May 2019 • Nebraskaland 25
Fisheries on Four Legs
Each year, state fisheries professionals take to Nebraska's
lakes, rivers and streams to survey fish populations. Among the
most unusual of the efforts is one in the Pine Ridge.
Commission fisheries staff members Al Hanson and Joe
Rydell of Alliance in recent years recruited the help of mules
and horses owned by Commissioner Rick Brandt and Wyoming
backcountry outfitter Casey Carey in accessing the upper
reaches of the Soldier Creek Wilderness Area.
Because of its Wilderness Area designation, the property
allows no mechanized vehicles – not even trucks driven by
fisheries biologists, bicycles or game carts. Horses and mules
provide efficient transportation, thoug h – and surely work well
for those carrying a fishing rod, too.
