Nebraskaland

January-February 2021 • Nebraskaland 33 HUNTING LATE-SEASON WATERFOWL unting the late-waterfowl season is not for the faint of heart. Thick ice, biting temperatures and freezing equipment are only a few things that the most die- hard of waterfowl hunters have to contend with in January and February. I talked to four of these hunters, who provided insight on how to best cope with hunting in harsh winter conditions. Julie Geiser is a public information offi cer and Nebraskaland regional editor for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. She has spent more than 30 years hunting waterfowl and learning their patterns, calls and how to lure them into a decoy spread throughout the hunting season. Terry Bisgard of Omaha has been hunting waterfowl for over 35 years. He recalls shooting his fi rst duck at 16 and is now passing on the tradition to his two young sons, Caden and Cody. Scott Wessel is a Commission private lands biologist out of the Norfolk offi ce. His waterfowl hunting experience began 50 years ago on a small reservoir in northeastern Nebraska. Today, Wessel mostly hunts Sandhill lakes and larger rivers. Although a lot has changed over the years, the anticip ation of sunrises in the blind with family, friends and dogs is as great a pull for him today as it was when he was young. Ross Juelfs has more than 30 years of experience hunting the North Platte River. His guiding career began 25 years ago with his father at the Stanco Ranch near Lisco. Juelfs is currently head guide and hunting manager for Cheyenne Ridge Outfi tters near Scottsbluff , where he has worked for 13 years. Where to Hunt Larger bodies of water, sloughs and warm-water creeks are the last to freeze. Public reservoirs, such as Calamus, Merritt and McConaughy, and larger Sandhills lakes in western Nebraska are attractive during the late-waterfowl season for this reason. "The wind makes the waves bigger on big water, which keeps off the ice," says Terry Bisgard. "I like to set up on the north to northwest side of a lake because that's where the birds will be coming in toward the late season." Rivers also can produce good hunting, that is until they freeze or form too much slush, says Julie Geiser. "Having said that, if temperatures do warm during the day, river slush melts and will attract ducks and geese during the afternoons," she says. Ross Juelfs, who is usually limited to hunting and guiding on smaller bodies of water along the Platte River, looks to small warm-water creeks and sloughs close to food sources. Non-traditional areas include farm ponds and stock dams where ducks wouldn't normally be found, says Scott Wessel. "If you can gain access, most people will walk in, fl ush birds simply by their presence, and then set out decoys and wait for them to return," he says. "Birds that concentrate in areas like that 'feel' secure and will often return and decoy readily." H By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Labrador retriever "Bub" retrieves a mallard out of the water. Bub belongs to Terry Bisgard of Omaha. PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY

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