Notes: Family hunts available

Family muzzleloader deer hunts are planned for this winter near Plattsmouth, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

The hunts are open to two-person teams of one parent or adult and one child. The hunts will take place Dec. 18 to 20 and Jan. 8 to 10, 2010, at Horning State Farm.

Participants will receive help from experienced deer hunters and take part in a pre-hunt workshop. Participants must have either a Season Choice Area 21 or youth deer permit. A habitat stamp is required of all hunters except residents under age 16. Proof of completion of a hunter education course is required.

Interested families must submit an application no later than 5 p.m. Nov. 30. Contact Heather Weihe at heather.weihe@nebraska.gov or 402-471-5662 for an application.

big>Deer hunting workshop scheduled

Monday is the deadline for registering for Smokepole Deer Hunting, a muzzleloader deer hunting workshop, to be held Thursday at Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium.

The workshop is free for hunters of all ages and experience levels. It will cover traditional and modern equipment, winter deer habits, strategies for hunting in the Dec. 1 to 31 muzzleloading season and more.

The workshop will be at 6 p.m. at the aquarium, located south of Gretna on Nebraska Highway 31.

Register by calling 402-471-5662.

big>Special crow season opens Monday

A special public health hazard crow hunting season opens today in parts of south-central and southwest Nebraska, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Crow can create a public health hazard through an accumulation of droppings. The special season lasts until Jan. 19, 2010, and is valid only in Buffalo, Phelps, Harlan, Franklin, Kearney, Dawson and Lincoln counties.

There are no daily bag or possessions limits for hunting crows. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to one hour following sunset, except during waterfowl seasons, when crow shooting ends at sunset.

A Nebraska hunting permit is required for all shooters, except residents under age 16. A Nebraska habitat stamp is not required.

Langdon Bend reopens for public use

Langdon Bend Wildlife Management Area near Nemaha has reopened for public use.

Portions of the 1,307-acre property had been closed during the construction of three wetland management units at the site. The units allow for management of up to 220 acres of wetland habitats for migratory birds and recreational purposes.

This cooperative project between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Army Corps of Engineers is part of the Missouri River Recovery Program. Langdon Bend and other sites were acquired to replace habitats lost when the Missouri River was channelized in the mid-1900s. These habitat areas are open to the public year-round for multiple-use recreation.

Eradication of mussels successful

Efforts to eradicate zebra mussels in Lake Offutt apparently have been successful so far.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in the Offutt Air Force Base lake in April 2006. It was the first confirmed reproducing population of the destructive, invasive species in Nebraska.

The lake was treated in September 2008 and April 2009. Since then, no larvae or live adult mussels have been observed in the lake.

Zebra mussels appeared in the Great Lakes in 1988. Their ability to attach to hard surfaces and to live for extended periods out of water allow them to be transported unknowingly on recreational boats, trailers and bait buckets. It has contributed to their rapid expansion in all of the Great Lakes and Eastern and Midwestern river systems.

Fish salvage period extended at Maloney

The fish salvage period at Lake Maloney near North Platte has been extended. The lake has been drawn down by the Nebraska Public Power District to aid the inspection of the dam.

Because of the extensive dewatering of Lake Maloney, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission had rescinded all length limits on fish at that lake from Sept. 28 to Oct. 31. Since the drawdown has taken place at a slower rate, that salvage period has been extended through Nov. 30. Daily bag limits remain the same.

During this period, any stranded fish may be harvested by snagging, hand fishing, legal dip or landing nets and archery. Salvaged fish may not be used for stocking into public or private bodies of water. It is anticipated that during the drawdown, many of the fish in the lake will follow the flow downstream leaving the lake.

NPPD began drawing the lake down in late September. The public should stay away from the dam and all-terrain vehicles will not be allowed on the exposed lake bottom. During the lake filling process, fish will move downstream from reservoirs above to help fill the void.

The commission will continue a normal stocking schedule in 2010 to help the recovery process of the fish community.

Holiday closings at DeSoto

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge announces the following closings:

• Nov. 26, Thanksgiving Day: Visitor center and refuge roads closed.

• December 19 to 20: Refuge closed for a deer hunt.

• Dec. 24, Christmas Eve: Visitor center closes at 1 p.m.

• Dec. 25, Christmas Day: Visitor center and refuge roads closed.

• Dec. 26: Visitor venter closed.

• Dec. 31, New Year's Eve: Visitor center closes at 2 p.m.

• Jan. 1, New Year's Day: Visitor center and refuge roads closed.

The north entrance off of Highway 30 is open to the Bob Starr Wildlife Overlook. The refuge is open for daylight use from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset.

CALENDAR

MONDAY

• Nebraska special crow hunting season opens for Buffalo, Phelps, Harlan, Franklin, Kearney, Dawson and Lincoln counties.

NOV. 22

• Nebraska firearm deer hunting season closes.

• Fort Robinson Longhorn and Buffalo Sale, Crawford Livestock Market, 308-665-2900.

• Please submit calendar items to outdoors@owh.com or send to Outdoors Sports, World-Herald Sports Dept., 1314 Douglas St., Suite 700, Omaha, NE 68102.

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