Nebraskaland

January-February 2024 • Nebraskaland 55 Learn to Hunt arleigh Lisius wasn't born into a hunting family, but she always knew she wanted to do it. The daughter of a fourth-generation farmer, the 23-year-old grew up among cattle, corn and beans near Juniata and spent countless hours playing in the shelterbelt on the farm, fi shing her grandparents' pond or camping. Every Thanksgiving, highly-anticipated visits from her aunt and uncle brought exciting tales of the couple's lives as wildlife biologists in Minnesota. Harleigh also marveled at the wild game they shared. "I never got to experience hunting as a kid, but was constantly hearing about my aunt and uncle going hunting," Harleigh said. "They'd always bring back smoked goose and venison for us during Thanksgiving, and it was great. I really wanted to experience that and be able to gather food for myself." Outside of an unsuccessful turkey hunt with a neighbor in 2018, which showed Harleigh just how much she loved to sit quietly and watch wildlife, her hunting aspirations wouldn't be realized until several years later. Without a mentor, Harleigh felt hesitant to pick up the sport on her own, but that didn't stop her from pursuing a career in conservation in the meantime. Career Pursuits After graduating high school, Aunt Becky and Uncle Jason sagely invited Harleigh to visit them in Minnesota. She expressed a real interest in wildlife conservation, and her relatives thought it would be a good idea for her to spend a couple of weeks job shadowing them in the fi eld — Becky works with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a wildlife manager, and Jason is a prescribed-fi re burn boss with the state. While there, Harleigh received fi refi ghter training with Uncle Jason and conducted wildlife surveys with Aunt Becky. "I spent some time with my aunt doing grouse surveys. I also helped with some snowshoe hare surveys, which was really hands-on," she said. "I got to spend my fi rst night in a prairie-chicken blind. It was absolutely amazing just sitting there and feeling the chill running up my spine as the chickens started cackling back and forth at each other." Harleigh's visit to Minnesota solidifi ed her college plans. After earning her associate degree at Central Community College, she transferred to the University of Nebraska- Lincoln to pursue a fi sheries and wildlife degree — and she hit the ground running. She soon signed up for a Pheasants Forever summer internship in 2021, a partnership with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Harleigh received training in checking Conservation Reserve Program acres and other government-contracted ground. "I had no plant identifi cation knowledge before that, By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Lisius takes a selfie while out checking Conservation Reserve Program acres. HARLEIGH LISIUS One young woman's journey to becoming a hunter H

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