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Member Joined: 06 Nov 2006 Posts: 128 Location: NE

Heading out for a couple of days, lots to do. North part of Nebraska, just south of the Niobrara River. Geologists call the terrain "dissected plains", some people call it "breaks", I call it a sportsman's paradise. Will be meeting up with a brother-in-law, need to get a couple of stands set up for deer season which opens in a month, and do a little bit of cleanup around our camp. Then it is off for a nice long walk.

Will be taking along a 16, since season is open on both chickens and turkeys and there are "a few" of both on the ranch. Actually there are both sharptails and prairie chickens, and a ton of turkeys. So damn many turkeys that the Game & Parks Commission has gone to unlimited permits, and two birds on each permit!
Could probably jump a few ducks off one of the ponds.

Boy I wish I could just take the next 3 months off!

berg

Member Joined: 06 Nov 2006 Posts: 128 Location: NE

Had a great time. .Darn near got two deer with the Explorer Fri. night a quarter mile from camp. Sat. turned into a beautiful fall day after a week straight of rain, over 5".

Set up three new stands and moved another.

Spent the afternoon and Sun. walking around, checking things out. Walked right up on 4 separate flocks of chickens, managed to drop a couple. You could tell these birds hadn't been hunted yet this year, the season on them has been open for over over a month now and in areas that get hunted, you are lucky to get within range. On any of the flocks that I walked into, I could have fired both barrels , reloaded and taken a couple more shots. Could have shot more than I did, but my family doesn't really care for them, they would rather get their chicken from the KFC. Was carrying my Win. M24, using Fed. 1 1/8, #6.

Found one small flock of turkeys, 1/4 mile away, out in the middle of an alfalfa field, headed away from us. Would have been a chore to head them off, minimum of a 3/4 mile loop, cross a canyon so choked with cedars that it almost takes a belly crawl or a chainsaw to get through, scrambling up and down the near vertical sides and then hope you came up in the right spot without them seeing you. We decided to pass, try to find some easier ones, didn't happen.

Found one covey of bobwhites in an area I hadn't seen them before. There are a few spots that I do see them regularly and this was about a 1/2 mile from the nearest. I hope that means the population is increasing.

Lots of geese flying, cranes too. Love watching and hearing the Sandhill Cranes fly over. If you ever want to see a real spectacle, come to NE in the spring. I think they say around 90 % of the North American population of Sandhill Cranes stop in a 75 mile stretch along the Platte.

Saw a couple of coyotes, out of range for me with either my shotgun or pistol.

Lots of deer. We saw at least 50, mostly does and young ones. Probably the coolest thing was being within about 60 yards of a herd of mule deer browsing in an alfalfa field right at sundown. We counted 16 of them, 6 of them were bucks. Only one "good" one, a nice four point, out past his ears, probably around 26" spread and fairly tall. Not a monster, but I won't hesitate to drop the hammer if I see him in season. Another was a 3, the others, 2 little forks and 2 spikes.

berg