NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/725550
OCTOBER 2016 • NEBRASKALAND 39 Feeney, the biologist responsible for managing Sherman Reservoir WMA, the location of the Rooster Roundup's first stop on Nov. 10, 2015. "Milo is a drought tolerant crop that provides needed protein and carbohydrates for upland birds," Feeney said. This upcoming season is expected to produce similar results. Early reports indicate that 2015-16 overwinter survival was good for upland game in Nebraska, and both April and July Rural Mail Carriers Surveys showed population levels similar to last year. Rooster Roundup At Sherman Reservoir SRA and WMA in central Nebraska, Commissioner Berggren commented repeatedly on the amount of cover, food plots and other plantings he saw. He was amazed by the number of pheasants and quail on the area. Sherman offers about 3,600 acres of public land that not only holds pheasants and quail, but also many turkeys and deer. The commissioners and their guests bagged six pheasants and five quail at this location. The second Rooster Roundup trip took place on Nov. 13 at the Verona Complex, a Ducks Unlimited property located near Aurora. In just four hours, the commissioners saw at least 15 birds. At lunch in a nearby restaurant, a patron told the commissioners that this was the best pheasant hunting season he has experienced in 10-12 years. "If you're limited to hunting public ground versus not having access to private ground, you shouldn't have any hesitations," said Commissioner Allen of the hunt in Aurora. "It was perfectly good hunting. You will have the chance to bring home birds." The hunt at Davis Creek WMA on Nov. 25 was a great example of locals coming together to work toward a common cause: building habitat, increasing pheasants, and passing on traditions. Jim Conn, Pheasants Forever (PF) coordinating wildlife biologist, said management efforts at Davis Creek were made possible by the rallying efforts of passionate locals such as Charles Beebe and John DeRiso, as well as volunteers from the Cedar River Ring Necks PF chapter. "It's a team effort," Beebe said. "NGPC, Pheasants Forever, and volunteers have all helped by donating seed, drills, equipment and time to make improvements to Davis Creek." And it's all for the purpose of passing on the hunting tradition to others. The final hunts in the Rooster Roundup series spanned two days, Dec. 16-17, in northeastern Nebraska. On the first day, commissioners hunted Grove Lake WMA and CRP fields near Royal. Minutes into the hunt, they bumped up 30 quail. By the end of the day, six pheasants and six quail were bagged. That day, Commissioner Berggren said he hunted some of the best pheasant habitat he has ever seen. The last hunt happened the next day at Elk Point Bend WMA, 1,600 acres of public property north of Ponca State Park. Elk Point Bend is a good example of how pheasants thrive in grassland habitats, where managers have blended high diversity prairie restorations and large blocks of annual weeds. Now with early successional habitat, plants such as kochia, Russian thistle, sunflowers, hemp, and foxtail thrive there, and the pheasants love it, according to Scott Wessel, a Commission northeast district manager. "Every six feet, there's a roosting site," Berggren said, as he emerged from the end of the field. "There's poop everywhere." The hunters shot four roosters but must have seen at least 150 birds at Elk Point Bend. Overall, the commissioners were impressed with the birds and habitat they saw on the Rooster Roundup. They advised that a good dog is essential to hunt public land, "but the opportunity in Nebraska to hunt pheasants is out there," Berggren said. The Berggren Plan The untimely death of Lynn Berggren in February shocked the outdoor community. He was in the midst of serving his final year on the Commission. PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN Commissioner Lynn Berggren hunts at Grove Lake WMA. NGPC's Berggren Plan was named in his honor.