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/853309
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2017 • NEBRASKAland 41 T erry Bisgard of Omaha hunts just about anything. Early recollections include a couple hunting trips with his dad and uncle, and then later with his mom. He then met a neighbor who truly catapulted him into the world of hunting: Steve Bott lived just down the road, and before Terry ever shot his first duck at 16, Steve taught Terry how to call in waterfowl better than most hunters. Now 49, Terry's passion for the hunting sports has only grown. He is on the committee of Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, and Pheasants Forever in Nebraska, and he is also on the Mossy Oak Whitetail and Browning prostaff teams. His Labrador retrievers, Bub and Reba, hold several national bird dog titles. But as many milestones as Terry has reached over the last 30 years of hunting, the last three have been the most defining. These days, his favorite hunting partners are his sons: Caden, age 7, and Cody, age 5. Last season, I got the chance to hunt with Terry and his sons for doves on his property near Tekamah. After an evening of scanning the skies, making faces, cracking jokes, and playing with dead birds in the golden light of a mild September evening, I finally saw in action what people meant when they said, "I grew up around hunting." Too young and small, the boys didn't shoot that day. Still, it was a win-win: Terry got to hunt, while Caden and Cody got to spend time with their dad. Little did they know – and the realization may not come for many years yet – their dad was thoughtfully passing on something that is a basic part of him: his love of chasing animals and the virtues that go with it. How did you get started on hunting? Who took you? My dad took me out when I was really young with my uncle, about two times. I loved it, but he never took me again. My dad didn't really hunt. So my mom would take me in her car – a green Buick – and I would just walk around and shoot pheasants, and we'd put them in the trunk. So it was really my mom who encouraged it – it's kind of a cool story, really, if I think about it. And that was over by Ceresco, near Lincoln, where I shot my first pheasant ever at Jack Sinn Memorial Wildlife Management Area. I was 12 years old. But it was actually my neighbor, Steve Bott, who showed me the ropes. Those guys [Steve's friends] were always blowing their duck calls in their garage, and I heard it and started hanging around. I was 13 when I met Steve. By 15, I was teaching others how to duck call, although I still had not shot a duck at that point. Soon after, Steve took me duck hunting for the first time, finally. What is it about hunting that you love so much that you're still doing it to this day? I just love being outside – the fresh air. It's not about how much game you shoot; it's more of the experience. Remember all those ducks coming in that day when you were hunting with me? It was beautiful. You feel that rush. I don't care if I ever shoot anything again, really. Now, it's just about being out there, and I'll pass it on to my sons. HUNT Story and photos by Jenny Nguyen Q&A with Terry Bisgard, a hunter who is paying it forward like his mentors did before him. Passing on the