October 2025 • Nebraskaland 41
s the first light of day spilled
over the high dunes to the
east, 9-year-old Harper Wright
nestled beside her father, Greg,
in the rushes along the Calamus River.
The ducks weren't flying, but that
didn't matter. What mattered was
that they were together, with the river
flowing past and the valley beginning
to stir.
I've known and worked with Greg
Wright, a U.S. Forest Service wildlife
biologist based at the Nebraska
National Forest near Halsey, for more
than a decade. As avid outdoorsmen,
our conversations often turn to
hunting. During one such talk, he
shared how he's trying to pass on his
passion for hunting and the outdoors
to his daughter. In today's busy world,
this is no easy task.
His approach is to make each
hunt with Harper about more than
just harvesting game. It's also about
exploring, appreciating nature and
spending time together. I wanted
to see his strategy in action, so we
planned a waterfowl hunt for October
2024 on the Calamus River.
The Family
Cabin
Late on a Saturday afternoon, we
arrived at the Wright family's cabin,
tucked beneath a riverside grove of tall
cottonwoods and elms a stone's throw
from the Calamus River in Brown
County. Greg had recently hauled the
The Wrights' cabin, nestled beneath a tall grove of trees, sits along the Calamus River upstream of the Calamus Reservoir.
Hunting the Calamus
A Father and Daughter's Adventure
Story and photos by Gerry Steinauer, Botanist
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