Volume 102, Issue 2, 2024
March 2024
- Title:
- Volume 102, Issue 2, 2024
- Issue Name:
- March 2024
- Date Issued:
- 2024-03-01
- year:
- 2024
- month:
- March
- Season:
- Winter
- Publisher:
- Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
- Format:
- Periodical
- volume:
- 102
- issue:
- 02
- number:
- 102.02
- Decade:
- 2020s
- Type:
- Rights Holder:
- Copyright Nebraskaland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, all rights reserved.
- Extracted Text:
-
magazine
$4.95
To renew your subscription or change your
address call 1-800-632-5263
I N S P I R I N G O U T D O O R A DV E N T U R E S I N C E 1 92 6
M A RC H 2 0 2 4
INSIDE
Wooden Lure Carver O Sleeping Cranes?
Not Done Shotgunning O Girl’s Basketball in 1924
Rockhounding in Nebraska O The Last Stop
2
Nebraskaland • March 2024
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
3
Volume 102
March 2024
No. 2
FEATURES
20
DO CRANES SLEEP?
30
OUTDOOR NEBRASKA
Story and photos by Eric Fowler
What to Do in March
By Renae Blum
32
BEAUTIFULLY FUNCTIONAL
Wooden Lure Carver Vince Gewinner
Story and photos by Jeff Kurrus
38
FOUND AT AN ESTATE SALE
42
UNEARTHING TREASURES
By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska
Rockhounding in Nebraska
Story and photos by Renae Blum
DEPARTMENTS
8
12
48
56
58
Your Nebraska
In the Field
Mixed Bag
Portraits from the Past
The Last Stop
ON THE WEB
For more articles and
information, visit
NebraskalandMagazine.com
Cover: Vince Gewinner, of Weeping Water, designs his
wooden lures to be more than artistic. They are made
to catch fish. Story on page 32.
JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND
This page: A pair of Canada geese wade in the North
Platte River as fog rises on an icy morning near Melbeta.
JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
4
Nebraskaland • March 2024
Nebraskaland (VOL. 102 / NO. 2 ISSN 0028-1964) is published monthly, except for the combined Jan./Feb. and Aug./Sept. issues, by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 N. 33rd
St., Lincoln, NE. Periodicals postage paid at Lincoln, Nebraska, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY
FACILITIES: send address corrections to Nebraskaland, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370.
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
5
Magazine Staff
magazine
Published by the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission since 1926. The Commission is
dedicated to the conservation and protection
of all the state's natural resources and the
people who use them.
Communications Director Christy Firestone
Public Relations Manager Shawna RichterRyerson
Editor Jeff Kurrus
Associate Editor Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Regional Editors Eric Fowler, Julie Geiser,
Justin Haag
Contributing Editor Michael Forsberg
Regular Contributors Renae Blum,
Chris Helzer, Chris Masada, Todd Mills,
Ryan Sparks, Gerry Steinauer
Art Director Tim Reigert
Graphic Designer Mel Severin
Photo Librarian Jaclyn Cruikshank Vogt
Administration
Director Tim McCoy
Deputy Director Jim Swenson
Assistant Director Roger Kuhn
Commissioners
Chairman - Doug Zingula, Sidney
Vice Chairman - John Hoggatt, Kearney
2nd Vice Chairman - Donna Kush, Omaha
Pat Berggren, Broken Bow
Rick Brandt, Roca
Scott Cassels, Omaha
Ken Curry, Columbus
Dan Hughes, Venango
Circulation
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Advertising Sales Manager
For advertising information contact
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Email: shanegilster@gmail.com
Nebraskaland Magazine Copyright 2024, all rights reserved.
Nebraskaland is available in audio from the Nebraska Library
Commission Talking Book and Braille Service, Suite 120, 1200 N St.,
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Commission Offices
Conservation Officers
Headquarters/Southeast District Office
2200 N. 33rd Street Lincoln, NE 68503
Phone 402-471-0641
ADMINISTRATION (Lincoln)
402-471-5531
Travis Shepler, Jeff Clauson
Northeast District Office
2201 N. 13th St. Norfolk, NE 68701
Phone 402-370-3374
NORTHWEST (Includes counties covered)
Dan Kling (Lieutenant)
308-430-0572
Southwest District Office
301 E. State Farm Rd. North Platte, NE 69101
Phone 308-535-8025
Jerod Hahn (Sergeant)
Hunter Lee (Keith)
Brandon Wallace (Keith)
Jaden Porter (Keith, Garden)
Tyler Stueck (Keith)
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Northwest District Office
East Hwy. 2, Box 725 Alliance, NE 69301
Phone 308-763-2940
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Phone 402-684-2921
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1617 First Ave. Kearney, NE 68847
Phone 308-865-5310
EAST SUB-DISTRICT
WEST SUB-DISTRICT
Sean McKeehan (Sergeant)
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NORTHEAST (Includes counties covered)
Dale Davis (Lieutenant)
402-760-0712
NORTH SUB-DISTRICT
Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium/Schramm Education
Center
21502 W. Highway 31 Gretna, NE 68028
Phone 402-332-3901
Jeff Jones (Sergeant)
John Bauer (Holt, Boyd)
Tyler Adelman (Rock, Brown, Keya Paha)
Jonathan Andreasen
402-762-5022
402-314-9257
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402-340-3981
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8495 Frederick Street, Omaha, NE 68124
Phone 402-595-2144
Mitch Johnson (Knox, Antelope, Pierce)
402-613-8612
OutdoorNebraska.org
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veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs,
activities, or employment. Any person who believes he or she has been
discriminated against in any program, activity, facility, or service,
should contact the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, NE
402-471-0641, the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission, Lincoln,
NE 402-471-2024, TTY/TDD 800-642-6112; Director, Office of Diversity,
Inclusion and Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Interior, 1849 C Street,
NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.
6
Nebraskaland • March 2024
(Madison, Pierce, Stanton)
SOUTH SUB-DISTRICT
Cory Krause (Sergeant)
Kyler Prochaska (Platte, Colfax)
Matt Costello (Dodge, Colfax)
Kelbi Abke (Washington, Burt)
Mark McDonald (Dodge, Washington)
Nicholas Fix (Dixon, Dakota, Thurston)
402-380-6410
402-830-8278
402-317-4014
402-237-2537
402-805-2353
402-508-0261
CENTRAL (Includes counties covered)
Mike Thome (Lieutenant)
308-293-8746
NORTH SUB-DISTRICT
Doug Pollard (Sergeant)
Matt Brandt (Sherman, Howard)
Daryl Teter (Howard, Greeley, Merrick)
Klint Gill (Nance, Wheeler, Boone)
SOUTH SUB-DISTRICT
Matt Taylor (Sergeant)
Tim Williams (Hall, Hamilton, York)
Eric Javins (Adams, Clay, Webster)
Pat George (Harlan, Franklin, Phelps)
Ethan Teter (Buffalo, Kearney)
308-730-7050
308-202-0819
308-440-1863
402-613-5800
402-200-9597
308-380-7331
402-902-2017
308-920-2762
308-440-3847
Vole runways become visible as snow
melts. GETTY IMAGES
SOUTHWEST (Includes counties covered)
Brian Piernicky (Lieutenant)
308-330-8780
NORTH SUB-DISTRICT
Hunter Pearson (Sergeant)
Frank Miller (Cherry, Hooker)
Greg Hesse
308-360-1817
402-389-0444
308-546-7464
Alex Hasenauer (Lincoln, Perkins)
Brandon O’Neal
308-660-4671
308-530-3157
(Hooker, Thomas, southern Cherry)
(Lincoln, McPherson, Logan)
SOUTH SUB-DISTRICT
Taylor Dixon (Sergeant)
Bryce Streger (Dawson, Gosper, Custer)
Kelsey Glodowski (Dundy, Hitchcock)
Sophia Gobber
(Chase, Dundy, Hayes, Hitchcock)
308-217-2108
308-537-0404
308-763-8226
308-222-0368
SOUTHEAST (Includes counties covered)
Stacey Lewton (Lieutenant)
402-890-7140
EAST SUB-DISTRICT
Heath Packett (Sergeant)
Russell Mort (Otoe, Johnson)
Rich Berggren (Douglas)
Brian Arp (Douglas, Sarpy)
Mike Luben (Saunders, Butler)
Bryan Adams
(Nemaha, Pawnee, Richardson)
WEST SUB-DISTRICT
Matt Seitz (Sergeant)
Dina Barta (Lancaster)
Luis Nuñez (Lancaster)
Mark Sullivan (Lancaster, Seward, Butler)
Trevor Stahlecker (Lancaster, Saline)
Curt Prohaska (Lancaster)
402-210-0888
402-209-1506
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531-530-9011
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YOUR NEBRASKA
Instagram Photos
Roy Liesegang, Bellevue
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Follow us @nebraskaland
and tag us in your photos
to be featured in an
upcoming issue.
Connie Allen, Grand Island
First Snowfall
Luke Dolphens, Papillion
Backlit Canada Goose
8
Nebraskaland • March 2024
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
9
Joel Lau, Hastings
Grain Truck
Chris Masada, Lincoln
Female House Finch
Send your comments and
photos to:
Jeff Kurrus, Editor
Nebraskaland Magazine
P.O. Box 30370
Lincoln, NE 68503
or email Jeff.Kurrus@Nebraska.gov
Marquene Koontz, Ogallala
Backyard Red Fox
10
Nebraskaland • March 2024
Please include your postal address
and telephone number. Letters
may be condensed and edited.
Photographs are also welcome.
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
11
IN THE FIELD
PETROGLYPHS
Elk, buffalo and other
symbols adorn the walls of
the cave for which Indian
Cave State Park is named.
The exact origin of the
etchings is unknown.
ERIC
ERIC
IC FOW
OWLER,
OW
R NEB
R,
NE
EBRASK
EB
RA ALAN
RA
RAS
A AN D
12
Nebraskaland • March 2024
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
13
IN THE FIELD
The hunting season for Eurasian collard-dove is long, running Oct. 31, 2023 — Aug. 31, 2024.
JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
NOT DONE SHOTGUNNING
By Jeff Kurrus
There are years when I don’t want to put down my
shotgun, even in late winter or early spring. Fortunately, in
Nebraska, I don’t have to. While many bird hunters have put
away their pumps, semi-autos and over-and-unders, waiting
until the spring turkey opener, there are still a few transition
hunting seasons to keep you gunning until that first gobble.
Eurasian Collared-Dove — When you find one, you’ll find
more. During the winter months, the Eurasian collared-dove
that have stayed around have found food and thermal cover.
Ride roads to scout these birds, which often will inhabit
farmsteads and, on first appearance, might be mistaken for
pigeons. The season is open Oct. 31,
2023 — Aug. 31, 2024.
Crow — I’m always
reminded of the oldtimer who once told
me about his efforts
of calling in crows. “I
could get every crow
in the county in the
farthest tree I could see.
Not a single one came
14
Nebraskaland • March 2024
within shotgun range, but it sure was fun.” The season lasts
from Jan. 13 — March 14, 2024. Electronic calls are allowed,
as are any firearm or archery equipment.
Coyote — More than a decade ago, while on a Sandhills
coyote hunt with Chris Pokorny from Omaha, I watched my
host use electronic callers, head-to-toe snow camo and a
long-range tripod and rifle set-up while coyote hunting. But
the hair-raising moment came during our last set of the day
when we walked into a thicket adjacent to a small, grass field
and he had a shotgun in his hand.
“When he comes, he’ll be right on top of us,” Pokorny said.
And while we didn’t get a shot that day, coyotes have always
stuck with me as one of early spring’s most exciting quarries.
Coyotes can be hunted year-round.
Sporting Clays — Practice every shot you’ll attempt the
upcoming year at one of Nebraska’s sporting clay courses.
Organized with “holes” like a golf course, each station gives
the shooter a different shot to attempt. From incoming
waterfowl to crossing rabbits and any number of other
challenging wing shots, there’s no better way to extend your
gunning season. Plus, there’s nothing to clean — besides
your gun — when you get home.
IN THE FIELD
FROM THE MARSH TO THE STAGE
By Todd Mills
It’s one thing to call in ducks from a blind, but to compete
and earn a championship title, competitive callers have to
excel at a much higher level. After a few years of attending
classes, exchanging audio files with other callers, obsessively
watching videos and driving my wife crazy by blowing
nonstop in our basement, I entered the world of competition
calling.
In 2011, I competed in the Nebraska State Duck Calling
Championships and finished in the top five of the open
division. The winner that day was a young man from
Schuyler, Nebraska, named Nick Brichacek. Although I was
satisfied by my routine, I couldn’t help but admire Nick’s skill.
I wasn’t even close.
To culminate his calling career, in November Nick won the
World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest in Stuttgart,
Arkansas, adding to his already impressive three top 10
finishes at this competition and his three Nebraska State
Championships.
To reach that pinnacle in the duck calling world, you have
to be exceptionally good.
Below are a few suggestions from Nick on how to transition
from the marsh to the stage.
How Did You First Get into Competition Calling?
I had been driving my mom crazy since I was 5 watching
and listening to calling in the basement of my house. At 13,
my dad took me to the Duck Callers Association of Nebraska
calling classes in Omaha. That August I competed in the
Nebraska State Hunters division and have been doing it
since.
What’s the Major Difference Between Calling
Ducks and Competition Calling?
Contest duck calling has to do with what the judges are
looking for, while calling ducks is what Mother Nature gives
you. Best part about contest calling is it keeps you sharp
year-round. Just like sports, you always practice before the
big game. Duck calling is no different. Although contest
calling requires a different level of calling, it allows you to be
prepared for any hunting situation.
Any Advice to Someone Looking to Get on Stage?
Find a mentor and get as much stage presence as possible.
Hit as many contests as you possibly can and always practice
with a purpose.
How is Competition Calling Judged?
Although there are different types of contests,
the mainstream format is used at the World Calling
Championships. With a routine lasting 90 seconds (red light
coming on at 80 seconds), you’ll present your routine in front
of an audience. Five judges seated behind a curtain will score,
with the high and low scores thrown out, leaving the top
three scores as your accumulated total.
Top scores will advance to the second and third rounds
when a winner will be determined. Although each contestant
will have a slightly different routine, you’re required to
present a hail call, feeding chuckle and comeback call.
While Nick Brichacek is a world champion duck caller,
he also hunts Canada geese. PHOTO COURTESY OF NICK BRICHACEK
16
Nebraskaland • March 2024
Several calling forums are available, including
duckhuntingchat.com and refugeforums.com. In Nebraska, Nick
is currently hosting Grand Passage Sportsman, which hosted
the state calling contest this year, as well as offering calling
classes.
IN THE FIELD
A venison roast from the hindquarter corned for St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND
CORNED VENISON
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
I finally made corned venison last year and was pleasantly
surprised by how simple the process was. The roasts turned
out tender with that recognizable corned meat flavor. If you
are hoping to have corned venison ready by St. Patrick’s Day,
make sure you start the process about a week ahead. This is
not a recipe to think about at the last minute.
I corned the top, bottom and eye of rounds, which are
located in the hindquarters, and I separated each muscle. The
brine was able to penetrate throughout the cuts, giving me
edge to edge pinkness. Although not aesthetically pleasing,
a little gray in the middle is still safe to eat if this happens.
Using thicker, larger cuts may require longer brining time.
Corned venison goes well with boiled cabbage, potatoes,
carrots (not pictured) and horseradish cream sauce. I did not
include a recipe for the sauce because there are loads of them
online. Store leftover cooked corned venison submerged in
the boiling water; venison is lean and will dry out in the
refrigerator if you do not do this. Waterfowlers can try this
recipe with goose breasts.
Prep Time: 6-7 days
Ingredients:
3½ to 5 pounds of venison round roast(s)
Horseradish cream sauce
Cabbage, cut into wedges
Red potatoes
•
•
•
•
18
Nebraskaland • March 2024
Brine
• 1 gallon of water
• 1 cup + 3½ tbs. Morton’s Coarse Kosher salt
• 5 tsp. pink curing salt (Prague powder #1)
• 3 tbs. McCormick pickling spice
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1. Combine brine ingredients in a pot and bring to a
boil. Take brine off the heat, and when cool, chill in the
refrigerator until cold. Next, add the venison roast and
completely submerge it in the brine. Use a heavy plate to
weigh down the roast if needed. Brine in the refrigerator for
6 days.
2. When you are ready to cook the corned venison, rinse
the roast with cold water. Then submerge the roast in a large
pot of fresh water. Simmer the venison until tender, about 2
hours.
3. You can boil the potatoes and cabbage in the same pot,
but do not add them too early because they will become
mushy. Red potatoes, depending on size, take 20-30 minutes
to become tender, and cabbage takes about 10 minutes.
Slice the corned venison against the grain and serve with
horseradish cream sauce.
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
19
Do
Cranes
Sleep?
Story and photos by
Eric Fowler
D
o sandhill cranes sleep? On their
bellies? In a wooded creekbottom?
From what we know about the
cranes that stop in the Platte River Valley in
Nebraska each spring, none of those ideas
seem to make sense. It certainly didn’t to
Chris Helzer of the Nature Conservancy,
whose tip on this seemingly odd behavior
spurred me to spend two days in a photo
blind last spring and find out that some
cranes do, indeed, sleep in the woods. Well,
at least sort of.
Several years ago, Helzer had noticed
sandhill cranes were spending time in the
woodlands on their property along a stream
that was once the south channel of the
Platte River south of Wood River. Curious, he
had Karen Hemberger, a long-time volunteer
from Hastings, set up trail cameras to see
what they were doing. After those cameras
captured video of the birds on their bellies,
Helzer thought: “That seems weird, but
really cool.
“Everything I’ve heard about cranes was
that they spent most of their time in the
open so they could see predators coming. So,
I was surprised, in the first place, that they
were in the trees. And then when I saw them
lying on the ground and how hard it was for
them to get up, then I was really surprised.
It seemed like they were making themselves
really vulnerable to potential predation.”
With tips from TNC staff and some
scouting, I found a spot the cranes were
Sandhill cranes feed in the south channel of
the Platte River in Hall County.
20
Nebraskaland • March 2024
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
21
A sandhill crane cups its wings and glides in to join the rest of the birds in the creekbottom.
using along the stream, which you
could also call a slough. Disconnected
from the river at the upper end long
ago, it is fed entirely by groundwater
and flows intermittently depending on
the season and the year. Last spring,
it was not flowing, only holding
water in low spots. To the north is a
privately owned pasture. To the south
is a native lowland tallgrass prairie
laced with wet meadow swales the
Nature Conservancy acquired in 2007.
A decade ago, they cleared brush and
smaller trees from the creekbottom,
leaving cottonwoods and other larger
trees, to create a savanna-type habitat.
The stream bed sits about 8 feet below
those grasslands, and 3 feet below the
bottomland prairie and forest it winds
through. The muddy banks of the
stream in the spot I chose were littered
LEFT: A crane dances in the stream.
OPPOSITE: A crane looks skyward at
other birds flying past.
22
Nebraskaland • March 2024
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
23
Cranes scratch their heads as they preen in the creekbottom.
An adult and juvenile crane pause along the stream mere feet from a deadfall.
A crane tips its beak down to its neck as it rests in the grass along the stream.
24
Nebraskaland • March 2024
with crane tracks, and the grass with
feathers and down.
On both of my visits in mid- to late
March, many cranes had already left
their roost on the Platte a half mile
north of me and were feeding in crop
fields and wet meadows on both sides
of the stream when I arrived at sunrise.
They continued to leave the river in
waves as I set up my blind on the south
bank of the creek and settled in for the
day.
Cranes started arriving late in the
morning on my first visit and early in
the afternoon on the second, dropping
in a few at a time at first and then in
bunches. I watched as they loafed in
the grass and preened their feathers.
A few at a time, they walked down to
the stream to drink or probe the mud
with their long beaks for invertebrates
and plants. One sat down in the water
and took a bath. The birds seemed
to wander back and forth across the
bottom, individually or in family
groups. Temperatures were in the 50s
both days with nary a cloud in the sky.
On the first day, when south winds
gusted to nearly 40 mph, some birds
took cover next to willow thickets
growing on the south edge of the
bottom.
On both days, birds were resting,
including on their bellies, soon after
arriving. The birds appeared to be
much more at ease on my second visit,
however, when winds were much
calmer. Some pecked at the grass,
which by now had been beat down
by their presence during the previous
few weeks, possibly eating insects. A
few danced, something I’d seen little
of a week earlier. An hour or so after
the birds arrived, most were resting,
some on their bellies, some standing
on one leg, the other tucked up in their
belly, and others on two legs. Whether
they were upright or lying down, some
cranes had their heads turned and
tucked beneath a wing, some had their
bill pointed down, resting on their
upright neck, and others simply rested
with their head up and eyes closed,
revealing the tiny white feathers on
their eyelids. Some stood in the creek
as they slept.
The cranes that were lying down
got there slowly and awkwardly. The
proportions of a bird’s leg and foot
bones differ greatly from ours. The
thigh and knee of cranes and other
birds are hidden by the feathers on
their bellies. The joint we see between
their two longest and most visible
bones is actually what would be our
ankle, known as the hawk joint. The
lower of those two bones is comparable
to the long bones in our feet, between
our ankle and toes. To sit, the cranes
dropped backward on that hawk joint,
and then settled their bodies forward
onto the ground. I watched some birds
wander for a bit, examining the ground
here and there before picking a spot to
lie down. One bird, upon finding that
spot, turned in a circle like a dog might
before settling down.
There were always some cranes
on alert, and the heads of those
resting snapped to attention when
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
25
Cranes loaf in the creekbottom, most resting on their feet with some lying on the ground.
a strange sound or the call of alert
birds gave warning. Birds on their
bellies sometimes simply lifted their
heads when alerted. Other times, they
were on their feet in a split second
in an effortless motion, unlike their
lumbering efforts to lie down, and
much quicker than what Helzer had
seen in their videos.
“That was like watching some kind
of robot that hasn’t been perfected
yet,” he said.
The birds left en masse late in the
afternoon on my first visit, presumably
startled by something. They stayed
26
Nebraskaland • March 2024
into the evening on the second,
leaving in bunches until the last of
them departed an hour before sunset,
heading to the fields and meadows one
last time before returning to their river
roost.
In the Woods
More than 1 million sandhill cranes
stop along central Platte River each
spring. They are most often seen
roosting on the widest, most open,
segments of the river at night, and
feeding and loafing in wide-open crop
fields and wet meadows during the day.
There are five subspecies of sandhill
cranes in North America. Two, the
lesser and greater, are migratory.
These are the birds we see in Nebraska,
all heading from their wintering
grounds in the southern United States
and Mexico to their breeding grounds
scattered across the northern U.S.,
Canada, Alaska and into Siberia.
Among the two migratory subspecies
are four breeding populations, each
with their own habitat preferences.
The common view that cranes only
use open spaces was adopted because
many of the birds that stop here do.
But that is not the case.
“Sometimes when you see weird
stuff like that, it’s actually because
we’ve made generalities to the midcontinent population as a whole,”
said Andy Caven, the Vice President
of North America Programs with the
Crane Foundation who spent nine
years working on the Platte with the
Crane Trust. “Some of those way
western birds, the lessers, will deal
with willow thickets and stuff like
that a little bit differently because the
only place where there’s water in the
landscape is shrubby stuff.”
Conservation
photographer
Michael Forsberg began his career
with Nebraskaland Magazine and
has photographed the birds across
North America. Some of the greater
sandhill cranes, he said, especially
those of southern Canada and western
Minnesota, nest in deep wetlands with
more cover than birds nesting on the
Arctic tundra. “They’re taller birds
that are maybe more comfortable in
situations that have more woodlands,”
Forsberg said.
“Sandhill cranes, besides just being
really resilient, I think they use a lot
more different types of habitats than
people give credit for. They definitely
have their preferences, but they will
make whatever works work. They need
grasslands and wetlands, but I’m not
sure they’re as picky as people think.”
Forsberg captured the photos for his
first article on cranes that appeared in
this magazine in 1996 along the same
stream a mile to the east. The birds I
watched filled a 60-yard-wide gap
between larger trees and had a clear
flight path in and out from both the
north and the south, a site similar to
the one Forsberg chose.
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
27
From my blind, I had a narrow
field of view of a short stretch of the
stream, and none of the birds I saw
were actually “in” the woods as much
as next to them, walking within a few
yards of thickets and grass-choked
deadfall. I had, however, seen signs of
cranes using areas with more cover.
Forsberg had a different view and
watched birds, after they dropped
into the opening, walk up and down
the stream, even through wooded
sections. He also saw them wander to
and from the adjacent prairie. I didn’t
see that movement from my blind, but
it could have been happening, as there
were birds in the prairie to the south
and the pasture to the north each time
I visited.
Cranes that spend the day in fields
and meadows along the Platte might
land close to a road, but they don’t
typically stay there when a car passes.
The closest road to the section of
stream where I spent my time is 200
yards to the north, and it is traveled by
far fewer crane watchers than others
in the region during March. That alone
After weeks of hosting cranes, grass in the creekbottom was littered with feathers and down.
could explain why these birds like
the spot. While working on his book,
Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild,
Forsberg said the places he saw the
most wildlife weren’t always the best
habitat. “You know where they were?
They were in the places that were the
most quiet and had the least amount
of us,” he said.
Sleeping
A crane rests next to the stream, bill tucked under a wing, balancing on one leg
with its other tucked beneath its breast feathers.
28
Nebraskaland • March 2024
So were the cranes I watched
sleeping? Anne Lacy, Director of
Eastern Flyway Programs with the
International Crane Foundation in
Baraboo, Wisconsin, has been studying
cranes since 2000 and uses that term
loosely. “I want to be careful about
the word sleep, because when I think
of the human form of sleep, where we
are literally zonked out and dreaming,
I don’t know if cranes do that,” Lacy
said, noting she prefers to use words
like resting and loafing to describe the
behavior. “They might rest, but I think
it’s more of shutting down half of their
brain because the littlest noise and,
‘Boom!’ they’re awake and aware.”
Lacy visits the Platte each spring
and has watched from bank blinds in
the evening and early morning hours
as birds roost in the river. In the dark,
she said, those birds are always on
alert, and she wonders if those with
their heads tucked under their wings
might be doing so more to conserve
body heat than rest. “But when they
go out in the morning and find their
foraging fields, they’ll get a bite to
eat, and then they will find a place to
loaf and/or ‘sleep’,” Lacy said. “The
predators that try to make snacks out
of a crane are more active at night than
during the day, so they can afford to
shut down a little bit more during the
day. And they’re usually in a crowd of
their compatriots, and if somebody
twitches, by god, nobody is looking
around saying, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’
They’re all up in the air, and they’re
gone. There’s always that situational
awareness, even though their head is
tucked and they’re on the ground and
their eyes might even be closed.”
All is Well
Cranes were likely using this stretch
of the stream creek long before Forsberg
photographed them there. Helzer can’t
say for sure if they are using it more
since the habitat was improved, but he
would like to think so. He sees birds in
other places he was told he wouldn’t
when he started working in the valley
30 years ago, including prairies where
their heads barely rise above the tall
grass. He was happy to learn cranes
using this woodland stream wasn’t as
odd as he initially thought, and that
they could stand up much quicker
than what he had seen were a bobcat
or coyote to jump into the fray. “That
makes me feel better,” he said. N
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
29
Outdoor Nebraska
By Renae Blum
This month, bird migration offers some wonderful outdoor
opportunities. But you can also enjoy trout fishing at Lake
Ogallala, hunting snow geese and more. Read on for details.
What to Do in March
See courting displays
of sharp-tailed grouse
N
March 1 to May 1 — peak dates are
March 15 to April 15
Niobrara State Park
Experience the natural wonder of the sharptailed grouse’s mating dance. Niobrara State
Park’s viewing blind can hold up to 12 guests;
reserve a spot by calling the park office at
402-857-3373. To view this sunrise ritual, you
can stay overnight at one of the park’s fully
equipped cabins or electric campsites. Use
promo code “SHARPTAIL24” on our reservation
system — nebraskastateparks.reserveamerica.
com — for a discounted rate on weekends.
Weekdays are pre-discounted during the offseason. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
Hunt snow geese
View northern painted turtles
Season dates vary | Statewide
Participate in the light goose conservation order for a fun, challenging hunt.
Nebraska is a vital spot that sees hundreds of thousands of snow geese pass
through on their way north to nesting grounds. Watch the weather forecast and
keep an eye on where water is thawing. Also, make sure to handle and prepare
your harvest correctly to help ensure a delicious meal. See more details at
NebraskalandMagazine.com; search for the article “Light Geese are Delicious
and Deserve Respect” by Greg Wagner. JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND
Fish for trout
at Lake Ogallala
All year | Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area
Trout are a cold-water species, so they’re a good choice
for anglers this month while waters are still chilly.
Opportunities for rainbow and tiger trout can be found
at Lake Ogallala. The lake was renovated last fall and
restocked with trout, which have likely grown to a good
size at this point, said fisheries biologist Daryl Bauer.
Try your favorite bait to catch one this spring.
JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
March throughout the summer | Statewide
One of the most common turtles in Nebraska, the northern painted
turtle can often be found sunning itself on rocks and logs along the
edges of ponds and lakes. Turtles cannot produce their own body heat
like mammals, so they rely on other sources to stay warm. Venture to a
lake or pond to spot one — or several — painted turtles.
JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
Start your sandhill crane driving
tour from Mormon Island
Numbers peak mid- to late March | Mormon Island State
Recreation Area
Mormon Island State Recreation Area is a great basecamp for viewing
sandhill cranes, with electric camping options to stay overnight. While
you may not see sandhill cranes in the park itself, many options are
close by, including the Crane Trust Nature and Visitor Center, about 5
miles west of the park. Another great viewing spot is Platte River Drive,
which can be accessed 3 miles south of the park. Stop by the park kiosk
to grab a detailed map of driving routes for viewing cranes. For more
information, call the park at 308-385-6211.
ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
30
Nebraskaland • March 2024
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
31
Beautifully Functional
The Work of Wooden Lure Carver Vince Gewinner
Story and photos by Jeff Kurrus
W
ood-carved praying hands for his
obscene gesturing fingers for his
is the talent, and personality,
Water creator Vince Gewinner. Yet despite the
carvings he’s made — from recurve
bows and backwoods utensil sets
to keychain ceramics and home
décor — his current passion is
homemade fishing lures.
But they’re not fishing lures to
set on the shelf. They are not the
equivalent of wooden waterfowl
decoys. They are the opposite.
Once they have been constructed,
painted, and eventually dry,
they are immediately wet again
in search of everything from
smallmouth and largemouth bass
in Nebraska to muskies in Canada.
As long as they swim straight.
Then and Now
mother and
father. This
of Weeping
multitude of
“You need to see the first lures
I carved,” Vince grinned from the
workshop behind his home, pulling
two wooden crankbaits from a
nearby shelf and even a Zara Spook
stick-bait imitation hanging on
the wall. “I tried the spook first. It
doesn’t work worth a crap.”
Mal-shaped
with
childlike
paint jobs, they are a far cry from
what he is creating today, but still
provide motivation for how far he has come in such a short
time. He began carving fishing lures by hand less than two
years ago.
“I first made lures I had fished with during my life, imitating
ones I used as a kid,” Vince said. “Then, the more I learned,
the more I began to create my own.” A process that took
him a couple days in the beginning can now be completed
in a couple hours. The speed and
precision of this work being shown
with a lure brought to him just
the day before that he carved five
different times to reveal his stepby-step process.
Everything about the lure he
made in less than a day — from
its shape to its eventual painting
— was night and day from his first
wooden creations.
Yet these lures still aren’t perfect,
and for him that might be the best
part. Today’s seeming perfection is
tomorrow’s “what if we made this
change,” knowing full well that
there might be a misstep or two
along the way.
Trial and Error
Vince is in constant trial-anderror mode, except for one aspect.
He does know what will make a
lure pretty. “It starts with looking
for grain in the wood that will
make a cool design or uniformity.”
He demonstrates this by laying a
piece of wood on his workbench.
“See that knothole?” he asks.
“That will look very cool.”
From there, he uses a bandsaw to cut out and sand the
pattern until it’s in the general shape he desires. Then he
Above: Vince Gewinner holds a largemouth bass he caught on his homemade lure at Verdon State Recreation Area.
Opposite: While Gewinner's wooden lures look as if they should be placed on a mantel somewhere, their combination of paint
and wood grain dazzling to the eye, he continues to design these lures to catch fish.
32
Nebraskaland
• March 2024
Gewinner's first two homemade lures are a far cry from
what his fine, but working, art has now become.
One of Gewinner's favorite tools when making lures is a
protractor.
From his kayak, Gewinner catches a largemouth bass from a kayak with a set of homemade wooden fishing lures at
Verdon State Recreation Area.
begins his measurements — yet not from any sort of fancy,
high-dollar tool.
“I stole a protractor from my kids when they were little,”
he said, “and I’m constantly using it.” This is evident in how
this elementary school math device constantly twists in his
hands while he marks his newest lure with a pen.
He makes a series of measurements based around the
centerline of the lure, noting the lip slot and where the weight
will be added. After drilling a hole for the weight, which
makes the lure easier to cast and helps it to sink when reeled,
he takes a No. 7-sized split shot and hammers it flat, fitting it
34
Nebraskaland
• March 2024
in a hole just beneath the lure’s lip. “You have to experiment
with this part a bit,” he said.
This remains the overarching suggestion of Vince’s process.
While he would be the first to tell you he has formulas, and
that his process has become more refined, he continues to
watch videos and use around-the-house items, like his wife’s
food scale, in an effort to make even nicer, more balanced,
lures.
From here he uses a belt sander and file to remove any
sharp points the lure might still have. Next comes sandpaper
and then a piece of leather with rubbing compound. “That
makes the surface of the lure like glass,” he said. “Do you
need to do that? Probably not. But I want it to look good.”
Painting comes next, and this is when the project really
starts to take shape despite Vince’s most impressive miscue
in his process. “I’m not very good with my paint,” he said
with a knowing grin. “Because I don’t write down my paint
mixtures. I should probably get a little better there.”
This statement becomes increasingly comical as Vince’s
lures are seen, each matching the intended species precisely.
If it’s a fish imitation, it looks exactly like that fish. However,
sometimes he decides the grain of wood will be nicer than
Gewinner uses a hammered-down split shot to provide the
weight his lures need for casting.
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
35
This northern pike imitation has never met Gewinner's
swimming standard, but the fish haven't seemed to mind.
After designing his lures, Gewinner takes them to their
testing site — his backyard swimming pool.
On a New Level
What took Gewinner days to create when he first started
can now be done in hours.
Gewinner's topwater lures, like this one, can be used for any
fish, from largemouth bass and northern pike to muskies.
anything he could paint. With these, he simply dips the
lure in spar urethane and allows the wood’s natural color to
remain. These are some of his prettiest.
Once the lure dries, Vince adds wire ties, hooks and eyes.
Then it’s ready to test.
Testing Facilities
An attractive wood grain can be used to create a beautiful
fishing lure.
36
Nebraskaland
• March 2024
Where else would a talented wood carver test the
practicality of his latest creation? A backyard swimming
pool, of course. “I spend a lot of time at the pool,” he admitted.
Once Vince’s lures have been designed, and painted, he
ties them on a rod and puts them to work in the pool, but
not without a fair warning before he casts. “I can’t make any
guarantees this will swim.” Like all crankbait anglers, he’s
looking for a lure that wobbles seemingly uncontrollable as
it swims but also in a straight line.
Minor adjustments can be made to help the lure, such
as adjusting the lure’s tie eye, but sometimes they just
don’t swim.
In these circumstances, Vince has a backup plan, as shown
with a pair of pliers after several unsuccessful attempts at
creating a beautiful, yet productive, fishing lure. He cut the
line of the most recent lure he was testing and tossed it aside.
“Put it on a keychain,” he said with a laugh. “I need to do
some work on this design to get it to swim right.”
When the lures do pass his swim test, they are allowed a
spot in the most coveted spot of all — the tackle box.
What’s Next
Wherever his mind takes him, and these ideas quite often
come while he’s on the water testing his latest set of lures.
Maybe he’ll experiment with making deep divers, but he
knows the complications they present with a longer lip. Plus,
he doesn’t fish with them much and doesn’t make lures to
gather dust on the mantel.
Perhaps he’ll turn his creativity to using more types of
woods. While cedar is the easiest to work with, Vince has
made lures using a variety of woods including pine, balsa and
poplar. He’s also carved walnut cut for firewood and oak from
a whiskey barrel.
Or he could go down his father’s route, who used to make
his own maple stock muzzleloaders.
“I have a lot of ideas,” Vince said. And a lot of options for
someone of his patience and talent. As long as whatever he
makes — a lure, bow, or something in between — can pass
the ultimate test.
Being ready for the field. N
There’s a different level of excitement that arises
when catching a big fish on public water. I always
imagine these fish seeing hundreds of lures a year,
so my pride swells a bit when my rod bends after
hooking into a lunker.
I found out last summer that my pride swelled
even more when fishing with a homemade
crankbait. Easy to cast and retrieve, I quickly
understood Vince’s joy when feeling a fish strike
one of his lures. And it didn’t take long either, as
I caught several nice largemouth bass on both
Nebraska and Minnesota waters last summer.
One of Vince’s disappointments — a northern
pike imitation — also saw the water last season.
This lure doesn’t have the same wobble that his
other, more refined, lures have. But the fish didn’t
seem to care.
Because if it looks like a pike — and this lure
most certainly does — it must taste like a pike.
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
37
Found at an
Estate Sale
A Trophy
from the Year
Nebraska Banned
Girls’ Basketball
Tournaments
By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska
im Brogden was browsing an estate sale in Acworth,
Georgia, when he noticed this beautiful trophy. It tells
a story not only of a basketball team, but also of a
generation-long reaction against girls’ and womens’
sports.
Brogden bought the trophy and took it home. He knew
nothing about it except the inscription:
J
OCHS
Invitation Tournament
GIRLS BASKET BALL
1922
Won by Filley
1923 No Tourney
1924 Blue Springs
An online search led him to a History Nebraska blog post,
where he saw his trophy in a series of photos from Blue
Springs, Nebraska. He wondered how a Nebraska basketball
trophy made its way to Georgia, and he began to think that
it belonged in a Nebraska museum. He soon donated it to
History Nebraska. We have pieced together the story of the
trophy and of the girls who won it a century ago.
38
Nebraskaland
• March 2024
The 1924 Blue Springs High School girls’ basketball team with their coach, Miss Shotwell (second from right).
History Nebraska has not been able to match names to faces, but the players are guards Mabel Bolender, Iva Peck and
Lucile Davis, and forwards Helen Tays, Gladys Jenkins and Fern Lynxweiler. HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG3372-4-27
OCHS stands for Otoe Consolidated High Schools, which
hosted an invitational girls’ basketball tournament in
Barneston on Feb. 22-23, 1924. With “very snappy players,
and team work to perfection” in the words of the Beatrice
Express, Blue Springs defeated all their opponents to win
the round-robin tournament. They even defeated a team
from Hanover, Kansas, that had not lost a game in four
years.
With no shot clock and a jump ball after every basket,
games were low-scoring affairs. Blue Springs defeated
Barneston in the tournament final 15-12, but Barneston got
its revenge later that season. In March, Blue Springs starting
guard Lucile Davis broke her wrist in practice. She missed the
season finale, in which Barneston defeated Blue Springs 8-7
and advanced to the state tournament. Blue Springs ended
the season with a record of 17-2.
Less than a month after the Otoe County tournament,
the Nebraska High School Athletic Association voted to
abolish the girls state basketball tournament after 1924 and
to bar girls’ teams from entering any state, district or county
basketball tournaments in the future. Association members
voiced “protests against girls’ competitive athletics in
general.”
The move was part of a long national backlash against
women’s sports. The University of Nebraska had already
disbanded its women’s basketball team — coached by the
formidable Louise Pound — after the 1908 season. In 1924,
the university hired Mabel Lee to head its women’s physical
education department. Lee promoted intramural sports and
recreation, but actively opposed all intercollegiate play.
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
39
ALL PHOTOS ON THIS SPREAD:
After winning an invitational tournament on Feb. 23,
1924, the Blue Springs players posed for a series of
photos with their trophy.
She believed that highly competitive, “mannish” play was
harmful to women.
Cornhusker women’s basketball was reintroduced as a
varsity sport for the 1974-75 season. The Nebraska girls’
state high school basketball tournament resumed in 1977.
How did the trophy make its way to Georgia? Jim Brogden
bought it at the estate sale of Stan Vasey. Brogden learned
that Vasey was the son of the Vyral M. (Viets) Vasey of
Wymore, Nebraska. We don’t know how or why she came to
possess the trophy. Born in 1914, she was only 10 years old
at the time of the tournament, and she grew up and went to
high school not at Blue Springs but at Union Center, between
Wymore and Lewiston.
What became of the Blue Springs players? The team
consisted of guards Mabel Bolender, Iva Peck and Lucile
Davis, and forwards Helen Tays, Gladys Jenkins and Fern
Lynxweiler.
We found no definite information on Lucile Davis and
limited information on Iva Peck Lawrence — all we know
is that she lived in Omaha as of 1944, and in Montebello,
California, in 1950. But three of the remaining four lived
exceptionally long lives.
Mabel Bolender Gerwick married and had at least two sons
and lived her life in Gage County, dying in Beatrice at age 76
in 1983.
Helen Tays Turnbull married, was mother to six children,
and worked at Sunrise Bakery in Beatrice. She died in Lincoln
at age 98 in 2005.
Gladys Jenkins McPheron married, had a daughter
and worked as a teacher. She taught for 16 years for the
Department of Defense in Korea. She lived to be 100 years
old, dying in Lincoln in 2006.
Fern Lynxweiler Barker was the last surviving team
member, dying in 2011 at age 103. Fern married, had two
children and worked as a legal secretary in Lincoln. Her
obituary noted that she became a world traveler and was
honored for her extensive volunteer work at Bryan-LGH
Medical Centers in Lincoln. The obituary also identifies
her as “a standout on the Gage County girls’ championship
basketball team.” The story of the Blue Springs team was
still being told proudly into the 21st century.
We can only imagine what the former Blue Springs players
thought in the 1970s when their granddaughters’ generation
saw the revival of the girls’ state basketball tournament and
the growth of opportunities for female student athletes under
Title IX. They may have wondered why it took so long. N
HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG3372-4-25
HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG3372-4-23
Visit History Nebraska’s website at history.nebraska.gov.
HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG3372-4-26
40
Nebraskaland
• March 2024
HISTORY
H
HIST
IST
ST
TORY
RY NEBRASKA,
R
NE
N
NEBR
EBR
RASKA
KA
A, RG3372
RG337
3372-4-2
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24
4
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
41
Unearthing
Treasures
Rockhounding in Nebraska
Story and photos by Renae Blum
O
ver 35 years of searching
Nebraska
for
rocks,
minerals,
fossils
and
artifacts, Charles Wooldridge’s biggest
find wasn’t even his. It was his dog’s.
Wooldridge — who goes by
“Wooly” and lives in Lincoln — was
in the north-central Sandhills, trying
unsuccessfully to relocate an earlier
find. And then his dog Hank, a 7-yearold Plott hound, began barking and
wouldn’t stop. Hank was standing on a
stump sticking out of the creek — later
determined to be the largest petrified
stump ever found in Nebraska. The
3.73-ton specimen will be on display
at Ashfall Fossil Beds State
Historical Park starting this spring.
That’s part of the addiction of his
hobby, Wooldridge said. Big finds
don’t happen all the time, but just
often enough to convince rockhounds
across the state to spend hours, even
days, searching for something special.
The Pull of
Rockhounding
Rockhounding — or the act of
searching for rocks, minerals, artifacts
and fossils — has many appeals,
Wooldridge said. There’s the chance
to be out
ou in nature, to enjoy
searching
searchin for something big,
much as
a anglers, hunters or
mushroom
hunters do.
mushro
Rockhounding
also has
Rock
an element
of competition
ele
to it. “It’s kind of like
fishing,”
Wooldridge said.
shin
“Fishing
is an activity
“Fish
that you do together,
but it’s an individual
Cha
Charles
Wooldridge of
Lincoln snapped this
Lin
photo of his dog, Hank,
ph
discovering the largest
dis
petrified stump ever
pe
found in Nebraska.
fo
Wooldridge was
W
rrockhounding in the
north-central
n
Sandhills at the time.
S
42
Nebraskaland
N
Nebr
ebras
aska
kalland
land • March 2024
competition. You’re trying to catch the
best fish you can; you’re trying to find
the most beautiful agate you can.”
It also has social benefits, making
it a great family activity. It’s easier to
open up and talk freely while working
side-by-side, Wooldridge said.
Rockhounding is also a relatively
inexpensive hobby, and one that’s
open to all ages. “You can be 8 or 80,”
Wooldridge said, adding, “When
somebody finds something really neat,
everybody shares in that celebration.
Everybody’s excited for what was
found. So it’s a really cooperative,
competitive sport.”
Rockhounding in
Nebraska
Wooldridge often hears skepticism
about the idea of rockhounding in
Nebraska — people doubtful that the
state has anything to offer.
“In general, in some places in
Nebraska, that’s true,” he said.
However, there are plenty of
opportunities if you know where
to look, he added. There’s petrified
wood all over the state, and Nebraska
is rich in Ice Age fossils. Rivers and
streams are known to be great spots
for rockhounding, and Nebraska has
nearly 80,000 miles of them.
“Virtually there are things to find
Above: Charles “Wooly” Wooldridge of Lincoln displays an Ice Age bison tooth he just found along the Big Nemaha River in
southeastern Nebraska. Top left: Donitte Stiles of Lincoln holds up a honey agate she discovered during her first rockhounding
excursion.
everywhere if you know where to
look,” Wooldridge said.
Wooldridge spends a lot of time
looking for agates, especially Lake
Superior agates and Fairburn agates.
He also finds petrified wood, jaspers,
gypsum, quartz crystals, and various
kinds of fossils and artifacts.
The challenge is that there are very
few public lands open for rockhounding
in Nebraska. For example, it’s not
permitted at Nebraska’s state park
areas or wildlife management areas.
(See the sidebar on page 47 for more
details.)
The good news is, many landowners
are open to allowing rockhounding
on their land, Wooldridge said. He
advises looking at county plat maps
to find landowners you can contact
to ask permission. Respecting private
property is an absolute must for
rockhounds, Wooldridge said.
With permission in hand, you’re free
to search some of Wooldridge’s favorite
spots in Nebraska. Among these are
the north and south branches of the
March 2024 •
Nebraskaland
43
Big and Little Nemaha rivers, Long
Pine Creek and Bone Creek in northcentral Nebraska, and the Crawford
area in the western part of the state.
Other
locations
Wooldridge
recommends include the Oglala
National Grasslands, the Big and Little
Blue rivers and their tributaries, and
the Platte River and its tributaries.
A Rockhound’s
Toolkit
Corey Beer of Lincoln holds up a 4,000- to 8,000-year-old knife he just discovered
along a gravel bed in southeastern Nebraska.
For a good day of rockhounding,
you’ll need a few things. A walking
stick is important; Wooldridge uses
a gem scoop for this, a sturdy, longhandled tool that allows him to retrieve
rocks without bending over. You’ll also
need something to carry your finds.
Wooldridge likes a turkey hunting
vest since it distributes weight evenly
across the shoulders, but a backpack or
bag also works.
If you need to chip something out of
Five Finds Worth Keeping
Wondering what to look for? Here are some of the things Wooldridge finds most often.
Lake Superior agates
These beautiful gemstones
are highly sought after and
were carried here during the
last Ice Age, from glaciers
originally located north of
Lake Superior. They are
banded and are typically red
and white, but can also be
blue, pink, orange or black.
Look for them in eastern
Nebraska, particularly in the
southeast.
A Lake Superior agate with an
amethyst interior, found in
southeastern Nebraska.
Rough and polished Fairburn
agate, found in northwestern
Nebraska.
A mammoth tooth, an Ice Age
fossil, found in south-central
Nebraska.
minerals. Wooldridge typically
finds gypsum in south-central
and southeastern Nebraska.
A piece of gypsum found in southcentral Nebraska.
Silicified (“Petrified”) wood
Found across Nebraska,
petrified wood ranges in
color from black to brown,
white, red and yellow, with
browns fairly predominant.
The original trees fell and
were covered by ash, loam,
dust, silt or sand. Saturated
conditions and the lack of
oxygen in buried sediments
kept the wood from rotting.
Then, silica precipitated from
groundwater replaced cell
walls and filled void spaces in
the wood.
A fossilized elephant tusk, an Ice
Age fossil, found in north-central
Nebraska.
Gypsum
Gypsum, including the
variety called selenite,
typically appears as clear
crystals assuming a range of
shapes and sizes. Gypsum
is a soft mineral that can
be scratched with your
thumbnail — that’s the easiest
way to tell it apart from other
PHOTOS
PHOT
OS BY
BY ERIC
ERIC FOWLE
FOWLER,
R COLLE
COLLECTIO
CTION
N BY CHA
CHARLES
RLES WOO
WOOLDRI
LDRIDGE
DGE
Fairburn agates
The northwestern corner
of Nebraska is known for
Fairburn agates, which are
typically red, yellow, pink
and black, and are very
colorful. They feature a
striped “fortification” pattern
resembling holly leaves,
and are good for cutting
and polishing, as are Lake
Superior agates and petrified
wood.
Pleistocene (“Ice Age”)
fossils
Fossil teeth and bones from
ancient mammals can be
found throughout the state.
These include ancient bison,
horses, camels, elephants
and other mammals. These
animals lived here during
the Pleistocene epoch, from
approximately 2.6 million
years to 11,000 years ago and
were buried by ash, silt, dirt
or sand.
Piece of root with black opal
interior from the largest petrified
stump found in Nebraska, from the
north-central part of the state.
Stem of petrified wood found in
western Nebraska.
Members of the Lincoln Gem and Mineral Club look for rocks, fossils and artifacts along the south fork of the Big
Nemaha River.
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Rockhounding Rules and
Regulations
•
Respect private property rights and do not trespass.
Obtain permission before collecting on any private lands.
•
Rockhounds are allowed to collect rocks and agates — but
not fossils, artifacts or meteorites — on U.S. Forest Service
lands in Nebraska without a permit, for personal, hobby and
noncommercial use only. This includes the Nebraska National
Forest, the Oglala National Grasslands and Samuel R. McKelvie
National Forest. You may remove no more than 25 pounds of
rock per day and up to 250 pounds per year. Selling your finds
is not allowed, nor is digging. For other uses of rock material,
such as landscaping or rock gardening, contact the Nebraska
National Forests and Grasslands Supervisor’s Office at
308-432-0300, as a permit may be required.
•
Visitors browse items for sale during the Lincoln Gem and Mineral Club’s annual gem show at the Sandhills Global Event
Center.
a host rock, a rock hammer is useful.
Look for a purpose-made rock hammer
made from tempered steel, like an
Estwing. And basics like a broadbrimmed hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
and bug spray are good to have.
How to Get Started
Charles Wooldridge of Lincoln holding Lake Superior agates and honey agates
found along the south fork of the Big Nemaha River.
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If you’re interested in trying
rockhounding, Wooldridge’s first piece
of advice is to join a local club. There,
you can learn more about what’s
available in your area and potentially
go on outings with the group.
Also, “talk to some old-timers,”
Wooldridge said. “There are a lot of
old-timers throughout the state that
still do rockhounding. Find someone to
take you out.”
Gem shows and swaps are another
good place to start. At these events,
you can peruse items for sale and talk
to vendors. Gem shows will also have
displays of particularly impressive finds.
“Lincoln and Omaha have really
Mike and Donitte Stiles of Lincoln
hold a rock containing fossils (left)
and a fossil bone (right) that they
discovered on a gravel bed. It was
their first time rockhounding.
good gem shows, and there’s also
a really neat four-day gem swap in
Crawford,” Wooldridge said.
He
recommends
two
books:
Minerals and Gemstones of Nebraska:
A Handbook for Students and Collectors
by Roger K. Pabian and Allan Cook
(1976), and Record in Rock: A Handbook
of the Invertebrate Fossils of Nebraska
by Roger K. Pabian (1970). Both can
be downloaded for free from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s
Digital Commons.
A Day in the Field
On a sunny October day, Wooldridge
and fellow members of the Lincoln
Gem and Mineral Club spent a day
rockhounding along the Big Nemaha
River. The group was mostly quiet,
carefully picking their way along the
gravel bed. Every so often, someone
would shout out “Laker!”, signaling
that they’d found a Lake Superior
agate, and everyone would stop to
Rockhounding also is allowed on the 5,100 acres in
Nebraska managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Noncommercial collection of rocks, petrified wood, and
common invertebrate and plant fossils is allowed, but you
may not collect artifacts or vertebrate fossils. Only gather
invertebrate fossils and plant fossils not of scientific interest
in reasonable amounts for personal use. You can also collect
up to 25 pounds of petrified wood per day, not to exceed 250
pounds per year.
While rockhounding is legal on BLM lands in Nebraska, it’s
important to point out the public may not always have access
to these lands. BLM-managed lands in Nebraska consist of
small, isolated parcels scattered across the state and legal
access to them is extremely limited, as they are typically
surrounded by private land with no public roads, trails or
adjoining lands to reach them. It’s up to you to know where
you are — use maps, GPS or a landownership app to avoid
trespassing. You can find a map of Nebraska’s BLM properties
at blm.gov/maps.
•
Collecting materials is not allowed at Nebraska’s state
park areas or wildlife management areas. It is also not
permitted at national wildlife refuges or lands managed by
the National Park Service, including national monuments.
•
Not sure if rockhounding is permitted at a particular site?
It’s your job to know; always do your research first and ask
permission if needed.
•
Mine Safety and Health Administration regulations
make access to private pits, quarries and mines unlikely or
impossible.
admire it.
The biggest find of the day belonged
to Corey Beer of Lincoln, who spotted a
4,000- to 8,000-year-old knife. “That’s
by far the best artifact I’ve ever found,”
Beer said. “I’m over-the-top thrilled.”
As the day stretched into late
afternoon, people began to pack up
for the day — but not Beer. Watching
him still busy looking, Wooldridge
commented, “When you start finding
things, it’s hard to quit.”
It’s all part of the adventure for a
rockhound. N
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MIXED BAG
FEWER GRIP-AND-GRINS
Story and photos by Jeff Kurrus
Everyone does it. I know I do. “Hold the fish up and smile.”
The picture is taken, and then we add it to the long line of
photos that look exactly the same.
Strive for a bit more with your photography this season
during your fishing trips through Nebraska. It only takes five
minutes away from your fishing to add something creative to
your portfolio. Here are a few options.
is at its most stunning, and photograph the day. You’ll be
back fishing as soon as that gorgeous sky changes.
New Angle
Tackle Me
Bag shots are unavoidable, but take an extra second or
two to lower or raise your camera angle to create something
unique from the rest of your images. No fish is needed to
make an interesting photo, but the presence of one sure
doesn’t hurt.
Rods, reels and other gear make great photo subjects.
These images are great conversation starters years later
when you see them again.
Show the Day
Take a quick walk away from your partner when the light
While You’re Away
Before you climb back in the boat, capture a photo or two
of your partner fishing. If you get lucky, a fish on the line is
a bonus.
Just the Fish
Close-ups of fish in the hand are a great mix to a photo
spread. Again, search for unique angles to compliment the
traditional grip-and-grin bag shot.
Lower or raise your camera angle for a unique picture.
Take a picture of your partner before climbing in your boat.
Take a few steps back to capture the day.
Tackle boxes and other gear make great photo subjects.
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MIXED BAG
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MIXED BAG
DON’T FORGET THE DUCKS
By Eric Fowler
When it comes to birdwatching in
Nebraska in March, sandhill cranes get
most of the love. But many don’t realize
that a few miles south of the Platte
River in the Rainwater Basin there is
an equally impressive gathering of
millions of ducks.
The Rainwater Basin includes nearly
400 wetlands, ranging in size from a
few to more than 1,000 acres, scattered
across 21 counties in south-central
Nebraska that provide critical habitat
for migratory birds. Of those, 93 are U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl
production areas and Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission wildlife
management areas open to the public
for wildlife viewing and photography
in the spring.
Moist-soil plants like smartweed and
barnyard grass sprout from the clay
soils in or on the edge of these shallow,
seasonal playa wetlands. When water
floods that vegetation, waterfowl
feast on the seeds and loaf and rest in
the cover it provides. They also feed
on abundant invertebrates and plant
tubers in and around the water.
An estimated 8.6 million ducks and
geese and 600,000 shorebirds stop here
each spring. That includes 50 percent
of the mid-continent snow goose
populations, half of the mid-continent
population of mallards and 30 percent
of the continent’s northern pintails.
As far as the ducks go, Jeff Drahota,
a wildlife biologist with the U.S.
Wildlife Service Rainwater Basin
Wetland Management District, said
every species of duck found in the
flyway, including divers like redheads,
will stop in the Rainwater Basin for
a few days or a week, depending
on habitat conditions, to refuel for
their northward migration. Mallards
show up first, typically in mid- to late
February, followed by pintails. Mediumsized ducks like gadwalls are next, and
smaller ones like green-winged teal
arrive last. The timing of their arrival
depends on the weather in the region,
as the birds follow the spring thaw
northward, waiting for wetlands to
thaw and snow to melt before arriving.
Likewise for their departure.
“In terms of the best time to see
the most species is probably in that
middle of March to the end of March,”
Northern pintail and mallard ducks flock to Johnson Waterfowl Production Area, a
wetland in the Rainwater Basin in Phelps County. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
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Nebraskaland • March 2024
Drahota said. “If you want to see the
most ducks, it’s probably that peak of
migration, which tends to occur a week
or two after the snow geese show up.
“So if you want to see mass amounts
of pintails, you’ve got to be fairly early
but you’re not going to see a whole lot
of other species.”
When the migration is at its peak
and food and water are plentiful,
Drahota noted you might find 5,000
to 10,000 ducks per acre on these
wetlands, with numbers on a single
marsh approaching 500,000. Although
they are at times hidden from sight,
feeding beneath flooded vegetation,
he has seen wetlands holding so many
ducks “you couldn’t see the water.”
Plenty of geese might also be in the
basins when duck migration peaks,
with the occasional mass of up to
1 million snow geese using a single
wetland.
In any given year, where ducks are
found will depend on where there
is water. In dry years, water will be
pumped into certain wetlands to
ensure habitat is available. That may
be the case this spring, as drought
left most basins dry last fall. Find
which wetlands are pumped in the
“wetland habitat conditions report” at
OutdoorNebraska.gov.
Three recommended areas have
viewing decks or towers: Funk and
Massie WPAs and Ducks Unlimited’s
Verona Complex. Father Hupp WMA
has a waterfowl blind that is open
to birdwatchers. And Lake Seldom
on the edge of Holdrege has a hiking
trail on the west side. Many other
wetlands are bisected or bordered by
roads and typically offer good viewing
opportunities; they include: Clark,
Gleason, Harvard, Hultine, Johnson and
Smith WPAs and Greenhead, Kissinger
Basin, North Lake Basin, SacramentoWilcox, Sora and Straightwater WMAs.
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PORTRAITS FROM THE PAST
Crappie fishing near Columbus, 1963
My older cousin Mark Schelby from Merced, California,
(right) and me (left) with a nice stringer of crappie. This
was in 1963 on one of his family trips to Nebraska. We
were fishing in Wagner’s Lake in Columbus. My mother,
Pat Lemke, cooked them in cracker crumbs as
she always did.
Of course, my dad “Buzz” helped us catch them, clean
them and took the picture. My dad had us put our bait
on, and if our lines got tangled up, he always made us fix
them. He also taught us how to tie the correct knots and
to throw back some of the fish.
– Mike Lemke, Garden City, Kansas
Deer hunting near Lisco, 1985
Pictured is me and my son, Chad, taken on
Chad’s first deer hunt in November 1985 on
Don and LaDonna Loxterkamp’s farm, eight
miles north of Lisco. Chad died on
July 18, 2022.
– Leo Gusman, Bridgeport
Canada goose hunting near Alliance
My cousin Pete Stout of Kearney and I, from Lincoln,
embarked on a Sandhills goose hunt southeast of Alliance
after Christmas 1998 when we were both 12. A large flock
had gathered on an open sandhills alkali lake. Pete’s dad,
Bob Stout, scared the flock up from the other side, while
Pete and I hid among the frozen cattails. We successfully
downed these two geese, which led to an exciting retrieval
on the frozen marsh ground surrounding the pond. The
local, three-legged ranch dog helped us locate our geese,
but that didn’t prevent us from breaking through thin ice
and pulling the ranch dog out of knee-deep water more
than a few times. This photo was taken when we made it
back to the pickup. Pete and I grew up hunting together and
continue an avid passion for hunting to this day.
– Mike Manning, Lincoln
Send contributions to: Portraits from the Past, Nebraskaland Magazine, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370. Or e-mail to Tim.Reigert@Nebraska.gov.
Photos should show people enjoying Nebraska outdoor activities, such as camping, boating, hunting or fishing, and must have been taken before 2000. 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. Text may be edited and photos adjusted for reproduction. All photos will be returned.
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THE LAST STOP
Hairy four o’clock plant in bloom.
GERRY STEINAUER
THE MISSING MEMORY CARD
By Gerry Steinauer
Like other nature photographers, I often return to a prairie
or woodland for another round of photographs. Sometimes it
is because Mother Nature does not cooperate — the light is
bad or it is too windy to take close-up photos. Other times, the
subjects do not cooperate. They won’t sit still, or I’m unable
to creep close enough. Lastly, I occasionally do something
that is mechanically boneheaded with my camera that
results in poor photos or no photos at all. The latter happened
last June.
Dawn broke on the final day of my visit to a Sandhills
ranch with ideal conditions for plant photography: warm
sunlight, little wind and vegetation cloaked in dew. I was
excited, maybe too excited. I grabbed my camera and rushed
out the door and up a nearby prairie-covered dune in search
of photographic opportunities. Soon, low on the dune, I
found a hairy four o’clock in full bloom. I had never before
photographed this uncommon wildflower.
I captured images of the plant for about 10 minutes and,
satisfied, moved on. Over the next hour or so, I climbed over
that dune and to the crest of the next, occasionally stopping
to photograph other flowers. Perched on the hilltop, I was
ready to call it quits and decided to scroll through the photos
and view my morning’s work.
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I was shocked to find there were no photos — because there
was no memory card in the camera.
Spewing a few cuss words, I quickly realized I did not
replace the card the last time I downloaded photos from my
camera to the computer. In my rush that morning, I forgot to
check the camera to make sure it contained a memory card.
I hate to admit it, but this was not the first time this has
happened.
Most gut wrenching was the fact that my cherished hairy
four o’clock photos were now nonexistent. I needed to reshoot
the photos, but the sun was rising fast, the light quickly
losing its warm tone. If I did not hurry, the photos would be
washed out. It was at least a quarter mile back to the plant
and one big question remained: Could I find it in this sea of
grass?
I pulled a memory card from my bag, popped it into the
camera and started hoofing it. Luckily, when I returned to the
vicinity of the four o’clock, I was able to follow my footsteps
through the still-dewy grass back to the plant. My new
photos turned out fine.
A photographer should feel no shame in having to return to
a site and recapture photographs. Stuff happens. It is part of
the game. But to forget a memory card? C’mon.
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Position: 1065 (2 views)