to food allows them to maintain large
populations.
In addition to sustaining themselves,
ants support the overall functioning
of ecosystems. Their burrowing
JEFF KURRUS
JEFF KURRUS
Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission Conservation Officer
Murray Johnson says where length
and bag limits apply, fish cannot be
filleted until fishing is completed for
the day and anglers are off the water.
"Fish species subject to a bag limit
and possession limit, but not a length
limit, can be processed prior to
transport if the fillets are kept in one
piece until cooked, so the bag and
possession limits can be determined."
Johnson also said fish caught and
consumed within a 24-hour period
must be considered to be part of that
day's legal bag limit, and added that if
anglers don’t bring their own grill or
stove for preparing food, they must use
fire rings or grills provided on the area.
Jeff Kurrus
During the hottest part of
the summer, anglers fishing
for species such as northern
pike and largemouth bass
often have two responses to
the heat. One, they
slow their baits
down. Two, they
go deeper in
search of cooler
water. The main
problem with this
is the action that
accompanies
many lures when
slowing down so
much. Not so with
chatter baits. A chatter
JEFF KURRUS
ERIC FOWLER
Tom Keith
It's hard to go wrong with a shore
lunch after a day of catching fish. The
fish are as fresh as they can get,
everyone loves a campfire and food
always tastes better cooked outside
over flames or coals. Here are some
tips for a successful shore lunch:
• Cast iron skillets and pans produce
the best results and clean easily.
• Iron grills and tripods that can be
placed over the fire are excellent tools.
Skillets, pans and other cookware
placed directly on the coals become
too hot for normal cooking.
• Fish also can be wrapped in
aluminum foil with some butter, your
favorite spices, some skinless lemon
slices, a splash of malt vinegar if you
like, and placed on coals to cook.
• Never overcook fish – it can make
them lose flavor and become tough
and dry. Fish are done when the flesh
flakes easily with a fork.
• Make a side dish of potatoes
and vegetables by wrapping them
in aluminum foil with a little
butter and placing on a thin
layer of coals until
done.
CHRIS HELZER
Shore Lunch
behavior helps aerate the soil and
their stored food and waste adds to
soil fertility. Ants are also important
agents for seed dispersal, helping
move seeds from one place to another.
They are especially effective at this
because the “trash heaps” within
burrows, where seeds often end up,
are warm, moist, and fertile places for
germination. Many plant species, such
as violets, have fruits especially
designed to attract ants, which eat the
fruit but discard the hard seed.
Because of their size and the fact
that they spend much of their time
below ground, it can be hard to
imagine the sheer number of ants living
all around you, but researchers
estimate that in many grasslands, the
total weight per acre of ants can rival
that of cattle or bison. While most ant
species are easy to miss, at least one
group of species makes itself hard to
miss. Anyone who has spent much
time walking outdoors in Nebraska
has probably stumbled over the oneto three-foot-tall dirt piles created by
mound-building ants. One study in
Kansas found up to 465 of those
mounds per acre. When you consider
that most of those mounds are
excavated to a depth of five feet or
more, you begin to understand the
“depth of influence” ants can have.
Notes from the Field
Eric Fowler
hile driving through Cedar County in April, I did a double
take when I passed three tom turkeys strutting in the
middle of a county road just off the highway. One of them
had feathers that were completely white. Was it an albino, or did
this turkey have the rare condition known as leucism – an inherited
disorder that prevents the transfer of melanin to feathers, leaving
them colorless – that I’d written about in the April 2008
NEBRASKAland as it applied to Sandhill cranes?
The birds ducked into a shelterbelt before I could get close
enough for some good photos, but when I returned a short time
later, the white bird was in a bean field with six other wild-colored
jakes and gobblers, all of which posed nicely for me.
Kit Hams, big game program manager with the Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission, was quick to burst my bubble
when I showed him the photo. “It’s a few generations removed
from domestic stock,” he said.
Cross breeding of domestic and wild turkeys is common in
Nebraska and every other state with wild turkeys, Hams said. In
many cases, the domestic birds are bronze turkeys that were
released or escaped from farms. But white domestic birds have
also headed to the wild, where the recessive white gene waits
to pair up with another, resulting in a “long-legged, fast-running,
flying white turkey,” Hams said.
Not long ago, Commission biologists would harvest white
turkeys in the wild, believing they didn’t want them in the gene
pool. Now the opinion is that they don’t hurt anything, so they let
them be and consider them wild.
“If you decide to up and shoot it, just have a permit as far as
we’re concerned,” said Hams.
W
bait is essentially a jig with a large
wobble blade on the front of it. The
best part about them is how good they
feel moving through the water. Even
at extremely slow retrieves, these
lures remain extremely erratic through
the water, assuring the angler that
despite having to slow down for
summer fish, the lure’s action doesn’t
have to do the same thing. ■
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 9
MILES
MARYOTT
OSHKOSH HUNTER, GUIDE, ARTIST,
TAXIDERMIST AND CONVICT
COURTESY OF CHARLES AND CELIA SEASTONE. PHOTO, OPPOSITE, COURTESY OF DOREEN JENSEN
By Jon Farrar
“H
e knows the wild beasts, the
reptiles, the birds of the air,
the fishes of the waters; their
habits, their traits, their
customs, their haunts, their
foods. They have no secrets he does not
know and understand
and they often respond
quickly to his call.” So
read a July 16, 1926
editorial in the Ord
Journal. The subject
was Miles Maryott of
Oshkosh. The editorial
praised Maryott as a
“taxidermist of high
degree” and a painter
of “birds, animals and
western scenes.” The
writer noted Maryott’s
collection of “Indian
relics and curios” was
“one of the finest in
existence” and praised
his love for, and care
of, his “aged mother.” The editorial
proposed, that just as the state has a
poet laureate, Maryott be named the
“state naturalist,” and his collection of
artifacts, mounted birds and paintings
be permanently exhibited in the state
capitol in Lincoln. Maryott was 52
years old. It was, perhaps, the high
point of his life.
Maryott’s collections and paintings
10 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
were never displayed at the state
capitol. In June 1927, the heavy steel
doors at the state penitentiary closed
behind him as he began serving a life
sentence for murder.
“Seldom did canvasses have so
incongruous a setting,”
Omaha World-Herald
reporter Eva Mahoney
wrote in 1930 of an
exhibit of Maryott’s
paintings in the main
receiving room of the
penitentiary. “Tiers of
iron doors, bolted and
barred, led from this
receiving room into
the outer hall, the cells
and the enclosed
compound.... In the
center in an elevated
iron cage a vigilant
sentry kept a
business-like looking
gun constantly in
evidence. Armed guards, forever
unlocking and locking doors, came and
went.”
EARLY YEARS
Maryott was born September 4, 1873,
one of five sons and four daughters of
Asahel and Emily Maryott, homesteaders
who came to Burt County in 1865. In
Maryott’s painting of English pointers was done while he was in the state penitentiary. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, 1929.
1884, the family moved to Dawson
County near Cozad where they
acquired a larger farm. Shirley Sullivan
of Oshkosh, in her book Miles Maryott
– His Life & Times, wrote that art and
baseball were Maryott’s only interests
at school. In the summer of 1888, after
finishing the 10th grade, he convinced
his parents he would be more useful
helping on the farm. As his mother’s
health deteriorated, Maryott assumed
household responsibilities, learning to
keep a tidy house, laundry, cooking and
sewing. With the Platte River so close,
he discovered his lifelong loves –
hunting and wildlife.
According to Sullivan, Maryott
joined the Cozad town baseball team,
and it was probably at this time he met
Cyrus Black of Kearney. As a younger
man, Black had been a baseball manager
and scout for the St. Louis Cardinals.
In addition to sharing a love of baseball,
Black was an accomplished taxidermist,
wildlife artist and waterfowl-hunting
guide on the Platte River. Black was
likely instrumental in helping Maryott
get a start in baseball. From 1895 into
1902, Maryott played for semiprofessional teams in Minnesota,
Illinois, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and
Kansas. His baseball career abruptly
ended with the Wichita team when he
broke his ankle sliding into home plate.
Maryott returned to the farm and
resumed care of his mother. His hopedfor baseball career had vanished, but he
had other talents waiting to blossom.
Even at a young age Maryott had a
reputation as a crack shot with rifle and
shotgun. In 1907, the Grand American,
the granddaddy of competitive
trapshooting events, was held at the
Chicago Gun Club. Maryott was on the
shooting line. He tied for second, busting
96 of 100 clay targets. In the early
1900s, Peters Cartridge Company was
one of the country’s leading shotshell
manufacturers, and sponsored exhibition
and trick shooters who traveled the
country. Among them was A.H. Hardy,
a Hyannis native nearly as well known
for saddle-making and other leatherwork
as his shooting skills. Maryott teamed
with Hardy on the exhibition circuit
demonstrating the superiority of Peters
shotshells. It is not known how long
Maryott represented Peters, but it was
apparently at this time he acquired a
taste for strong drink.
“The glamour and excitement of
travel and acclaim had a negative effect
on Maryott, as celebrations usually
followed each exhibition,” Sullivan
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 11
COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART
Maryott’s clients were Union Pacific
Railroad executives who arrived in
private cars that were sidetracked in
Oshkosh. Much of his hunting, though,
was in the Sandhills north of Oshkosh.
Maryott built a frame house with a
kitchen, large dining room and three or
four bedrooms on his Kinkaid land, a
lodge with enough room to entertain
hunting guests. Among Maryott’s
friends and hunting cronies was Alfred
Gumaer. Gumaer was named Garden
County’s first judge in 1909 and was
still serving in that capacity in the
1920s when Maryott was convicted of
murder.
Two accounts of hunting with
Maryott appeared in 1925 and
1926, when Omaha World-Herald
sportswriter Sandy Griswold
accompanied Maryott, Gumaer, Robert
Lowe of Sidney and several others on a
duck hunt in the lake country
north of Oshkosh. Given their
common interests, and
Maryott’s ability to provide
accommodations and shooting
grounds, it is surprising Maryott
and Griswold had not hunted
together before 1925.
Throughout his career writing
about outdoor sports, Griswold
first flattered himself, secondly
flattered the landed wealthy
who hosted his hunts. Others
were only included as needed to
spin a readable tale. Rarely did
anyone shoot as well as
Griswold, at least in his
columns. In a rare exception, Griswold
wrote glowingly of Maryott’s shooting
skill and other accomplishments: “Miles
Maryott, our other Oshkoshonian
compatriot of the hunt, is equally the
goods as a wonderful man and a
wonderful sportsman. He is not only,
undoubtedly, the best duck shot in the
country, but an artist, naturalist and
taxidermist of the very highest order,
and self-taught absolutely.”
In 1915, as soon as it was patented
under the Kinkaid Act, Maryott sold his
480 acres on Crescent Lake, probably
because he was strapped for money.
The 1925 hunters, Griswold wrote,
were housed at Gumaer’s and
Maryott’s “cozy shack among the hills
overlooking Wolf lake, as well as
countless others of equal attraction,
including the very best of all
Nebraska’s famous ducking grounds.”
Griswold described the accommodations
as “a neat, but not gaudy five-roomed
frame house, with all the typical
appointments of a comfortable and
convenient duck hunters’ home,” and
dubbed the house “Canvasback Lodge.”
Maryott used garish colors painting prairie chickens coming to a field of corn shocks and pumpkins. That style grew from a
European art movement of the early 1900s, and influenced even American sporting art. Oil on canvas, 20 x 261/4 inches, 1930.
12 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
lake-rich country to the north teeming
with waterfowl. In 1931, Crescent Lake
National Wildlife Refuge would be
established immediately north of
Maryott’s old claim.
It is not clear how Maryott supported
himself and his mother during the
1910s and 1920s. Apparently he earned
money here and there guiding wellpositioned hunters, doing taxidermy
and painting wildlife and landscapes.
Even in the 1910s, Maryott sold his
paintings to pay the bills for all manner
of necessities, including bail money after
being arrested for disorderly conduct.
When he did not have money to repay
a loan from his brother, Maryott gave
the local dentist a painting to settle his
brother’s debt for a set of dentures. In
1921, Maryott was forced to give his
entire collection of mounted birds to
the Nebraska State Bank to settle a
$1,000 debt. The bank later donated
them to the Garden County Historical
Society museum where many are on
display today.
In all these pursuits, Maryott made a
name for himself. Maryott was included
in The History of Western Nebraska
and Its People, published in 1921, as
one of the region’s prominent persons.
“Miles J. Maryott has achieved high
reputation as an artist and taxidermist
and as a painter his technical skill is
remarkable because his talent as an
artist has been developed without
instruction in either coloring and
designing,” wrote Grant L. Shumway,
the publication’s editor-in-chief.
COURTESY OF MARLENN AND CLARA JOBMAN
wrote in her book. “Admirers clamored
to toast the likable young man, and the
parties gradually took precedence over
the performance, forcing the [Peters
Cartridge] company to dismiss him.”
Maryott still had no taste for farming
when he returned home and resumed
caring for his mother, who by then was
confined to a wheelchair. Maryott’s
father died in 1907, and in 1909 the
family sold the Cozad farm and moved
to Oshkosh where two of Maryott’s
brothers lived. They built a house in
town, and Maryott filed on 480 acres
of land about 30 miles north of
Oshkosh under the Kinkaid Act, a
government land grant giving settlers
up to 640 acres of land if they would
settle on it and make improvements.
Maryott’s small tract of grass-covered
sand dunes was tailored to his interests,
located on a small hill on the north side
of Crescent Lake, and at the edge of
HOBNOBBING WITH THE RICH
During the 1910s, Maryott began
guiding waterfowl hunters on the
North Platte River, and word spread
that he provided a good shoot. Among
In 1910, Maryott reportedly painted these careening green-winged teal (top) to pay a debt to a hardware store in Oshkosh.
The enlarged detail shows Maryott’s feather painting technique. Oil on canvas, 29 x 37 inches, 1910.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 13
Maryott painted this scene of goose hunting on a river sandbar many times. He demonstrated his hunting experience by including
four dead geese used as decoys, their heads supported by forked sticks. Oil on canvas, 36 x 43 inches, 1928.
Wolf Lake is about seven miles
northeast of Crescent Lake where
Maryott’s first hunting lodge had been
located. It is likely Gumaer owned or
leased the Wolf Lake camp land, and
Maryott’s old house on Crescent Lake
had been moved there.
Maryott was “neat as a pin” and an
accomplished cook, particularly with
wild game, attributes nearly as valuable
in a guide as providing good duck
14 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
transformed Maryott from a goodnatured man of even temper into a
vengeful, often violent man. That he
was seldom without a firearm was
gasoline on the fire.
Griswold returned to hunt with the
same group of men in 1926, and
recounted the details in Sunday
columns over seven months. Griswold
reported that Maryott drove from hilltop to hilltop in his “thoroughbred
Lizzie,” a period nickname for the
Model T Ford, stirring resting flocks of
ducks for the benefit of his hunters.
Throughout his life, Maryott had an
automobile when he could afford one,
and borrowed one when he didn’t or if
his was on the fritz. He was fond of
outdoor equipment. Sullivan wrote:
“Miles owned a fifteen foot, galvanized
metal boat equipped with a car motor,
one of the first inboard fishing boats. It
was noisy and smelly and often refused
to start, but Miles was fascinated with
new ideas, particularly those he could
use outdoors in his guiding business.”
Maryott mounted hundreds of birds,
including this black-billed magpie.
the first day he laid eyes on it. “‘Can
you beat that, anywhere on earth?’
proudly and exultantly demanded Miles
as he swept his hand around the horizon,
lingering impressively on the
northwestern skies through which had
COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART
shooting. “As duck hunter cooks, Bob
Lowe and Miles Maryott stand alone in
inimitability – like towering oaks over
a pokeberry patch,” Griswold wrote.” A
typical Maryott breakfast was “. . .
crisp Cudahy bacon with raspberry
omelet, Deuel County potatoes, baked
to a chestnutty brown, fluffy biscuits
with a compote of cherries, cornpone,
like Aunt Dinah used to make, with
maple sirup [syrup] and Java and
Mocha, steaming hot.”
Griswold wrote often of
the pleasure of a nip, or
more, of liquor at the end
of a day in the field. He
and his companions
seldom allowed an
opportunity to pass
without a “glance at the
Yellowstone bottle.” There
were hints in Griswold’s
writing he had willing
revelers in Maryott, Judge
Gumaer and others on his
An early 1900s postcard featured Maryott’s painting.
Oshkosh hunts. Liquor
Stories of Maryott’s drunken rages
and threats of violence were legion in
Oshkosh. His friends either overlooked
or denied the rumors, including Judge
Gumaer. In 1926, though, Maryott
pushed the town’s tolerance too far.
Ring-necked pheasants were still
protected by state game laws in 1926
when Bud Aufdengarten brought one to
Maryott to be mounted. Aufdengarten
owned and operated Aufdengarten’s
Meat Market and was a friend of
Maryott’s. That friendship came to an
abrupt end in August. Sullivan recounts
that Aufdengarten was arrested for
illegally possessing the pheasant
mounted by Maryott. Although it
seems unreasonable that Maryott, an
accomplice in the violation and statelicensed taxidermist, would have
reported Aufdengarten to authorities,
that is what Aufdengarten believed.
Maryott subsequently received an
anonymous letter accusing him of
being “a stool pigeon, a traitor, a
drunkard who deserved to be strung
up.” Maryott showed the letter to Judge
Gumaer, who advised him to stay away
from the whiskey and let it blow over.
Maryott did not heed his friend’s
advice and confronted the butcher in
his shop. A fight ensued and a powerful
blow from Aufdengarten sent Maryott
sprawling to the ground. That night,
two rifle slugs ripped through the walls
of Aufdengarten’s rooms above the
butcher shop. Maryott was arrested for
the shooting, arraigned, waived the
preliminary hearing and was released
on $5,000 bond. The hearing was
postponed because Maryott claimed his
mother would testify he was at home
when the shooting occurred, was in
Dawson County, in health too poor to
permit travel, and could not appear on
his behalf.
Even with possible jail time facing
him, Maryott seemed to resume his life
as if nothing had happened. That
October he was again hunting in the
Sandhills with Griswold, Judge Gumaer,
Lowe and several other hunters at
Canvasback Lodge. The duck shooting
was good.
“Miles soon had us stationed on a
line about three hundred yards apart
midway between Black Lake and those
we had just left,” Griswold wrote.
“Seeing that everything was shipshape,
he raised the high-power rifle he
always carries to raise the ducks and
sent a ball humming off into the black
flotilla of unsuspecting birds in the
center of the lake.” With a shotgun in
hand, Maryott’s shooting skills were as
exceptional as ever by Griswold’s
account. “More than ever I was
convinced that Miles Maryott was the
most wonderful duck shot in the whole
world, and I don’t mean maybe.”
After a big canvasback shoot,
Griswold described dinner as “a feast,
irresistible even unto the gods – roast
canvasback swimming in their own
ruddy juices, all garnished most
temptingly with bright green, pungent
watercress from Bob’s own trout
stream back in the hills; a pile of
snowy mashed spuds, hot cornpone
and maple syrup, incandescent coffee,
the essence of the real berry and great
slabs of pie.” The meal was accompanied
by “big snifters of ginger ale” suggesting
whiskey bottle corks had been tossed
aside.
If his impending hearing over the
Aufdengarten affair was troubling
Maryott, it was not evident in
Griswold’s writing. Maryott seemed as
taken by the Sandhills lake country as
COURTESY OF GARDEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
COURTESY OF ROBERT HENRI MUSEUM
THE UNRAVELING
One of Maryott’s earliest dated paintings was of pronghorns. It demonstrates
his still developing style. Oil on canvas, 181/2 x 211/2 inches, 1909.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 15
COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART
Maryott often returned to the same subjects, such as bison in a western Nebraska landscape. Watercolor, 111/2 x 191/4 inches, 1934.
THE SHOOT-OUT
On the afternoon of November 24,
1926, Miles Maryott’s life crumpled.
Maryott had borrowed Judge Gumaer’s
Buick to deliver roasted ducks to
friends, including the judge, and he
was drinking and driving recklessly on
the streets of Oshkosh. Town marshal
George Albee, a longtime friend of
Maryott, began receiving complaints,
located Maryott and told him to go
home and sleep it off. Rather than
going home, Maryott went to the
hardware store and bought a Colt .45caliber automatic pistol and box of
cartridges. Leaving the store he met
G.W. McGaw, superintendent of the
Garden County high school.
16 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
Confronting him, Maryott poked the
new pistol in the school teacher’s chest,
said he knew he was saying scandalous
things about him, then told McGaw to
go home or he would shoot him, along
with several others who had done
him wrong, including Aufdengarten,
Dr. George Morris and county attorney
F.A. Dutton.
Maryott drove to Gumaer’s house to
return the judge’s car. Albee followed,
drove past the judge’s house, then
turned back and confronted Maryott
from a distance of about 35 yards.
Albee stayed behind his car, armed
with a 25-35 Winchester rifle and a
32-20 Smith and Wesson revolver, and
told Maryott he was going to jail.
Nearby eyewitnesses said both men
fired several times. Maryott contended
he could have killed Albee any time he
wanted, but only fired warning shots
over his head. When the shooting
stopped Maryott lay bleeding on the
ground with four wounds – flesh
wounds in his left chest and right leg
above the knee; a deep wound in his
left leg; and a shattered ankle. The
marshal laid his rifle on the fender of
his car, drew his revolver and approached
Maryott, ordering him to throw his pistol
away. Maryott replied he was hurt and
could not. When Albee stooped over
him, Maryott fired and the .45-caliber
slug ripped into Albee’s chest, severing
a large artery. He lived only briefly.
Even though Oshkosh had only 1,050
residents, more than 1,100 people paid
their respects at Albee’s funeral. He left
behind a wife and eight children.
Maryott’s attorneys argued he could not
receive a fair trial in Garden County,
and it was moved to District Court in
Morrill County. The late-May trial lasted
four days. Maryott’s contention that he
had only fired warning shots at Albee
was refuted by evidence of bullet
marks on the marshal’s car, and in a
house in line with the car. One witness
testified that Maryott was the first to
MARYOTT THE PAINTER
being self-taught, and not having
access to photographic references, as do
today’s wildlife artists, are additional
reasons Maryott’s paintings, done
almost 100 years ago, are notable.
During the early 1900s, there was
very little art being produced in the
Nebraska, Zaruba said. And most that
was done here was by academically
trained artists, primarily painting in
naturalistic and realistic styles.
European impressionist art was in favor
among wealthy collectors in America,
but had little influence in Nebraska.
Zaruba does not know of anyone,
Maryott became an even more prolific
painter in prison than he had been in
Garden County. Maryott’s life in
prison, while not luxuriant, was better
than that of most inmates. “They gave
him a partitioned section of the little
prison store for a workroom,” Mahoney
wrote. “He lives in that bare studio-room
with its cot, washbowl, table, chair,
cast-iron stove and easel.”
During his early years in prison,
Maryott gave paintings to guards,
parole officers and friends, laughing
that “I’ll paint another.
Got plenty of time.” Later
his paintings began fetching
impressive prices.
Mahoney reported that
one of Maryott’s paintings
of bird dogs was valued at
$1,500 in 1930, and
another hung in the Elks
Club in New York City. A
May 1932 Omaha BeeNews article by Cliff
Sandahl quoted Maryott:
“I’ve been able to apply
myself to something I
enjoy, painting pictures.
And besides, I have been
able to realize a little
money on my work so
that if I get out I can live a
happy life.” Maryott
estimated that during his
first five years in prison
he had “realized about
$4,000 from his paintings.”
He had customers not
only from Nebraska but
across the country, and
had a contract with the
Hospe Art shop in Omaha.
“If you take Maryott’s
paintings, and put them up
Mallards were frequent subjects for Maryott’s
against professional
paintings. Oil on canvas, 32 x 20 inches, 1928.
wildlife artists of today,
his work is probably not going to seem except Maryott, who was painting
as good,” said Dr. Gary Zaruba, professor wildlife in Nebraska during the
emeritus, Department of Art and Art
early decades of the 20th century.
History, University of NebraskaZaruba uses the terms “realist” and
Kearney, and former director of the
“representational painter,” to describe
Museum of Nebraska Art. Zaruba has
Maryott, meaning he essentially painted
studied Nebraska art and artists for the
scenes as they were, and he applied the
last 30 years, including Miles Maryott.
term “primitive” to describe Maryott’s
“But that is not fair to him. His art
early paintings.
should be judged in the context of the
“Don’t misjudge Maryott’s paintings
time it was produced.” Zaruba said
based on that word,” Zaruba cautioned.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 17
COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART
just passed one of those brisk but brief
rain and wind storms so common in the
fall of the year in the Sandhills.”
Maryott’s days in the Sandhills,
though, were drawing to a close.
fire. Maryott stated Albee had struck
him several times on the head with his
revolver as he laid bleeding on the
ground, that he thought Albee was
going to beat him to death, that Albee
had fired his revolver into Maryott’s
chest (the bullet not penetrating
Maryott as it hit a large roll of bills in
his breast pocket) and that he therefore
shot Albee in self-defense. Witnesses
to the shooting and the testimony of
doctors refuted all of those contentions
to the satisfaction of the jury. After
14 hours of deliberation the 12-man
jury found Maryott guilty of murder in
the second degree. The prosecution
had asked for a first-degree murder
sentence, but not the death penalty
because of Maryott’s age. The judge
noted that Maryott was a “menace
to the security and peace of the
community,” imposed a life sentence
and ordered that each year on the
anniversary of the shooting he be
placed in solitary confinement to
contemplate what he had done.
Griswold’s account of the October
1926 hunt concluded in the May 29,
1927 edition of the Omaha WorldHerald, two days after Maryott was
found guilty of murder. Nowhere in the
account did Griswold mention all that
had transpired in Maryott’s life in the
months after the hunt.
After the trial, Maryott was
transferred to the state penitentiary in
Lincoln. Four times Maryott sought a
pardon and early release, but feelings
continued to run high in Garden
County, and petitions opposing
Maryott’s early release convinced the
Board of Paroles and Pardons to deny
it. Ultimately, after serving 12 years of
his sentence, Maryott was released early,
in May 1939, because of his failing
health and impending death due to
cirrhosis of the liver. In 1930, reporter
Eva Mahoney described Maryott as
“above average height, substantial of
build, ruddy, gray-haired, mild of
manner and speech with gentle blue
eyes.” Due to his illness, Maryott
had withered from 210 pounds to
140 pounds. Because of his ankle wound,
his left leg was two inches shorter than
the right. He was transported to St.
Elizabeth’s hospital where he remained
until his death on September 20, 1939
at the age of 66. He was buried in
Cozad beside his mother.
18 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
magazines. Maryott surely was exposed
to them, and advertising art during his
stint with the Peters Cartridge
Company. Art used by Peters for ads,
calendars and on its cartridge boxes
was among the best of the period. Once
confined to prison, Maryott apparently
relied more on published paintings for
inspiration and reference. “As he looks
out of his single [cell] window, he
catches a glimpse of a grassy plot in
the compound and a bit of sky overhead,”
Eva Mahoney wrote. “They don’t
furnish much inspiration to a man who
is familiar with mountains and plains
and valleys. So the artist turns to a few
copies of Field and Stream, Outdoor
Life and National Geographic for his
studies of outdoor life that once
presented themselves at first hand.”
Before going to prison, it is likely
Maryott used his mounted birds as
reference for plumage details, just as
John James Audubon used freshly
killed birds formed into the posture he
desired by use of a wire armature. Still,
much of what Maryott painted was
surely drawn from memories of scenes
he knew well. One only needs to view
his painting of green-winged teal
careening through the sky (see page
13), twisted and contorted in postures
only green-winged teal can do, to know
Maryott observed that scene many
times. It is not known if Maryott did
sketches or paintings in the field.
There are disadvantages to being an
untrained artist, though – apparently
Maryott did not properly prime canvases
before painting on them, at least during
his early years. As a consequence,
some Maryott paintings have begun to
deteriorate over time. Zaruba said
Maryott might have done no more to
prepare his early canvasses that applying
a coat of white lead paint. Without some
sort of sizing applied to the canvas, an
acid in the linseed oil used in oil paints
eventually begins to destroy the canvas
fibers. Perhaps also contributing to
the poor condition of some Maryott
paintings found today was that during
the early 1900s his paintings were
mostly of local interest, probably not as
valued as today, hence not hung or
stored in optimum environments to
preserve them. One large Maryott
canvas was used to reupholster the
back of a sofa, the painted surface
turned inward, a sofa that sold on a
COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART
“It does not imply a negative. Primitive
art, or ‘naive painting,’ as it is sometimes
called, simply means the work of an
untrained artist. I think he loved
painting, loved the subjects he painted.
There is honesty in the work of some
untrained painters that makes them a
joy to view. They were not inhibited or
influenced by convention or training.
The worst thing someone could have
done to an artist like Grandma Moses,
highly respected as a primitive painter,
would have been to teach her about
composition, told her to not place
elements of her paintings in perfect
little patterns. Maryott took great pride
in being untrained, and I think he had
a natural talent for painting.”
“I have never taken a lesson,”
Sandahl quoted Maryott as saying. “I
started in when I was 22 at home. A
young man came through who did that
kind of work and I fell for it. I got
some paint, a brush and started at it and
have kept it up since.” The earliest
painting Zaruba has seen that that was
signed and dated is from 1908.
Zaruba said the works of primitive
painters share common characteristics.
He noted Maryott’s often-painted scene
of a hunter on a river sandbar with a
flock of geese coming to decoys (see
page 14). “The geese and the decoys
are carefully organized, there’s no
overlapping, all are carefully placed.
Overlapping subjects requires more
experience and skill, or formal training.
Maryott’s early paintings are typically
‘flat,’ meaning there is little sense of
dimension and depth. The background
colors of Maryott’s paintings are just as
bright as those in the foreground. There
is little hint of directional light or
varying quality of light. All those things
are typical of a true primitive artist.”
Zaruba believes that somewhere in
the middle of Maryott’s painting career,
certainly by his time in the penitentiary,
his paintings became more sophisticated,
and that Maryott either advanced on
his own by viewing the paintings of
professionals, or began copying them.
“Suddenly his paintings have the
traditional background, middle ground
and foreground that a trained landscape
painter would use, and his compositions
became stronger,” Zaruba said.
During the early 1900s, many
accomplished wildlife artists were
providing illustration for pulp outdoor
Maryott was fascinated with Native Americans and their seemingly unfettered life. Oil on canvas, 26 x 36 inches, 1919.
farm auction for a few dollars.
Zaruba speculated that Maryott
probably purchased most of his
painting supplies locally. In the early
1900s, paint stores or hardware stores
carrying a full line of paint products
sold pigments as dry powders in bulk.
“Maryott probably could have purchased
all the basic pigments he needed right
in Oshkosh, and if not there, in
Sidney,” he said. “He probably bought
little sacks of pigment that he needed –
raw umber, lampblack, yellow ochre,
whatever – would have taken it home,
mixed it in a ceramic crock with a
pestle, added linseed oil and turpentine,
and if he wanted a shiny surface he
would have mixed in a little varnish.”
Canvas in bulk, and paintbrushes, were
probably sold in the same stores.
Today, Maryott’s paintings bring
increasingly high bids at auction, and
higher prices when sold privately. Ten
Maryott paintings auctioned to fund the
renovation of an Oshkosh nursing
home in 2001 sold for a total of more
than $17,000, of which one, a painting
of four horses, brought $5,900. Charity
fundraisers are perhaps not the most
accurate measure of market value, but
Maryott’s paintings can be found for
sale on internet sites with asking prices
of more than $3,000. The value of a
Maryott painting, of course, varies with
its size, quality of execution, subject
and condition. Just as the provenance
(the origin and history) of an antique
increases its value, there is little doubt
that Maryott’s colorful life and conviction
for murder have increased the interest
in, and value of, his paintings.
Where Maryott stands in history
will probably always be a subjective
judgment colored by his life. Some will
praise him as an important regional
artist of his time; others, even though
the shooting was several generations in
the past, will never forgive him for
killing Albee, a friend of many, a man
who left eight children behind. ■
Dr. Gary Zaruba, Verna Bairn of the
Garden County Historical Society and
Shirley Sullivan, provided information
for this article. Sullivan’s 94-page
paperback book can be ordered from
her at PO Box 97, Oshkosh, NE 69154
at a cost of $9.95, $3 shipping and
handling and the appropriate Nebraska
sales tax. The only places where
Maryott paintings are always on
display are at the Robert Henri Museum
in Cozad and the Garden County
Historical Society Museum in Oshkosh.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 19
By Eric Fowler
I
Paddlefish and bighead carp filter food
from a foam line in the Missouri River at
Mulberry Bend near Maskell.
20 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
the common carp, a native of Asia
introduced into U.S. waters in the 1800s.
When biologists speak of Asian carp
these days, however, they are speaking
of four other introduced species –
silver, bighead, grass and black.
All but the black carp are found in
Nebraska. Of the remaining three,
bighead and silver carp are causing the
most problems in the U.S., primarily in
the Mississippi River basin, and are the
most worrisome to biologists.
The problem, according to Mark
Pegg of the University of Nebraska
School of Natural Resources, is that
silver and bighead carp eat plankton,
and lots of it. “That’s the foundation
for everything else [in the aquatic food
chain], whether it eats plankton directly
or it eats something that eats it,” Pegg
said. “Once you knock that foundation
out, the whole house can come down,
or it certainly can if fish aren’t able to
adapt to other food that’s available.”
If native fish cannot adapt, they will
be displaced, so instead of having a
Missouri River backwater with a
variety of species such as bigmouth
buffalo, crappie and largemouth bass,
“all you’ll have is carp,” Pegg said.
That is what has happened in the
Illinois River near Peoria, ground zero
for the Asian carp infestation and
where nine of 10 fish sampled today
are carp. Pegg began studying Asian
carp on the Illinois River while with
the Illinois Natural History Survey and
the University of Illinois.
As is the case with many invasive
species found in the United States, the
story of Asian carp began with good
intentions. Grass carp were brought to
the United States in the early 1960s to
control vegetation in fish farm ponds
and were also stocked in ponds and
reservoirs by natural resources agencies,
including the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission. They soon found their
way into rivers and began to spread.
In the early 1970s, fish farms in
Arkansas began importing silver and
bighead carp to control algae and black
carp to control snails. Both species
escaped into the Mississippi River
during flooding in the early 1980s, and
they have been spreading northward
since. Black carp were accidentally
released into Missouri’s Osage River in
1994, but so far there is no evidence
that species has reproduced in the wild.
Bighead carp were first documented
in Nebraska in 1996 and are found in
the Missouri and lower Platte rivers,
according to Steve Schainost, rivers
and streams program manager with
the Commission. Silver carp made
their way to Nebraska a few years
later and have been reported in the
Missouri, Platte and Elkhorn rivers.
Schainost said they are likely also
found in other Missouri River
tributaries.
Asian carp are very difficult to
sample using nets, electrofishing and
other methods typically deployed by
biologists, so the true extent of their
abundance is not really known.
Biologists knew the fish were present
in the lower reaches of the Missouri
River, but following a 1999 flood were
shocked to see low areas so covered
with carcasses it looked like snow.
On the Illinois River, Pegg said the
population seemingly went from a few
fish to thousands overnight. Last
summer, biologists there captured
69,000 young-of-the-year silver carp in
a single net. Luckily, that kind of
recruitment hasn’t been documented in
Nebraska yet. “They’ve been here for
over 10 years now and they’ve certainly
increased in numbers, but they don’t
seem to be ballooning,” he said. “That
doesn’t mean it won’t happen, it just
hasn’t yet. It seems like all it takes is
one perfect event to get a spawn off
and then they’re off to the races.”
Biologists fear that it is only a matter
in Nebraska
Bighead Carp
Nebraska Record:
78 lbs.,14 oz.
Largest
recorded:
56 inches, 92 pounds.
Food: Organisms such as blue-green
algae, zooplankton and aquatic insect
larvae and adults usually found near the
surface of rivers.
Threat: Feeding habits place it in direct
competition with paddlefish, bigmouth
buffalo, gizzard shad, all larval and
juvenile fishes, and native mussels.
Where found: Missouri River below
Gavins Point Dam and Platte River
below mouth of Elkhorn River. Likely in
other Missouri River tributaries as well.
Silver Carp
Nebraska Record:
17 lbs., 13 oz.
Largest
recorded:
42 inches, 60 pounds.
Food: Consumes two or three times
its weight in plankton daily.
Threat: Feeding habits place it in direct
competition with all native fish larvae
and juveniles, adult paddlefish, bigmouth
buffalo, gizzard shad, and native
mussels. Propensity to jump out of
water when approached by motorboat
makes fish a threat to safety of boaters.
Where found: Missouri River below
Gavins Point Dam, Platte River to
mouth of Elkhorn and possibly as far
upstream as mouth of Loup River,
Elkhorn River as far upstream as Tilden,
likely in other tributaries of all three
rivers.
Grass Carp
Nebraska record:
64 lbs.
Largest
recorded:
60 inches, 100 pounds.
Food: Capable of consuming 40 percent
of its body weight in vegetation a day.
Threat: Compete for food with crayfish
and fish species. Can cause significant
changes in phytoplankton, invertebrate
communities, interfere with reproduction
of other fish, destroy vegetation and
degrade water quality.
Where found: Missouri River, lower
Platte and possibly lower Elkhorn.
Black Carp
Largest recorded:
50 inches,
77 lbs.
Food: Snails,
mussels and crustaceans.
Threat: Destruction of already
threatened freshwater mussel and snail
populations.
Where found: Not found in Nebraska.
Silver carp leap around a boat on the Missouri River in central Missouri.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 21
ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOE TOMELLERI
PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER
f you haven’t yet seen video of
silver carp jumping out of the
water as a motorboat passes by, go
to YouTube.com and search for “silver
carp.” The videos of people trying to
shoot these “flying fish” out of the air
with a bow and arrow, and occasionally
getting smacked by one, can be funny.
But the search will also bring up
videos detailing the havoc that silver
and other species of Asian carp are
wreaking on the health of some U.S.
rivers and the native fish that swim in
them. Those aren’t nearly as funny. Just
ask any fisheries biologist.
Most people are well acquainted with
PHOTO COURTESY OF RITCH NELSON, USDA-NRCS
Another Exotic Causing Trouble
in Lake Michigan’s cold
water. On the other
hand, they might thrive
in the warmer water of
Lake McConaughy, but
theoretically could not
spawn there.
“But invasive species
have a knack of proving
us wrong at about every
A silver carp leaps from the water in front of a boat at the
turn,” Pegg said.
mouth of the Vermillion River in South Dakota. The flying
Because controlling
fish are often seen near the mouth of the Platte River.
their numbers is currently
not economically feasible, national
of time before Asian carp find their
work groups have developed plans for
way out of the Mississippi River basin,
controlling the spread of Asian carp.
or are helped out of it. Young bighead
For now, people will have to learn to
and silver carp look similar to gizzard
live with the species where they are
shad, so anglers capturing shad to use
present. On the bright side, while
for bait could unknowingly move
bighead and silver carp are as bony as
Asian carp to other waters, including
common carp, they are very tasty, Pegg
reservoirs such as Lewis and Clark
said, noting their light, flaky flesh.
Lake.
While these species maintain a natural
Gavins Point Dam has halted the
balance in their native range in Asia, it
spread of Asian carp on the Missouri
doesn’t hurt that there are millions of
River, just as Kingsley Dam should on
“human predators” helping to keep
the Platte if carp continue up that
them from running as amok there as
watershed. An $18 million electric
they are here. “They’re a good source
barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and
Shipping Canal, which links the Illinois of protein,” Pegg said.
Just be sure you don’t get hit by a
River and Lake Michigan, so far has
prevented Asian carp from reaching the silver carp, which can jump up to 10
feet out of the water when disturbed by
Great Lakes and affecting the salmon,
walleye and other native fish there. The the noise or vibrations caused by boat
motors (researchers aren’t really sure
effect of two other non-native species,
why they jump). Pegg was hit by
the sea lamprey and zebra mussel, on
plenty of the fish on the Illinois River.
the Great Lakes is expected to reach
He saw reports of people being hit and
into the billions of dollars.
knocked unconscious while riding
Pegg is currently working on
personal watercraft. Had they not been
research that will try to predict the
wearing life jackets, they may have
extent to which Asian carp might
drowned. “It’s only humorous to a
spread and survive. Preliminary work
point,” he said. ■
shows that the species might not thrive
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI PHOTO
Asian Carp
Asian Carp
Text and photos by Bob Grier
Digital technology has revolutionized many aspects
of photography, but it’s still the person pressing the
shutter button that makes the difference between an
exceptional image and a boring, mundane snapshot.
T
he sage advice offered by NEBRASKAland
Magazine photographers and others in recent
articles is filled with tried and true techniques
and tips that apply to all facets of outdoor
photography, everything from wildlife close-ups
to distant landscapes. The articles describe tips for improved
macro or close-up photography, exposure techniques that can
be used with digital cameras and how to cope with extreme
weather that often adds appealing lighting and texture to
landscapes, wildlife and other subjects in the outdoors.
The digital revolution has been both dramatic and traumatic
for us older photographers – gone are long-favored films,
darkroom chemistry and favorite papers. Like buggy whip
manufacturers of the previous century, even longtime icon
brands in the photography industry, unable to make the leap
from silver-based to digital related products, are rapidly
falling by the wayside. Times have indeed changed, but the
evolving digital revolution has also brought about amazing
products that help solve most, if not all, of the technical
aspects of photography while producing image files suitable
for almost any use – from e-mail attachments sent to friends
and family across the world to desktop publication of
notecards and beautiful, high-quality enlargements using
relatively inexpensive printers at home.
At least one thing remains the same about the scene – it’s
not the camera, but the person looking through the camera’s
viewfinder (or these days, looking at the LCD screen) while
pressing the shutter button that still makes the difference
between an exceptional image and a mundane, boring
“snapshot” recording of the scene. Improving seeing and
composition skills remains one of the strongest ways to
improve our photography, and it doesn’t require upgrading to
the latest camera or expensive lenses. In fact, photographers
sometimes say the most important millimeters in good
photography are the distance between the photographer’s ears.
Wildlife photography is a good example of where a
thoughtful approach can be extremely effective. Photographing
anything from small birds to large mammals often seems to
require specialized and expensive telephoto lenses, but in
looking closely at attractive wildlife images displayed in
22 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
galleries and
magazines, it is
surprising how
many were captured
without the use of
extremely long,
heavy and expensive
telephoto lenses. The
use of less expensive,
moderate length
lenses, including
so-called “normal”
and, at times, even
“wide angle” lenses,
give photographers
the opportunity to
capture wildlife
portraits in their
surroundings, a mix
of wildlife and
landscape that
relies more on
composition, lighting
and unusual weather
conditions than lens
magnification.
A moderatelength telephoto
lens, less than 300mm, was used to make the photograph
of a small herd of bull elk that accompanies this article. It
certainly would have been possible to use a longer telephoto
to frame a closer image of the elk, but looking at the scene
through the camera’s viewfinder, it was immediately obvious
that with a longer lens it would have been difficult to find
and frame the fast-moving band of elk, and a tighter framed
picture would also have left out the wonderful landscape
around them. Even with the lens I had on, the line of elk in
the foreground and the distant colorful butte were tightly
confined within the camera’s viewfinder, but I was still able
to show both the rugged landscape softly lit by sunrise light
The beautiful orange light of sunrise finds a small herd of bull elk moving rapidly to their daytime bedding areas. Instead of shooting
tight closeups of individual bulls, the photographer used a moderate telephoto lens to capture the overall scene.
and the reddish bulls with their antlers still in velvet without
placing the elk too close to the bottom of the frame or losing
too much of the sky above the butte.
The overall scene would have been easier to capture with a
more moderate length lens, perhaps one of the reasonably
priced 70mm-200mm or 70mm-300mm zooms found in
most equipment manufacturers’ lens offerings. A slightly less
restricted view would add the option to crop slightly, if needed,
to improve the balance between the two different subjects
within the image. As it turned out, the image of elk within
their landscape was by far the strongest of the sunrise images,
even after moving closer to the elk and filling the frame with
one or two of the bulls later in the morning.
For maximum file quality most photographers recommend
filling the frame with the subject, yet this photograph and
many other wildlife images prove that the subject doesn’t
have to be the animal itself to be successful – oftentimes it
can be helpful to include more in the frame rather than less.
Renown wildlife photographer and Nebraska native Tom
Mangelson’s amazing collection of wildlife photography
from all over the world, displayed in his galleries, books and
other publications, includes numerous examples of images
that can be made without extreme telephoto lenses. Tom is a
master at capturing wildlife and landscape compositions,
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 23
such as a bull moose rising from its bed in red, early winter
willows on the arctic tundra with a majestic view of snowcovered mountains in the background.
The moose is rendered small in the overall composition,
but the dramatic framing and capture of the moment that the
moose got up is what legendary photographer Henri CartierBresson called “the decisive moment,” and it is extremely
effective for creating better than average photographs. Yes, it
is expensive to travel the world to capture wildlife images,
but it is illuminating that once there, the photographer selected
a wide angle, normal or slightly telephoto lens to make the
dramatic image, and this same technique can be used almost
anywhere.
Blinds and Composition
The use of photo blinds is another way to photograph
many wildlife species without necessarily having to use an
expensive telephoto lens – well-constructed blinds placed in
good places can help you get close to a variety of wildlife.
NEBRASKAland Magazine’s senior editor Jon Farrar authored
a chapter on the use of field blinds in “Photographing
Nebraska, a Guide to Outdoor Photography” that appeared
in the January-February 1992 edition of the magazine, and
photographer Michael Forsberg’s more recent article on field
blinds, “Making an Effective and Inexpensive Photo Blind”
in May 2001, detailed how to make your own photo blind. A
variety of commercially made hunting blinds, including one
style that incorporates a standard folding lawn chair with a
camo-patterned pullover cover, make very useful portable
photography blinds as well.
Waterfowl hunting blinds and tree stands used by deer
hunters can be used to photograph wildlife as well. Once the
hunting season ends, permanent waterfowl blinds can be
great locations to photograph migrating waterfowl in the
spring as well as other wildlife during the spring and early
fall, including bald eagles that follow the migrating waterfowl
and other bird species. With the owner’s permission, a
permanent waterfowl blind on a marsh, pond or similar setting
is an ideal vantage point for wildlife photography.
Always keep in mind that Nebraska is approximately
98 percent privately owned and that landowner permission is
required for anyone seeking to enter private land. Gaining
access to private land is a distinct privilege and comes with
an equally important obligation to treat both the landowner
and land with care and respect. Landowners are usually the
best source of information on wildlife movements and
locations, and a framed print is a great way to reward the
landowner for opening their land to photography.
Regardless of the subject or location, looking through the
small viewfinder on most cameras, or even a slightly larger
LCD screen on a digital camera, makes it difficult to see
everything in the frame. Too often small details that appear
in the finished photograph can unnecessarily clutter the
composition. As much as possible, try to examine the entire
frame through the viewfinder and carefully check the
composition on the camera’s LCD screen. Look not only at
the main subject, but also for distractions such as power poles
These rapidly moving swift fox pups near their den in Sioux County were perfect subjects for a slow shutter speed “panning”
technique that combines a moving camera and a slower than normal shutter speed to emphasize movement.
A white-tailed deer fawn waits in thistle and sage for an out-of-sight sibling along a secluded stream bank on the Ogalala National
Grasslands in Sioux County. Environmental portraits such as this one are a great mix of wildlife and landscape photography and
prove that you don’t have to own a large telephoto lens to take beautiful wildlife photos.
24 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
and lines or microwave towers in the background.
If the subject provides time, (a big “if” when dealing with
wildlife but certainly possible with landscapes) a change in
the camera’s position by only a few feet might help remove
distractions. Landscape photographers often use a tripodmounted camera for optimal quality, using the smallest
f-stops and the lowest ISO speeds for increased depth of
field and image quality. It is instructive to watch a good
photographer moving the camera and tripod from place to
place within the scene, looking for the most effective
composition, attempting to blend both the foreground and
background and trying find a camera location that isolates
the main subject within its environment.
Another benefit of the digital revolution is the continuing
drop in the price of memory for digital cameras – with no
film or processing charges, the photographer can take
numerous exposures from different angles and heights and
then select the most effective images.
One aid to improved compositional skills is the use of a
small piece of black matboard, perhaps 5 by 7 inches with a
4-by-5-inch cutout in the center. Looking through the card’s
rectangular opening makes it easier to imagine the subject
isolated within a frame, similar to a framed print hanging on
the wall. Looking through the card’s opening while moving
it closer and further from the eye changes the viewing angle,
simulating the use of wide-angle or telephoto lenses to frame
the subject. Using such a card may seem overly basic at first
glance, but Ansel Adams, considered one of the world’s best
landscape photographers for his epic images of the West,
recommended the viewing card at his workshops and in his
instructional books.
Weather often adds color, texture and beauty that outdoor
photographers can use to their advantage. The beauty of
fresh snowfall, fog, hoarfrost, storm light, lightening and
other weather-related phenomena are so important to good
photography that most photographers make a special effort
to get out during so-called “bad” weather. Forsberg, in his
August-September 2007 NEBRASKAland article entitled
“Tools of the Trade,” suggests several very useful techniques
to deal with harsh weather conditions. Acquire the sealable
plastic bags, garbage can liners and the other items that
Forsberg recommends and get out and photograph in
Nebraska’s quickly changing weather conditions.
Nebraska offers numerous rewarding opportunities for
outdoor photography, so if you carry your camera along and
take photographs while enjoying times spent afield, you may
end up with a collection of photographs of beautiful landscapes
and dramatic wildlife images captured along the way. All
photographers talk about the one that got away, but if you use
a thoughtful, contemplative approach to outdoor photography,
with time and practice your ratio of “keepers” to missed
opportunities will increase dramatically. ■
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 25
Biggest,
Baddest
of
Fish Nebraska
The
★
Gallagher Canyon SRA is located
eight miles south of Cozad one
mile east of Highway 21.
OPPOSITE: The end of the day
means the start of flathead
fishing at Gallagher Canyon SRA
on the Tri-County Canal in
Dawson County.
Text and photos by Jeff Kurrus
M
ost anglers have a fish of
choice, and their reasons
usually fall into a few,
standard categories: “I like the
way it tastes” and “I love how
they fight” are a couple of the answers
one might hear from an angler.
Mike McClure of Cozad, who
frequently spends evenings and nights
on the Tri-County Canal south of town,
particularly the Gallagher Canyon
State Recreation Area (SRA) portion
of it, has an unusual reason why the
flathead catfish is his fish of choice.
“Because it’s the biggest, baddest fish
in the water, that’s why. If there are
muskies and flatheads in the same
water, then muskies are number two
in the food chain.”
That response might surprise a lot
of anglers, many of whom believe that
muskies top the list of North America’s
most aggressive and dominant sport
fish. Listen to McClure talk, however,
and he raises some very interesting
points.
“How many muskies are swimming
around Nebraska that weigh 60 pounds?
I’ve caught flatheads in the 60-pound
range myself. I’ve seen flatheads bend
½-inch rebar in half, straighten out
No. 8/0 circle hooks and have been
pulled into the water more than once.”
The state record list for Nebraska’s
“aggressive” sport fish reads like this:
Largemouth bass - 10 lb. 11 oz;
northern pike - 30 lb. 1 oz;
muskellunge - 41 lb. 8 oz; and striped
bass - 64 lb. 15 oz.
Flathead Catfish? Eighty pounds –
larger than those other game fish, and
only eclipsed in Nebraska by blue
catfish and paddlefish. Anyone that
has experienced the ferocity of
flatheads claims that there is no need
to look any further if you’re after the
most dominant fish in the water. “All
other fish are just bait,” says McClure.
He might be right.
Feeding and Reproduction
With little eyes protruding from the top of its wedge-shaped head, a flathead catfish is
aptly named.
26 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
Unlike their channel catfish brethren,
flatheads are known for hunting and
eating live food. They use their sense
of smell and, more importantly, their
lateral line to locate food in murky
waters and at night, which is when
flatheads are most active.
The lateral line is a series of pores
containing nerve cells that lie along
the sides of fish. These nerve cells are
like tiny hairs that are used to detect
water movement. Because water
cannot be compressed, any object that
moves through water displaces water
and flathead catfish can feel that
Branched Oak Flatheads
By Daryl Bauer
Branched Oak Lake north of Lincoln has been suffering from the
invasion of an exotic species, white perch, for many years now. One
management option to deal with that overly abundant nuisance fish has
been to bolster predator populations. The harvest of walleyes, hybrid
striped bass (wipers) and flathead catfish at Branched Oak is strictly
limited by restrictive length limits (only one walleye larger than 22 inches
long may be harvested per day) and by the requirement that all wipers
and flatheads be released immediately. What was intended as a way to
utilize and perhaps reduce an abundance of white perch has resulted in
a nice fringe benefit – Branched Oak has developed into one of
Nebraska’s best trophy fisheries for these species.
Flathead catfish in particular are present in Branched Oak in both
numbers and sizes that would rival any flathead fishery in the country.
The flathead population there was initially supplemented with stockings
from 1994-2000, but they now are very successful in maintaining their
numbers by natural reproduction. Flatheads up to 60 pounds are now
prowling the waters of Branched Oak.
Even though all flathead catfish caught from Branched Oak must be
released immediately, flathead fishing has become a popular activity
there. Flatheads are every bit the apex predator as any other large
freshwater predator. To be consistently successful in catching flatheads,
anglers must keep that predatory nature in mind; they are rarely caught
on the traditional stink baits or prepared baits used when targeting
channel catfish. At Branched Oak, live baits such as chubs, suckers or
sunfish still-fished on the bottom or below floats can result in flatheads
on the line (make sure you are familiar with all baitfish regulations when
finding and using large live baits). During the summer months casting or
trolling crankbaits also accounts for a number of Branched Oak flatheads.
displacement, said Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission fisheries biologist
Daryl Bauer, including the struggling
vibration of a wounded fish, which is
why anglers use live bait to catch them.
Because of their lateral line, flatheads
have an advantage while hunting during
low light conditions, especially at
night. But do not discount their sense
of taste, smell or vision. A flathead’s
Flathead catfish (bottom), often called
mud or yellow cats, are gray to brown
with dark brown-black mottling. They
grow much larger than a channel catfish
(top). While the Nebraska state record
channel catfish weighed 41 pounds, eight
ounces, the state record flathead weighed
80 pounds. The world record flathead
catfish was caught at Kansas’s Elk City
Reservoir and weighed 123 pounds.
FISH ART BY DUANE RAVER, UNITED STATES
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
28 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
eyes sit on top of its head and its lower,
protruding jaw is advantageous for a
predator that quite often attacks from
underneath its prey. “There are a lot of
flatheads caught on crankbaits,” said
Bauer. “That’s a quick burst for a fish
that gets really large. And their jaws
are unbelievably powerful. I’ve caught
flatheads that have sucked the crankbait
all the way to the back of their throat.”
Food choices for flatheads vary
depending on location, but multiple
researchers have found that flatheads
overall have no discernible preference
of food. While insects are the primary
forage for young-of-the-year flatheads,
a host of other prey, including crayfish,
small birds, mammals and principally
other fish, provide food for the rest of a
flathead’s life. Due to their non-specific
prey preferences, fish managers have
attempted to stock them in areas to
control undesirable fish. For example,
flatheads were used to control carp and
black bullheads in one Minnesota
experiment, and have been beneficial at
controlling the Branched Oak Lake
white perch population (see sidebar on
this page). However, population growth
rates of introduced flatheads have
caused concern with some agencies. In
1999, the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service placed the flathead
catfish as its highest priority among
invasive species in the southeastern U.S.
The implications of introducing
flathead catfish has been widely
published, most notably information
centering on North Carolina’s Cape
Fear River. Fifteen years after the
introduction of 11 adult flathead
catfish at one location, the species had
spread over a 140-mile stretch of the
river, became its apex predator, and
drastically reduced the numbers of
native fish species, including bullheads.
By the end of this 15-year period,
flathead catfish constituted 10 percent
of total fish numbers and more than
64 percent of total fish biomass.
Introducing an apex predator such as
the flathead into a suitable environment
may totally alter that environment in a
short amount of time. Especially with
their voracious appetites.
“While availability of prey, water
temperature and competition will
affect how much a flathead catfish will
consume, at their peak metabolism
during the summer a Nebraska flathead
can consume five to seven percent of
its body weight per day,” said Bauer.
So the 50-pound flathead that McClure
caught during the 2007 summer could
consume at least 2½ pounds of food per
day – for example, a 15-inch largemouth
bass and two 8-inch bluegill.
Consumption rates are much lower in
low water temperatures – flatheads can
go for weeks during the winter without
eating anything.
Flatheads spawn in saucer-shaped
depressions constructed in thick cover,
such as hollow logs or root wads.
“Flatheads are a warmwater fish,” said
Bauer. “They are the last fish to spawn in
Nebraska, usually during the first part
of July.” Past research varies on the
number of eggs laid, anywhere between
5,000 and 100,000, with larger females
laying more eggs. Once egg laying is
finished, the male chases the female
away, violently if necessary, and guards
the nest. Sexual maturity is 3 to 4 years
for males and 4 to 5 years for females,
at lengths of 17 to 19 inches. The
maximum lifespan for flathead catfish
has exceeded 28 years.
In Nebraska, a flathead weighing 15
pounds or measuring 32 inches is
considered a Master Angler fish. “Fish
that size,” McClure said, “are a dime a
dozen in the Tri-County Canal.”
Distribution
Glenn Langhorst uses a crappie as live bait
to catch flatheads on the Tri-County Canal.
While the Tri-County Canal, which
runs from North Platte to Johnson Lake
and then back to the Platte River, is full
of flathead catfish, their presence there
only begins to define where flatheads
can be found. The national distribution
range for the flathead catfish includes
the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri
river basins, and various other water
bodies from South Dakota to
Pennsylvania, and from northeastern
Mexico to the Great Lakes region.
In Nebraska, flatheads can be found
is a variety of water bodies, including
most river systems and many public
and private lakes and ponds. In moving
water, flatheads seek refuge behind
shoreline snags, contour bends or in
deep scour holes behind wing dikes.
On the Missouri River, as well as
smaller water bodies, flatheads can also
be found near riprap close to prey fish.
Yet they are most often related to the
deep holes they frequent on water bodies
such as the Tri-County Canal.
Calling out depths at Gallagher
McClure (top, seated) and Brian Robinson set a line. Their rig includes a No. 8/0 circle
hook with live bait, one-foot leader, barrel swivel, a six-to-eight ounce weight, and 120pound test braided line throughout. Their set is then attached to a pole on the bank.
Canyon SRA sounds a lot like a
quarterback calling out cadences: 6, 28,
10, 31, 4, 18, 35 feet. An angler pulling
a boat perpendicular to the bank is quite
likely to find that the depth on the
starboard side is quite deep, perhaps
20 feet or more, while the port-side is
very shallow, such as four feet. These
deep areas are found in bends of the
canal, and near these holes is where
McClure searches for flatheads. “The
cafeteria for flats is in less than six feet
of water, despite the amount of time they
spend in those deep holes,” he said.
Feeding is not the only time flatheads
leave these holes. In multiple studies
charting flathead catfish movement on
various water bodies, researchers have
found that flathead catfish show a great
propensity to move large distances.
Research indicates that flatheads will
have between one and three home
sites within their home range, and that
population pressure is often related to
food sources. In one study conducted
on a section of the
McClure caught
this 50-inch flathead in the
Tri-County Canal in 2007.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 29
the bottom in one spot
all winter,” said Bauer.
As the water warms,
they move back near
these home sites again.
Yet they are often not
alone in these areas, a
fact known by anglers.
“If you catch one
flathead in a spot, come
back and fish that same
spot a couple of days
later,” McClure said.
“Another flathead will
have moved in by then.”
On the Water
If flatheads sometimes
move, how do serious
anglers keep up? After
the winter and before
the fishing season ever
starts, McClure and one
of his fishing partners,
Brian Robinson, “put on
our hunting clothes, pack
a thermos of coffee, and
ride the canal to see how
the winter and ice have
changed things,” said
McClure. “We’ll check
our depth finders and
see if our holes and
snags are still there. It
helps us plan for the
By law, McClure is required to have name tags on each of
summer fishing.
his setlines. The piece of ½-inch rebar shown was bent by
Besides,
we don’t need
a flathead catfish at the Tri-County Canal. When purchasing
much of an excuse to
his flathead catfish net, McClure was asked if he was buying
a net for catching salmon because of its large size.
get out on the water.”
Once on the water in
Missouri River near St. Joseph,
the summer and fall, he first catches
Missouri, 80 percent of tagged catfish
bait, including bluegills, drum, carp
moved less than three miles from the
and his favorite, bullheads. “I used to
tagging location, but some moved
read online forums to see what guys on
considerable distances, up to 100 miles the Missouri River were using. If what
upstream.
they were using could hold up in that
“Movements are usually related to
river’s swift current, then I knew their
the environment,” said Bauer. “In large
choices would work well at Gallagher
rivers, fish might move large distances. Canyon.” McClure wants bait at least
Typically, movement would be a lot
six to eight inches long, and has used
less in canals and reservoirs.” It is
bullheads up to a foot long. “The bait
interesting how far they might move, but should be hooked right behind the dorsal
previous research states most fish have
fin without breaking the backbone. You
one core area, to which they regularly
want the fish to stay alive all night.”
return, even from long distances.
The problem is, McClure doesn’t
“Flatheads will usually frequent these
know exactly where his bait might be
‘home’ sites near prey during the summer in the morning. The Tri-County Canal’s
and move to wintering habitats later in
water level might be changed by the
the year where they will literally sit on
Central Nebraska Public Power District
30 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
for irrigation and power generation
purposes during a fishing trip,
complicating bait placement in shallow
water. Because of this, and the ability
of a flathead to exert an extreme
amount of force on his tackle, McClure
checks his sets at least three times a
night, and makes readjustments if his bait
has been taken or water levels change.
Overall, McClure has had his best
success when there has been a steady
barometer two days before and after
moon phases. “What I’ve always
thought about doing is looking at the
relationship of Master Angler fish to
moon phases to see if there is any
correlation there. With something so
inconsistent, we’re just always searching
for constants. Right now, I’m pulling
my information from the school of hard
knocks. And it will always be changing.”
One constant during this entire process
is the smile on McClure’s face when he’s
on the canal, and he is not the only one
that feels that way. “I took a friend of
mine, Glenn Langhorst, on the canal
about a year and a half ago. Every time
we go now, he’s a kid in a candy store.
Deer, turkeys, herons, beavers. You find
just about everything on the canal. It’s
just so private,” said McClure. “I
wouldn’t trade Gallagher Canyon for
anything. I mean, just look around.
Have you ever been in any place in
Nebraska that looks like this? Unless
you have a boat you only see one percent
of it. Cell phones don’t work down
there, and if you don’t know the area
well, you can get lost quick at night.”
An underutilized flathead fishery, the
Gallagher Canyon portion of the TriCounty Canal is one of Nebraska’s
hidden fishing gems. And McClure
wants to make sure it stays a gem.
“We’re releasing a lot of big flatheads
for my grandsons and daughters,” he
said. “They’re little setlining fools.”
And with this species’ propensity to
live long and grow extremely large, his
grandchildren might just see one of
these flatheads again down the road.
Right now, McClure and his fishing
partners are doing what they can to
preserve one of Nebraska’s most exciting
game fish. Simply because the flathead
has grabbed a hold of McClure’s heart
and held tight. Yet even more importantly,
the fear of one grabbing his hand and
ripping it off is what gets McClure’s
heart beating in the first place. ■
Robinson holds up a flathead catfish caught on
the Gallagher Canyon portion of the
Tri-County Canal.
Fort Kearny State
Recreation Area
A Place on the Platte for Outdoor People
Text and photos by Jon Farrar
Seven fish-filled lakes under towering cottonwoods make this camping
area a perfect companion for nearby Fort Kearny. The lakes were created
when gravel was needed for construction of an ammunition depot.
F
ort Kearny was constructed on
the south side of the Platte River
southeast of the present-day city
of Kearney in 1848 to protect travelers
on the Oregon Trail. After the Civil
War, confrontations with Native
American tribes shifted north and west,
and Fort Kearny had largely outlived its
usefulness. The last justification for the
fort was to provide protection for Union
Pacific Railroad workers in 1866-67.
The fort was abandoned in 1871, and
the remaining buildings torn down in
1875. Only earthwork fortifications and
the grove of cottonwoods around the
parade ground remained. The military
reservation land was disposed of in
Joye Cumbia from Shawnee Mission, Kansas, browns pork chops for her family at one
of Fort Kearny SRA’s 110 modern campsites.
Kerry Spark of Kearney comes to the old sandpit lakes on summer evenings for solitude and largemouth bass.
32 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
1876 and opened to settlement by
homesteaders.
In 1928, the Fort Kearny Memorial
Association organized and purchased
40 acres where most of the fort had
been located. The state of Nebraska
accepted title to the site the following
year, but due to a lack of funds it was
not developed. It was designated Fort
Kearny State Historical Park (SHP) in
1960, and in 1962 development by the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
began. First the stockade was rebuilt,
followed by the blacksmith shop, and
in 1968 the visitor’s center was
constructed. The fort, its interpretive
exhibits and the historical reenactments
held there have made it one of the most
popular historical stops on the central
Platte River.
From the beginning of the park’s
development, recreational planners
★
From I-80 exit 272 south of Kearney,
Fort Kearny State Recreation Area is
located two miles south on State
Highway 44, five miles east on State
Highway 50A, and one mile north.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 33
Fort Kearny State Recreation Area is a popular
stop for local and traveling campers and anglers.
A hike-bike trail crosses Platte River channels on
two abandoned railroad bridges.
recognized the need for a companion
area to the state park. Many visitors
would want to combine recreation with
a chance to delve into Nebraska
history, and many travelers would want
a nearby place to camp. In 1960, the
Commission acquired 160 acres of
land ¾-mile east and one mile north of
the fort, designating it as Fort Kearny
State Recreational Area (SRA). The
site was particularly desirable because
of its seven borrow pit lakes.
Early in 1870, the Burlington &
Missouri River Railroad began
construction of track westward from
Plattsmouth. Two years later the
rail line had passed through Hastings
and extended to the Union Pacific line
at Kearney Junction. In 1942, the
construction of the Hastings Naval
Ammunition Depot was announced.
The ammunition manufacturing and
storage facility, the largest in the U.S.
during World War II, ultimately
covered 75 square miles and employed
more than 10,000 workers. It was
located on the Burlington route east
of Hastings. Enormous quantities of
sand and gravel were required for the
construction of buildings and bunkers,
and because of the proximity of the
Burlington line, much of it came
from central Platte River floodplain,
including some from the same borrow
pits where today people swim and fish
at Fort Kearny SRA.
Fort Kearny’s borrow pits are not the
only railroad connection. Trains last
used the tracks in 1976, and the railroad
put the land up for sale to adjoining
landowners. A last minute effort by the
Fort Kearny Preservation, Restoration
and Development Board, the Buffalo
and Kearney county historical societies
and others prevented sale of the land
until funds could be raised to purchase
it for the people of Nebraska. That was
accomplished with a $10,000 donation
from the R.E. “Bob” Caldwell family,
bringing the total size of the area up to
186 acres.
Today, the southern trailhead of the
Even during the busy summer travel months, campers and anglers will find quiet evenings in nature.
After a night of tent camping, Debra Stinson from Berra, Kentucky, begins packing
before continuing the family’s trip across Nebraska.
34 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
Fort Kearny Hike-Bike Trail is on the
eastern edge of the SRA and continues
north for 1.8 miles, along the route of
the old Burlington Railroad, before
connecting with the seven-mile-long
Bassway Strip Wildlife Management
Area, which is also open to public
hiking and wildlife viewing. The trail
crosses two Platte River channels on
railroad bridges refurbished for foot
traffic by the Youth Conservation Corps
in 1980. The 962-foot-span southern
bridge is a popular sandhill crane
viewing platform in March, as there
are night roosts both upstream and
downstream from it. The recent clearing
of trees along this section of the Platte
River by conservation organizations
continues to improve viewing
opportunities from the bridges. Wildlife
viewing information is available at the
Fort Kearny SHP Visitor’s Center.
Just as Oregon Trail travelers sought
wooded campsites near water along the
Platte River, so do tent and recreational
vehicle campers seek the quiet ponds
under towering cottonwoods at Fort
Kearny SRA. The area has 110 modern
camping pads (of which 75 have
electrical hookups), showers, modern
restrooms and a trailer dump station.
Camping is allowed year-round but the
shower facilities are only open during
the warmer months of the year,
typically the first weekend of April
through October. The RV dump station
is open year-round and water is
available at that site. Half of the area’s
modern campsites can be reserved in
advance, but the remainder are on a
first come, first served basis. Day-use
facilities include picnic tables, covered
group shelters (one which can be
reserved), grills, drinking water and
playground equipment.
One lake has a designated beach for
unsupervised swimming and a
wheelchair-accessible fishing pier. All
lakes offer good fishing opportunities.
Largemouth bass, bluegill, channel
catfish and crappie are the species
available. Catfish are periodically
stocked – all other species are naturally
reproducing. Only nonpowered craft or
electric motors are allowed, and
archery and spearfishing is prohibited.
Fort Kearny SRA is a perfect camping
and recreation site companion for nearby
Fort Kearny SHP. Its campsites are
often filled on summer weekends,
particularly when living history
programs are underway at the fort.
Each Memorial Day, July 4th and
Labor Day, a group of local military
history buffs portray the C Battery,
Third U.S. Artillery from the 1860s
by camping on the grounds and
demonstrating soldier life of the Fort
Kearny period in history, including the
popular firing of 12-pound howitzer
cannons, mock battles, wagon rides and
blacksmithing. Other special events are
held at the fort most years. There are
almost always campsites open weekdays,
and the area is popular in winter for icefishing and cross-country skiing. ■
For more information about Fort
Kearny SHP or SRA, check the
Commission’s web site at
www.OutdoorNebraska.org or Fort
Kearny State Historical Park, 1020 V.
Road, Kearney, NE 68847-9804, 308865-5305, Fort.Kearny@ngpc.ne.gov
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 35
Ospreys in Nebraska
Photos and text by Bob Grier
Once a rare sight here, migrant ospreys are now common and the
state’s first confirmed osprey nest has been found in western Nebraska.
T
he surprising start of Nebraska’s first-ever confirmed
nesting attempt by osprey (Pandion haliaetus) began
slowly but picked up momentum quickly as the two
brilliantly plumaged adult osprey began carrying tree
branches, corn stalks, dried sunflower stems and other
vegetation to the top of a power pole along a county road
northeast of Scottsbluff in early May.
This nest represented an exciting step in the expansion of
the osprey’s breeding range across North America. Historical
references to osprey nesting in Nebraska are nearly nonexistent
and unconfirmed, and even reports of summer sightings are
classified as rare and casual. While the ultimate success of
the nest is unknown as this article goes to press, the osprey’s
future in Nebraska looks promising.
“The nesting attempt in western Nebraska is exciting and
is a significant first for the state,” said Joel Jorgensen, the
nongame bird program manager for the Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission, “but the arrival of osprey breeding pairs
into Nebraska certainly wasn’t unanticipated. We’ve seen a
dramatic expansion of osprey breeding range throughout
North America, including Minnesota and the Great Lakes
region, as well as across the northeast and Canada. At least
WATCHING AND WAITING, an adult osprey scans the
water below from its perch above a Pine Ridge pond.
36 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
some of the bird’s increasing population and the expansion
of their historical breeding ranges can be attributed to their
use of man-made nesting platforms, including power poles,
floating buoys, waterfowl blinds and even artificial nesting
platforms placed near the birds’ prime fishing areas.”
Osprey are found throughout the world, inhabiting every
continent but Antarctica, and their breeding and nesting
range in North America has expanded during the latter part
of the last century. Nesting is reported from Alaska eastward
across most of Canada, along the Atlantic shore from the
Maritime Provinces as far south as Georgia and Florida and
along the Pacific Coast from the Yukon, British Columbia
and southward into Northern California. Osprey are rare in
Hawaii, but migratory transients are seen in almost every
state in the continental United States.
Migrant adults and young of the year will often stop in
Nebraska for extended periods in the fall, and occasionally
in the spring, to take advantage of good feeding conditions
in northwest Nebraska’s Pine Ridge, along the Niobrara and
Platte River drainages and eastward on other rivers, lakes
and other suitable fishing waters. Specific locations that
seem to attract and hold migrants each fall includes the
Chadron State Park (SP) pond, Fort Robinson SP’s ponds
and nearby Carter P. Johnson Lake. Migrating birds have
stopped for several days on an urban park lake in Alliance
and at Victoria Springs State Recreation Area in central
Nebraska, and the birds are occasionally seen on Oliver
Reservoir west of Kimball and Lake McConaughy. Ospreys
have also been observed in metropolitan Lincoln and Omaha
and along the Missouri River corridor.
According to Jorgensen’s research, it is possible that
migrants seen across Nebraska represent two distinct
populations. “Eastern migrants may be part of the growing
breeding population in Minnesota and Manitoba that
overwinters in the lower Mississippi Valley and in south
Texas, which would account for the higher frequency
of records from eastern Nebraska. The second breeding
population is found in Wyoming and Montana, and that
population is also apparently increasing, which may account
for the increasing frequency of reports from western
Nebraska during the last few years.”
Researchers studying dramatic declines in osprey and
other avian populations in the 1960s and 1970s first noted
the effect of organochlorine pesticides, including DDT
specifically, on osprey reproduction. The pesticide’s impacts,
which included the thinning of eggshells, were quickly tied
to serious declines in nesting success for many other bird
A SUCCESSFUL HUNTER carries a trout headfirst as it flies off to a tree to consume its catch.
species as well. At the top of the food chain, ospreys and
other raptors were hit hard by the greater concentrations of
pesticides in their diets, and in many parts of North America,
osprey populations fell as much as 90 percent before DDT
was banned. The reproductive success in ospreys and other
species began to rebound after the ban, although the pesticides
were still used in Central and South America. By 2000,
osprey populations in nearly all of North America had
returned to historic levels.
The birds’ bold, black-and-white plumage and unusually
long, narrow wings are keys for quick field identification,
and an osprey differs markedly from similarly sized hawks
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 37
THE FEMALE OSPREY watches as the male returns to their nest atop a power pole near Scottsbluff.
with its white belly, dark wrist patches and bright, white
head with dark eye streak. In flight, the bird’s long, narrow
wings are easily seen. Adult ospreys weigh between 2½ and
4½ pounds, reach lengths of 24 inches, and their wingspans
reach a full six feet in length.
The plumage of young-of-the-year osprey often appears
less refined or somewhat dull compared with the adult bird’s
contrasty, well-defined plumage. Younger birds display buff
fringes to the upper plumage, a buff tone to the underparts and
streaked feathers on the head. There is very little difference
between adult males and females: The male’s breast feathers
are almost all white, while the female has a “necklace” of
darker feathers on its white breast. Females are also approximately 25 percent larger than males.
An osprey’s diet is almost exclusively fish, although they
are known to take other prey, including aquatic rodents,
salamanders, other birds and small reptiles when available. The
birds have evolved specialized tools and hunting behaviors
to capture submerged fish, including an opposable toe that
can face backward or forward – the only raptor with a
reversible outer toe. The feet also include sharp spicules
(barbs) on the underside of the toes and backward-facing
scales on the talons that grip their slippery prey. Ospreys also
38 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
have closeable nostrils to keep out water during their dives.
Even armed with a long telephoto lens and one of the
world’s fastest autofocus digital cameras, photographing an
osprey dropping swiftly to the water’s surface while
hunting is more luck than skill. Each fall, Nebraskans
across the state are often startled to see and hear one of
these strikingly patterned birds diving feet first into ponds,
lakes and streams to catch fish. Hitting the water at high
speed, talons extended, wings folded in a bend behind
the wing wrist and head and eyes directly behind its
outstretched feet, a diving osprey creates a splash that can
be both seen and heard at great distances, especially during
the periods of light wind and calm water surface conditions
that favors the bird’s normal hunting techniques – diving
nearly vertically from hovering flight over water or from an
elevated waterside perch to capture fish within several feet
of the water’s surface.
Ospreys actively perching near feeding areas are often
heard before seen, their chirplike alarm calls often used as
anglers, hunters, hikers and others intrude near a bird’s
favored hunting sites. The call is a series of short chirps or
whistles, often described as a cheep, cheep or yewk, yewk.
The more strident alarm call often heard at nesting sites is a
frenzied cheereek.
The osprey’s scientific name (Pandion
haliaetus) comes from the mythical king
of Athens, Pandion, whose daughters
were turned into birds, and by the Greek
words halos, referring to the sea, and
aetos, or eagle. The bird’s common
name is from the Latin word ossifragus,
meaning “a bone breaker.” Common
names include sea hawk and fish hawk.
Ospreys are the only bird that dives
feet first into water, often submerging
completely based on the speed of their
dive and depth of the prey. Bald eagles
often approach fish on or close to the
surface feet first as well, but almost
always pluck the fish from the water
while maintaining their forward flight.
On a successful dive, an osprey may
surface immediately, quickly “jumping”
from the water’s surface with its catch.
Other times the bird may pause
momentarily with its head and neck
above the water surface, possibly
changing and firming its grip on the
fish before the long wings spread out
and powerful wingbeats pull the
water-soaked bird and its prey upward.
Younger osprey and those with larger
fish often have to skim the water’s
surface for a substantial distance before
gaining enough speed to rise over
waterside trees or other obstacles. At
times successful hunters will fly to a
nearby perch to consume nearly all of the fish, while at
other times a feeding osprey’s pattern includes longer flights
to secluded perches before feeding, possibly a defensive
pattern to reduce the opportunity for other osprey and large
raptors that may try to steal their catch.
An osprey photographed on a small, Pine Ridge pond
north of Harrison in 2006 and 2007 maintained about a
50 percent success rate during the first of several days of
observation. The bird was first seen perched above the pond
before sunrise on a cold, misty, mid-September morning,
and stayed there for several hours before beginning to
actively feed – intently watching for fish near the surface
before diving. Several elevated perches above the pond were
used during the daylong observations.
The first dive of the morning resulted in a miss and the
bird’s flight took it across the length of the pond as it gained
speed. After an unsuccessful dive, the osprey would swiftly
approach the perch from below, slowing its speed quickly in
a nearly vertical climb to the perch with outstretched wings.
When its dive was successful, the bird normally flew out of
sight to a nearby ridge to feed, carrying the trout headfirst
before returning 20 to 30 minutes later to continue hunting.
The first day provided optimal hunting conditions – smooth,
CAREFULLY HOLDING a long stick, an osprey uses its
powerful wingbeats to carry nest-building material back to
the nest site.
AFTER BRINGING BACK a fish for her to eat at the nest,
the male osprey assumes a copulatory position above her.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 39
clear water and full sunlight.
Wind conditions the following day completely altered
hunting activities. A gray, overcast sky and wind-whipped
waves cut the bird’s success almost completely. Several
hours would pass between attempts and dives were often
interrupted before the bird entered the water.
Whether or not they successfully raise young this year,
there’s a good chance that the osprey nesting near Scottsbluff
will be back next year. Ospreys usually mate for life, becoming
sexually mature at approximately three years of age, and
often use the same nest year after year. Some osprey nests
have been used by different nesting pairs for well over 50
years. The nests can reach large size over long periods of use
– nine to 12 feet deep and up to six feet in diameter.
Researchers and biologists studying osprey nesting
preferences across North America noted that nesting pairs
using man-made structures produced about twice as many
young as birds that selected natural nesting sites, and
successful breeding pairs readily return to the man-made
structures year after year. That research also led to the
design and construction of artificial nesting platforms that
have been used to encourage osprey nesting across North
America. The research also noted that ospreys continue to
move away from natural nesting sites with the increase in
raccoon and other predator populations.
Clutch size is usually from one to four creamy white to
pinkish eggs, spotted with reddish brown and intermediate
colors. The first egg in the clutch is the largest, about the
size of a chicken egg, and each subsequent egg is slightly
smaller. During the one- to four-day period of egg laying,
the male aggressively guards the female. Once incubation
begins, both birds take turns, although the female is on the
eggs for normally about 70 percent of the approximate,
35- to 40-day incubation period. During the female’s
extended period at the nest, the male brings his catch to the
female. The first observed feeding at the Scottsbluff nest
was a showy display of acrobatics – the male approached
from several hundred feet above the elevated nest, folded its
wings and dropped into a nearly vertical dive at high speed.
At the last minute, the male’s wings extended and its talons
were thrust forward with the fish. The female moved to one
of the power pole’s extended arms to feed. After she was done
eating, several minutes passed before the male spread its wings
and rose to carefully land on the female’s back to breed.
REFLECTED in a pond’s still water, the successful hunter carries its catch back to its perch.
40 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
Egg laying hadn’t begun by
the second week in May as
this article was prepared for
publication, and both the male
and female continued to bring
sticks of different sizes to
enlarge the nest. The building
size of the nest and its location
on and near the pole’s power
lines concerned U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service refuge manager
Steve Knode of Scottsbluff and
Jorgensen, as well as linemen
with the Chimney Rock Power
Company, which maintains the
power transmission lines.
Knode had been notified of
the nest building activities in
early May by Game and Parks
Commission employees at nearby
Minatare State Recreation Area
and after confirming the
identity of the nest builders, he
immediately contacted the
power company to see if options
were available to reduce the risk
of electrical short circuit or
electrocution. Even while power
company linemen were using
insulated fiberglass poles to
remove nesting material that
was lying across several power
lines, they were surprised to see
the ospreys continue add nesting
material to the growing platform
nest from above.
If the Scottsbluff area nesting DURING AN ATTACK an
osprey’s head is directly
is successful, the eggs should
behind its outstretched talons
hatch in mid- to late-June.
Chicks normally fledge at about and its wings fold in a bend
behind the wing wrist as it
7 to 8 weeks of age, and the
dives headfirst after its prey
young birds are dependent
below the water’s surface.
on the adults until the fall
migration occurs from mid-July
into early November. Spring migration for the ospreys
returning to their breeding sites begins in late-February and
continues into May. Breeding pairs do not migrate or winter
together and the male generally returns to the established
nest site before the female.
Biologists and researchers are hopeful that this year’s
nesting attempt will be successful and plans are already
underway to place a platform under the current nest and also
install several artificial nesting platforms elsewhere in the
North Platte Valley. The promise of an expanding osprey
nesting population in Nebraska has been made and the
opportunity to see ospreys and their dramatic dives to catch
fish may someday be widespread across Nebraska. ■
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 41
One Month at a Time
The Cornhusker Fly Fishers have met monthly since
1978 and continually find ways to spark interest for
old and new members alike.
Text and photos by Jeff Kurrus
T
he Cornhusker Fly Fishers, a
club of anglers from eastern
Nebraska, get together at least
once a month for one reason, and
it’s not fly-fishing. That part is
important, yes, and does give this
club’s members a reason to meet, but
the real reason they meet is to catch up
with new and old friends alike.
Club members come from Nebraska
City, Council Bluffs, Omaha, Lincoln,
and several small towns in between,
and their occupations are just as varied.
“We have a nice mix of doctors, lawyers,
cabinetmakers, mechanics, university
professors and the like,” said club
president Ray Bombac of Papillion.
“We have a variety of people. Some
people can afford a $500 rod and some
can’t. But the fish don’t know the
difference.”
While some might be able to afford
an expensive rod, an expensive
membership is not needed. For $24 a
year, the Cornhusker Fly Fishers make
it worth the money for newcomers.
They meet the third Wednesday of each
month at Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium near
Gretna, then try to fish the following
Saturday. And these events have
occurred for 30 years.
During the winter months, new
members learn how to tie flies and cast,
which is often seen as the most difficult
aspect of fly-fishing. Members disagree.
“Recently I was fishing at a lake and a
Member Matt Brammeier of Lincoln fly-fishes for carp at Two Rivers SRA Lake No. 3 as a carp clears the surface behind him.
Last August for their survival fly-tying event, Cornhusker Fly Fisher members tied flies
from materials salvaged from member Lee Koch’s old Honda car.
42 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
kid walked up,” said member Frank
Reid of Plattsmouth, “and he asked if it
was difficult to fly-fish. I handed him
my rod and in five minutes he was
casting like a pro. Learn the casting
action and you’re fishing in a few
minutes.” The best part about novices,
these members said, is that many begin
with no preconceived notions of how
things should be done.
“It’s not that complicated to get
started,” agreed member Lee Koch of
Lincoln. “You realize that sometimes
the fish are on, and sometimes they’re
not. At first, you think that everything
is you because you don’t know what
you’re doing. Then you get to that day
when you’re doing the same stupid
things as you did yesterday and start to
catch fish. When I was growing up, I
was mostly bobber fishing around
Lincoln, like many kids still do
nowadays. You cast out there and then
sit around and twiddle your thumbs. I
always liked to fiddle with stuff, which
is why fly-fishing was great for me.”
Doug King of LaVista has taught
fly-casting courses for 20 years at
Backwoods, an outdoor retail store in
Omaha, and addressed the next step for
newcomers: “We work on the basics in
the courses I teach, and I do the same
things with new members here – the
different types of rods, lines, basic
knots, and terminology such as leaders
and tippets. Why something is called
this weight or that weight. Plus flies –
the different types of flies used in
Nebraska, and the difference between
subsurface and surface flies. Then you
move from there into casting. You spend
as much time doing that as any other
because it’s a little more involved.”
Indoor meetings are a mainstay
during these winter learning months.
Last year, the Cornhusker Fly Fishers
had a fly swap with a fly-fishing club
in South Africa. “We did an internet
search to look for other clubs and we
tied 12 dozen flies and they tied a
similar amount,” said member Neil
Boston of Omaha.
“We then used their
flies and found fish.
Our ideas were pretty
similar, but because
our insects differ in
the two areas, our
imitating flies do as
well.”
By April, a layer
of winter clothes
has usually been
discarded, and the
Membership
spiked in 1992 for
the club when the movie “A River Runs
Through It” was released.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 43
During the Cornhusker Fly Fishers’ survival tying scenario, piles of fly-tying tools
littered the tables at Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, the group’s monthly meeting location.
Cornhusker Fly Fishers hold their Spring
Fling, their main event. This is the
club’s annual fundraiser and the time of
the year when a majority of new
members join. A guest speaker is
arranged to present a program to the
club, and past speakers have included
fly-fishing legends Dave Whitlock,
Lefty Kreh, Bob Clouser and C. Boyd
Pfeiffer. Fly-tying, casting, and slide
shows of past trips fill the day.
By May, it’s time to fish. The past 25
years they have held their annual onefly contest, which challenges members
to construct a fly, then catch and
release as many bluegill as possible in
two hours before the fly breaks. In
2007, Don Klostermeyer of Omaha
won the contest at Burchard Lake after
catching and releasing 11 fish. The
year before, Baz Lazure of Plattsmouth
won by catching 109 bluegills in two
Member Al Berk of Omaha fly-fishes from a float tube at the club’s Carp Fest event, held at Two Rivers SRA.
44 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
explained, definitely not for the first
hours at the same lake. During this
time, how they began fly-fishing and
same month’s get-together, members
how it has now surpassed all other
compete in fly-casting competitions,
types of angling. Longtime member
casting to targets and through loops at
Agnes Adams of Lincoln, who has flydistances of 25, 50 and 75 feet.
Summertime finds more fishing, with fished in Wyoming, Colorado, Australia
trips being scheduled at locales such as and New Zealand, was content to not
Verdigre Creek and Long Pine,
where kayaks, float tubes and
waders also accompany the
group. “Verdigre is a good place
to go because if people want to
go after a bass or pike it’s no
problem, and if they want to
catch a rainbow, they can also
do that,” said Koch. “I’m also
really happy that Holmes Lake
was recently renovated, where
you can catch trout in the winter.”
Other areas close to eastern
Nebraska’s metropolitan areas
are also fished, including Walnut
Creek Reservoir in Bellevue,
Memphis State Recreation Area
(SRA), Olive Creek SRA,
Stagecoach Lake SRA, and Two
Rivers SRA, where last year’s July
fishing event, Carp Fest, was held.
Their mission that July day
was carp on a fly, which proved
to be a difficult goal. Since carp
are primarily vegetarians, it is
difficult to catch them on
anything resembling live bait.
“If we use dough balls, we would
expect it to work out much
better,” said Bombac. “People
make flies resembling mulberries,
corn kernels, shrimp and
For the Cornhusker Fly Fishers, good food is just as
centipedes. Needless to say, carp important as fishing during their monthly outings.
on the fly is a huge challenge.”
So large a challenge that the group
fish at all. “These events just give us
failed to catch a carp the entire day, but time to get together. In the past, people
that didn’t stop the tutorials for new
would just fish and would never talk.
members, the telling of stories or the
Now we’ll cook, eat and socialize.”
food. “When I moved here from
Last August, when the heat was pretty
Maryland, I had a member tell me
close to unforgiving and fishing would
‘We’re having carp cakes,’” said Reid.
only be done in a survival scenario by
“Where I came from we ate crab cakes
most people, the Cornhusker Fly Fishers
and you can’t get much better than that, featured one of their new events,
so I was like, ‘Yeah, right.’ Until I ate
creating a survival scenario of their own.
one and loved it.”
“This came from member Neil Boston’s
That day, many of the members
creative mind,” said Bombac. “A
forgot the carp proposition entirely and national emergency from mad cow
caught bass and bluegill. Topographical disease caused you to be confined to
maps of certain lakes were viewed by
the Sandhills and your car has crashed
other members, veterans worked with
in a remote site near a small lake. All
new members on casting, anglers
you have is what is left of the car and
shared their views on warm water versus your fly rod. You have hooks but need
cold water fish species, and others
materials to make flies.”
Koch donated a Honda car for
salvage, and threw a number of items
in the trunk for possible flies: Barbie
dolls, old pieces of fur, foam, vinyl
upholstery, plastic and various pieces
of trash all became viable fly-forming
options for creative tiers. Piles of “stuff”
littered the tables at Ak-SarBen Aquarium that night, while
members, with headlamps
and scissors and vise grips,
made pike, bass and trout flies.
As summer winds down,
one of the group meetings
will be held at Eugene T.
Mahoney State Park for their
family picnic. October finds
the group participating in an
environmental event, cutting
brush, removing unwanted
trees and improving access to
Mahoney’s Qwest Lake. The
early winter months feature a
number of indoor activities,
including general elections,
guest speakers, a seminar on
winterizing fly-fishing gear
and a rod-building class. “The
rod building class is worth the
price of a membership itself –
I built four rods last time,”
said member Bryon Melvin of
Lincoln. “This year I want to
build my grandson one. A
membership for $24 bucks is
the best money you can spend.”
Each year the Cornhusker
Fly Fishers seem to do things
a little bit the same, and a little
bit different. Which works
well for them. They have had
a number of members who have been
in the club for years and want to do the
same things they’ve been doing for
years. But new members often have
different ideas, giving them a good
mix. Plus, more women and kids are
joining, which is exactly what the club
wants. In 2007, the club had 40 new
members, while 24 new members have
already joined in 2008.
With the opportunity for both handson assistance as well as the chance to
perhaps catch your first fish with a fly
rod, now has never been a better time
to join the Cornhusker Fly Fishers. And
if not now, next month will be just as
good. For more information, visit their
web site at: www.cornhuskerflyfishers.org. ■
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 45
Niobrara River Threatened
Interior Places: A Book About Home
For the second time, the Niobrara is in the top ten of threatened rivers.
16 essays of creative nonfiction a collection of observations par excellence.
By Jon Farrar
By Jeff Kurrus
O
46 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
The Niobrara was selected as one of
the top 10 canoeing rivers in the U.S.
by Backpacker magazine.
or the Nebraska Department of
Natural Resources (NDNR) believed
a moratorium was necessary.
A component of the Commission’s
instream flow study is the river’s
hydrology, past and present. The study
will be comprehensive and scientific.
The river’s flows will be analyzed
seasonally, not just annually – a
more meaningful measure for fish,
wildlife and recreational needs. Other
Commission studies will determine
flows needed for recreation, such as
canoeing; the social and economic
values of the river; and how river
habitat is affected by the timing and
volume of flows. While opinions
vary whether flows are declining,
and if so by how much, the increased
interest in the Niobrara for irrigation
is indisputable – there were as many
applications for wells from 2000 to
2007 as during all of the 1990s, and
applications for surface water
diversions have also increased.
Under Nebraska’s water law
system, the state’s 23 NRDs regulate
groundwater use in their respective
districts and the NDNR regulates
surface water use statewide. Only
recently have state laws recognized a
connection between surface water
and groundwater, which in part
explains why flows in streams and
rivers in the Republican and Platte
river basins were allowed to shrivel
to a fraction of what they historically
were.
In the spring of 2007, the issue of
whether the Niobrara was “fully
appropriated” (meaning new water
rights could not be granted without
infringing on existing water rights)
or perhaps even “over appropriated,”
came to a head when the Nebraska
Public Power District (NPPD),
which operates a hydropower facility
on the river near Spencer, asked for
protection of its full water rights,
rights dating back to the 1890s.
NPPD’s rights are senior to more
than 400 upstream surface water
rights and grant them a flow of 2,035
cubic feet per second, approximately
the total volume passing through
Spencer dam in May 2007.
In January 2008, the NDNR
ruled that the Niobrara was fully
appropriated and could not sustain
additional water withdrawals without
harming existing uses. That ruling
temporarily prohibited new irrigation
wells, the diversion of more water
from the river, and prevented farmers
in the drainage from expanding
their irrigated acres. The segment of
the river designated as fully
appropriated includes approximately
200 miles of the central Niobrara
River upstream from the Spencer
hydropower dam.
Are the Niobrara’s water issues
finally resolved? Far from it. Will
elected leaders take the long view
for the good of a river of national
importance rather than what is
politically expedient in the shortterm? Stay tuned. ■
“D
PHOTO BY JON FARRAR
n April 17, 2008, American
Rivers, a national
conservation advocacy
organization founded in 1973
to protect rivers, released its
2008 America’s Most Endangered
Rivers list. Nebraska’s Niobrara River
was in the top 10. While not based
on research or statistics, relying
instead on nominations from members
and conservation organizations,
inclusion indicates a river’s
significance on the national stage.
The Niobrara was on the list before,
in 1986, a response to the proposed
Norden dam that would have flooded
19 miles of the river valley.
The Niobrara has been a political
hot potato since the 1970s and recently
returned to newspaper headlines.
In May 2006, the Nebraska Game
and Parks Commission board of
commissioners instructed staff to
determine if instream flow
appropriations were needed to protect
the fish, wildlife and recreational
values of the Niobrara. Instream flow
legislation was passed by the state
legislature in 1984, allowing the
Commission and natural resources
districts (NRDs) to apply for
unappropriated water in rivers for the
benefit of fish, wildlife and recreation.
Instream flow rights do not affect
prior, senior water rights. A year
later, the Commission, the Niobrara
River Council, the National Park
Service (NPS) and others asked state
and local water-regulation authorities
to temporarily stop issuing new
permits allowing diversion of water
from the Niobrara basin until studies
could be completed. The NPS
administers the Niobrara River Wild
and Scenic River, a 76-mile corridor
on the central Niobrara and 20 miles
of river upstream from its mouth that
was established by Congress in 1991
to protect the river’s natural qualities.
Neither the NRDs along the Niobrara
rink and remember,” author
Lisa Knopp states in “This
Creek,” the final essay in a
289-page collection entitled
Interior Places published
by the University of Nebraska Press
in March 2008. It is a simple, yet
intriguing request made by a writer
who has managed to not only evoke
a spiritual and physical connection to
the Midwest and Great Plains, but
has also found a trail where readers
can reflect on their own connections
to the landscape.
It is a connection for Knopp that is
as varied as the essays in this book,
where her relationship to the natural
world is quite diverse throughout. In
“Surrender” she writes: “I suppose
that I will do what I’ve always done
when I seek solace: I will hike over
prairies and woodlands, along rivers
and streams, bird-watching, stargazing, insect-watching and
botanizing.” Yet at the same time, her
solace also occurs in more personal
places. “But five years into my
mortgage, I’m overwhelmed by
how much I don’t know about my
6,800-square-foot parcel of earth,”
she writes in “A Bit of Land.”
Through this collection, readers
will see places familiar to Nebraskans,
such as Ogallala, Pioneer’s Park
Nature Center, Haines Branch
Stream and Schramm Park State
Recreation Area. In addition, “The
Woodpecker Tree” (October 2005)
and “Remarkable Emergence” (April
2003), both originally published in
NEBRASKAland, appear in slightly
different forms in “Surrendered” and
“A Bit of Land.” But even when the
stories delve into her native state of
Iowa, there is still that sense of
regionalism that transcends state
boundaries. In “The Way In,” she
speaks about living in this part of the
world: “I know that what I might
find within a rough, bland shell is a
hollow, spectacularly bejeweled
interior.”
Self-analysis is one of this
collection’s most pervading strengths,
as is Knopp’s ability to teach. In
“Traces” she informs readers of the
history of Chief Keokuk, a member
of the Sac and Fox tribe; the
biological history of corn in “In the
Corn;” geodes in “The Way In;” the
history of the Burlington railroad in
“Bread and Butter;” Iowa’s Loess
Hills in “Souvenir;” and even Amelia
Earhart in “Pilgrimage.” Yet even in
the biographical piece on Earhart,
nature remains a constant. “I imagined
Earhart mesmerized by the flocks of
Canada geese, each flock shaped like
the nose of an airplane, as they
migrated across the continent, or the
seemingly effortless way in which
hawks and crows glided and drifted
above the bluffs. I imagined Earhart
seeing possibilities in the sky.”
Knopp’s work is at its strongest
when she is combining research with
personal experience, like in the case
of “The Fence,” which discusses the
Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in
southeastern Iowa and its history of
nuclear weapon construction, water
pollution and radiation exposure.
During her childhood, Knopp writes
of her brother hunting inside the
fence at the Long Creek Conservation
Club, then bringing his quarry home
for evening meals. Yet the absurdity
doesn’t stop there. “George Fish …
told the Hawk Eye that he and his
coworkers had collected the chunks
of DU (depleted uranium) with their
bare hands, until someone in a
position of power decided that they
needed protection and gave them
cotton gloves to wear.”
These scenes bring tension to
Knopp’s work, as do those when she
is observing nature. “Why would
someone spend a perfectly good
Saturday morning banding common,
everyday
birds?” she
writes in
“Surrender.”
“And why
were the rest
of us
spending a
perfectly
good
Saturday
morning
watching
her?”
Knopp
walks
along
with her readers and
embodies many commonalities
that can be seen throughout
America’s small towns and scenic
byways. One of the strongest aspects
of her writing is that she is a flawed
character in many instances:
Sometimes condescending, other
times giving. Humorous and bitter.
Plain and complex. But most of all,
observant of the world around her.
Upon her grandmother’s death in
“Traces,” she writes, “the Hawk Eye
in Burlington Iowa … reduced my
grandmother’s life to two tidy
paragraphs.”
Interior Places is a book to be
read with a pen in your hand. A book
is for enjoying, yes, but is also for
taking notes, for learning, for
expanding the reader’s knowledge.
For me, that is always the goal of a
good read. And this collection does
just that. ■
A regular contributor to
NEBRASKAland Magazine and an
associate professor of English at the
University of Nebraska at Omaha,
Lisa Knopp has also written Flight
Dreams: A Life in the Midwestern
Landscape, Field of Vision, and The
Nature of Home.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 47
ATTRACTIONS/EVENTS
GOT PRAIRIE? We do! Prairie Plains Resource
Institute is Nebraska born and dedicated to the people
and landscape of the Great Plains. Since 1980 we’ve
been planting prairies, getting kids outside and spending time with people on the land. For beautiful photos,
calendar of events or to become a member, visit
www.prairieplains.org or call (402) 694-5535.
DOGS
PLUM CREEK KENNEL. German shorthairs, stud
service, puppies and started dogs. Training for all
pointing breeds. Specialize in training the handler as
well as the dog. Wayne Clark, Percival, Iowa (near
Omaha) (712) 529-4238, clarks1@iowatelecom.net.
WILDERNESS KENNELS. Since 1968 – over 60
years combined experience. Gun dog training, all
sporting breeds – retrievers, flushing and pointing.
All dogs worked on pen-raised birds and wild game.
Obedience training includes heel, sit, stay, down and
come when called. Pups, started dogs and fully
trained dogs for sale. Hunting dogs trained by hunters.
Henry Sader, Roca, NE
(402) 423-4212.
www.wildernesskennels.com
DUCKDAWG RETRIEVERS – Raising exceptional
hunting/field-bred yellow and black Labradors.
Hunting, family and competition companions.
Puppies raised in our home. Written health guarantee.
Stud services available.
Home of GRHRCH
DuckDawg’s Eba Roll The Dice – (Y1w) and
GRHRCH McMac Magic Eyes A’Smilin MH-(Blk).
The only two Grand Hunting Retriever Champions in
Nebraska. www.duckdawg.com. Ron Green DVM
and Libby Milroy, North Platte NE (308) 534-3659.
Subscribing to
NEBRASKAland
is easier and more
affordable than
ever!
Subscribe now and
save up to 70% off
the cover price.
Don’t miss this awardwinning publication
about our
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and
people.
Act
now!
BRITISH LABRADOR PUPPIES, AKC/UKC,
O.F.A./CERF. Guarantees. “Wildrose” Dam and Sire.
Exceptional British field trial lines. Free training.
Wildwind British Labradors. (402) 429-1836
steve.macdonald@davisdesign.com.
WILDWIND BRITISH LABRADOR PUPPIES AKC/UKC, O.F.A./CERF. Guarantees. Parents from
imported British FTCh's. Properly socialized. Calm.
Intelligent. Exceptional hunters / companions. Black,
Yellow, Fox, and Red. www.wildwindbritlabs.com.
(402) 429-1836.
FLATLANDER KENNELS INC. Bayard, NE. Fulltime retriever training facility for the serious hunter or
AKC and HRC hunt tester. Trainer of Nebraska's first
and only GRHRCH's! Super Retriever Series
competitor and member of Avery's Team Waterdog.
Training available for all levels of hunt tests
and gundogs. Chris Jobman: (308) 249-0707,
www.flatlanderkennels.com
AKC GERMAN SHORTHAIR POINTER PUPS –
Proven hunting bloodlines, exceptional markings,
shots, de-wormed, dew claws removed and tails
docked. (402) 265-2016.
FISH/FISHING
FISH FOR SALE. Catfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, perch, crappie, bluegill, walleye, rainbow
trout, grass carp, minnows. Pleasant Valley Fish Farm,
27851 U.S. Highway 83, McCook, NE 69001. (308)
345-6599.
NEBRASKA LAKE MANAGEMENT – Biological
lake surveys, fish stocking, rough fish control, lake
aeration, algae control, shorewall construction.
Rob Hofpar, Aquatic Biologist, licensed, insured and
qualified. Phone (402) 784-6005 (Lincoln), or
toll-free (888) 850-2460.
FOOD/GIFTS/HOME
HOMEBREWING/BEER AND WINEMAKING.
Fermenter’s Supply, 8410 K Plaza, Suite #10, Omaha,
NE 68127. Phone orders only, (888) 655-2739.
Advice line (402) 593-9171. www.fermenters
supply.com.
CABIN/BUILDING/HOME
Design
and
Construction. Full-line building materials. Schreier’s
Lumber Company - Verdigre, NE. “Over 100 years
experience” schrlmbr@gpcom.net (402) 668-2624
GUIDES/OUTFITTERS
CANOE THE NIOBRARA with an affordable canoe
trip by Dryland Aquatics. One- and two-day trips ... full
service, or just canoe, tube or kayak. Transportation
furnished. Your Niobrara River specialists ... We do it
your way! Dryland Aquatics, Dept. N, Box 33C,
Sparks, NE 69220 or phone (800) 337-3119. www.drylandaquatics.com, info@drylandaquatics.com.
GUNS/SHOOTING/ARCHERY
GUNS – Browning, Benelli, Winchester, Ruger, etc.
1700 guns, buy-sell-trade (402) 729-6112, Bedlan’s,
Fairbury, NE 68352. www.bedlans.com.
OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT
IS PERFORMANCE IMPORTANT? For the finest
canoes and accessories look to Great Plains Canoe Co.,
205 Main, Springfield, NE 68059. Phone (402) 253-2000.
OMAHA CANOE AND KAYAK RENTALS! Visit
website www.canfields.com, click on Rentals page for
rates, or call (800) 333-2263 for reservations.
Canfield’s Sporting Goods.
PHOTOGRAPHY
NebraskalandMagazine.com
REAL ESTATE
PLATTE RIVER HOMESTEAD & ACREAGE: 5.1
48 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
RESIDENTIAL LOTS near the beautiful Calamus
Reservoir close to Burwell, Nebraska. Contact
Ron Shonka, Broker Owner, 46056 W Calamus Dr,
Burwell, NE
68823.
(308) 346-4338,
rshonka@nctc.net
VACATIONS/RESORTS
FOR FISHING AND HUNTING accommodations.
Guided pheasant hunts. Jefco Inn, South Cornell St.,
Gordon, NE 69343 (308) 282-2935.
THE OLDE MAIN STREET INN. A historic bed and
breakfast listed in the National Register of Historic
Places. Beautiful dining room with fireplace.
Featuring prime rib, buffalo, seafood, homemade
soups, chilis and desserts. 115 Main Street, Chadron
NE 69337 (308) 432-3380. www.chadron.com/oldemain.
LORD RANCH RESORT. Hunters, fishermen, family
vacations, family reunions. Deluxe cabins, complete
cooking facilities & TV. Quiet and peaceful in the
middle of the Sandhills. Three miles north of
Valentine Wildlife Refuge, open all year. Aubrey and
Dorothy Lord, HC 37, Box 41, Valentine, NE 69201.
Call (800) 270-0181. www.lordranchresort.com.
DIAMOND B TROUT RESORT & RESTAURANT,
Orchard, Nebraska. Restaurant, lodge, cabins, springfed lakes, playground equipment, paddleboats. Great
for families, groups, hunters. Book your cabin now!
Call for brochure (800) 974-3002. www.diamondbtroutresort.com.
MILL IRON V LODGING has modern cabins for
your vacation pleasure. We are located near Verdigre,
NE in turkey country. Each cabin offers privacy, view
and a birdwatcher’s paradise. Stay with us for a COUNTRY
EXPERIENCE. (402) 668-7488. www.milliron-vlodging.com, jpeinrem@gpcom.net.
DELUXE NIOBRARA RIVER CABIN: Private,
fully furnished. Kids’ adventure or adult
getaway.
Ideal
for
out-of-town
hunters.
www.nolasupertubes.com, (800) 799-9929.
BIG BLUE RANCH & LODGE - Enjoy fishing,
hunting, hiking, birdwatching and ranch adventures
on 2000+ acre cattle ranch in southeastern Nebraska.
Beautiful log cabin, with fireplaces, kitchens & big
covered porches, overlooks 20-acre lake.
www.bigblueranch.com (402) 730-3643.
ASPINWALL LODGING: Rural farmhouse located
near Nemaha among the rolling hills of southeastern
Nebraska. Three bedrooms, full kitchen, washer &
dryer, TV. Situated close to Indian Cave State Park,
historic Brownville, Game and Parks wildlife management areas, Missouri and Nemaha rivers and much
more. Open all year, accepting reservations, brochure
available. (402) 883-2788.
LODGING AVAILABLE. Bunkhouse located near
Bristow, Nebraska, close to Missouri and Niobrara
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NEBRASKA STATE PARKS
Online at
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or by calling (402) 471-1414
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This highly turbid irrigation reservoir provides surprisingly good fishing.
By Bob Grier
uilt as an irrigation
impoundment in the 1920s,
900-surface-acre Whitney
Lake, located approximately
one mile west of Whitney
between Crawford and Chadron in
the northern Nebraska Panhandle, is
a shallow, highly turbid reservoir,
but it is also something of a closely
held secret for knowledgeable
anglers attracted by the lake’s crappie,
white bass, walleye and catfish
populations.
Whitney Lake is fed by water
diverted from the White River, which
begins southeast of Harrison and
flows past historic Fort Robinson
and the northern edge of Crawford
before entering the gumbo prairies
of northern Dawes County and
South Dakota. Early trappers and
traders used a translation of the
Indian name for the stream – White
Earth River or White River, so-called
because of the water’s dull white
sediment load picked up from the
badland gumbo soils through which
it flows.
Although the ongoing High Plains
drought has kept the lake more
shallow than normal, and the
region’s prairie winds do a good job
of maintaining the lake’s turbidity,
Whitney Lake provides good icefishing once the sediment load settles
under the ice.
“Whitney Lake maintains a
somewhat quiet reputation for its
fishing,” says Tony Munter, fisheries
biologist at the Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission’s district office in
Alliance. “Yes, most of its 900 acres
are shallow, but the lengthy, rockfaced dam along the lake’s northern
edge, and boating and vehicle access
to the lake’s inlet, provide popular
fishing spots on the reservoir.” The
Commission maintains a boat ramp,
dock and primitive restroom facilities
on the lake’s northeast corner, as
B
Anglers are attracted to Whitney Lake for its scenery and strong fish populations.
well as a trail road leading to a vehicle
parking area on the lake’s west side.
Whitney Lake was first stocked in
1928 with crappie, striped perch,
bullheads, bullfrogs, catfish and
black bass. Throughout the 1980s,
fisheries biologists stocked channel
catfish and walleye, and gizzard shad
were introduced in 1988 to provide
additional forage. Fisheries biologists
now stock Whitney Lake with channel
catfish annually and walleye every
other year.
The number of trophy walleye
caught and when best illustrates the
effect water turbidity has on Whitney
Lake fishing success. In the early
1990s, Whitney produced 25 Master
Angler walleye – fish that were at
least 28 inches long or weighed eight
or more pounds – while better
known Sherman Reservoir east of
Loup City produced 40 and Merritt
Reservoir southwest of Valentine
produced 30. What the Master
Angler records don’t reveal is that all
but one of Whitney’s trophy walleye
were caught through the ice.
“Whitney Lake’s open water fishing
usually begins in mid- to late-April
when the lake receives water diverted
from the White River,” said Munter.
“The inlet area is popular for crappie
fishing, and the evening bite usually
requires an early afternoon arrival to
secure a suitable position. As the
season progresses, crappie and white
bass are caught along the rock-faced
dam and walleye fishermen work the
smartweed beds. Walleye are also
taken in the evening from the shore
along the dam.”
Whitney Lake and most of the
surrounding shoreline are privately
owned, but the lake and parts of the
shoreline are open to the public
through cooperation between the
Commission and the Whitney
Irrigation District. Access to most
of the shoreline requires landowner
permission.
For additional information on
Whitney Lake, consult the 2008
Nebraska Fishing Guide, available at
Commission offices and online at
www.OutdoorNebraska.org. ■
★
Located one mile west of the small
town of Whitney in northwestern
Nebraska, Whitney Lake is a shallow
irrigation reservoir that provides
surprisingly good fishing for anglers
who ply its waters.
JULY 2008 • NEBRASKALAND 49
PHOTO BY BOB GRIER
1-800-632-5263
Call
or go online at
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS. Matted,
framed and signed. Go to inplainssight.homestead.com,
hathfotofreak@hotmail.com, (402) 848-2358. “The
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acres located on the Platte River, Hall County area;
modern 3 bedroom / 3½ bathroom home; added
garage; pool; easy access.
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rdape@gtmc.net
I was born in 1926 and lived in the Sandhills of
western Nebraska in the tiny town of Whitman until
we moved in 1942. The picture on the left was taken
around 1934, when I was about eight years old, after
hunting “trophy” rabbits. There was a major effort to
eliminate coyotes in those years, which decreased the
number but never eliminated them. The positive of that
for me was that it greatly increased the game I hunted –
namely rabbits and prairie dogs. All I had to do was walk
some 70 yards over the hill behind our house to be in my
hunting ground, and that .22 went with me everywhere. In
those days, a boy carrying a rifle didn’t create any interest or fear with anyone.
The second picture is of my dad – an avid fly-fisherman – and I after fishing the
North Loup River (which was stocked with trout) in about 1938. It was a 70-mile round
trip on barely adequate dirt roads, but for us it was well worth it. He caught more fish
that day but mine was the biggest.
– Otis King, Jr., MD, Colorado Springs, Colorado
As a new bride, I learned to hunt/shoot with a
16-gauge side-by-side shotgun to please my husband.
Then in 1953 we were invited for a duck shoot by
Douglas Hord, who ran the famous T. B. Hord cattle
ranch near Alliance at the family headquarters in
Lakeside. Doug and his wife Nancy were close
college buddies and we had a very successful time
pass-shooting at the sloughs on their land.
Picking the ducks was a different problem – I learned
fast not to select a canvasback! Too hard to pull the
feathers.
What a weekend we had!
– Mrs. Douglas Peters (nee Mary Dunnell),
Fremont, Nebraska
This picture was taken at the
home of Frank Lang near
Valentine.
This was a catch of bullheads
from Cottonwood Lake, 30 miles
south of Valentine. The year was
1955.
Pictured (from left to right)
are John Hronik of Valentine; my
daughter, Connie; Harvey Peters
of Oakland; my son, Roger;
myself and my other son,
Richard – all from Pender.
A one-day catch!
– Roland Peters,
Pender, Nebraska
Send contributions to: Portraits from the Past, NEBRASKAland Magazine, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370.
Photos should show people enjoying Nebraska outdoor activities, such as camping, boating, hunting or fishing, and must
have been taken before 1970. We will give priority to unusual photos or activities. When possible, please include a story
about the photograph and identify the people, places and approximate date it was taken. Photos will be returned.
50 NEBRASKALAND • JULY 2008
Nebraska state parks offer joys
as simple and diverse as life
itself. Camp, ski, fish, ride,
or relax to a chorus of nature.
Visit a state park today and
discover a world of wonder.
To learn more, or to buy a Park
Entry Permit – visit us online at
www.OutdoorNebraska.org.
Nebraska
State Parks
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Position: 412 (24 views)