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/736554
NOVEMBER 2016 • NEBRASKAland 39 NO NO NO NO NO N VE VE VE VE VE VEMB MB MB MB MBER ER ER ER E 201 01 0 6 • NEB EB EB EB EBRA RA RA RASK SK SK S Al Al Al Alan an an and d d 39 39 39 39 39 3 in Franklin County, but I'm really no different than most hunters – most of my upland hunting occurs on public lands. I spend a lot of time hunting Open Fields and Waters (OFW) properties in Furnas County and sometimes venture farther west than that. There are many spots over there and some great mixed bag opportunities that are pretty tough to beat. Some of the best bird habitat in my area occurs on public lands, so there's really no reason to go look anywhere else – that's what it's there for. I definitely do – I think there are underutilized areas in nearly every part of the state. I think most pheasant hunters would agree that they spend 99 percent of their time hunting CRP fields. Hunting CRP can be very productive, but many hunters overlook the fact that pheasants utilize other habitat types throughout the season, and even throughout their daily routine. Other types of habitat, some seasonal in nature, can provide excellent hunting opportunities. Some of my favorite spots in south-central Nebraska are winter calving pastures. Certain years, the weedy cover is phenomenal and other years not so much but they are always spots I check out each year. In the Panhandle, it might be a 0.5-acre tree or shrub planting in the middle of nowhere. When the weather gets nasty, these areas draw in birds from near and far that were produced in surrounding wheat fields. Although hunting opportunities are typically short-lived, unharvested crop fields, especially sorghum or cane, can also provide some great hunting in certain parts of the state. As far as public land, tall wheat and milo stubble fields enrolled in our OFW program in western Nebraska provide excellent hunting opportunities, but for some reason they just don't get used as much as CRP fields. Due to the timing of wheat and milo harvest, these fields are added to the online version of the atlas (OutdoorNebraska.org/ publicaccessatlas) and printed right before season in our "Stubble Access Guide." I think this keeps some of these tracts under the radar, but there are many pheasant hunters who just won't stray from hunting CRP fields. This year, we have over 19,000 acres of tall stubble fields open to public, walk-in hunting. Hunting stubble is definitely a different hunt, prime for wide-ranging pointers that like to cover ground or large hunting parties with blockers. But many of these enrollments also contain unfarmed pockets which are great for flushing dogs too. For those that enjoy hunting CRP, another thing to consider is adjusting your hunting strategy. Pheasants aren't dumb and quickly pick up on hunter tactics, especially on public land. The Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is looking at this right now, examining how hunter use influences pheasant behavior. Not surprisingly, hunters heavily use portions of CRP fields close to parking lots, OFW signs and field edges. If you think about it, the effective coverage area of most hunters and their dogs represents only a fraction of the entire field. I know it's easy to get discouraged and move on when you see another party has hunted a spot, but this research has shown that in many cases the birds are still there, occupying portions of the field that hunters by human nature tend to avoid. So the key here is to mix things up, try to hunt differently than others, and don't overlook other habitat types used by pheasants. ■ Q: Are there places in the state you think are underutilized? Bill Heard shoots at a bobwhite quail during a covey rise on an upland bird hunt on private land in Cass County near Weeping Water.