48 Nebraskaland • December 2020
love to duck and goose hunt and go
whenever the opportunity presents
itself. One of the fi rst places I
hunted waterfowl years ago was
at Clear Creek Wildlife Management
Area near Lewellen. I still love going
to this public hunting area. For those
who have never been to Clear Creek,
there are a few things to know before
you hunt.
When the duck and goose season
begins, hunters can access the
seasonal refuge and special hunting
areas, which has 10 pit blinds available
for hunters to use. Both areas are open
to hunting, fi shing, trapping and other
outdoor activities on a fi rst-come, fi rst-
served basis until the Monday before
Thanksgiving. After that, the refuge
becomes a no-hunting, waterfowl
refuge, and the pits are drawn for by
hunters in the morning at the Clear
Creek check station. This is typically
the peak of the season and drawing for
the blinds is a fair way to make sure all
hunters get a chance to hunt.
Before heading out anywhere, I
like to check the Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission Public Access Atlas
online to view the area with GIS. With
this tool, it's easier to set up a plan
of attack before stepping foot on the
ground, but having hunted for years
in this area where very little changes
from year to year, I knew the area well.
My husband, Tom, and I usually
hunt together as
it's a great way to
spend time doing
what we both
love, and it's safer
to hunt with a
partner. We can
also carry in more
decoys and gear
that way as decoys
are a must; a dozen
or two usually does
the trick.
Watching the
weather recently,
we planned a hunt
based on a snow advisory. We packed
three sleds with three dozen duck and
goose decoys consisting of fl oaters and
shells, along with waders, guns, food,
water and a heater as temperatures
were slated to dip into the single
digits. The third sled was also packed
in anticipation of the birds fl ying and
us shooting straight.
We were going to lose an hour
driving to the Mountain Time Zone
and knew that other die-hard hunters
would have the same game plan. We
strapped our gear down and loaded
the sleds under the topper of the truck,
ready to get up with the stars the next
morning.
Arriving an hour before shooting
Clear Creek
Goose Hunt
Clear Creek Wildlife Management Area is located about
4 miles southeast of Lewellen and encompasses more
than 6,000 acres of riparian woodlands, wetlands, river
channel, lake bed and upland grasslands.
An Adventure Story
Story and photos by Julie Geiser
Clear Creek WMA
I
