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: https://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1542285
14 Nebraskaland • December 2025 IN THE FIELD "Why are you on your phone?" It's a 21st century question countless parents have asked their teenage children. "Checking the Reveal, Dad," my 13-year-old said. My tone changed entirely. "Seeing any bucks?" The "Reveal" is our cellular camera that watches the woods we hunt in eastern Nebraska. It's one of many trail cams on the market that sends pictures back to a hunter's phone. It's become a game-changer for those wanting constant intel about the areas they hunt. But it's not the only way the next generation of hunters and anglers are accessing the outdoor world these days. Online Forums Angler Ryan Glatter, who catches as many big fish in Nebraska on public water as anyone I've recently encountered, lives on online forums. Starting with nefga.org, he listens to what other anglers say about public and private waters throughout Nebraska. Even if users are posting about private waters, Glatter studies this information to catch fish on public waters. "I've seen posts where people are catching catfish and even used that information to catch largemouths in the same depths and locations on a lake." There's another key to these forums as well: You need to add to the discussion, too. The more information anglers share, the more other anglers will be willing to share. "I pay a lot of attention to these forums," Glatter said. "These forums and using your online lake maps can help you become a really good stick." Weather "My buddy, Carl, has 20 weather apps on his phone," said longtime Nebraskland contributor Todd Mills. "These apps decide so much of what we do when waterfowl hunting." Knowing the wind is crucial for waterfowl, Mills said. "It is the most important for us. Carl will send me wind graphs the night before we're hunting, and he also passes along moisture information." This knowledge helps them decide hunting locations and even decoy placement. "One of most important apps, Tempest, links us to the closest weather station in the area we're hunting. Because the weather changes so quickly, this allows us the most up-to-date information." But there is no one-stop shop. "Each of these apps has its specialties," Mills said. For example, Accuweather is great at giving long-term forecasts, he said, so he can see when there might be a migration push in the next couple of weeks. But it's not that good if you want the best weather details 18 hours from now. He also has an app that tells them where the snowline is, which they will find and hunt just below it. And these apps aren't specific to waterfowl. "When the humidity is high, we've found that pheasants seem to sit tighter." This would then allow a hunter to manage their pointer or flusher when chasing these upland birds. onX "OnX has changed everything for me," said Quail Forever Journal Editor Ryan Sparks. Known for listing public and private lands and who owns these lands, this app does so much more. "The first thing I do when planning a trip is check onX," Sparks said. The app allows users to include waypoints for hunting stands, for example, even offering suggestions on what locations should be hunted regarding moon phases, barometric pressure and wind. "I can also use it to plant food plots," he said. With a feature that can mark the path of the user, Sparks will drive the perimeter of a plot and learn the area's total acreage, allowing planting to be that much more efficient. "Plus, they put their money where their mouth is," Sparks continued. "They're a huge supporter of conservation and have helped open up hundreds of thousands of acres of land through Pheasant Forever's PATH program, including Nebraska Community Access Partnership land in Nebraska." These technologies — and what's around the corner — will continue to re-shape the next generation of hunters and anglers. JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND By Jeff Kurrus HOW THE NEXT GENERATION HUNTS AND FISHES