34 Nebraskaland • August-September 2019
aron Schroder lives in Lyons, Nebraska, with his wife,
four dogs and two horses. He drives a truck, appreciates
cheap beer, and enjoys spending time in his "man
cave" – though he probably doesn't like to call it
that. Hunting gear takes up nearly all the extra space on the
Schroder property, and when the season is in full swing, his
wife, April Goettle, rarely sees him. You may think you know
an Aaron – or two or several – in your life, but meet the real
man, and you can't help but do a double take.
There's no missing the weird cat tattoo and the slick-
backed, rockabilly hair. That speech – defi nitely not
Midwestern. Aaron doesn't seem like someone who's from
around here, let alone someone who would take you on your
fi rst pheasant hunt. Yet Lyons is only 20 miles from Onawa,
Iowa, where he was born and where his parents still live.
Aaron is diff erent because he missed 20 years of living here.
"Everything I do I'm obsessive about, it seems," said Aaron,
now 44 years old. "It's just how I am." His wife can attest to
this behavior.
Enticed by the "opportunity to leave [home] and go do
something," Aaron left Iowa at 18 to play rock music in
Seattle. He worked at his birth mother's restaurant during
the day and played music at night. He met April through a
musicians-wanted ad.
A
Schroder guides a teal hunt in early September.
