2 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

This Seasons Duck Hunting Rules

By Dr. Ira N. Gabrielson, Chief, Bureau of Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture.

A few days ago duck hunters read and heard news about the new migratory waterfowl hunting regulations for this season. In the press and radio news reports these new hunting rules were described as being drastic and rigid.

That is true. They are drastic and rigid. The new rules are intended to hold down the annual kill in order to bring more birds back next spring to their northern nesting places in this country and Canada.

Last year's regulations also were intended to cut down the kill and they accomplished that purpose. As a result, last spring was the first in a score of years when more ducks returned to their northern breeding grounds than in the previous season. The gain wasn't large, but it certainly was encouraging and it did show that holding the guns in check can produce results

Each year, in accordance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Biological Survey determines the status of the waterfowl supply. Field parties of the Survey working in this country and Canada first check upon the numbers of birds that return to their nesting places. Later when the young hatch out these field men make it a point to find out whether the broods are small, medium, or large in size. Equally important is the information these men furnish on how the ducklings and their parents are progressing during the summer and what species are making gains or what species are losing ground. All this information supplied by the field parties is studied carefully by the Biological Survey as it prepares the season's hunting regulations. After the new rules are finally prepared they are adopted by the Secretary of Agriculture and approved and promulgated by the President.

The 1936 regulations are, in a nutshell, very similar to those in force last year, but in several cases they have been strengthened. In the first place the shooting season like that of 1935 is limited to 30 days but instead of two zones there will be three, the northern, intermediate, and southern. In the northern zone the season opens October 10 and closes November 8, in the intermediate zone the season is November 1 to November 30, and in the southern zone November 2 6 to December 25.

Continuing the 30-day season, however, would not by itself bring about the desired reduction of the annual take. Hunting practices that cut deep inroads in the ranks of waterfowl must, therefore, be restricted. Accordingly, the regulations prohibiting baiting, the use of live decoys, and the use of sink boxes or batteries have been strengthened atnd continued.

The new regulations also place three important species of waterfowl, the Atlantic brant and redhead and canvasback ducks for this season at least on the list of fully protected species. These two species of ducks have been overshot in the past and much of their limited breeding range has been seriously affected by previous droughts as well as by the present drought. Atlantic brant, on the other hand, have suffered a serious setback in recent years due to the continued shortage of eel grass, their principal winter food.

Shooting this fall will be restricted to the hours between 7 a. m. and 4 p. m. The daily bag and daily possession limits on ducks are 10 in the aggregate of all kinds. There is no open season on snow geese and brant in Florida and in States north thereof that border on the Atlantic Coast. Also there is no open season on the Ross's goose, wood duck, ruddy duck, canvasback, redhead, bufflehead and swan.

These rules are, of course, only the highlights of the regulations for this season. Other rules for duck hunter3 and for hunters of the goose, coot, jacksnipe, rail, woodcock, mourning dove, and band-tailed pigeon may be obtained by writing to the Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. for a copy of the regulations.

These regulations, I believe, should be even more effective than the 1935 rules. If they are not, however, and if we find that we do not have a surplus of ducks to return to the northern breeding grounds next spring it will be necessary to apply additional limitations on shooting until the birds have recovered.

Canadian authorities also have taken action to reduce the shooting this year in the Provinces. This action, to me, shows that sportmen in our neighbor nation as well as those in our own country regard waterfowl as a resource worth saving. The Canadian restrictions to a very large degree are commensurate with those for the United States. The open season on waterfowl in Canada has been reduced to two months with a daily bag limit of 12 ducks and 5 geese.

Naturally, the new regulations for this country do not satisfy all the sportsmen, but most of them are accepting them with good grace. Last year there also was a wide difference of opinion when the regulations for the 1935 season were first announced. Well-informed sportsmen, however, knew that it was necessary to reduce the annual kill in order to perpetuate the birds and the sport. The sportmen in general became a legion when it came to cooperating with the Survey in enforcing the 1935 regulations and I'm sure they will give the Bureau the same kind of cooperation this season.

If we were dead certain that anything we might try to do wouldn't save the ducks, or if we didn't care about saving the waterfowl and the sport of hunting them for posterity, we might just as well go ahead and blast away at the ducks until they are all wiped out. But that isn't the case. We have proof that ducks can be saved and restored.

Furthermore, most of us Americans

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OUTDOOR NEBRASKA 3

Ninth Annual Pheasant Open Season Begins Oct. 25th

Nebraska hunters are already getting out the old shotgun ajid putting it in order for another quest for the wary chink. Last minute reports reaching the Game Commission's office indicate that hunting should be good in a number of counties.

Conservation officers and farmers report a large number of pheasants along the Platte river valley west of North Platte. Reports also are favorable for good hunting in Knox, Cedar, Dixon and Dakota counties. Dundy county, the extreme southwest county of the state, is said to have a good crop, not only of pheasants but also of various cover.

The season this year will be very much like that of former years, though there are not as many counties open and the bag is smaller. Last year a total daily bag or p os se ssi on limit of five birds was allowed ; this year the bag is four birds. One of these may be a hen.

The season opens from 7 A. M. October 25th and continues until 6 P. M. each day until the e vening of November 1.

Hunters are warned to be very careful to hunt only in territory that is open. Officers have been instructed to arrest every man found hunting in closed territory, and to ask for heavy fines. Birds killed in open counties when brought into closed counties should be tied together and placed in a car where they can readily be seen or inspected. No tags are required on such birds, but the heads should be left on the carcass where same has been dressed.

Hunters are also cautioned that the Platte river in all counties except Scotts Bluff, Morrill and Garden county is closed to afternoon hunting of all kinds. The river in Garden county is closed at all times

Pheasant hunting is a sport enjoyed by thousands of Nebraskans annually. Because of the program of conservation carried out by the state, with the financial support of sportsmen and cooperation of the public generally, Nebraskans can find the best of pheasant hunting right in their home state.

The pheasant now so common in Nebraska was unknown here at the turn of the century. Our pheasant is a hybrid developed from the Chinese and English pheasant with a bit of the Mongolian pheasant thrown in. Chinese pheasants were first brought to this country in 18BO and stocked in Oregon. The English pheasant followed in 1887, when it was introduced in New Jersey. Through private efforts birds of both species were brought west, to Colorado and Kansas. About 1900-04 the first pheasants were noted in southern Nebraska. Later a few dozen birds were introduced here, and from these beginnings grew Nebraska's estimated 3,300, 000 pheasant population.

Prior to 1915 all pheasant stocking was done privately. In that year the state took up the work, but it was 12 years before the state had its first open season on pheasants. In October of 1927 all of Wheeler county, and all of Sherman county save three townships were opened to pheasant shooting for three days. The take was small, because of a bag and possession limit of five cocks, the shortness of the season and the limited area open.

In 1928 nine counties in central Nebraska were opened for 10 days, and an estimated 25,000 birds were shot. Shooting was limited to cocks that year, as it was in 19 29, when an estimated 50,000 birds were taken in eight counties in a 10-day season.

Through careful conservation and propagation work in the years since the pheasant has been introduced into every Nebraska county, although they have not increased in some localities, such as the southeastern area, as they have elsewhere. This is due to soil and vegetation conditions not the best for breeding. Nevertheless, the pheasant now is found in every county in the state, although there are many w h i c h have never been opened to hunting. Prospects are, with one or two years of favorable weather conditions, southeastern Nebraska will provide its share of sport for pheasant.

Some complaint is received by the Nebraska Commission about the small number of birds that can be secured on a non-resident permit which costs from $10 to $15. However, it has been the policy of the Commission to serve the home hunters rather than attempting to attract outside hunters as some other states have done.

4 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

Nebraska Hunting Notes

An estimated 2 million pheasants in open territory assures good hunting for Nebraska sportsmen this fall Frank B. O'Connell, chief state conservation officer said. Thirty-six counties and parts of two others are opened to pheasant hunting during the eight-day season from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1, inclusive. While fewer counties are open this year than last, this is off-set by the larger number of birds O'Connell said.

Excellent hunting will be found in all open Platte river counties, and in the open counties along the northern edge of the state, he said. Good hunting was assured in all other open counties.

On the basis of a census last April, O'Connell estimated the state's pheasant population at 3,300,000. Threefifths of this number, or approximately 2 millions, are in the areas open to hunting this fall he said.

South Dakota, the only state superior to Nebraska for pheasant hunting, has a split season of 10 days each this fall. The first is from Oct. 10 to Oct. 19, inclusive. The second is from Nov. 2 to Nov. 11, inclusive. Hunting hours for both seasons are noon to dark daily, and also for a three-day season, Oct. 10, 11 and 12 in a restricted area west of the Missouri river. South Dakota is permitting shipment outside the state of 25 pheasants this year on payment of $15 non-resident license, plus 2 5 cents per shipping tag for each bird, and 12 pheasants on a two-day permit costing $5.

While duck hunters of the lakes country of Nebraska are complaining because of the lateness of the migratory waterfowl season, goose hunters find the season dates, Nov. 1-Nov. 30, inclusive, highly satisfactory. Goose hunting is best late in the fall. A late season, however, finds lakes frozen over and duck hunting a thing of the past.

The waterfowl open season is fixed by the federal biological survey. It decreed the 1936 dates in the face of recommendation by Nebraska authorities that the 19 35 dates-Oct. 20-Nov. 20 —be retained this year.

Duck signs are becoming more numerous, despite the throwback to summer heat the past few weeks. Fair week, three flights of ducks winged over the fairgrounds at Lincoln. Early species of ducks—teal, widgeon, spike tails, some mallards, have appeared on the North Platte river. Chet Ager, Lincoln parks superintendent, reports more ducks on Red Deer lake in Cherry county and other sandhill lakes for this early date than in many years.

Sandhill lakes are beginning to fill again, an encouraging development. Good duck shooting will be had there this fall, unless an early freeze is had. Prospects are good for fine shooting on the Missouri, Platte and other rivers of Nebraska. Elsewhere, dry ponds tell their own story.

Duck hunters are reminded to get their $1 federal duck stamps, procurable at postoffices. Stamp revenues go to maintain the vast federal program of waterfowl conservation embracing sanctuaries in Nebraska and elsewhere. Also, this year as last, duck hunters must plug the magazine of pump and automatic shotguns to limit the capacity to three shells by federal regulation. Plugs must be of such a type as not to be readily removed........when a warden seems a remote possibility.

Canvasbacks and redheads have been added to the list of ducks on which there is no open season.

This list now includes ruddy, bufflehead, wood, canvasback, and redhead ducks, all of which are near the danger line and a continued open season on these species would spell extinction.

Squirrel hunting has a tang that no other sport offers. While it is not so popular as pheasant or duck hunting, squirrel hunting has its devotees who take to the woods every tall for many days of enjoyment of this sport. Properly prepared, the squirrel is a game dish that has its own particular zest.

One reason, perhaps, why squirrel hunting is not so popular as other shooting is the fact that few parts of the state offer the game in abundance. This year's season, Oct. 1-Dec. 31, inclusive, however, will afford good squirrel hunting along the Platte and Blue rivers, according to Frank B. O'Connell, chief state conservation officer. O'Connell said southeastern Nebraska generally has a fair crop of squirrels this year.

Solicitation of funds by individuals and corporations for feeding game birds this winter without the sanction and supervision of the state is a threat to organized conservation efforts which sportsmen generally must recognize. The state game commission recognized this danger last week when it officially opposed indiscriminate solicitation of funds under the guise of protecting wild life. The public has consistently supported appeals of the State commission and long-established sportsmen's organizations working together for funds to protect wild life. Success of these appeals was due to public confidence that the money raised would be used, all of it, for the purpose for which it was given. A multitude of organizations, making such appeals will destroy this confidence with serious results to Nebraska's program of development and propagation of wild life.

Every person who buys a hunting license now is taking out insurance for good pheasant hunting next year. The $1 fee for a hunting license is the sole income of the state game, forestation and parks commission with which it carries on a vast program of fish and game propagation and conservation. Proceeds from the sales of hunting and fishing permits are used to protect and increase game birds and fish for the benefit of those who pay the freight. Every person who hunts or fishes without chipping in his one dollar is a poacher on those who bear their share of the cost. Incidentally, this is the first season when hunters will wear the badges to display their permits as decreed by the legislature last year.

S.portsmen in increased numbers will be seeking pheasants this fall. It is, therefore, an opportune time to start a safety campaign to lessen the toll of dead and injured from hunting accidents. An active instinct for self-preservation, coupled with a little common sense and thoughtfulness for the other fellow, will prevent such accidents. Observation of the following rules will make hunting safer.

Never carry a loaded gun in an automobile.

Never drag a loaded gun behind you through a fence.

Never point a gun at anyone; its still the unloaded gun that frequently kills, or maims.

Keep your eyes open and always be careful.

Nevertheless, accidents do happen. It is a wise sportman, therefore, who will go into the field with a knowledge of first aid, and a first aid kit. Death, or permanent injury, has resulted in many gunshot cases when first aid

(Continued on page 12)

OUTDOOR NEBRASKA 5

Cites Serious Decrease of Canvasback And Redhead Ducks

For the first time in the history of the United States it is illegal to shoot canvasback and redhead ducks at any time. The new migratory waterfowl hunting regulations recently announced for this season by the U. S. Biological Survey place these waterfowl on the list of fully protected species, and the Survey is making every possible effort to prom o t e enforcement of the new regulation.

"Canvasbacks and redheads", says Dr. Ira N. Gabrielson, Chief of the Biological Survey, "have seriously decreased i n numbers despite the restrictions provided by prev i o u s hunting regulations. In recent years they have been especially hardhit because much of their breeding territory is in the region that has been visited by droughts."

These two diving ducks are the most palatable of all game birds, say many wildfollowers. During the days of heavy market hunting canvasbacks sometimes sold as high as $10 to $12 a pair, or brace, in large Eastern cities. So popular was the hunting of these ducks that the decrease in their numbers throughout their breeding areas in the North Central States began as early as in the '50's and '60's.

Yet many sportsmen, even today, accustomed to seeing good-sized flocks of canvasbacks in the fall along the Chesapeake Bay and the eastern shore of the United States, are asking, "Why stop the shooting of canvasbacks?" They point out that last fall it was estimated more than 2 00,000 canvasbacks were concentrated at one time on the Susquehanna River flats in Maryland.

"This is indeed a large raft of ducks,'' says Dr. Gabrielson, "but it must be remembered that the concentration on the Susquehanna Flats last fall represented a very large percentage of all the canvasbacks left in the world. This number is far too small to provide adequate sport for the hunters and still leave enough breeding stock to repopulate the refuges in the North Central States and also the sparsely inhabited breeding grounds in Canada."

Thousands of mallards, pintails, and other ducks rest, nest, and feed on the refuges established by the Biological Survey, but the scarcity of canvasbacks and redheads on these northern refuges where so many other ducks breed shows plainly the need of special protection for these species. These refuges, records of the Survey show, could easily accomodate several times the number of canvasbacks and redheads that nested on them this year. Nevertheless, an inventory of canvasbacks and redheads made last spring and summer on several of the northern refuges does Indicate that there are enough of these ducks left to serve as a nucleus for restoring them to great numbers, if they are adequately protected now.

Records of the Biological Survey show that these two species have never bred naturally in eastern North America. Their original breeding grounds extended from n o r t h er n Nebraska across to Western Minnesota and north into the Canadian Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. A western contingent of these two ducks inhabits the great interior valley of California, northern Nevada and Utah, and a small area in southern British Columbia.

Neither of these two ducks has ever occupied the vast nesting grounds of northern Canada and Alaska. Their ancestral nesting places were in a region now devoted principally to agriculture. The drainage of prairie lakes, ponds, and marshes in Nebraska, Minnesota, and the Dakotas destroyed thousands of acres of valuable habitat for these waterfowl. Likewise, the drainage

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FEEDING OUR BIRDS

(An Editorial)

It has recently come to the attention of the Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission ,that certain individuals and corporations are solicitiing funds for the purpose of feeding game birds the coming winter.

Since the title to all game birds rests in the state and are under the control of this Commission, the feeding of such birds must be done under rules and regulations made by this Commission and in cooperation with the owners of property upon which birds are fed.

No funds for feeding birds should be given to individuals or corporations. There are several wellestablished sportsmen's and businessmen's organizations that have cooperated with this Commission in the past and who have raised funds, all of which were turned over to the state. It is our belief that these organizations can solicit all funds that may be necessary when and if a need through an emergency should occur. This Commission will at that time designate such organizations for the protection of the public.

This Commission cannot and will not accept any donations whatever where part of such donations have been used for expenses of solicitation, travel expense or other purposes. Neither will this Commission accept any donations that are not accompanied by the name and address of the donor.

It has also come to the attention of this Commission that certain persons have been stating that poison bran used for the eradication of grasshoppers has killed many birds. This is not true. The entomologists of our Agricultural College have used great precaution in the protection of our bird life and where poison bran is used as directed by them no appreciable harm to birds will result.

8 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

Commission Field Activities

FEDERAL WORK IN PARKS

Considerable work is still being done in Nebraska parks by the National Park Service in cooperation with the Nebraska Game Commission.

A Transient Cajnp is operating in the Chadron State Park, building roads, parking areas, buildings, etc. Many improvements have been made in this park during the past two years, making it one of the outstanding parks in the country.

A CCC camp is still at work in the Wild Cat Hills of Scotts Bluff county. Here part of the Big Came Refuge has been set aside for recreational purposes. Shelters, roads, trails, wells, ponds and other improvements have been completed. This will add another important link to the chain of recreational areas now to be found in every part of Nebraska.

A WPA project is at work on a game refuge at Plattsmouth. This land is owned by the War Department and used occasionally for a rifle range. However, a large part of it is available for cover and is being improved and set aside for a bird refuge.

A WPA project recently completed was at the Guide Rock State Recreation Grounds. These grounds were badly damaged by the Republican Valley flood. The new work not only embraced the repairing of the old grounds but provided a new shelter, road work and a number of other fine improvements.

SALVAGE OP FISH

Low water in the sandhill lakes has caused a great loss of fish during the late summer and early fall. A crew has been at work, but only a small number of such fish can be saved.

The Nebraska Commission plans to hold over as many fish in the several hatcheries as possible so as to have them available for stocking next spring. With so many of the lakes dry and others so low it is hoped to have fish ready to stock next spring if we get a normal rainfall.

NEW BIRD BOOK

Nebraska sportsmen and bird lovers will be pleased to learn that a new enlarged edition of Jack Miner's popular book "Jack Miner and the Birds" has just been published by Reiily & Lee Co. of Chicago. The new price has been lowered to $1.00.

A new emotional experience awaits you as you read Jack Miner's story. A unique man, able to express himself unaffectedly, his appeal is as honest as Nature herself. He is, indeed, a man of Nature. His language is as natural as the bark on a tree, and as expressive.

This is the record of his years of observation of wild birds, and of his simple, logical reasoning from this observation. The book is as interesting as a novel, and more moving than high drama.

"Jack Miner and the Birds" is a graphic presentation of the drama of wild-bird life. That the drama did not have a tragic ending is in large part due to Jack Miner.

You will like the man, his work, and his book. Other readers are enthusiastic about "Jack Miner and the Birds."

Order this book through "Outdoor Nebraska", or send your request direct to the publishers in Chicago.

CROW STEW: Breast and legs may be used. Brown some large onions in bacon fat (one large onion to the bird), put in meat, salt, pepper or paprika, smother for a few minutes in the onions, add enough water to cover meat and let simmer over slow fire until tender. Stir in some sour cream mixed with a teaspoonful of flour.

Young crows, taken just before flying age, are delicious when prepared similar to squabs. Clean, rub with salt and pepper, also either some lemon or, if the flavor is liked, some finely crushed juniper berries. Stuff with whole mushrooms, if desired Wrap completely in strips of bacon, tie, and broil or roast like squabs. Breasts of crow squabs may also be dipped in egg and bread crumbs and fried like cutlets.

MILLS AT WALGREN

In an effort to save Walgren lake located near Hay Springs and considered one of the best fishing lakes in the state, the Nebraska Game Commission recently sunk three wells and constructed three mills for pumping. It is hoped these windmills will furnish enough water to save the fish there this winter. A good run of water each spring usually fills this lake with enough water to keep it safe during the balance of the year.

OUTDOOR NEBRASKA 9

The Occurrence of The Red Breasted Nuthatch

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE OCCURRENCE OP THE RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH Sitta Canadensis-Iiinnaeus By MRS. WILSON TOUT

Bird lovers in North Platte have had an unusual opportunity this winter of seeing and studying the Red-breasted Nuthatch. At our home we have noted it almost every day since December 28. We tied a little piece of suet on the trunk of a tree Christmas day and noted a Red-breast feeding there three days later on the 28th. From time to time we have replaced the suet and our record shows it visited the yard almost every day. It was last seen on May 6. From the earliest date recorded here at North Platte, September 26, (1918) until the latest date recorded, May 6, (1936) is 224 days or about 7% months possible residence here. Since 1907 we have only four records of this bird in this vicinity. The earliest previous record was September 26 and the latest was January 3.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch nests far north of here. It is at home over most of Canada and in the heights of the Rocky and Sierra Nevada mountains in the United States. In the fall it migrates irregularly south to the Gulf and spends the winter there, working its way north in late winter and early spring. It is considered a winter resident here.

There are thirteen varieties of Nuthatches in the United States and all of them have similar habits. They feed on insects, eggs and larvae which they And on the bark of trees. The peculiar habit by which they can be identified is their clinging to the bark of trees with the head down. They alight on the tree near where the first branches grow and proceed to search the bark as they progress downward to the ground. They hold to the bark entirely with their claws and move very quickly and rapidly over the bark, zig-zagging from side to side and often encircling the tree but all the time with the head toward the ground.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is leadcolored on the back and wings with black on the top of the head and under parts light rusty red. It is a little smaller than the White-breasted Nuthatch, the only other member of the family recorded here and has reddish where the other variety has white. The male has a black crown while the crown of the female is gray like its back.

We have noted one difference between the two species and that is the habit of the Red-breast in alighting on a limb or branch of a tree in the usual manner of birds. Three Red-breasted Nuthatches were in one tree at the same time recently and each of them perched on the little limbs like the other birds do. But they were not still for they kept on the move from limb to limb. We have also observed one on the ground under the suet tree and seen it take small bits of the crumbling suet from the ground where it had fallen. It often flies to. the suet tree, snatches a bit of the suet and flies out of sight with it in its beak. They are usually silent but early in the season they give the characteristic Nuthatch squawk but very faintly compared to the call of the White-breast. They have been seen chasing the Brown Creeper from the suet tree but in turn are chased away by the larger Downy Woodpecker. They do not seem to mind the English Sparrows which sometimes gather near the suet but which they cannot get on account of its location. We have banded two Redbreasted Nuthatches this winter. They went into the traps for water. Of course we will be eagerly watching for Red-breasted Nuthatches next year to learn if they return to our place the second year.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is not a common bird in Lincoln county and seeing three at one time and having them in one's own yard for such a long time is an unusual condition and highly interesting to bird students here.

To the Editor:

With a view to conserving and increasing migratory wild waterfowl and Upland game birds in Manitoba, it was decided to put on a campaign against crows as it is considered the crow is one of the greatest natural enemies of bird life. I am enclosing herewith for your information a poster got out by this department.

While this campaign has only been under way a short time it is having a very beneficial effect. The cash prizes are quite an incentive to hunters to ful in the Province of Saskatchewan go after the crow. For some unknown reason crows are not nearly as plentiful in Manitoba this year as they were last year but I believe are more plentiful in the Province of Saskatchewan where a campaign on a considerably larger scale is being carried on. It is only by cooperative efforts that the crow menace can be successfully combatted.

As the Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are the important breeding grounds of migratory waterfowl, the crow has an opportunity of doing a great deal of damage to the nests of these birds and for that reason alone every possible effort should be put forth to reduce the number of crows in the duck breeding marshes.

I also wish to state that the work your department and game associations in your state is doing towards destroying this predator is greatly appreciated in this province. It is of course reasonable to assume the less crows come North in the Spring, the more ducks will go South in the Fall.

Yours truly

A. G. Cunningham DIRECTOR OF GAME AND FISH ERIES, Winnipeg, Canada

OUTDOOR ODDITIES

Fish are among the most interesting creatures of the great outdoors.

They are aquatic animals, the lowest of the vertebrates. They breathe through gills and their limbs take the form of fins.

Scientists today study the scales of fishes to learn their history. Like the rings in the trunk of a tree, the tiny stripes on the scale tell much about these curious animals.

The variety of fishes is almost beyond comprehension. There are over 13,000 known species. Among these are tiny fellows only a fraction of an inch in length, as well as giants that weigh tons.

The smallest fish known, and perhaps the smallest vertebrate in the world, is che Goby which lives in the Phillippine waters. The largest fishes are found among the Sharks. The Basking Shark, found in arctic waters sometimes reaches a length of forty feet.

The earliest fossil remains of fishes are estimated to date back four hundred million years. The characteristics of these are about the same as the fishes of today. Scientists believe the fishes to be the forerunners of all higher forms of life.

10 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

GUNSHOT ALLOY

By the recent development of a new gunshot alloy made by mixing lead and magnesium, bird conservationists hope to reduce the number of waterfowl deaths caused by lead poisoning as a result of eating lead shot.

Wild ducks often escape hunters' gunfire only to be poisoned fatally by lead shot which they eat in dabbling for food in marshy areas. Many ducks die from eating only four or five lead pellets.

The slow, toxic action of the lead first causes ducks to lose their power of flight, and then their ability to swim or walk. In this helpless condition, even should they survive the ravages of poison, the birds are likely to become victims of the elements or of predators. As early as 1919, the Bureau of Biological Survey called attention to this menace and pointed out the hopelessness of any remedial measures.

The new alloy, developed by scientists of the University of Minnesota and the Biological Survey, disintegrates in water or if eaten by waterfowl, breaks up rapidly in the gizzard and passes thru the intestinal tract before a fatal dose of lead can be absorbed by the bird's body. Ordinary lead shot when eaten by waterfowl are trapped in the gizzard and gradually are ground away. This finely divided lead absorbed by the duck's body as it passes through the intestine produces the poisoning.

WHAT OTHER STATES ARE DOING

Predators as well as other forms of wildlife receive protection at the Wegimind sanctuary, Argonne National Forest, Wisconsin. The great-horned owl and all species of .hawks are welcomed. The area contains wildcats, coyotes and wolves. S. A. Campbell, who is in charge, says that protection for all species has been in effect for about five years and that to date nothing has occurred to make those in charge believe they are making a mistake by allowing predators the run of the area.

Worry Over Ground Water—That there has been a depletion of ground water since settlement of Indiana is beyond question, says "Outdoor Indiana." State geology division has entered into agreement with United States Geological Survey to conduct investigations.

Can't Sell Black Bass—By the Sanford Act the State of Alabama has prohibited the sale of black bass—colloquially termed trout or green trout— within the state.

GOOD DRIVING PRACTICES

Always keep your car under control. "Control" is ability to stop within the distance that the highway is seen to be free of traffic or obstructions. This applies both day and night.

Keep your eyes on the road and your mind on your driving. In case of doubt take the safe course.

Stop before proceeding out of alleys and parking places. Look back before pulling out or backing from the curb. Look both ways and over your shoulder before crossing the street on foot. Don't race for the intersection.

It is difficult for a driver at night to see a pedestrian approaching from the side. Remember this when crossing streets on foot at night.

Keep both hands on the wheel. If you are a passenger assist the driver by keeping a lookout and warning him of danger. If he drives at an excessive rate of speed it is your duty to protest.

The Hills of Home

By Margaret Long Lumley

The day's hunting was over and the four of them, with their host had met in the dining room of the hotel in the little Nebraska town. Five states were represented in that gathering. Burleigh was from New York, Sutton was from California, Reed from Louisiana and Anderson from Minnesota. Jim Elson, whose guests they were this pheasant season, had lived for thirty years in this same little town on the Middle Loup.

They had just finished drinking the fourth of a series of toasts, each of the visitors having honored his own state, and seated themselves, when Burleigh turned to Bison.

"What's the matter with you Jim? Can't you find anything to say about Nebraska?" They all smiled deprecatingly as though not expecting Jim to have anything at all to offer, but after a moment he drew himself slowly to his feet, grinning a little with embarrassment. Talking wasn't exactly his long suit.

"Well fellas," his words came haltingly at first, "I guess it is my turn. I don't know just how to say it, but," he took a long breath, lifted his glass and began to turn it between his fingers as he talked, "but I give you Nebraska, her wide fertile plains, her tree-shadowed streams, her sunsets and her dawns-even her days of rain, which God knows have been few and far between these last few years. But most of all I give you her hills. There is nothing quite like them anywhere, I think. Oh, I know they haven't the awesome majesty of the Sierras, Burleigh. And I know too, Anderson, that the vividness of the Minnesota lakes isn't in them. They haven't the tropical brilliance of the Louisiana bayous, nor the challenge of a New York Sky line. But they have something that is more valuable to me than any of those."

Lost in his subject he forgot to be embarrassed, forgot that he wasn't good at talking and the other men were lield in silence.

"I can't find any other name for that quality except, serenity," he went on "when things get too much for me I climb into the car alone and drive out to the top of one of the highest hills I know. I'll sit there for a long time, not doing anything much, not even really thinking, I guess, and by and by a sense of quiet will come over me. Perhaps back in what these psychology people call'The subconscious mind' I am thinking, as I look out across the smooth firm shoulders of them that have borne the weight of mammoth and of bison, that have known the wrath of the prairie fire, the righteous rage of the defending Indians and the scarring steel knife of the plow. It may be that I am thinking that if they can carry on after patient centuries and in the face of ages to come, it must be a pretty small man who can't carry his little world on his shoulders for only a few years. Perhaps it is their beauty of line ana contour, for nowhere have I seen such flowing, merging, billowing miles of land, shading from gold and green to black under a summer sun; maybe it is that they are so ageless. It doesn't matter. I only know that wherever I might be, if the weight of living grew too heavy, I should come back to find the top of one of those hills, which, whether green with the grass of early spring, or gold beneath the sun of autumn, alone can bring me peace of mind. "Gentlemen," ,he lifted his glass, "I give you—Nebraska Hills." He laughed a little, again embarrassed at finding himself the center of attention, and sat down.

There was a long moment of silence, broken by Burleigh, who cleared his throat and said, "I sure as the devil hope we bag the limit tomorrow."

OUTDOOR NEBRASKA 11

Bird Migration

(From a radio address by Frederick C. Lincoln, Bureau of Biological Survey.)

One of the first natural phenomena to attract man's attention and lastingly intrigue his imagination, was birmigration. The way birds fly unerringly to their destinations without a stop has always been a mystery to man, who realizes in spite of all our high-speed transportation facilities, that the birds are still the champions of the air.

It is true that the airplane excels the bird in two things. It goes faster and higher. When on migration, most birds are rather slow fliers, speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour being average. Flycatchers and some other species attain a speed of only 10 to 17 miles per hour while even ducks and geese fly at only 40 or 50 miles an hour.

Contrary to the old belief that migration took place at heights of 15,000 feet, birds usually travel at altitudes below 3,000 feet, and some of them will even cross wide stretches of water only a few feet above the waves.

We will have to agree that man wit)1 his modern airplanes has put it , on the birds on these two pointsT But it is here that the advantage ends and we can start chalking up points in favor of the birds. Ability to end up safely at the point for which you start is certainly one essential of good flying. Radio beacons and earth inductor compasses enable H skillful airplane pilot to do this even while flying "blind" through fog or darkness but the migratory birds need none of this highly technical equipment, and yet can steer their course so accurately that year after year the same identical bird may stop to rest and feed In the same clump of shrubbery.

The question that has always puzzled and fascinated bird lovers, is, how do these birds find their way with such unerring accuracy. It is a question that will probably fascinate man for centuries, because nobody knows. They do it the same way that eels, salmon, shad, and other fishes find their way back to their spawning grounds.

In the matter of economy, the bird excels man's most modern airplane. For example, the Golden Plover travels 2,400 miles over the oceanic route from Nova Scotia to South America, apparently without a stop, flying continuously for about forty-eight hours. This is accomplished with the consumption of less than two ounces of fuel, in the form of body fat. To be as economical in operation, a 1,000 pound airplane would consume in a twenty-mile flight not the gallon of fuel usually required, but only a single pint.

Then there is the matter of beauty. Is there anything more beautiful than the bright colored plumage of the birds? Many bird students mak* it a "point -to get into the field every day or two during the migratory period and get the dates of arrival of the different species. The Biological Survey has a whole corps of these observers, some of whom have been reporting migration for more than fifty years. The Bureau would like to have additional volunteer observers for some parts of the country but not for any states east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio River and the Potomac. Such observers serve without pay out their efforts are rewarded by the fun they receive from an interesting hobby.

LETTERS

Dear Sir:

About eighteen months back, I advocated a campaign to use crows to eat and now I see they are making some headway along that line.

It is just as logical and would be quite as possible to start a fad or campaign to use crow feathers on women's hats. Contact a hat manufacturer or hat stylist and start said idea.

Sincerely, SCOTT H. WEEPTON. 32 64 Frances St., Omaha, Nebr.

Perhaps we can get the women to help us out as Mr. Weepton suggests. —ED.

To the Editor:

As head of the Nebraska Game Department thought you might be interested in knowing that there has been a woodcock amongst my flowers and shrubs for the past ten days.

I see him every day and some time during the day, he feeds in my blue grass lawn that I keep moist.

He is full grown and does not seem to be crippled in any way, but is certainly a long ways west of his line of flight.

As a matter of interest to all Nebraska sportsmen will you kindly mention about the woodcock in your next publication of the Game Department.

Many times I have been within 3 feet of him before he would take flight.

Yours very truly, A. H. Frantz Friend, Nebr.

THE FIRST HOMESTEAD

The Daniel Freeman homestead near Beatrice, No. 1 homestead entry in the nation, will be made, by a law signed by the president, a national monument and park, with a museum to preserve reminders of the homesteading period.

That is a fitting memorial to the men and women who won the west. We know them to have been heroic, but perhaps we think of them top much as such. One of the virtues of that fine biography, "Old Jules," is that it helps take the frontiersman and pioneer from the galaxy of legendary figures and reveals him as one possessing human weaknesses as well as strength. Not many were as magnificently ornery as Old Jules, and not many achieved as much. We must learn to cherish them all for their vices and virtues, their failures and their triumphs, remembering always the hardihood, the gallantry, the toil, that went into their successful settlement of the prairie. They were ordinary men and women with just enough of the divine spark to give them the vision to stay with their homestead land until they made it a fertile farm. To visit the first homestead, in the days to come, will give all an opportunity to commune for a space with men and women who laid the foundations of a triumphant civilization.—World-Herald.

12 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

This Seasons Duck Hunting Rules

(Continued from page 12)

—be we duck hunters or just naturally lovers of birds—don't want the ducks wiped out. Along with this improvement in our attitude toward waterfowl we have learned that if the ducks and geese are given a little encouragement and protection they will multiply in numbers. We ca^n do this by providing marshes along the main flyways where the ducks may feed, rest and breed.

This is exactly what the Biological Survey is now doing. It has laid out a minimum program of developing and restoring 7 XL million acres of marshes to be used as refuges to meet the minimum needs of the wild fowl while they are in the country. Incidentally, these refuges that already have been restored certainly have proved their worth in the States hard-hit by the drought. Thousands of ducks that were caught at drying pot-hoies or small bodies of water flocked into the refuges. Oi course, hundreds of young ducks and many adult birds perished at the dried-up water places. Among the species hard-hit were the canvasback and redhead. These, as I've mentioned before are on the list of fully protected species this season. The drought extended into the southern part of the Canadian Prairie Provinces, but farther north large broods were hatched out.

It remains a plain fact, however, that our newly created breeding grounds won't accomplish much if we fail to send the ducks to them. This is where restricted hunting and the cooperation of sportmen comes in. The sportsmen can send more ducks back to these grounds. After all, this matter of waterfowl restoration and good duck hunting is somewhat of a "put and take" proposition. We've simply got to put back so many birds on the nesting grounds each spring in order to take some birds the next hunting season. If our annual increase, for instance, is 13 million ducks and our annual kill is 12 million—well and good. But if we raise 13 million and kill 14 million the result in the long run will mean extermination, or "goodbye" ducks.

Restoration of this depleted resource is a long-time undertaking. It requires active public support and the cooperation of everyone to see that the rules of hunting are enforced and that the program of refuge acquisition is continued.

It won't be long until the ducks and geese again will be winging their way southward in their awe-inspiring formations. We are trying to give them more than an even break and still afford you a certain amount of sport. You and I have a definite responsibility and at times it will mean that we will have to restrain the trigger finger. But that won't be so hard to do if we really want to hunt ducks in the years to come.

Cites Serious Decrease of Canvasback And Redhead Ducks

(Continued from page 5 )

of valleys in California and the drainage of lakes, ponds, and marshes in the Canadian Prairie Provinces destroyed a large part of their original nesting grounds. As a result both of these ducks even in 1920 were rare as breeding species in the United States. There were a few areas such as the Bear River marshes in Utah where they still bred in numbers, but elsewhere in this country only a few pairs were to be found. Practically all of their original breeding range that remained suitable was In Uanada.

Last summer two field parties of the Biological Survey covered the remaining breeding grounds of these two ducks in the Canadian Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Nowhere did these parties find more than a scattering of either canvasbacks or redheads. Last winter every important wintering ground in the United States and Mexico was carefully surveyed in making a waterfowl inventory, but nowhere was there a concentration even near the size of the one that was observed in the Susquehanna River flats.

"This does not necessarily mean that these ducks are on the verge of extinction," says Dr. Gabrielson. "With proper management and protection both may be brought back to a numerical strength that again will provide good shooting for sportsmen."

Nebraska Hunting Notes

(Continued from page 4)

treatment, promptly and properly given, could have saved a life, or lessened the severity of the wound.

P. S.—And don't forget the farmers' stock. The farmer is doing you a favor by letting you hunt on his property. Repay his courtesy. Do . not shoot near, or in the direction of, any livestock, or toward any farm buildings. This precaution will pay big dividends in the long run.

AMONG THE BIRDS

The Americans as a nation are very likely to go from one extreme to another. Fifty years ago we had great numbers of birds and here in Nebraska we had large flocks at all times of the year and we were all of the opinion that there was no end to the birds. Often geese would light on the wheat fields and if not driven away would do serious damage. Of course the wheat fields were not large so the geese had the upper hand, so to speak. The geese would stay a long time and their call was heard throughout the day and night as they made their way to the northland. Some would become weary and hungry so they would stop along the way to feed upon green fields.

Song birds of all kinds could be seen and many hunters would shoot the birds and when asked why this was done would say that the birds were no good anyhow. Sometimes a student of conditions would talk of laws protecting the song birds, giving as his reasons that song birds consumed large numbers of insects. People in general just called him a cr^nk and the killing of song birds went rolling merrily on.

The suggestions were made that we should have laws passed to protect our bird life; but knowing well that laws did not enforce themselves suggestions were made here and there that this could be done for it was proved that birds were of great value in protecting farm crops. When it came to the point of taxing the city man to pay for a game warden to protect the farmers crops a complaint of class legislation was made and we got nowhere. Then a plan was made tha,t everyone wishing to fish or hunt must have a license and from this fee the expenses of bird protection was to be paid. The farmers objected because many of them raised the birds on their own farms and did not wish to buy a license to shoot one of his own birds, but for the greatest good to the greatest number this bill was passed and has proved to be very successful.

There were some who said it could not be enforced but after a few violators were fined it taught the public respect for the law. Now if one is found shooting song birds or killing game out of season he just cannot get away with it. Have a fishing or hunting license displayed at all times when enjoying either of these occupations and be a real sportsman in every way.

V. W. Binderup, Past President, Nebraska Honey Producers Association.

OUTDOOR NEBRASKA 13

Arrests for Game Law Violations

The following arrests for violations of the Nebraska Game Laws from Aug 1, 1936, to Sept 31, 1936, have been made: NAME Ralph Anderson Cyril Caniga Frank Hartgraves Elmer Mizner E. G. Pahl George Wills Anna Hrskey Jack C. Howard Walter F. Howard Mattie Stafford Ed Goodwin Emma Taylor Irwin Doenges Ernest Prifert Wm. Reinch John Stofer Emil Richardson Antone Jacque Harry Walters Loren Doenges Oy Startzer William Peak Keith Neville Fred Hurlbert Floyd R. Allen Jack Boyle Everett Sauret Dale Sauret John Pavlicek Mrs. H. S. Henderson William M. Berry Mose Yousem Ross O. Brown Anna Kasada Anna Fisher T. N. Yenckl George Cosmos Loyd Coleman Mike Boag Leslie Strong A. L. Heisner Emma Taylor •George Bo bier Irwin Kunz Pinkey Oliver George Hazuka Ned Capen Mrs. William Yablonski Newton Vreeland Mrs. Simon Pilus E. M. Wells William Thayer Stanley Miracky R. Swanson Tom Hromas Walter Roth ADDRESS Lincoln Plattsmouth Elsmere Elsmere Omaha Omaha Omaha Tilden Neligh Omaha Omaha Omaha Omaha Davenport Shickley Davenport Shickley Shickley Davenport Omaha Springfield Kearney North Platte Taylor Lincoln North Platte Fairbury Fairbury Fairbury So. Omaha Fort Crook Omaha Elsie Omaha Omaha Omaha Omaha Burwell Burwell Emmet t Omaha Omaha Omaha Elmwood Omaha Omaha Meadow Omaha Omaha Omaha Omaha McCook Omaha Omaha Mason City Omaha REASON FINE Fishing without permit Fishing after 10 P. M. in state lake Shooting at pheasant from public highway Shooting at pheasant from public highway Too short fish Too short fish Fishing without a permit Hand fishing; fishing without permit Hand fishing; fishing without permit Too short fish Fishing without permit Too short fish Seining in Platte river Hand fishing Hand fishing Hand fishing Hand fishing Hand fishing Hand fishing Seining in Piatte river Seining in Platte river Fishing without permit Illegal taking and possession of pheasants Fishing without permit Fishing without permit Illegal killing and possession of pheasants Hand fishing ;Hand fishing Hand fishing Fishing without permit Too short fish Too short fish Killing 1 pheasant; Hunting without permit; shooting from public highway No permit Too short fish Fishing without permit No permit Accessory to killing pheasant Shooting one pheasant Fishing without permit Fishing with line having more than 5 hooks Too short fish Too short fish Too short fish Too short fish Too short Catfish Selling game fish without a permit Fishing without permit Illegal lines-too many hooks Fishing without permit Too short fish Dynamiting fish Seining without permit Too short fish Shooting a pheasant Too short fish COSTS $1-00 $4.55 1.00 5.50 10.00 5.00 10.00 5.00 25.00 2.00 25.00 5.50 1.00 4.55 50.00 4.80 50.00 4.80 25.00 5.50 5.00 5.50 25.00 4.55 10.00 4.55 10.00 4.20 10.00 4.20 ' 10.00 4.20 10.00 4.20 10.00 4.20 10.00 4.20 10.00 4.55 10.00 4.55 1.00 4.80 50.00 3.78 2.00 4.75 5.00 7.05 25.00 3.77 10.00 3.15 10.00 3.15 10.00 3.15 1.00 4.25 25.00 6.15 10.00 10.43 ae r.oa 1.00 6.15 10.00 12.35 5.00 4.50 5.00 4.50 25.00 3.30 25.00 3.30 5.00 4.00 10.00 10.60 25.00 9.00 25.00 9.50 25.00 5.50 25.00 8.84 25.00 7.90 2.00 8.84 5.55 4.40 5.00 5.00 5.55 4.45 25.00 4.45 200.00 1 yr. in state penitentary 75.00 8.75 25.00 5.50 25.00 6.95 25.00 5.00   14 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA Frank Crawford Omaha LaVerne Krutsinger Parks C. C. Dale Rulo Henry Swantek Omaha Scott Beadle North Bend Garlan Treu Spring Field Benjamin Cooper Wellfleet Ted Serefko Omaha V. W. Burton Wellfleet Alvin Potter Hershey Wm. Book Martinsburg Page Townley Omaha Lowell Tedford Omaha Agnes Sakolosky Omaha Mrs. Ray Altrock Omaha Mrs. Charles White Omaha Too short fish Killing 2 pheasants; shooting from public highway Selling catfish without Vendors permit Possession of 3 ducks Killing 1 pheasant; shooting from public highway; shooting game birds with rifle Missouri Shooting pheasants Shooting pheasants closed season Having in possession more fish than bag limit Possession of pheasant in closed season Possession of pheasant in closed season Fishing without permit No permit No permit Fishing without permit Fishing without permit Fishing without permit 25.00 5.00 25.00 5.00 10.00 6.65 25.00 10.00 25.00 5.00 25.00 6.60 100.00 6.00 1.00 6.25 25.00 6.00 25.00 6.00 10.00 3.00 1.00 4.80 1.00 4.80 1.00 4.25 1.00 4.50 1.00 4.50

MEXICAN BIRD TREATY COMPLETED

After many years of effort on the part of game conservationists in the United States and Mexico, the announcement that a migratory bird treaty between the two countries was on the way to completion came as a thrilling climax to the American Wildlife Conference.

On February 7, Senor Juan Zinser, Chief, Game Service, Department of Forestry, Game and Fish in Mexico, who came to Washington to participate in the conference, relayed the good news that on that afternoon a treaty had been provisionally signed in Mexico City, and would be formally signed that same night by United States Ambassador Josephus Daniels and General Eduardo Hay, Mexican Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The treaty will come into force as soon as ratified by both countries, and will hold for fifteen years. At the end of that time it may be denounced by either country upon twelve months' notice. "This agreement with Mexico", according to a dispatch from the United States Department of State, "limits the hunting period for migratory birds in each country to a maximum of four months in each year and establishes a closed season for wild ducks from March 10 to September 1."

Designed to provide protection for wild fowl on their wintering grounds in old Mexico, this neighborly gesture follows along the line of the treaty between Canada and the United States, in force for twenty years, to protect the birds migrating between these two countries.—April Outdoor American.

LETTERS Dangerous "Jim"

Dear Sirs:

As I was reading your issue of OUTDOOR NEBRASKA, I saw that you have a few suggestions about old Jim Crow. This is my view about him.

The crow is increasing very rapidly and unless something is done, the farmers will have no crops, and the sportsman will have no hunting, since they are known to be injurious to our game birds, as well as to poultry and farm crops.

I believe that they have increased double the last two years. My suggestion is that we try to get a national bounty on them. County and state bounties seem to do very little good.

It is going to cost a great deal of money to get rid of them, but they are costing the states thousands of dollars every year, and unless something is done before long, it is going to cost a lot more. If there is any way that I can help, I will be willing to do so.

There are a lot of ducks hatched in this section during the summer months, and I believe there would be one-third more raised if it wasn't for old Jim Crow.

They also destroy one-third of the crops' grain that is grown in this section.

Would you please send me a blue print for building a crow trap.

W. G. Yenne, Cumminsville, Nebr.

Greatly appreciated is Mr. Yenne's letter discussing the crow situation. The crows are indeed a menace to the farmer and huntsman and their number must be greatly reduced.—ED.

KILMER FOREST

Establishment of the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in southwest North Carolina was announced by F. A. Silcox, Chief of the Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, recently.

The Memorial Forest, comprising approximately 3,840 acres, the entire watershed of Little Santeetlah Creek in Graham County, North Carolina, lies within the boundaries of the Nantahala National Forest. Secretary of Agriculture Wallace has approved its designation as a permanent memorial to the late Joyce Kilmer, nationally known as the author of the poem "Trees" and other writings on the love of nature.

The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest will be available to the public for recreational, esthetic and scientific purposes, and will be under the administration of the Forest Service personnel of the Nantahala National Forest. No commercial activities will be permitted within its areas.

The Memorial Forest is one of the outstanding examples of virgin timber in the East, Mr. Silcox said. Throughout the area are many branches of Little Santeetlah Creek. The Unaka Mountains, the most important range of the vicinity, form the northwest boundary of the area. Stratton Bald, with an elevation of 5,400 feet, is the highest peak near the area. The timber on the tract includes some 100 species of native trees, with poplar, red oak and chestnut predominating. There is also considerable birch, basswood, soft maple, buckeye, and chestnut oak.

OUTDOOR NEBRASKA 15

Handy Reference of Nebraska Hunting and Fishing Regulations SEASON OF 1936

PHEASANT SEASON OP 1936 Dates

October 25th to November 1st, inclusive in the following counties: Antelope, Arthur, Banner, Boyd, Brown, Cedar, Chase, Cheyenne, Cuming, Dakota, Deuel, Dixon, Dundy, Garden, Grant, Hayes, Hichcock, Holt, Hooker, Keith, Keyapaha, Kimball, Knox, Lincoln, Logan, Madison, MePherson, Morrill, Perkins, Pierce, Rock, Scotts Bluff, Stanton, Thomas, Thurston, Wayne; all that part of Sioux County south of the Government Ditch, and Pleasant Hill, Goose Creek, and Elsmere precincts in Cherry County.

BAG AND POSSESSION LIMITS

Bag Limit—4 birds, of which 1 may be a hen. Possession Limit—4 birds, of which 1 may be a hen.

SHOOTING HOURS

7 a. in. to 6 p. m. each day

Note: While regulations premit the killing of 1 hen, this is done only to save birds shot by mistake, and all hunters are urged to cooperate by not intentionally shooting hens. Hunters deliberately shooting hens and leaving them in fields or giving them away will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

* MIGRATORY WATERFOWL OPEN SEASON Dates

November 1st to November 3 0th, inclusive

WHERE TO HUNT

All counties in Nebraska, except those portions that are within game sanctuaries.

BAG AND POSSESSION LIMIT

Bag Limit—**Ducks, 10; Geese, 4; Snipe, 15. Possession Limit—Ducks, 10; Geese, 4; Snipe, 15.

SHOOTING HOURS

7 a. m. to 4 p. m. daily, except Platte River. (See information below on Platte River hunting)

Note: All persons hunting ducks, geese, and other migratory waterfowl must have federal duck stamp, price SI.00. This is obtained from post offices.

*The laws controlling hunting of migratory waterfowl are fixed by federal authorities. The Nebraska Game Commission does not fix the open season nor the bag or possession limits. State laws contrary to federal regulations are ineffective and should be disregarded.

**There is no open season on ruddy, bufflehead, wood, canvasback, and redhead ducks.

SQUIRREL OPEN SEASON Dates

October 1st to December 31st, inclusive

BAG AND POSSESSION LIMITS

Bag—10. Possession—10.

RACCOON AND OPOSSUM OPEN SEASONS Dates

November 16th to February 15th next ensuing

BAG AND POSSESSION LIMITS Rag—3. DOVES

No open season on doves in Nebraska. State laws prohibit shooting of doves in Nebraska, therefore Game Commission cannot open season although federal regulations permit same.

PERMITS

All persons hunting must have a hunting permit. Price $1.10 for residents; $10.00 and up for nonresidents, depending on the state in which they live. For example Kansas $10, Iowa $15, South Dakota $15, Missouri $10, Colorado $10.

The Nebraska law reauires the wearing of a badge in which the hunting permit Is placed, therefore carry your permit on your hat or coat where it can be seen.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION Decoys

No live decoys permitted for duck or goose hunting. Floaters, or other artificial decoys may be used.

Baiting

No baiting permitted.

Guns

No guns larger than 10 gauge can be used In hunting game birds .Automatic and repeating gun magazines must be plugged so that not more than 2 shells can be placed in magazine and 1 in the chamber while hunting migratory waterfowl.

Blinds

The 100 feet from shore line restriction on blinds has been removed. Blinds may now be built any place in the lake or stream.

Use of Motor or Power Boats

Not permissible for hunting migratory waterfowl.

Platte River Hunting

The state laws permit shooting on the Platte rivers except (Garden, Morrill and Scotts Bluff Counties) only during the forenoons of lawful open seasons for hunting. Therefore during 1936 season ducks, geese, pheasants, rabbits and squirrels must not be hunted after 12 o'clock daily of any day that is open for the bird or animal sought. This applies to the North and South branches of the Platte River, and within the permanent flood banks of the stream. In Morrill and Scotts Bluff Counties hunting can be done during regular hours set forth for each open season. The Platte River, and for 10 rods on each side of river, in Garden County is closed at all times.

GAME, FORESTATION & PARKS COMMISSION LINCOLN, NEBRASKA

1. CAT (SEMI-WILD) 2. CROW 3. GOSHAWK & SHARP-SHINNED HAWK 4. TURTLE