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/873551
38 NEBRASKAland • OCTOBER 2017 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 3 NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE N BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BR BRAS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS ASKA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KA KAla la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la land nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd nd • OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OCTO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TOBE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BE BER R R R R R R R R R R R 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 2017 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 with a floor of cobblestone brick salvaged from an Omaha work site. In the winter, they wrap the west and part of the south side of the porch with a custom-fitted tarp to shield the winter winds. Some walls of the shack have settled in the past 100 years, and it's listing to the south a bit. A few years ago, they had to shore up one wall on the shed to raise a sagging roof. They've had to patch the cedar shake roof more than once. The hunters spend a weekend in early fall each year fixing what needs fixed. "We've just been holding the place together the best we can," Jake said. "Every time we think we got stuff right something else goes haywire." They've done less work on the house, aside from patching a leaky roof and paneling the living room. Apart from the aged, peeling wallpaper, the structure looks just as it did in the 1960s. There was running water – cold only – for a short time, but the pipes froze and broke decades ago and weren't fixed. Between two hide-a-beds in the shack and five more beds in the house, there is room for seven hunters to sleep comfortably, and they can make room for more if need be. Three Hunts Years ago, the bunch settled into a routine that included three hunts a year: opening weekend, Veterans Day weekend and one in mid-December, with each beginning or ending a day or more on either side of the weekend. Jake said his wife used to question the need for three trips. "I guess after 45 years, and I've been doing this same thing on opening weekend for 60 and the other hunts for the past 20 or 30, she just expects it," he said. "For us old farts, our wives can't wait to get us out of the dang house," Sands added. On each trip, the hunters eat like men, and they speak of staples on the dinner menu as sacred traditions. On opening weekend, they grill burgers and "Scotia steaks" slathered in Worcestershire sauce. From then on, aside from an occasional pot roast, spaghetti dinner, Bohemian blood sausage, or barbecue ribs, the main course is typically deep-fried … frog legs and gizzards, chicken wings and gizzards, Rocky Mountain oysters and gizzards. Sandwich fixings for lunch often include sourdough rye bread and braunschweiger. "You can't beat the food, that's for sure," Schmidt said. "We always eat way too much," Jim added. Each hunter chips in $125 per weekend, which covers all food, gas and lodging. The leftovers go in a slush