AND A HUNTING WE WILL GO!

Hunting Season to Open October 15th

THE waterfowl season will open October 15 and the pheasant season October 16 throughout Nebraska this year.

It will be the eleventh annual hunt for the wary "Chink" when October 16 rolls around. And there will be forty-five days for the duck and goose hunters—forty-five of the very best days that could be selected in so far as Nebraska is concerned.

From all reports, surveys and observation, the crop of pheasants this year will be better than for the past several seasons. The western part of the state, particularly the North Platte and Republican Valleys, have a good crop of birds. Likewise reports indicate many birds in the valleys throughout the sandhills, in the extreme northeast tier of counties and in the central part of the state.

Ducks are reported numerous in the north and the local crop in Nebraska is better than for several years. Minnesota and the Dakotas report many ducks already on their lakes and streams. Eastern Nebraska has more waterholes and ponds this year which should bring more birds to that part of the state than heretofore.

All the state, except reserves, is open to duck and goose hunting, and all the state except reserves and seven re-stocking areas will be open to pheasant shooting. These areas that are being re-stocked this year are as follows:

All of Sherman, Howard, Wayne, Richardson, Johnson, Pawnee and Nemaha Counties.

No shooting will be permitted in these areas. Young birds have already been placed there from the game farm and wos be it to him who gets caught hunting in these counties. Officers have been instructed to give such persons the works, with a stick of dynamite thrown in! All such closed areas will be plainly marked with yellow signs. Watch for them.

Here are some changes in the regulations this year to keep in mind:

There will only be one hen pheasant allowed. In previous seasons groups of hunters have taken too many hens, one shooting for another. Officers have been instructed to file charges for this, as the practice is growing worse and there is no excuse for it. Each hunter should shoot his own hen, leaving it until last to offset errors. If this is done there will be few hens shot over those allowed.

The possession on ducks and geese is increased this year to 20 ducks and 10 geese. While few hunters will be in possession of 10 geese, many should appreciate this liberal allowance of ducks. This is a break for the hunter who can hunt only once during the season and the fellow who travels a long distance.

Another liberalization of the regulations permits the taking of three of the restricted species, i. e., Redheads, Canvasbacks, Buffleheads and Ruddy ducks. Six of these in the aggregate may also be had in possession. It is believed that this regulation will save birds by allowing those shot in error to be legally counted in the bag.

The following regulations and suggestions should be kept in mind while hunting:

Those under 16 years of age are permitted to hunt without permits and are allowed the same regulation bag of birds.

No rifles can be used in taking game birds, and shotguns larger than 10 gauge are prohibited.

Game birds can be shipped by express, baggage or automobile if accompanied by shipper and can be possessed for 10 days after close of the season.

No shooting is permitted on game reserves, sanctuaries or areas closed by federal or state laws.

Platte River and North Platte River hunting is permissible only from 7 A.M. to noon each day of the open season. Exception—Scotts Bluff and Morrill Counties, regular hunting hours. North Platte River and for ten rods on each side in Garden County—closed all hours. South Platte River, regular prescribed hunting hours.

No shooting of game birds from automobile or public highway.

All game placed in cold storage plants must have regular cold storage tag attached.

Wear your hunting badge in plain sight on hat or coat.

An empty gun has killed many hunters. Please be careful while hunting and do not endanger the lives of others or your own life.

Always ask permission before hunting on private property and do not shoot towards buildings or livestock. Leave no gates open and protect farm property, as you may want to go back some day.

Migratory game birds are protected by federal as well as state laws. If information about federal laws and regulations is desired, write to Bernie Maurek, Regional Director, Bureau of Biological Survey, Federal Building, Omaha, Neb.

Here are some of the federal regulations it is well to keep in mind:

All persons over 6 years of age hunting migratory waterfowl must have a federal duck stamp in addition to the regular state hunting permit. Boys who have not yet reached their 16th birthday are not required to purchase a stamp.

In taking migratory game birds shotguns must not have more than three shell capacity.

The use of live decoys is prohibited.

Dogs, blinds and boats may be used. There are no regulations in effect at the present time which requires blinds to be built at any place or of certain construction.

Another regulation this year made by the Nebraska Commission designated the counties where mountain time will be used and where central time will be followed in so far as migratory waterfowl is shot. Heretofore there has been much confusion^

Here are the counties where you hunt ducks by mountain time:

Cherry, Sheridan, Dawes, Sioux, Box Butte, Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Garden, Kimball, Cheyenne, Deuel.

Follow central time in all other counties.

Pheasant shooting will be an hour earlier in mountain time areas.

Hunting Hints

Ducks, October 15 to November 28.

Geese, October 15 to November 28.

Pheasants, October 16 to October 29.

Squirrels, October 1 to November 30.

Raccoon, November 1 to February 1.

Rabbits, January 1 to December 31.

Ducks and Geese, 7 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Pheasants, 6 A.M. M.S.T. or 7 A.M. C.S.T. to 4 P.M. M.S.T. or 5 P. M. C.S.T.

Squirrels, 7 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Rabbits, 7 A.M. to 6 P.M.

One hen pheasant only.

No more than three canvasbacks, redheads, buffleheads or ruddy ducks a day, or six in possession.

No more than 10 ducks a day or 20 in possession.

No more than 5 geese a day or 5 in possession.

Million Dollar Upland Game Crop for Nebraska Farmers

UPLAND game can be made a good paying commodity for many Nebraska farmers. The farmer and land owner can add to their income and the sportsman can be assured of some shooting at a price. A very good start in this direction has already been made in some states. Unless something constructive is done to bring the farmer and sportsman together on a fair basis, the ultimate outcome will be that our upland game will disappear as it has in the past.

There are several valuable upland game birds that have and can be reared artificially and can be used for stocking purposes. In Nebraska the pheasant, chukar partridge, valley and mountain quail, as well as grouse, offer some fine possibilities provided the farmer and State Game Commission will cooperate and work out a constructive, well planned, workable program. In many states and particularly in Nebraska, a great many of the sportsmen are convinced that we must actually begin to farm game as we do any other crop. An abundance of upland game can be produced just the same as an abundance of corn, wheat, chickens, hogs or any other commodity.

No matter what you do, eventually you do not get anything for nothing. The results obtained out of business or farming are the results of intelligent management and planning, plus a fair investment to bring favorable returns. Our game crop can be made an exceedingly sound investment. Like any other crop, it cannot be allowed to go uncared for without any replenishing or replanting. Just think what would happen to our wheat and corn crops if we didn't have intelligent planting and reseeding every year. Think what would happen to our live stock if careful management and breeding were not followed in that line.

And so it is with our upland game crop. Last year about 450,000 pheasants and about 500,000 ducks, plus approximately 5,000 geese were killed in the state of Nebraska during the hunting season. Figuring these birds at about $1.00 a piece, shows that we have taken out about one million dollars of food from our game crop. Duck hunting, of course, is limited to the areas that have suitable water, and to the areas that the duck flight follows. Upland game of various species, however, can be produced in practically every section of the state.

The Federal Government, through the Bureau of Biological Survey, has set an excellent example and has made an excellent demonstration of what can be accomplished in bringing back game through a planned program. We have had practically a 500 per cent increase in the duck crop in the last five years. The same and even better results can be accomplished with our upland game if we can get an equally well planned program for our state and provided our Game Commission were given an adequate sum to bring about the results that we all want. There are few states that are as favorably situated as the state of Nebraska. We have an average climate and a very large area; our state is 500 miles long and almost 300 miles wide. Our comparative population with some of the eastern states in relation to area is very small and therefore we have a much better chance of working out a fine program than some of the other states that are handicapped with small areas and large population. Pennsylvania, California, Wisconsin, Michigan, and a few other states which are highly populated, are off to a four or five year start over Nebraska in game propagation. Yet, they have demonstrated that such a program is successful and a splendid investment for the public.

Most every farmer has an acre or two of rough land which can be put to this use. Many other farmers, who participate in the federal crop loan plan, have been forced to cut down acreage on various crops that they planted heretofore. A few acres devoted to game planting can be made the most profitable crop per acre on the farm. If such a plan is worked out, the farmer's rights must be respected and any so-called sportsman who does not respect them should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

The Game Commission must furnish some signs for posting which would read as follows: "Hunting by permission only," "Temporary game refuge," and others of a similar nature.

Our script law in which the Game Commission issued the 50c script for pheasants which the farmer can collect, is still on our statute books, although very few farmers, if any, are availing themselves of this privilege today.

A plan must also be worked out for the furnishing of suitable feed and cover plants in the localities where the birds are to be released. The State Game Commission would also furnish suitable brooders and suitable rearing pens to be placed with the various farmers who are interested in this program. Local I groups of sportsmen would raise enough I money in the locality to feed these birds I during their growing stages. They would I be sent to the farmer in the chick stage I from the state game farm. The local I warden in each locality would supervise | and check the raising of these birds and when they have finally reached the I mature age, they would be banded and I turned loose under the supervision of I the local warden.

To work out such a program it would ' be necessary to furnish the Game Commission with more funds to work with. I There are only five states in the Union | having a hunting and fishing license fee I as low as the state of Nebraska at the i present time. Most of them have a I license fee of from $2.00 to $5.00, so ! you can sse from these facts that the I present income of the Nebraska Game and Fish Commission will not be sufficient to put on a program and get results comparable or favorable with the forty-three other states that have a higher license fee.

The Biological Survey at Washington is also offering individual states federal aid money on a similar basis that is now offered on the highway program under the federal aid project. Next year it is possible for Nebraska to get approximately $75,000 in federal aid from the Biological Survey. This, however, would have to be matched by an additional $25,000 fund from the state of Nebraska. This $100,000 that would then be available would have to be approved as a definite project, meeting the approval and rules of the Biological Survey. The state of Nebraska would also have to maintain this project in the future. Under the circumstances, it has been recommended that our hunting license be raised to $1.50. This would mean that there would be only a 50c raise for those men who just hunt, as they would have to pay $1.00 under the present regulation. Also, most all fishermen in the state are anxious for an increased program on fish, and it is proposed to raise the fishing license to $1.25 or a 25c increase over the present rate. The man who does both hunting and fishing is generally a pretty ardent sportsman and goes out a number of times a year and therefore gets more game and more fish than the average person who has only one activity. This man is usually a pretty ardent sportsman and it is the general opinion from hundreds of interviews all

Game Farm Has Good Season

NEBRASKA'S new game farm, started in 1937, got off to a fair start in 1938, though the Commission and management at the farm were disappointed in the number of Chukar partridges produced.

Two species of bird.j were raised in large numbers, and a few species of other birds produced for exhibition and experimental purposes. Those raised in large numbers were the ring-neck pheasant and the Chukar partridge.

A total of approximately 13,000 ringnecks were brought to maturity. These birds were reared by incubators and electric brooders. All are being banded and, except for a few held over for breeding purposes, released in game refuges and restocking areas.

A total of 800 Chukars were brought to maturity. The goal was 2,000. However, due to lack of fertility in eggs it was possible to produce only the above number. Some of these birds are being held over for breeders and the rest placed in favored areas in the western part of the state, which comes the nearest to being like their natural habitat in Asia.

In view of the fact that the farm was started only last year and it has been necessary to build all pens, brooders and in fact all equipment, it is felt that the management has done quite well. The Commission was fortunate in getting a WPA project to build pens and brooders.

Plans for 1939 call for the production of 5,000 Chukars and 15,000 pheasants. The partridge will be given first consideration and the number of pheasants reduced if necessary in order to reach the goal on the former. However, it is felt that, barring bad luck, 20,000 birds can be produced. It is also planned to try out some mountain and valley quail to see what the possibilities may be with these birds A few bob-white will also be raised.

It appears at this writing that a project may be set up under the PittmanRobertson federal aid bill for a cooperative bird-rearing program. If this is got under way next spring, the game farm will also produce several thousand day-old pheasant chicks for the brooders to be placed with organizations and groups throughout the state. No attempt at this time will be made to produce Chukars on this basis, as they require the attention of well-trained game farmers. However, it is felt that thousands of pheasants can be raised in a cooperative arrangement and it is hoped that eventually there will be a brooding unit in every community where pheasants thrive. At a later date, when we know more about Chukars, it may be possible to raise them in the same cooperative way.

There are many kinds of Chukars and they come from very different environments. It will take considerable experimental work to find the right bird for the right place and then get them a good foothold.

Five thousand herring gulls have been marked with brightly-colored bands supplied by the U. S. Biological Survey to the Linnaean Society of New York, the National Association of Audubon Societies, and the Northeastern Bird Banding Association, in furthering a cooperative study of the migration and other habits of the birds. Young birds not yet able to fly were banded at ten key banding stations along the Atlantic coast from Labrador to New York state.

Protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, herring gulls have greatly increased in numbers. Those that breed commonly along the New England coast to Labrador winter farther south along the Atlantic coast to the Gulf of Mexico. Information on their fall and winter distribution, however, is rather limited and data obtained in recent years have been based largely on gulls marked with the Survey's aluminum bands. This information has been slow to accumulate because in most cases the recovery of bands had to await the death or injury of the gulls.

Use of colored bands in obtaining "slight recoveries" is expected to speed up tracing the first season movements of birds from the colonies where they were hatched. So far as known, this is the first time colored bands have been used on a large scale in studying bird migration. Their use by the Survey thus far has been confined mainly to migration studies of smaller birds in local areas.

Get your hunting permit now, as the money is needed to carry on law enforcement work.

EDITORIAL

Now is the time to get your hunting permit. All funds used for law enforcement, stocking of birds and fish, administration—in fact, all the activities of the Commission with the exception of the parks, are derived from this small fee you pay.

Be sure to read "The History of the Nebraska Game Department" in this issue of Outdoor Nebraska. If after reading it you have a constructive idea about whether the fees should be raised or present plans changed, send it in. We will publish your letter in the next issue if not too long.

Each year a considerable number of persons are injured or killed by hunting accidents. Many of these can be attributed directly to carelessness.

You can not be too careful in the use of firearms. It usually takes only one mistake to take your life, or that of a companion.

Here are a few causes of such accidents:

Let's reduce accidents in 1938.

Do Your Part!

The Nebraska Game Commission proposes a cooperative game-bird plan as one of its first project under the federal-aid bill known as the Pittman-Rob inson Act. It appears at this writing that the proposition will meet with federal approval.

The plan proposed is about as follows:

The State and Federal aid fund will furnish al brooder pen and 200 day-old pheasant chicks to any organization or group in a county without cost, providing that organization or group will feed, care for | and release the birds upon certain protected areas.

The birds will be released, one hundred to a section of suitable land. This land must be leased to the state for five years without cost. Such land will be used by the state only for stocking of birds, but the owner must agree to allow the predators, such as snakes, stray cats, skunks, etc., to be removed before stocking.

A well-informed field man will be available to advise organizations without cost in getting leases, feeding and caring for birds, banding, planting, etc.

A trained predator-control man will remove predators from the land without cost to the landowners or the local organization.

It is hoped to get twenty-five of these units under way in the spring of 1939. Not over one to a county will be authorized at the start, unless there are not enough applications to get the first twenty-five units.

A Study of the Nebraska Game and Fish Department

WHAT should be the future policies of the Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission?

In an effort to help those who are interested in planning the future use of our outdoor resources in Nebraska, as well as to ascertain the best use for federal funds soon to become available, the following study has been made.

This study has required considerable research work and has taken some time. It has been the desire of the writer to set forth the true facts and figures, and to do so as accurately as possible. In some cases reports were not available and it was difficult to get data required. However, enough information has come to hand to give the reader an idea of the growth of the department and data on the income and expenditures during the last twenty-two years. It has also been the intention of the writer to keep away from personal opinions or to be critical of any particular phase of past accomplishments.

Before making a study of present-day conditions let us look over the records of the early history of the department.

In the year of 1878, according to the meager reports in the files of the office at Lincoln, the Nebraska Fish Commission was authorized. This consisted of three members and one superintendent. No report covering their work, receipts or expenditures is now available until 1886.

In that year the Commissioners prepared their Eighth Annual Report, and a printed copy of this can be found in the files.

This report shows that the State Fisheries on the Platte River opposite South Bend was the only property of the Commission; that they made an expenditure of only a few hundred dollars. In that year they asked for an appropriation from the State Legislature of $12,000 to cover the years of 1887 and 1888. This was to be used for the fisheries. There were no wardens then. Game birds were still too plentiful for anyone to even think of propagating or protecting them.

The Board of Fish Commissioners continued until 1900. Only a few hundred dollars each year was appropriated for their use. In their annual report of 1897, ten years after the one just mentioned, we find that the appropriation for the two years, viz: 1897 and 1898, was $10,150.00. This money was authorized as follows:

It will be noted that there still were no wardens. In fact, no arrests had been made to this time, only a few fish traps and seines having been picked up and confiscated.

Beginning in 1901 there was a new setup of the department. The old Fish Commission was abolished and the department given a new name—Nebraska Game and Fish Commission. Under this arrangement the governor was the commissioner, with a chief deputy, a superintendent of hatcheries, a traveling deputy and a secretary as his aides. The governor had full authority and could hire and fire personnel at will. In his report to the governor for the years of 1901 and 1902, made by Chief Deputy George P. Simpkins, we quote as follows:

"From the date of my appointment (July 1, 1901) the demand for the immediate enforcement of the law (new game law) became insistent, thus proving that the law was one of the most popular ever passed by the Nebraska Legislature. Previous to assuming the duties of the office, I became aware that there was absolutely nothing to begin with whatever, as the enforcement of the fish laws by the Board of Fish Commissioners had been entirely neglected, and the money appropriated for this purpose being diverted to other channels, and no protection whatever being afforded our rapidly decreasing game. Under these deplorable circumstances, as soon as it became evident to the public that this department intended to rigidly enforce the law, the people and press were unanimous in their approval and a widespread interest in the Commission's work became manifest throughout the state."

While the people and the press may have given their unanimous approval, the legislature did not see fit to increase the appropriation very much, for we find that only $15,700.00 was provided for the two years. However, it was at this time a license to hunt and fish came into use. During these two years the sum of $5,718.00 for resident licenses was paid to the state treasurer. The sum of $970.00 was collected for non-resident licenses and $17.00 for seining permits. The resident license was fixed at $1.00; the nonresident at $10.00 each.

For the next eighteen years the department confined under the 1901 law, with the Governor at its head, a deputy commissioner in charge of the office and a superintendent of fisheries at South Bend.

In looking over the records we find that the department had been given an appropriation of $44,491.69 for the biennium of 1910 and 1911 and that during those two years they had sold $74,838.00 in licenses. The appropriations and expenditures for the other years of that period were about the same. Had the law of 1901 Permitted the game department to use the fees as they do now, we might have art altogether different situation in Nebraska today. All of this license money went into the state treasury for various state purposes. The only funds available to the department were such appropriations from the general fund as the legislature each two years saw fit to provide. This was always considerably less than the fees received.

We now find the reports for each year available, and in order to give the reader an idea of the amount of license money received and the sums appropriated, we are tabulating the receipts and expenditures for the ten years beginning in 1911 and ending in 1919, at which time the Administrative Code Law went into effect and the Game Commission became a bureau in the Department of Agriculture:

It will be seen from the above table that $85,479.31 more fees were taken in than the amount expended. But that is only half the story. During this period the game department received none of the fees and little effort was made to enforce the buying of licenses. It is safe to say that several hundred thousand dollars more would have been collected if wardens had been placed in the field and fishermen and hunters checked to see if they; had the necessary license. Only three' deputies were at work throughout the entire state for all enforcement.

It was during this period of years that the legislature made specific appropriations for each activity of the Commission.

COMMISSION FIELD ACTIVITIES

Game birds from our state game farm in Madison County are now being released and to date 7,000 Pheasants have been placed on game reserves and in restocking areas set aside by the Game Commission where no shooting is permitted. Several thousand more are being released in those areas. All roads leading into restocked areas will be posted with yellow "No Hunting" signs. Watch for these signs and do not shoot in restocked areas.

Work is progressing nicely on the new dam near the Valentine Hatchery. This dam will not only make a nice park for the city of Valentine, but will furnish a badly-needed supply of water for the hatchery. The funds for the construction are being furnished by the WPA, while the supervision is under the Game Commission.

There are three projects the Commission is anxious to develop as soon as funds can be found. These are located at Dead Timber, Ravenna and Goose Lake where the state owns properties. Applications for WPA have been made for all these projects and at the present time are pending. Since the Commission does not have further funds available at the present time for such work, it is hoped that favorable action will be taken by the federal authorities.

Efforts are being made by a group of Gordon sportsmen, headed by Senator Allen Strong to bring back Shell Lake, located near the Cherry-Sheridan County line. This lake was one of the five bass lakes of western Nebraska at one time. It is located on state school land and a very small and inexpensive dam will refill it with water. Governor Cochran, the Board of Educational Lands and Funds and the Game Commission are all working together to find some means to bring this lake back to public use.

A recent survey of the deer and antelope population of Nebraska was made by conservation officers in whose districts these animals are found with the following results:

Sioux, Dawes and Sheridan Counties, 1,000 deer.

Box Butte and Sioux Counties, 400 antelope.

Brown, Rock, Holt, Keya Paha and Boyd Counties, 175 deer.

Cherry County, 360 deer.

Scotts Bluff, Banner, Morrill, Garden, Cheyenne, and Deuel Counties, 200 deer and 300 antelope.

Total estimated number of deer and antelope in Nebraska: 1,675 deer, and 700 antelope.

The annual sale of guns confiscated for game law violations was held on Saturday afternoon, September 17. 72 guns were sold at public auction, bringing $453.40.

The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, consisting of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and Interior, Senator Pittman and Representative McReynolds, has approved the acquisition by the U. S. Biological Survey of 133,184.66 acres of land in 34 migratory bird and upland game refuges. These refuges are located in New York, Texas, Virginia, Delaware, Utah, North Dakota, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Louisana, Maryland, Michigan, Wyoming, Florida, Missouri, Washington, Minnesota, Iowa, Mississippi, Georgia, and New Mexico.

Most of the lands were approved for acquisition to consolidate areas previously approved and to bring about the complete ownership of lands useful for refuge purposes. More than 46,000 acres in one Texas project also were approved for acquisition. This land will be administered as a complete unit. It is a favorite concentration place for migratory waterfowl, and also will prove a valuable sanctuary for upland game.

A special effort to stop game law violations this fall is being put forth by game law enforcement officers, and among the recent arrests and convictions are found the following:

KNOW YOUR DUCKS

Hunters contemplating shooting ducks this fall should start now to acquaint themselves with descriptions of the various species which will migrate across Nebraska during the annual southward flight. Federal regulations limit the killing of several species and hunters are urged to learn the identification of these birds.

Almost every public library has one or more books on birds and many contain color plates which are a great aid in learning identifications. A hunter should learn the flight characteristics, colors and sizes of the various species so they may (be identified on wing.

It is important that hunters learn to identify the woodduck, the killing of which is prohibited. This species is reported to be increasing in numbers and probably will be more numerous than usual during the hunting season. Other species which should be especially studied for identification are canvasback, redhead, bufflehead and ruddy, only three of which, either individually or in combination, may be killed in one day.

The following descriptions of the five ducks may aid hunters in identifying them:

WOOD DUCK—Male: Head crested; green, blue and purple with white stripes. Female: A white streak through and behind eyes; crown glossy purplish brown; back olive-brown glossed with greenish. (Usually its location will warn a man. Found on small streams, small ponds and marshy areas * * * has a peculiar whistling note that once heard is not forgotten * * * when in flight, has the peculiarity of turning its head from side to side in looking down. The female is difficult for some to detect )

BUFFLEHEAD (Butterball)—Male: Head blue, purple and green; a white band from eye to eye across nape. Female: A whitish patch on either side of head; throat and upper parts grayish brown; belly and speculum white. (The little bufflehead is the smallest of open water ducks. It usually has quite a bit of white on it. Distinguishing marks are its size, rapid wing beats, shortness of its wings, the amount of white on it, the white spot back of the eye. It is almost exclusively an open water duck and comes fairly late in the season.)

RUDDY—Tail feathers narrow and stiff; bill short and broad. Male: Cheeks white, cap black, back reddish brown. Female: A whitish streak through dusky cheeks; back grayish brown with fine buffy bars; belly silvery whitish. (The ruddy duck is a great diver * * * can be rowed up to on the water and will not flush until the very last minute * * * in fact, prefers to try to dive and get away, rather than to fly. In flight usually flies in flocks of three, four or not more than six, and usually skims just over the top of the waves. It is a duck that usually bunches together and is found among bluebills, canvasbacks, etc. Its distinguishing features are its little upturned bill, its short neck or bull neck, its fat, chunky body, and above all, its upturned tail not unlike that of a wren.)

CANVASBACK—Male: Feathers of entire head and upper neck (all around) dark reddish brown, obscured on the crown and in front of eye and throat by dusky; upper parts white very finely waved with narrow black zigzag bars. Female: Very similar to the female Redhead; head and neck more brownish without rufous shade but easily distinguished from that bird by the much longer and differently shaped bill. (The canvasback is a deepwater duck and one of the speediest on wing. It makes regular flights morning and evening and is constantly on the wing on windy days. The outline of the head of the canvas back with heavy "nose" and crown slanting back from base of the straight bill, gives a long-headed appearance and is a characteristic by which it may be separated from any other species at considerable distance.)

REDHEAD—Male: The entire head and the neck all around, rich pure chestnut with bronzy reflections; back white crossed with fine black wavy lines, the colors about equal in amount, producing a distinct silvery-gray shade; sides of body the same; lower neck and foreparts of body with rump and tail-coverts above and below, blackish; wing-coverts gray finely dotted with white; center line of body below, whitish; bill dull blue with a black band on end. Female: Head and upper neck dull brownish-red, fading to whiter on cheeks, chin and space behind eye; upper parts, brownish; breast and sides brownish, remainder of lower parts white. (Appearance similar to the canvasback but usually more numerous. Found mostly on larger bodies of water.)

DUCK HUNTING COSTS $500

Permitting illegal killing of wild ducks on the Koon Kreek Klub marshes, near Athens, Texas, has cost its secretary $500.

The club official recently pleaded guilty in a state court to the offense and paid the fine and costs. Cooperative investigations by federal and state game officers that extended over several months also disclosed that the club had baited ducks.

"If federal and state officers had notworked together on this case it is unlikely that either could have obtained a conviction," said R. D. Hildebrand, U. S. game management agent stationed at Forth Worth, Texas.

Another game law case in which federal and state officers cooperated has resulted in a 100-day jail sentence for William Nichols, Pacific County, Wash. The defendant was arraigned in a state court on a charge of possessing a quantity of elk meat in violation of a state law. He was fined $250 and costs and sentenced to 15 days in jail, but in defaulting the fine and costs the jail sentence was extended to 100 days.

W. E. Crouch, in charge of the game law enforcement activities of the U. S. Biological Survey, says these cases are examples of cooperation between state and federal officers.

"Our agents," he said, "often furnish state officers with evidence of violations of state game laws, and likewise state officers often assist in the apprehension of persons violating federal regulations governing the hunting of migratory birds. This kind of cooperation goes a long way in bringing about proper respect for state and federal game laws."

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

The following mimeographed leaflets and circulars of interest to the angler can be obtained upon application to the Bureau of Fisheries as long as the limited supply lasts:

The Black Basses (BB-11); Senses of Fish (1-125); Baits (1-55); Angling for Carp (1-103); Culture and Care of Minnows (1-16); Use of Earthworms (BB10); The Tarpon (1-18); Florida Fishes (1-54); The Striped Bass (1-124); Catfishes (1-64); Black Drum (1-95); Fresh Water Eels (1-49); List of Books on Angling (BB-1); State Fish Agencies (BB-2); Anglers' License Data (BB-3); Tabulation of States on Sale of Black Bass (BB-5); List of States having the Tourist License (BB-7).

Fishing Circular No. 1, "Sport Fishing in the Chesapeake Bay," Fishery Circular No. 13, "Sport Fishing in Alaska," and Fishery Circular No. 20, containing the Federal Black Bass Law, and a synopsis of the State fishing laws, covering seasons, limits, licenses, etc., can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C, at 5 cents each. The Superintendent of Documents will also furnish free, upon request, a list of publications of the Bureau of Fisheries. In nearly every large city there is a library which is a depository for all Bureau of Fisheries publications, where they may be seen on application.

Other Editors Say—

Under the pressure of public opinion the State Game Commission decided against reopening the hunting season on mourning doves this year. It was a notable victory for the folks who build bird baths, put up wren houses, sprinkle bread crumbs and bird seed in the back yard and tack up hunks of suet on the clothes-line posts in the winter.

There was no question about the dove's extinction. It is a migratory bird, hunted elsewhere, and under proper restrictions, apparently with no serious menace to the species. The chief point urged against the open season was that the dove ought not to be hunted because it is a song bird, although its call is more of a sob than a song, hence its name. The opening of a hunting season for robins or meadow larks could hardly have caused more indignation.

The Game Commission, supported by fees collected from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, is interested in the conservation of wild life, not so much from the hunter as for the hunter. It imposes regulations on the hunting this year so that there will be game to hunt next year and the year after. It might have continued the open dove season from year to year under conditions which would insure a continuation of the supply. Hunters either wanted that or were indifferent about it. But the public didn't and it made its protest emphatically known to the commission. The commission could hardly do other than to heed it.

With quail, grouse and prairie chicken under continuous protection this leaves the pheasant, an alien introduced solely for hunting purposes, as the only upland game bird available for Nebraska gunners. The cunning of this bird, its swiftness in flight, its ability to find cover or camouflage, its hardihood have enabled this bird to thrive in this state against the menace of hunters, climate and predators.—From Omaha World-Herald.

Nebraska anglers have fished in the cold, deep lakes of Minnesota. They have thrilled to the strike of the walleyed pike or the savage bass. They have traveled even to the deep sea fishing of the Gulf of Mexico, "because we have no game fishing in Nebraska."

What's that? Who said there is no game fishing here in Nebraska? Listen to this: Only last week, to be exact, the 15th of June, more fish in total pounds or in total numbers were taken from the Sutherland reservoir than are usually taken in a week of fishing in some of the best lakes in Minnesota or any other good resort country. And they were not just bullheads or catfish, they were bass, great northern pike, and wall-eyed pike, the thrill of the inland angler.

Far from being a fished out country Nebraska promises soon to be one of the leading meccas for the fisherman. With the creation of the new power projects several large areas of virgin fishing grounds will be created and thousands of acres of new fishing lakes will be available to the anglers of this and adjoining states. The State Game, Forestation and Parks Commission two years ago stocked the Sutherland reservoir near North Platte with a million northern and wall-eyed pike eggs. The commission traded canned carp for these eggs and the hatch was so far in advance of any hope or expectation that today, only two years from the stocking, anglers are telling the tales of the limit caught and of fish measuring up to twenty inches, and only two years old. Bass weighing up to nearly two pounds were taken in goodly numbers. These new Nebraska waters seem to have everything the fish needs. Food is abundant and spawning areas in the form of small shallow bays abound everywhere while deep cool water cares for the larger fish.

If the areas already stocked have done so well, what of the future possibilities of the greatest of all artificial lakes to be created in the state, the Keystone dam, now under construction between rocked walls of the North Platte west of the Sutherland project? True, the dream of the Nebraska fisherman seems destined to be fulfilled.—From Tecumseh Chieftain.

Eighteen beaver skins from South Dakota that eventually landed in Tientsin, China, cost Orvie L. Thorson of Scenic, S. D., a $200 fine and a 60-day suspended jail sentence. He recently pleaded guilty in Rapid City, S. D., to taking beaver in violation of a state law.

Investigation of the case began in 1937 when a Federal game-management agent in New York found five beaver skins listed in a fur invoice of a fur-dressing company. The skins had come from California. U. S. Biological Survey agents in that state were asked to investigate further, as beavers are protected in many states. They learned that Miss Ruth Crabtree, Glendale, Calif., a former South Dakota resident, had received the pelts from Thorson and had planned to use them in making a fur coat. After abandoning plans for making the coat, Miss Crabtree sold the pelts to a fur importer at Hollywood, Calif., who in turn sent five of them to i the New York fur dresser. Later all 18 ) pelts were sold by the importer to a resident of Tientsin, China. The Federal game-management agent in South Dakota and State Game and Fish Department | officials continued the investigation that brought about Thorson's conviction.

W. E. Crouch, in charge of the Survey's law enforcement activities, announced j that in view of the fine already imposed upon Thorson no action is planned against him for alleged violation of the Lacey Act, which makes it a Federal offense to ship interstate beaver hides taken illegally.

"Thorson's punishment," says Mr. I Crouch, "shows that State as well as Federal laws that help protect the beaver are not to be trifled with."

History of Game Department

In order to hire another deputy, or to buy a few fish eggs or print a map, the Governor would have to go to the legislature and get another appropriation. This necessarily delayed the work, permitted passing the buck to succeeding administrations and involved the department in politics. Outside of the three deputies in the field and the office at the capitol, practically all the rest of the appropriation was used for fish culture and propagation. It was still thought unnecessary to do anything for the birds of the state.

On August 2, 1919, the Civil Administrative Code went into effect and the second Commission was abolished and the department changed to one of five bureaus in the Department of Agriculture. Under this set-up the secretary of agriculture was at the head of the department and the department was known as "Division of Game and Fish." A chief, with very limited powers, was at the head of this division, and he acted as chief game warden.

In 1920 more deputy wardens were placed in the field and a determined effort made to enforce the law requiring the purchase of a license. This had immediate results and the sale increased each year.

We now come to that period of the department's history when it was a bureau in the department of agriculture. Had the several secretaries of agriculture been willing to use the money provided by the legislature then might the birds and the fish resources of the state been vastly improved and in better shape than they are today.

The following table shows the amount of fees collected, the amount appropriated and the amount expended:

•During 1923 and 1924 no printed report was made by the Department of Agriculture and the receipts for those years are estimated.

When the writer became chief warden in 1926, he found that while the legislature had been appropriating the fees (except 1923-1924) only a small amount had l been used. In the biennium of 1923 and | 1924 the department was placed on a in accumulated fees placed in the general fund in order to make a better showing on the property-tax levy.

From 1919 to 1926 $408,674.12 more fees were collected than expended. It was during this time in Nebraska's outdoor history when we were eating the geese that laid the golden eggs, and letting the outdoor resources of the state go to pot.

During the years up to 1926 no attempt was made to do anything in the way of propagation or distribution of game birds except in a very small way. Some of the chief wardens as far back as 1900 had introduced a few pheasants and other species, but they had been unable to get any considerable amount of money to carry on this work.

In a study of the expenditures from 1926 to 1929 we find the first real efforts to propagate game birds, or as a matter of fact, to put back into use the money the hunters and fishermen were paying each year. Let us look at the record:

In the year of 1926 there were 400 Hungarian partridges imported and distributed and 14,331 Ring-neck pheasants trapped in Sherman and Howard Counties, where they had increased rapidly from small plantings made in earlier years by the department and private parties, and placed in 49 other counties. During that year approximately $30,000 of the $108,480.05 expended went to better hunting conditions.

In 1927 and 1928 the greatest distribution of game birds in the history of the state was made. A total of 28,632 adult Ring-neck pheasants were trapped in four counties where they had become numerous and replanted in 77 other counties. A total of 800 Hungarian partridges were imported and planted on twenty-four protected areas. During 1927 approximately $40,000.00 of the expenditures were used for game and about $63,000.00 for fish resources and $40,000.00 for the purchase of additional areas for fishing and sanctuaries. In 1928 about $30,000.00 was spent for game bird propagation and protection, $67,000.00 for fish resources and $40,000.00 for purchase and improvement of lakes, sanctuaries and recreational areas.

In 1929 the present Game, Forestation and Parks Commission was authorized. The Nebraska Division of the Izaak Walton League had made a determined fight for several years to have the department removed from the department of agriculture, where it was under the direction of the secretary of agriculture, and allowed to spend all fees collected. This the legislature of that year did and they changed the laws to place the department in the hands of a commission. This commission was bi-partisan, consisted of five members, with the governor ex-officio chairman, and a chief game warden as ex-officio secretary. However, in 1935 the Governor recommended that he and the secretary be taken off the commission as ex-officio members and the five members permitted to select their own chairman and have a director. This change was made in the laws by the legislature. The old license was also abolished and a tax in lieu thereof provided.

During the years from 1929 to 1938 we find receipts and expenditures to be as follows:

It will be noted from the above table that during this nine-year period there was $92,434.05 more expended than the receipts. This was due to the fact that there was on hand $197,580.27 at the end of 1928 and this sum, minus what was used during the first four months of 1929 before the Commission took charge, was now available for the new Commission's use.

One of the first acts of the new Commission was to secure more lakes and sanctuaries. Approximately 85 per cent of the waters in the state were privately owned and there were few areas where birds could breed without molestation. Therefore the sum of $281,142.45 was spent from 1929 to 1937 for the acquisition of recreational areas and development and maintenance of the same.

Then the 1929 law provided that not to exceed ten per cent of the hunting and fishing receipts were to go for park maintenance. During the nine-year period $173,252.53 went for this purpose. However in 1937 the legislature changed the law and this ten per cent is no longer taken from the game fund.

The expenditures during this nine-year period, i.e. 1929 to 1937 inclusive, went for the following purposes:

In a study of these expenditures it will be noted that a considerable portion of the funds went for fish hatcheries, the purchase of fish and for salvage and distribution, while only a small amount was   12 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA spent for game propagation. Quite a number of hunters have objected to this, and perhaps rightfully so, since it is estimated that at least 35 per cent of permit buyers are hunters.

However, there were several reasons for this. The Commission was confronted by fixed charges on fish hatcheries as well as heavy demands for more fish. At that time the pheasant was increasing nicely in its natural state, and on the other hand the Hungarian partridges that had been introduced at a considerable expense, had showed very poor results, that did not warrant further expenditures. At that time there was no new bird that could be stocked and the pheasant was looking after himself in a very satisfactory manner.

In 1935 the plans of the Commission and the whole outlook of outdoor resources were changed by the continued financial depression and the drought. The pheasant could not hold his own under such adverse conditions. Many fine fishing lakes were dried up and eventually frozen out, thus ruining many fine bodies of water where a large number of bullhead catfish were being propagated for distribution in eastern and southern Nebraska. While the sale of permits did not drop off as much as might be expected, they did lessen some, particularly in 1934. The accumulated fees from other years, from which most of the recreational areas were purchased and developed, had been exhausted.

The result of all this was a rearrangement of expenditures insofar as possible. Likewise a much heavier demand was placed on the fish hatcheries, since the drought no longer permitted large numbers of fish to be raised in the natural state. It was also seen that more attention must be given to the pheasant, if good hunting was to be had each year. At this time the Chukar partridge was being introduced and it looked promising for Nebraska.

With these things in mind, and with the expectation that the parks would be taken care of from the general fund rather than from hunting and fishing fees, budgets were rearranged and during 1936, 1937 and 1938 we find them approximately as shown in table below.

It will be seen that in 1937 and 1938 a considerable sum is being expended on items that can correctly be charged to better hunting conditions.

At the present time the fees received amount to about $170,000.00 a year. All of this must be used very much as set out in the 1938 budget. This means that any expansion in the future will require more funds. It means that no more expenditures can be made for the purchase of lakes and recreational areas, and that the maintenance of those already owned must be held to present expenditures. It means that some means must be provided if Nebraska is to take advantage of the Pittman-Robertson Act which offers about $75,000.00 a year from federal funds if we match it with one-fourth, or $25,000.00. Most of the activities allowed under the proposed regulations governing this act call for activities which are not now being carried on by the Commission. To accept this money and initiate research and bird and animal restoration work means that some of the items now carried on must be curtailed or more funds provided. The future policies of the department must necessarily be based on income available.

WHO GETS THE FISH AND GAME?

In an effort to determine how much game and fish are taken each year, the Nebraska Game Commission used an application form which asked for a report on the previous year's bags.

Enough of these applications are now at hand to provide an interesting study for 1937.

While this study is only a cross-section of the applications, all of which will be tabulated in due course of time, it gives us some idea of what game and fish is taken and the number who get it.

We will take an average 100 permit holders. According to tests on many hundreds we find the average as follows:

Out of the 100 there were 15.2 who took only fish.

Out of the 100 there were 19.4 who took only game.

Out of the 100 there were 27.7 who took both fish and game.

Out of the 100 there were 37.7 who got neither fish nor game. Among these are those who did not hold a permit in 1937.

Now let us see what number of fish and I birds each of the lucky individuals took.

Those 15.2 individuals who got fish averaged 26 each.

Those 19.4 individuals who got game I birds or animals averaged 16 each.

Those 27.7 individuals who got both fish and game birds or animals averaged 35 fish and 22 birds or animals.

If we multiply the above figures by the I total number of permit holders, we get I results like this:

Number of fish taken in 1937 were:

At a later date Outdoor Nebraska will give a complete return on all applications.

BIRDS

There are more than 13,500 distinct species of birds living in the world today.

In North America (excluding Mexico) and Greenland there are about 1,200 kinds (species and subspecies) of birds now living, and in the rocks of the country there have been found the fossil remains of some 70 distinct kinds.

Of the living birds of North America over 400, about a third, are to be seen at some time or another during the year in Nebraska.

Among the 420 kinds (species and subspecies) of birds to be found in Nebraska ( are:

127 kinds of wildfowl, shore birds, gulls, i terns and other water birds.

10 kinds of Gallinaceous birds.

40 kinds of birds of prey.

14 kinds of cuckoos, kingfishers, goatsuckers, swifts and hummingbirds.

13 kinds of woodpeckers.

220 kinds of perching birds.

Perching birds largely outnumber the: other birds in all parts of the world, more than one-half of all the known birds belonging to this group.

The perching birds of Nebraska include:

67 kinds of the Sparrow family.

46 kinds of the Warbler family.

Million Dollar Upland Game Crop for Farmers

over the state that in 99 per cent of the cases, they would be glad to pay $2.50 for the combination hunting and fishing license.

If some such game plan is worked out and presented to the next legislature, it will produce a definite income for the farmer for the efforts he puts forth in raising a game crop. It would protect his rights as to trespassing and hunting privileges on his own land. It would also furnish the farmer with food supply for his own table that he can get, by shooting birds in season, off of his own farm. The farmer who does not want to participate in such a program is not forced to do so, yet the one who does, is protected and his rights are established.

I hope the farmers who read this article and are interested in the plan will write to the editor of the Nebraska Farmer and give us your ideas and suggestions

IKES HOLD ANNUAL MEET

The annual state convention of the Nebraska Division of the Izaak Walton League was held at Columbus, Nebraska, September 19 and 20.

A very interesting meeting was had, with some unusual sports programs.

Among the speakers were Otto C. Doering, National President, Chicago; Paul H. Roberts, Acting Director, Prairie States Forestry Project; John H. Frenchick, State President of Iowa; Bernie Maurek, Omaha Regional Director, Bureau of Biological Survey; L. C. Hawley, Missouri Valley Hunt Club, Omaha; Earl G. Maxwell, College of Agriculture, Lincoln; and Frank B. O'Connell, Lincoln.

Motion pictures, trap shoots, casting and dog trials were features of the sporting events.

Ward C. Betzer, Lincoln, was re-elected state president for his seventh term. Other officers elected or re-elected were:

Secretary-treasurer, Mildred Spann, Atkinson, Nebraska. Vice-president, Dwight Havens, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Vice-president, Colonel R. P. Glassburn, Omaha, Nebraska.

Vice-president, Vit Jelinek, Crete, Nebraska.

Vice-president, Frank Erady, Atkinson, Nebraska.

Vice-president, H. A. Fricke, Alliance, Nebraska.

Directors: M. W. Niehart, Nebraska City, Nebraska; C. A. Walton, Ashland, Nebraska; August Wunderling, Fremont, Nebraska; Charles M. Algermissen, Crete, Nebraska; C. E. Horn, Hay Springs, Nebraska.

SOUTH DAKOTA HUNTING REGULATIONS

Dates: October 1 to October 7, inclusive, from 12 o'clock noon until dark each day.

Counties: Aurora, Beadle, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Gregory, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, McPherson, Marshall, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Tripp, Turner, Todd, Union, Yankton, and that portion of Lyman lying south of the White River.

Bag Limit: 4 birds (not more than one of which may be a hen).

Possession Limit: 8 birds (not more than two of which may be hens).

Dates: October 22 to October 28, inclusive, from 12 o'clock noon until dark each day.

Counties: Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Charles Mix, Clark, Codington, Day, Deuel, Grant, Gregory, Hamlin, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Marshall, Miner, Moody, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Tripp, and that portion of Lyman lying south of the White River.

Bag Limit: 4 birds (not more than one of which may be a hen).

Possession Limit: 8 birds (not more than two of which may be hens).

Upon presentation of license, not to exceed 8 pheasant shipping tags may be purchased by each holder of a valid small game license (resident or non-resident) at 25 cents each, sold only in lots of 4.

25 pheasants, legally taken by licensee in accordance with daily bag limit, may be shipped or transported on non-resident license coupons, all of which birds may be had in possession at one time, provided Coupons A, B, C, D and E (part of non-resident license) are attached.

No pheasants may be shipped or transported unless the plumage and attached head of each bird so offered for shipment are exposed in such manner as to make possible the prompt identification of species and sex.

Dates: October 1 to October 7, inclusive, from 12 o'clock noon until dark each day.

Counties: Roberts and Marshall.

Bag Limit: 3 birds.

Possession Limit: 6 birds.

Hungarian partridges may not be held in possession longer than October 17, 1938.

No Hungarian partridges may be shipped or transported on either non-resident license shipping coupons or special resident license shipping coupons, unless the plumage and attached head of each bird are exposed in such manner as to make prompt identification possible.

Dates: November 1, 1938, to November 20, inclusive, 6 A.M. to 6 P.M. daily.

Counties: Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Meade and Pennington.

Bag Limit: One buck deer with two or more points to one antler.

Use of dogs in hunting deer prohibited. License must be returned to Game Department, Pierre, South Dakota, prior to December 10th, ONLY IN CASE DEER IS SECURED.

The fee for a non-resident is $15.00 for small game and $25.00 for deer.

Biennial Financial Report of Nebraska Game Commission

The following financial report covering receipts and expenditures of the Nebraska Game Commission has recently been made in a biennial report to the governor:

Beginning July 1, 1937, the State Parks were maintained by an appropriation from the general fund. A total of $6,935.99 was expended from this source from July 1, 1937, to December 31, 1937. Therefore the remainder of $172,973.32 was expenditures made from the game fund dees, commissions, sales, etc.).

1938-39 Regulations on Game, Fish and Fur-Bearers

THE FOLLOWING REGULATIONS are prescribed by the Game, Forestation and Parks Commission, State of Nebraska, in accordance with Sections 37-301, Compiled Statutes 1929, as amended by Session Laws 1937, L. B. No. 312, Serial No. 170, after due investigation and having due regard to the distribution, abundance, economic value, breeding habits, migratory habits and causes •of depletion or extermination of the same in such designated waters or areas and having due regard to the volume of hunting, trapping and fishing practiced therein and climatic, seasonal and other conditions affecting the protection, preservation and propagation of the same in such waters or areas, and are EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 15, 1938.

I HEREBY CERTIFY that these regulations have been fixed, prescribed and published according to law and that same have been placed on file in the office of the Commission and a certified copy thereof sent by registered mail to the clerk and sheriff of each county, the whole or part of which is affected thereby, not less than fifteen days before the taking effect of same.

The following open seasons, bag and possession limits, and areas are fixed, prescribed and published, effective Sept. 15, 1938:

* Ducks and geese are also protected by federal laws which contain certain regulations not found in the state regulations. Secure a copy of the federal laws for your information.

The daily bag of ducks must not contain more than three canvas-backs, redheads, buffleheads or ruddy, nor the possession at any time must not contain more than six of these species.

It is necessary to purchase a federal duck stamp to hunt migratory waterfowl. Secure this at your post office.

Where the entire state is open it does not include game farms, game reserves, sanctuaries or areas closed by any federal •or state laws or city ordinances.

Pheasant restocking areas for 1938 where no hunting is permitted are as follows: Sherman county, Howard county, Wayne county, Nemaha county, Johnson county, Pawnee County and Richardson county.

Platte River and North Platte River hunting is permissible only from 7:00 A.M. to noon each day of the open season. Exception—Scotts Bluff and Morrill counties and the South Platte River, regular prescribed hunting hours. North Platte River and 10 rods on each side in Garden county closed all hours.

* No more than one hen pheasant may be taken in any day or be possessed at any time.

* Trout may be taken from state-owned lakes (i. e. Fremont Sand Pits, Louisville Sand Pits, Rock Creek Lake) from April 1st to November 30th, but not more than five fish daily bag nor five fish in possession at any time. All fish caught must be kept and counted in bag.

It shall be unlawful except in the Missouri River under commercial permit to take a daily bag or have more than twentyfive (25) fish of all species in possession at any one time.

All fish caught that are under size or not to be kept as enumerated above, must be returned to the water from where taken at once and with as little injury as possible.

"Daily bag" means fish taken from midnight 'to midnight.

"Possession at any time" means fish in possession of person taking same at any and all times.

Carp, buffalo, suckers and other non-game fish may be taken at any time without limit on size, bag or possession.

The only legal method of taking fish is with hook and line, but carp, buffalo, suckers and non-game fish can be speared between sunrise and sunset from April 1st to December 1st.

The following open seasons, bag and possession limits, and areas are fixed, prescribed and published, effective Sept. 15, 1938:

SAFETY PAYS!

Each year during the hunting season a number of Nebraskans are killed or injured. Most of these accidents are caused by automobiles and firearms.

You owe it to your hunting companions and to your family to use the utmost caution in going to and from hunting fields and in the use of firearms.

Unload your gun when entering a vehicle; use care in getting through fences; watch out for livestock; never point your gun in the direction of any person.