Nebraskaland

18 NEBRASKAland • OCTOBER 2015 Never Leave the Field Early Again By Julie Geiser Pocket gun cleaning kits are recommended tools for every hunter. They eliminate the need to leave the field early when your gun barrel gets clogged. Lightweight and compact, the kits can fit inside a coat pocket or day pack. They make cleaning snow, mud or debris in the barrel simple, allowing hunters to resume the hunt in minutes. Pocket kits are a must for pistol and rifle shooters or wing hunters; kits come in multiple calibers and gauges for rifles, handguns and shotguns and are reasonably priced ranging from around $13 on up. Homemade kits should include memory-flex cleaning rod(s) to fit your firearms, brass jags, obstruction removers, T-handle, small bottle of gun cleaning solution and oil, brass patch holder, all caliber/gauge patches, and brass bore brushes for desired caliber/gauge sizes. Most kit supplies have universal screw-on attachments. You can also purchase stand-alone supplies at most sporting goods stores to customize your own kit. Other items to add might include a compact coated cleaning rod, cotton swabs, folded cleaning cloth, compact bore light, bore snakes, zip ties, toothbrush cut to fit the container or pouch, a small folding knife or multi- tool, lens cleaning cloth for optics and a small flathead screwdriver. Cleaning kit items can be stored in small plastic containers, zippered pouches sold at sporting goods or department stores, or small plastic bottles with a wide mouth like ketchup or mayonnaise bottles. ■ More Public Hunting Land Open By Eric Fowler Three new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers properties covering nearly 1,000 acres on the Missouri River floodplain in southeastern Nebraska are now open for hunting, fishing, hiking and bird watching. The properties, acquired from willing sellers under the Missouri River Recovery Program, were mostly in crop production but were prone to flooding. They will have a mixture of early-succession plant communities associated with flooding disturbance, including willows, cottonwoods and a variety of early-successional plants valued by wildlife. They also include wetlands, but the amount of water in the sites will depend on river stage and rain and snowfall. Hunting opportunities include deer, dove, pheasant, quail, rabbit, turkey and waterfowl. Only non-toxic shot is allowed. One of the sites, Sonora Bend in Nemaha County, is currently accessible only from the Missouri River. The other two, Civil Bend in Cass County and Cottier Bend in Richardson County, can be accessed from the river or adjacent county roads. For more on these and other Corps' sites along the Missouri River, go to Moriverrecovery.usace.army.mil and click on the Maps tab. Civil Bend USACE - Cass County; 3½ E, 1 S of Union; 381 acres in two separate tracts Sonora Bend USACE - Nemaha County; 2 N of Brownville; river access only; 190 acres Cottier Bend USACE - Richardson County; ½ W, 6½ N of Rulo; 388 acres. ■ A typical kit the author carries when she is out in the field hunting. PHOTO BY JULIE GEISER PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER

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