Big Island Waterfowl, LLC

Josh Kern

President of "Big Island Waterfowl, LLC"

Josh has hunted the Fremont, NE area for ducks and geese since early childhood.  His father and uncles introduced him to the sport and he has since become a student of the art of decoying Canada Geese and ducks to close range.  The past 12 seasons Josh has spent nearly every day of the fall waterfowl season either in his blind or in a marsh. 

Hunting in his blind is a unique experience.  Spacious and comfortable, he spares no effort to provide the finest experience to his clients.  While the birds don't always cooperate, you will witness expert calling and hospitality. 

Several springs ago, Josh extended his services and offers hunts in the Rain Water Basins of South Central Nebraska.  With a 1000+ decoy spread in the heart of the flyway, the action can be tiring.  Josh is never satisfied unless he can decoy every flock.  He strives to land every bunch that decoys on the blind.  Moving and tweaking the spread every wind change to achieve this is time consuming, but worth the effort.

The top priority in his life is his family.  His wife, Dana, is extremely supportive of his passion and usually can't wait to get him out of the house.  He is passing the tradition to his 1 daughter and 4 sons; and judging by what I have seen they are all destined to be waterfowlers for life.

He is also an accomplished contest caller.  Josh has won the Nebraska State Duck Calling Championship twice, in 2004 and 2006, as well as several top 5 finishes in both regional and state contests.

Ross Juelfs

Spring Snow Goose Guide

As a single guy, Ross is able to pursue his passions of hunting and fishing whenever he desires. He has had the opportunity to chase waterfowl in Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Arkansas, and New York.  He also works temporarily from the beginning of spring to early winter as a fisheries technician for the game and parks at Lake McConaughy. While not at work, or hunting you can find Ross trying to catch elusive Lake McConaughy walleyes.
Bill Rombach

The following are some whom you may or may not meet.  Either way, they are all important to the team.

Dana Kern

Secretary/Treasurer of Big Island Waterfowl, LLC

Dana was born and raised in Dubuque, IA.  Dana's father was an "occassional" hunter, so she was exposed to the taste of wild game at various times growing up.  She had no idea that later in life she would find it on her dinner table more often than not. 

After graduating from the University of Dubuque with a B.A., she moved to Nebraska. 

Dana met Josh in July, 2003 and quickly saw the fire and passion in his eyes for waterfowling.  He said to her, "I warn you, I'm not an AVID waterfowl hunter, I'm a RABID waterfowl hunter".  But that didn't scare her away since she knew that a man with such a passion and dedication for and to something was worth keeping around. The same dedication was evident in his feelings about family and that sealed the deal.  They were married May 15, 2004 bringing their two families into one.  Together they have four sons and a daughter, all of whom are sure to play important roles in the family business.

During the fall and winter, Dana becomes what's been coined as a "hunter's widow"; as most times Josh can be found in a blind somewhere.  Shockingly enough, she was never bothered by this as she knew it would be too cruel to deny him of what he loves most in life; so she got smart and told him they should put his natural-born talents to some "real" use, thereby creating Big Island Waterfowl, LLC.

Jesse Headid

"Grunt man" and future Guide

Josh met Jesse by chance several years ago.  16 year old Jesse comes from a non-hunting family but has an unexplainable fire in his eyes where ducks and geese are concerned.  Instead of letting the fire die, Josh took Jesse under his "wing" to show him the ropes.  Jesse is now completely hooked.

Jesse has also become an accomplished contest caller and dominates most contests he enters. 

Though he still has much to learn before he starts to guide on his own, he is driven by his dreams of the future and jumps at any chance he gets to help out.

Josh "Mini-me" Kern

Dads hunting buddy

9-year-old Josh started hunting with his Dad when he was barely old enough to walk.  He was a natural with the shotgun; taking a Blue Wing Teal in flight with his first shot ever.  Since the beginning, he has logged thousands of hours in the field and surely has Dad's passion for the sport. 

He has taken almost all duck species and is still missing the prized Whitefront for geese.  He has also taken 2 banded Canadas and a banded Bluewing Teal.

Josh is always a pleasure to hunt with, never lets Dad forget about past missed shots, and is full of hunting stories.  You may run into "Mini-me" on weekend hunts or during school vacations.

Keagan "Wee-man" Kern

This 3-year-old "big boy" already has "the itch".  He's been in the blind a few times when Mom has brought him out; but he's pictured here on his first real hunt with the guys.  He likes to hold and guard the birds that are brought in by his dog.

He and Mom endured many hours of training to get him ready for his first real hunt - potty training that is. 

We hope to see "Wee-man" have a big future in waterfowl hunting. 

From champion callers, to just plain rabid waterfowl hunters, I do believe that we have assembled some of "the best of the best" that Nebraska has to offer. 

"We love meeting people from all over the country and showing them that Nebraska has more to offer than just football and cornfields."