Nebraska Game and Parks Commission educators have scheduled interesting and engaging events for the curious in November. Here are some opportunities:

Little Saplings program presents Soil on Nov. 1

Adults looking to explore the outdoors with their young children are invited to Little Saplings, a monthly early childhood nature discovery program at Schramm Education Center near Gretna.

The 2023 series, which occurs the first Wednesday of the month, continues Nov. 1 with the theme Soil at 9 and 10 a.m. It is designed for children ages 2-5 and their adult caregivers.

See the calendar event entry at calendar.outdoornebraska.gov for more information.

‘The Science of …’ virtual webinar series continues

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s virtual webinar series “The Science of …” continues in November. Every Thursday at 3 p.m. Central time, Game and Parks educators will discuss the science behind common things regarding nature and animals. The topics are: Nov. 2 – Canids; Nov. 9 – Opossums; Nov. 16 – Venom and Poison.

The webinars are free, but separate registration is required for each. See the calendar event entries at calendar.outdoornebraska.gov for registration links.

Contact [email protected] for more information.

Mahoney to host Shooting Sports Saturdays

Want to try something new? Come to Eugene T. Mahoney State Park in November for Shooting Sports Saturdays, when a different discipline will be featured each week.

At 1 p.m. behind the park’s Bur Oak Shelter, the program’s schedule will be: Nov. 4 – archery; Nov. 11 – atlatl; Nov. 18 – slingshots. The programs will last one hour.

Wildcat Tales preschool program is Nov. 7

Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area will host the monthly Wildcat Tales preschool program Nov. 7.

Each program will include a lesson plan, story and hands-on activity specifically targeted for children ages 2-6 years. The program Bighorn Sheep will meet at the Nature Center at 10 a.m. Mountain time. Each month will have a different program topic.

The program is free, but a vehicle park entry permit is required. For more information contact the Nature Center at 308-436-3777. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Nebraska Nature Nerd Trivia Night is Nov. 9 in Kearney

Join the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission as it hosts Nebraska Nature Nerd Trivia Night at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at McCue’s Nebraska Taproom in Kearney.

Get your teams of no more than five players and be ready to compete for prizes. These events are for adults only and are free to attend with a purchase from the brewery.

McCue’s Nebraska Taproom is located at 2008 Avenue A, Ste. A. Email [email protected] for more information.

Wildcat Hills to host Bighorn Sheep homeschool program

Uncover the secrets about bighorn sheep and learn their adaptations and the research being conducted during the Wildcat Hills Homeschool Program Bighorn Sheep on Nov. 9 at Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area.

This program meets once a month at 10 a.m. Mountain time at the Wildcat Hills Nature Center.

The program is free, but a vehicle park entry permit is required. For more information contact the Nature Center at 308-436-3777. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Veterans Appreciation Day at Platte River SP on Nov. 11

Platte River State Park will host Veterans Appreciation Day on Nov. 11. The first 50 visitors with a military ID will receive a token for one free shooting activity at the Roger G. Sykes Outdoor Heritage Complex from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Instructors will be available for trap shooting, .22 rifles, pellet guns, archery, tomahawks and slingshots. There also will be naturalists at the event with outdoor learning activities.

Homeschool Hikes set for Nov. 15-16 at Schramm Park SRA

Homeschool families are invited to join an outdoor educator on a guided hike at Schramm Park State Recreation Area near Gretna during the Homeschool Hikes program at 9 a.m. Nov. 15 and 2 p.m. Nov. 16. This month's theme is Turkeys.

Homeschool Hikes is a monthly nature exploration program hosted by the Schramm Education Center geared toward homeschool families and ages 5 and up.

Participants are encouraged to RSVP in advance through the event listing at calendar.outdoornebraska.gov.

Create your own fishing fly at Schramm

The Cornhusker Fly Fishers will be in the lobby of the Schramm Education Center south of Gretna from 10 a.m.-noon Nov. 18 creating fancy flies for fishing. Watch them or join them in their craft as they teach you how to create your own feathered fly.

2023-2024 Stubble Access Guide now available

Wheat and milo stubble left tall following harvest provides excellent cover and hunting opportunities for pheasants and other wildlife. The 2023-2024 Stubble Access Guide displays these and other adjacent habitats open to public, walk-in hunting across portions of western Nebraska.

Through the Open Fields and Waters program, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission works with landowners to increase public hunting, trapping and/or fishing access on private lands. Tall wheat and milo stubble fields are enrolled in Open Fields and Waters following harvest each year to ensure quality cover is provided. Consequently, most of these areas cannot be included in the printed Public Access Atlas.

The Stubble Access Guide highlights an additional 35,000 acres of upland habitat open to public access in western Nebraska. It displays these recently enrolled tracts, as well as other publicly accessible lands. Many stubble fields include unfarmable pockets containing dense cover that often are underutilized by hunters.

The Stubble Access Guide is available where hunt permits are sold throughout parts of western Nebraska. Visit OutdoorNebraska.gov, then search “Stubble Access Guide” to view the guide online, as well as the digital versions of the Public Access Atlas, such as the interactive atlas map or the mobile-friendly offline atlas. These versions also display tall stubble sites and are updated throughout the hunting season.

State NWTF chapter donates $4K to Nebraska NASP

A donation will help bring archery to more Nebraska schools this year.

A Nebraska State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation Super Fund grant will help secure archery equipment and training for schools looking to implement the National Archery in the School Program curriculum.

NASP, which teaches international-style archery, is taught to students in grades four through 12. The program has been shown to increase student engagement, improve academic performance and is embraced by students from all backgrounds.

The $4,136 donation will be used to reduce the cost of bows, arrows, targets, safety and repair equipment for current and new programs. It also will allow for the training of instructors and enrollment of several new schools into NASP.

“Each year, we have schools across the state that want to start the Archery in the Schools Program but struggle to secure the funds to make it happen,” Nebraska NASP State Coordinator Aaron Hershberger said. “This support from the state chapter, as well as local NWTF volunteers and members, will go a long way in removing that hurdle.” 

The NWTF Super Fund program is designed to provide financial support for conservation and shooting sports programs at local, state and national levels.

“This type of support continues to be critical as we look to engage wider audiences in outreach efforts that recruit, retain and reactivate hunters and recreational shooters in Nebraska,” Hershberger said.  

For more information on NASP, visit OutdoorNebraska.gov. To learn more about the Nebraska chapter of the NWTF, go to nwtf.org/chapters/nebraska-state.