The KCHC will be out and ready opening day! looking forward to the optimism based on all the seeding and CRP planning we did last spring and fall! Will keep you updated on our success.
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Great opening weekend 2023!
The hunt club had a great time opening day, the weather was cool, probably coolest opening day in years! Saw lots of pheasants, mostly young ones. Quail were everywhere! We got our limit opening day, enjoyed beers at the bottle rocket brewing company and of course prime rib from the bowling alley. No better weekend and I got to spend it with my son Brady! Best father son time there is! We also finished the dock for the growing pond!
2023 Pheasant Outlook
PHEASANT HUNTING FORECAST 2023: NEBRASKA
TIMELY MOISTURE HELPS CORNHUSKER PHEASANTS
By Jenny Prenosil
As the days cool, dove season kicks off and prairie grouse hunting begins, it is time to start thinking about pheasant season in Nebraska. We can bet you and your pup are antsy counting down for Nebraska’s pheasant hunting season running October 28, 2023 – January 31, 2024. It’s also time to put a reminder in your phone for the youth season opener on Oct 21, 2023, to encourage the next generation of hunters to share in the passion.
HABITAT CONDITIONS
In Nebraska, pheasant numbers respond favorably to acres enrolled in the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Although they are readily found in almost any grassy field, taking a look at what is going on with CRP in an area is a good hint of habitat conditions.
According to Byran O’Conner, Upland Bird Program Manager with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC), March and April were dry, resulting in poor habitat conditions to start. Widespread rains began to pick up during the nesting season. These rains eased the two-year drought much of Nebraska was experiencing, particularly in the central and western parts of the state. This bodes well for habitat going into the fall, as the rains promoted plant growth providing cover.
The additional rains also seemed to have boosted brood-rearing cover. “Brood cover looks great statewide, lots of forbs and insects” states O’Conner. The stress of previous years’ drought allowed for a flush of forbs and wildflowers attracting insects, an important food source for pheasant chicks.
Portions of eastern Nebraska remain in drought conditions, resulting in approved emergency haying or grazing on CRP fields, according to PF Farm Bill Biologist Rob van Leishout located in northeastern Nebraska. Shots of growing season rains allowed for regrowth on many of those sites, resulting in a mosaic of habitat height and structure. Diversity in habitat allows a field to better provide the various covers needed for all the life stages of a pheasant throughout the year.
Although habitat conditions in Nebraska seem to be better overall compared to previous years, emergency haying and grazing was still authorized in many counties due to the early dry conditions. Be sure to scout ahead of opening day to check if your target areas were one of your favorite fields was hayed or grazed this year.
PHEASANT NUMBERS
Last winter, Nebraska did see above average snowfall in much of the state. The snowfall did appear to be localized and not widespread, and so its impact on pheasants is probably variable across the landscape. The good news? The summer rains came at a good time for nesting and brood-rearing. Hens should have good success in raising broods.
Pheasant Forever’s Senior Farm Bill Biologist John McClinton, located in southeast Nebraska, echoes O’Conner’s assessment of habitat conditions. “It was a good year for native grass growth,” McClinton says, “and we didn’t have cold wet rains early. This should have been good for pheasant numbers”.
Southwest Nebraska always comes to mind for Nebraska pheasant hunters to hit up at least once per season. O’Conner emphasizes that this part of the state is in a rebounding stage. Drought over the last two years was harsh on habitat, it may take a few seasons for hunters to notice an increase in bird numbers.
According to NGPC’s July Mail Carrier Survey, pheasant age ratios were lower in all regions except the central and southeast. Pheasant abundance this fall will largely depend on summer production. You can read the full mail carrier surveys here:
» Nebraska Game & Parks Commission: Wildlife surveys
ACCESS
Nebraska has 346,027 acres enrolled in the Open Fields and Waters Program, in addition to many other public lands available. Be sure to grab the latest copy of the Public Access Atlas prior to heading into the field. There were many updates, including losing some fields but gaining new fields elsewhere.
Nebraska also publishes a Stubble Guide, which shows fields of wheat stubble available for public access. This is a separate publication that comes out after Public Access Atlas. Nebraska’s atlas can also be accessed online here.
“Our access sites are actually looking pretty decent, with a mosaic of habitat structure from late summer regrowth” says Rob van Leishout of northeastern Nebraska.
HUNTING TIPS
One very important tip for hunters going into this fall is to get your hunting permit well ahead of opening day. Nebraska Game and Parks updated their website for purchasing permits in January of 2023. If you haven’t checked it out already, it can be a little bit confusing navigating it the first time. As with all changes, it’ll be a no brainer after you’ve been on once or twice.
Rob van Leishout has one more tip for hunters chasing Nebraska roosters: “The larger access blocks historically receive plenty of upland hunter traffic. To mitigate public pressure, your hunting options may be looking to weedy field buffers, unfarmable sloughs, or standing crop stubble.”
Before you head out on your Nebraska adventure, take advantage of all the tools available to you. If you are able, scout ahead of time and converse with locals. At the very least grab the latest Public Access Atlas and consider trying new and overlooked areas. If you decide to target areas with the higher pheasant age ratios such as southeastern parts of the state, be ready to take advantage of a mixed bag. Anywhere there is cover, you can find a bonus covey of quail. Your tired dog at the end of the day will thank you for that!
Staplehurst Restaurant “Good ‘OL Days” gets new life!
Staplehurst’s new restaurant is packed with history and famaliar faces.
The family team of Deb Frank, Bobbi McVey-Blath and Ryon Blath will open Good ‘Ol Days at 330 A Street on Sept. 24. Many restaurants have called the location home over the years and its new owners wanted to reflect the building’s history as a gathering place for generations of Staplehurst residents and visitors.
The restaurant’s walls will be filled with pictures of people and scenes from Staplehurst’s past to allow guests to reflect on how far the village has come in its history.
“When we were thinking of purchasing the bar, it was about the community and everything we’ve done over the last 50 years here,” Bobbi said. “When people walk in, we want them to see the pictures of people within the community from the 50s, 60s and 70s. I wanted it to be that vibe where people go, “Oh my gosh, I remember that.’ That’s where our name comes from.”
Read more in this week’s edition of the Independent.
Happy Father’s Day!
Great day on the range with the family! Thank You! I Love you all!
Logmeadow’s Hunt Club 2020!
RIP-An Angle returned to the field.
John Brehm Sr, passed away peacefully at the age of 92 on March 31, 2020. He will be loved and missed by all. His favorite hobby was of course, hunting.
Ken-Caryl Hunt Club spends the day at Longmeadows game resort in Wiggins. Great afternoon of fun!
Cowboy Bar now open in Staplehurst
Lori McGuire has found moving from her home state of Wyoming to Nebraska to open a bar to be a good idea.
McGuire is the manager of the Cowboy Bar and Grill in Staplehurst. She co-owns it with Robert Johnson.
“He’s the one who called me up and said ‘Hey, we’re buying a bar,” McGuire said. “I moved over when this came about.”
McGuire’s son, Dustin, had lived in Staplehurst for the past two years and told her about the place as well.
McGuire and her brother, Rick, grew up in Chug Water, Wyoming, which, according to McGuire, is the same size and feel of Staplehurst.
“We kind of know how small business and restaurants go, so we just decided it was time to move,” McGuire said.
The Cowboy Bar and Grill opened its doors on Jan. 25 and the business so far has been steady, according to McGuire.
“Some people have said they had the best burger ever here, and everyone has been very nice,” McGuire said.
Although the Cowboy Bar and Grill is closed on Mondays, it operates from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays Thursdays and Fridays.
The bar is offering lunch specials currently, with hopes of expanding the menu in the future.
“We are offering lunch right now, trying to keep it basic,” McGuire said. “We’ll be adding to the menu weekly.”
The staff is also looking for daytime help as well.
“I just want to serve the community,” McGuire said, “to have friendly service and good food.”
The Cowboy Bar and Grill is located at 303 A Street in Staplehurst. They have a Facebook page, found at “The Cowboy Bar and Grill” and can be reached by calling (402) 535-2253.
Seward 4th of July Party! looks like a few Hunt Club members attended!
Country singer Joe Diffie, to play Seward County Fair:
By, Nicholas Boys Jun 12, 2019
Joe Diffie, a country music artist known for hits like “Pickup Man” and “John Deere Green,” will play the Seward County Fair on Aug. 9.Photo Courtesy Big Show Music Co.
Country music artist Joe Diffie will headline the Seward County Fair concert this year on Aug. 9. This marks the third year in a row a big name country act will headline the concert following John Michael Montgomery in 2017 and Blackhawk in 2018.
A Tulsa, Oklahoma, native and Grammy Award winner for Best Country Collaboration in 1998, Diffie has produced seven studio albums over a career spanning almost 30 years. He has produced five Billboard number-one singles including “Home,” “Third Rock from the Sun” and “Pickup Man,” which sat at number one for four weeks.
Diffie was on the shortlist for voting for the 2018 concert, so he had been on the Ag Society’s radar as a possible headliner.
“We’re just looking for something different every year and we thought this was a good fit based on the success of his last two concerts,” said Ag Society member Austin Schweitzer.
The concert will once again be held in the rodeo arena and will be open to all ages. The Ag Society is again hoping for a strong crowd.
“We’ve had 1,500 to 1,600 people the last two years, so hopefully we can get the same amount if not more to come out,” Schweitzer said.
Dylan Bloom, another popular country singer will open for Diffie. Tickets will be $20 and can be purchased on etix.com.
The Seward County Fair will take place Aug. 8-11.
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