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The Duck Connection
The Curtiss family has a proud tradition of duck hunting in the sandhills of Nebraska. Herbert Dewey 'Herbie' Curtiss, of Basset, had four children - David, Eugene, Elizabeth, and Harold. All three of the boys were avid hunters, and accompanied their father at each opportunity as he hunted at Fish lake. In time, their families joined them, and now the third and fourth generations of Curtiss boys enjoy hunting ducks at Fish lake.
The sandhills of northern central Nebraska is a unique geographic area in Nebraska - "The Sand Hills in central and north central Nebraska consist of grass-covered sand dunes. This region makes up about one-quarter of the state. The sand dunes have been completely grassed over, except for occasional blowouts, which are areas of exposed sand that may cover more than a hectare. Throughout the region there is little variation in composition or in texture of the soil. The Sand Hills are extremely porous, and there is little surface runoff. Most streams in the Sand Hills are fed by springs or artesian wells and have little seasonal fluctuation. The underlying rock strata hold large amounts of usable water, and wells may be dug successfully anywhere within the Sand Hills."
"Nebraska," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The sandhills region underlies the Central Flyway - the main migratory flyway from central Canada to the Texas and Florida wintering grounds of migratory waterfowl - principally ducks and geese.

The most desireable (and difficult to hunt) of these are the Greenhead Mallard

and the Canvasback

One of the most abundant ducks is the Green Wing Teal. 
Hunting season - which usually opens in early October, frequently involves great weather if you are a duck - meaning that it is cold, windy, and overcast. Because of the wind and the flying and maneuvering skills of ducks, they are very difficult to hit - requiring many hours of practice and the ability to gauge current conditions of wind, distance, rate of climb or descent, and flying speed to get the proper lead and bring down the bird.

At present, the family has two hunting cabins at Fish lake - one owned by Bruce Curtiss of Plainview, and one owned by Al Curtiss of Emerson.

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Webmaster:
Brian H. Curtiss
Curtiss Consulting
brian@curtiss.org