Hunting-access program provides $50 million in federal funds to expand recreation opportunities on private lands

Saint Paul, Minn. – July 8, 2010 – Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever today praised a decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release $50 million in funding for the “Open Fields” Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, a new effort to encourage owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch and forest lands to provide public access to their lands for wildlife-dependent activities such as hunting and fishing.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement this afternoon at a national press conference, at which other speakers included Howard Vincent, Pheasants Forever National President and CEO, and representatives from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Open Fields was authorized by Congress for the first time in the 2008 Farm Bill following support from a TRCP-sponsored coalition that included Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. Open Fields provides states $50 million in federal monies to create or enhance voluntary hunter-access programs on private lands and encourages landowners who enroll their properties to employ best-management practices for wildlife. Landowners can receive a financial incentive in exchange for opening lands to the public for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation. The Open Fields funding can now be used to enhance the 26 existing state public access programs, and establish programs in states where such programs are currently absent. There will be an application process for states to apply for funding.

“American sportsmen are deeply invested in the Open Fields program,” said Vincent, who praised the program on both its wildlife habitat and hunter access merits. “We appreciate the federal government’s willingness to expand public access to hunting and other recreational activities by assuring its implementation. Sportsmen now speak together in urging our nation’s decision makers to continue this record of support by retaining and funding Farm Bill conservation programs in 2012.”

“Open Fields is the first federal landowner incentive program of its kind to enhance access for hunting and fishing – and has been a flagship issue for the TRCP since our group’s inception,” said TRCP President and CEO Whit Fosburgh, who spoke at the event. “Today’s announcement by the federal government is an unqualified victory for fish and wildlife conservation and our hunting and fishing traditions.”

“This administration is committed to preserving and enhancing the great conservation legacy of our nation’s hunters and anglers to benefit current and future generations,” said Vilsack. ”This program will not only help achieve conservation goals, but also increase opportunities for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation by providing greater access to privately held lands for wildlife-dependent recreation.”

The conservation title of the Farm Bill is the nation’s single-largest source of federal funding for private-lands conservation programs, and previous iterations of the bill have allocated billions of dollars toward landowner activities that sustain critical habitat and bolster fish and wildlife populations important to sportsmen.

Read frequently asked questions about Open Fields.

Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.

Lincoln, Neb. – April 27, 2010 – Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever announce Jerry McDonald of Lincoln, Nebraska, as the organization’s new Regional

Representative for eastern Nebraska. McDonald’s 25-plus years of marketing experience will help strengthen “The Habitat Organization’s” Cornhusker conservation mission.

McDonald will work to start new Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapters in eastern Nebraska and assist existing chapters with raising and expending funds on wildlife habitat and conservation education.
He will also work with local, state, and federal natural resource agencies on wildlife habitat initiatives. In addition to serving as a point person for local

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapters, McDonald will assist in Pheasants Forever’s “Reload Nebraska” campaign, created last year to raise $20 million to establish and improve 1.1 million acres of wildlife habitat on private and public land in the state.

“The most important ingredient conservation requires is people with a burning passion for wildlife and the outdoors, and Jerry McDonald has that,” said Pete Berthelsen, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Senior Field Coordinator and an Elba, Nebraska, resident. “That passion will help engage more people in our mission
in an area where there is a great deal of potential for habitat projects.”

McDonald grew up hunting and fishing with his dad around Geneva, Nebraska, and continues to hunt every chance he gets. Recently, his Brittany passed away and he’s begun the search for another hunting dog to take its place.

“Hunting pheasants and quail without a bird dog isn’t nearly as rewarding for me,” McDonald said, “I love the work, the point, the shot and the retrieve. Of course, may favorite activity wouldn’t be possible without quality and quantity of habitat. I’m as excited about getting to down to work for Pheasants Forever as I
am about my next pup.”

McDonald earned a B.S. at the University of Nebraska in Omaha. He joins Pheasants Forever after three years with Alegent Health at Home where he operated as a marketing representative. McDonald can be reached at (402) 440-9613 and JMcDonald@pheasantsforever.org.

Nebraska is home to 60 Pheasants Forever chapters, 4 Quail Forever chapters and more than 9,700 members of “The Habitat Organization.” Since 1987, local chapters have spent over $26.7 million on habitat and youth education and impacted 2.8 million acres of habitat in the state. In 2010, chapters will celebrate working on
their 3 millionth acre of habitat in the state, the first state within the organization to reach that mark. For more info on Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever in Nebraska, visit www.NebraskaPF.com.

It was a quiet, late November afternoon when Ron Peterson, publisher of the Journal walked into my office in the newsroom.

He sat in the chair across from my desk where, as editor of the newspaper, I was scanning our news budget before heading up the meeting with the floor editors to decide what the next day’s paper would look like.

“What would you think of producing an outdoor tabloid which we distribute free throughout our area?” he asked.

As the paper’s outdoor writer since 1973, it didn’t take long for me to answer.

“I think it would be a great idea,” I said.

And so it started, a free tabloid devoted to teaching Siouxlanders more about hunting and fishing in our area and throughout the upper Midwest.

The first issue, one of six to be published each year, hit the streets in late January of 2004.

The cover photo was of Dave Genz, known as the father of modern day ice fishing. He was on the ice holding a walleye. I had taken that photo a year earlier on Devil’s Lake in North Dakota.

The whole issue was devoted to ice fishing .

So that’s how it started.

The publication, in the intervening years has changed somewhat.

In that first issue, a 20 pager, every story was written by me.

There’s a problem with that, and it’s called lack of variety.

I soon began adding other writers. Today we have some of the most recognizable outdoorsmen in the upper Midwest writing for us.

They reveal a bunch of tips, techniques, where-to-go, how-to-do information in each issue.

And often, many of these breakthroughs are reported here before anywhere else.

Take, for instance, an article in the current issue by Ted Takasaki, one of the nation’s top competitive walleye fishermen. He talks about using aggressive jigging tactics on early ice walleyes. One of the lures he uses is the new Lindy Darter. A lure he thoroughly tested last winter. He reveals everything he learned in this article. The information is published here for the first time, but remember, you’ll be seeing a lot elsewhere about the Lindy Darter, only later.

If you ice fish, you know Dave Genz. He’s at the forefront of ice fishing technology and has taught all of us how to be more successful on the ice.

He’s also designed many of the lures, rods and other ice fishing paraphernalia which we take for granted today.

His story deals with getting on the ice before the sun breaks the horizon. It’s a tough thing to do and takes planning, but as Genz points out, it is often the most productive time of the day.

Other writers who appear in each issue include Babe Winkelman, a nationally-known outdoorsman who has spent the past 30 years teaching people how to hunt and fish. This time he writes about winterizing your boat and putting away your tackle for next year. In another story he talks about scent control you can’t buy at a store. Deer hunters, take note.

Jim McDonnell, Royal, Iowa, the guy we call “The Fishing Professor,” also writes for each issue. McDonnell, the original fishing guide on the Okoboji’s since the 1960s, often keys his stories to fishing success on the Iowa Great Lakes. The lure of yellow perch and goose hunting in northwest Iowa are two topics he addresses in the latest issue.

Bob Jenson, a long-time fishing educator and outdoor television host, writes about winter river walleyes and end of the season fishing tasks in the current issue.

Gary Howey, Hartington, Neb., outdoor television host and outdoor writer, writes about how to fish early ice safely and in another story, how the sport of ice fishing has changed.

Jerry Carlson, an outdoor writer from the Minneapolis area, writes about hole hopping to catch more winter fish.

I fill in with a blueprint for fishing Iowa’s Great Lakes with a species by species rundown and the best lures and baits for each. In another story I detail the changes in ice fishing gear and what you should have for success.

This little tabloid has evolved into a teaching machine on lots of different outdoor pursuits.

Look for it at various outlets around Sioux City, the Iowa Great Lakes and elsewhere.

We have one goal. That is to give you the best how-to information out there on hunting and fishing in the upper Midwest.

It was a stargazers dream, one that’s quite common in Nebraska and one that few people living in the large cities on either coast had ever had the opportunity to gaze upon.

As daybreak finally arrived and the sun popped up over the horizon, we were greeted by 50-degree temperatures with an afternoon forecast predicted to reach up into the 70’s.

And what’s so great about that? Well, we were about to head into the field to hunt pheasants at the Nebraska Governor’s Hunt in November, the time of the year when folks up north are usually wearing stocking caps, gloves and long johns were in order, not the short sleeve shirts and tee shirts that we were wearing.

It was a beautiful day to be outdoors, and the hunting only made it better. It was one of those perfect days in the outdoors, one of those days you’ve always dreamed about.

The Governor’s Pheasant Hunt is a team event with five members on a team.  It’s a one-box hunt, which means that each team receives 25 shells in order to bag their 15-bird limit.

Shells can be divided up amongst the team members any way that they wish and the team that checks in with the most birds shot using the least shells is declared the winner.

Teams are assigned a guide, scorer and are allowed to have two dogs on the ground at one time.

The hunt headquarters was Beatrice, NE. with the 12 teams scattered throughout a 2-County area.  In this competition, there are two divisions; one for wild birds and another for preserve birds.

Our five-man Media team consisted of myself, P.J. Perea, Sr. Editor Turkey Country Magazine, Edgefield, S.C., outdoor writer Dave Zumbaugh, Mission, KS as well as Sam Sidner, & Kirk Nelson Assistant Directors of the Nebraska Game & Parks.

Nebraska Tourism was hosting our team Tourism’s Tom Tabor being our host. He along with Scott Bonertz, Nebraska Game & Parks who would act as my cameraman would accompany us on the hunt.

Our guide and score keeper would be Greg Thomas and his son Covey Rise Outfitters (www.coveyriseoutfitters.net) and we’d be hunting several excellent CRP fields near Liberty, NE.

Like much of Nebraska this year, there was an abundance of crops still in the field, so the birds had numerous places to hide which meant we’d have put on a few miles if we were to have a chance at winning this competition.

We were hunting large thick heavy CRP, ideal habitat for all types of wildlife as it gave them not only roosting cover, it gave them nesting and loafing cover as well as a close by food source.

Our first push through the filed yielded several hens, but none of the gaudy colored roosters we were searching for.  About halfway back, a rooster blew out of the cover off to my right; I managed to rock him, not hitting him hard enough to put him down for good.  Fortunately, Greg marked where it dropped and we were able to go through the area later to retrieve the bird.

A short while later, another bird rumbled skyward into the sun and once again, I rocked him, but was unable to put him in the bag.

At that point, it wasn’t looking good and I was wishing that I’d saved some of my better shooting I’d displayed the day before when we shot trap at the Beatrice Gun Club.

Several other birds got up well out of range before Kirk finally added the first bird to our bag.

Well, as I always say, the first bird is the toughest to bag and now we were well on our way to our limits.

We managed to bag five birds with 15 shells before running out of time in order to make it back to Beatrice in order to make the final weigh in.

While hunting pheasants, we busted several large coveys of quail and after talking with other groups of hunters; it looks like the quail population in the area is on the rise as all teams put birds in the air.

At the banquet in Beatrice that evening, top honors were given out; unfortunately our team didn’t pick up any prizes. Being the eternal optimist, I figure we’ll get them next year.

If you’re looking for a great area to hunt and some good old fashion competition, give the Nebraska’s Governor’s hunt a try as it’s one of those events that anyone whose an outdoorsmen or women would truly enjoy.

For more information on the Nebraska Governor’s hunt contact Main Street Beatrice at 402-223-3244.

The scenery was breathtaking as were the facilities and the pheasant hunting that we were about to experience.

Diamond A Ranch is located just down the road from Gregory and the habitat on the ranch is ideal not only pheasants, but also deer and turkey.

On this hunt Gary Kubicek and Bill McPherson from Consumer Supply, Sioux City, IA, joined us.

Consumer Supply is the manufacturers of the Country Vet Dog food a balanced nutritional dog food that we’ve been using for years.

Also joining us on this hunt would be my brother-in-law Tom Janssen and Dr. Ken Bird from Omaha.

Our first walk would be a milo field just down the road from the ranch and any one who’s ever hunted knows: milo is an excellent food source for pheasants.

Since it’s a short crop it’s easy to hunt, work dogs and since it produces such thick heavy over head cover it’s a great place for birds to feed and loaf while and not have to be concerned with the eagles and hawks flying over head searching for an easy meal.

Both my Lab Mo and Tom’s Lab Gus worked the fields helping us locate and retrieve the birds, these along with the dogs the guide had, gave us excellent coverage of all types of areas that we’d be hunting.

No matter where we went, there was an abundance of birds; both hens and roosters indicating that there would be plenty of birds down the road.

On both days, we worked our way through milo, corn, grass and tree plantings, bagging our limits.

There were some really great shots made, like the long distance one that the Tom and several of the other guys made as well as several of those “in your face” shots where the pheasant, not realizing it was or should have been dead flew away unscathed!

After a day of fantastic pheasant hunting we had some fantastic meals, this along with the relaxing atmosphere and great accommodations made this trip one that we’ll all remember.

If you’re looking for a great place to hunt and relax, give Jim and Andrea Olson a call at 712-281-0968 or look them up on the web at DiamondAPheasants.com

But try to tell that to the thousands of ring-necked pheasants that call this mixture of native grasslands and farm crops home.

Several were taking to the air right now and, with camera in one hand and gun in the other, I was at a loss for what to do.

As usual, I didn’t get the best effort from either.

“Who cares,” I thought. I’m just going to soak up the beauty of this land on an October afternoon on the Diamond A Ranch 14 miles north of Gregory.

A 2,000-acre hunting preserve owned by Jim and Andrea Olson, the Diamond A is not a diamond in the rough. It is a splendid, well-appointed preserve awash in wild pheasants, turkeys and deer.

Gary Howey, Hartington, Neb., and I met Gary Kubicek and Bill McPherson, both with Country Vet pet foods out of Sioux City, Gary’s brother-in-law Tom Jansen and his friend Kenneth Bird, both of Omaha, for a couple days of bird shooting.

We never did get more than a half mile from the lodge. We walked milo strips mostly and the birds were there.

It was the second visit to the Diamond A by Howey and me. We had hunted here last year, the first year of operation for Jim and Andrea, who farm near Homer, Neb.

The lodge sits at the edge of a small lake stocked with bass and bluegills right at the foot of one of the big buttes which line the north side of the property.

A small creek spills from the dam and runs along the base of the bluffs.

Tall piles of rocks at the top of the butte, placed there by Indians or early white explorers, was a signal to prairie travelers that there is good water below, Jim told me last year.

The rocks serve no purpose now, only an historical anecdote. However, an occasional coyote howl or sounds of turkeys gobbling in the timber, is a reminder that not all of the wild is gone from this historic area

For those of us that have been waiting all year for pheasant season, well, it’s here!

Reports indicate that the pheasant outlook is good with those states that have a lot of habitat really crowing about their pheasant numbers.

Over the years, I’ve hunted with hundreds of hunter and was surprised how some of them hunted and amazed by others at how well they would look over the situation, hash things over, approaching each field differently.

Here are a few tips that I’ve learned that have helped me to become a more consistent early season pheasant hunter.

• Once you arrive at the field that you plan on hunting, keep the noise down to a minimum as all wild game has a very acute sense of hearing.  This means, don’t slam your car door, keep the noise to a minimum.

• If you use a whistle to control your dog, don’t keep blowing the whistle, as this will surely put the birds on alert, the last of a loud whistle is a foreign sound. If you use a whistle, try using a hawk call as this is a familiar sound and many times when the birds hear it will cause them hunker down, allowing you to get closer before the bust from the cover.

• Let your dog do the hunting and follow him wherever he leads you, as his sense of smell is the key to locating the birds.

• In the early season you’ll run into a lot of young birds, which hold fairly tight, allowing you to get close, so a heavy load generally isn’t needed, as it would be during the late season. Six shot is a good load to use at this time of the year and as the season progresses you can go with heavier loads.

• Even though it’s early season, take your time hunting, as there’s no need to rush.

• Work your way from side to side when hunting a field or slough as pheasants will run off to the side of a hunter and sit tight until the hunter passes. By working back and forth, you and the other hunters with you will eventually force those running birds into the air.

• Stop occasionally so your dog can work the area, if you aren’t hunting with a dog, it’s still a good idea to stop as this makes those birds that have hunkered down nervous, thinking that they’ve been spotted forcing them into the air.

• Use wingmen and blockers, as even early season birds will run ahead of the hunters.  Wingmen should be 15 to 20 yards ahead of the walkers and blockers will need to spread out at the end of the field that you’re hunting.

• Make every effort to find downed birds. Other hunters in the group should spot for the hunter and dog that are searching for the bird guiding them into the general area the bird went down as this narrows the area, making it easier to locate downed birds.

• Think safety first! Be sure you know where the other hunters are.

• Everyone in your hunting party needs to wear hunters orange as it makes it much easier for others to see you and it’s the law.

• Use the Blue Sky method and don’t shoot at anything that’s not high enough for you to see Blue Sky below the bird.

• Never shoot at a bird on the ground, as many times a hunting dog will be right behind the bird.

• Call the bird so other hunters will know if it’s a hen or rooster.

Much of the success in early season hunting depend on how much of the crops are left in the field.  If there’s a lot of corn in the fields, you can bet that that’s the first place the birds will go once the first shot goes off.

It used to be an easy task to walk the corn as the rows were wide, weedy and the corn was short. Now days, rows are super narrow, clean and over 6 foot tall.  If you hunt corn during the early season and you want to get a shot, you best be either a wingman or blocker.

Those hunters pushing through the corn are just going to be drivers, driving the birds in front of them to the wingmen and blockers.

Hopefully we’ll all have a successful and safe pheasant hunting season, see you in the filed!