76 Nebraskaland • December 2024
PORTRAITS FROM THE PAST
Fishing Lake McConaughy, 1972
I was fishing with an Abu-Reflex from
the bank near Paul Petersen's cabin around
dusk. The walleye was an 8-pound, 8-ounce
Master Angler. I was a very happy guy
that day!
– Tru Connealy, Boise, Idaho
(Formerly of Lincoln and Ogallala)
Incidentally, Paul Petersen is a Marine, a
retired Ogallala school teacher and is 102
years old! He still resides in Ogallala.
Love Nebraskaland!
– Leslie Walt Connealy, Tru's wife
Boise, Idaho
Send contributions to: Portraits from the Past, Nebraskaland Magazine, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370. Or e-mail to Tim.Reigert@Nebraska.gov.
Photos should show people enjoying Nebraska outdoor activities, such as camping, boating, hunting or fishing, and must have been taken before 2000. We will give
priority to unusual photos or activities. When possible, please include a story about the photograph and identify the people, places and approximate date it was
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Duck hunting at Bell Creek
near Craig, 1989
Pictured is me (right) and my cousin
Kevin Olson, aka Little Buddy. Kev was a
gentle giant who loved the outdoors and
would do anything for you.
The hunt was south of Craig on Lefty
Moeller's farm. We still live south of Craig
on a farm and run an auction business.
Still enjoy hunting — not so much about
limits anymore, but about a dog working
well and someone harvesting a bird who
hasn't had opportunity to in a long time or
even better yet, a kid getting his first bird.
We would hunt on Bell Creek in
November and saw some mallards tucked
up by the bank one-fourth to three-eighths of a mile off the road. We dumped three drakes but they all went down on
the other side of the creek. Dink the Lab wasn't a year old. She wasn't sure what to do and not sure where they went
down. We took a corn cob and threw it to the other side of the creek. First time she brought back the cob! But she got
it figured out and retrieved all three mallards. One of my favorite stories of Kev when I was just old enough to hunt. I
stayed out with them and wanted to go duck hunting. The ponds were frozen and probably not a duck in the state but
Kevin chopped a while in the ice, and we duck hunted. A book could be written about him for sure. Kevin passed away
two years ago. I miss him, but I can think back to time spent, and it always makes me smile.
– Ed Olson, Craig, Nebraska
