August-September 2019 • Nebraskaland 37
... We had the worst hunt ever. We didn't get anything or see
anything. And I didn't care.
"So I fl ew back to New York, and I just pushed everything
else aside – my whole life has been like this. All of a sudden,
I was reading and watching videos and wanting to get back
into hunting and training dogs. I ended up fl ying back here
four times before my hunting license ran out that year."
Then Aaron's dad called to say that an acreage in Nebraska
was up for sale. They went to see the house, during the worst
snowstorm Burt County has seen in years, and "somehow
April still went for it." Aaron loved the place immediately.
They moved to Lyons fi ve months later and picked up Darlin',
a German short-haired pointer puppy, on the drive from New
York.
"I had paid for her a month or two before. I had everything
laid out, and it was so fun!" Aaron said, barely able to contain
his excitement over the memory. "I got this dog in my lap and
we're driving to our new house. I'm thinking, 'Oh my god! My
wife loves me so much!'"
Aaron didn't have any plans at that point, except to take
whatever odd jobs he could to aff ord his new hobby. Falling
back on his restaurant experience, Aaron started as head
chef at Pheasant Bonanza in Tekamah, where he introduced
clients to wild game dishes that didn't come from a can. He
had no intention of turning hunting into a career, but quickly
went from learning to train dogs on the side to becoming
trainer and hunting guide full-time. He dove headfi rst at the
Schroder has no idea how many birds he's cleaned since
becoming a hunting guide. An accomplished cook, he has
prepared pheasant just about every way possible.
