If America’s sportsmen and women had to identify the people in their life who can turn an otherwise bad day into a good one, I think the one person who could and probably should show up on every outdoor enthusiast’s list is the UPS driver.
In The Outdoors
Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own.
intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com
Some things, as they say, are worth the wait. The question is, what?
In December 2013, anglers who fish along the lower Colorado River system were surprised to learn the U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service had decided to halt the rearing of rainbow trout at the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery.
Whether you read an article about big game hunting in an outdoor magazine, watch a deer or elk hunting video on the Internet, or share stories about hunting while sitting around a fall campfire, at some point the discussion will focus on antlers. Personally, I prefer the antler stories told around the campfire, but you always need to keep in mind that antlers are like the fish that got away: They grow a little bigger each time their story is told.
Do something long enough and sooner or later you will find yourself on the bad end of an unplanned situation. Proof of that can be seen in the missing digits, or parts thereof, on the hands of your friends or acquaintances who spend a lifetime working with power saws and lumber. All it takes is one small mistake, a simple miscalculation or a momentary lapse of judgment and your circumstance can be changed dramatically.
One of the biggest thrills I have experienced in the outdoors is being at my daughter’s side when she bagged one of Nevada’s wild turkeys. Calli shot the gobbler as he walked out from behind a juniper tree where he had been strutting his stuff for the ladies. When he stepped into the open, the turkey was busy looking for the hen that was squawking sweet nothings. The hen turned out to be a box call.
In case you missed it, the annual Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show is underway at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. Owned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the SHOT Show draws manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, conservation organizations and members of the outdoor media from around the world.
From our vantage point on the hilltop west of camp, the landscape all around us seemed devoid of everything but cactus, sundry species of prickly brush and rocks just big enough to roll your ankle.
During its coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, NBC fed American viewers a steady diet of beach volleyball, sprinkled with periodic coverage of indoor volleyball to provide us with variety. On the network’s cable feed, however, the archery competition took top honors for viewership.
Even if we don’t catch any fish, it’s still going to be a good day on the water,” Roger said as we formalized plans for a Lake Mead fishing trip and he described the weather forecast. I agreed but at the same time hoped the thought wouldn’t prove prophetic when it came to the results of our fishing efforts.
Fish lure and money.” That is the caption below a photograph on the Fish Production page of the National Fish Hatchery System website, which is only a part of the considerable Internet presence of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The winter storm front and extremely cold temperatures that have held much of the country in their grip for the past week or so have made the going rough for outdoors lovers, but those conditions also have opened the door of opportunity for waterfowl hunters.
With Christmas just around the corner, some of you might be pondering gift ideas for that angler in your life. This sometimes can be a frustrating task because anglers who have been around awhile can be picky about the baits or tackle they use, and those who are new to the sport might not yet have an idea of what they might want. Either way, you can’t go wrong by placing a new fishing rod under the tree.
The holiday season is upon us, and that means it’s time for hectic schedules and high stress. But there is a cure for those not-so-happy holiday season symptoms. That cure can be found by doing something in the outdoors.
For nearly 32 years, Jim Goff has been a fixture on Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, where he has spent his “retirement” years guiding fishermen in search of striped bass. That makes him not only the self-described old-timer among Southern Nevada’s fishing guides but also a knowledgeable resource when it comes to striper fishing on Southern Nevada’s waters.