Dear Fellow Sportsman

Fishing clubs, hunting clubs, county wildlife clubs, and just plain clubs. So what! if you happened to be fortunate enough or unfortante enought to be guest speaker at a few dozen of these clubs a very pertinent fact would eventually dawn upon your befudedled mind. Each and every wildlife club in Nebraska is build upon the same general principle, "creative wildlife conservation, productive of better outdoor recreational possibilities." And many of our local clubs are tryng in their own individual way to realize this goal. But what do we know of their activities? And what do they know of ours? Mighy darn little!

Why not, then, forget any personality frcitions or inter-club jealousies and realize that we are all anxious for the achieving of a common goal, and therefore arrange for a more unified understanding of sporting organizations in Nebraska.

Without subjugating any wildlife club in Nebrasak or decreasing its local prestige, one club could appoint representatives to meet with representatives of the Agricultural colleges, the Soil Conservation Service, the Conservation and Survey Division, and of our Department, for the purpose of exchanging ideas and program suggestions and, in some instances, work out unified projects that could be carried on over the State by local clubs, which when accomplished, would correlate into a State-wide achievement program of wildlife.

If such could be accomplished, individual clubs would have more workable projects; all clubs would be cognisent of each others activities; and all activities would result in a complet conservation picture for Nebraska, instead of an unsolved jigsaw. Think it over!

Very truly yours, Game, Forestation & Parks Commission Paul T. Gilbert Secretary

Nebraska's Fishery Supervisor, Glen Foster, and his men have accomplished a record in the production of the State's 1943 fish and 1944 fish. These men, with labor and materials unobtainable, have more than fulfilled their production quotas and are to be congratulated.

LAZY RIVER SOLILOQUY

Hmmmmm, warm spring, sun chasin' away winter's gremlins. Cool fresh green grass, the kind that makes you wish you were a ruminant. Warm clean mud oozin' between your toes when nobody's looking. A sentimental bobber, bobbing enticingly out there on water, cool water, that looks good enough to drink. Just good old fishing, cane pole fishin'. Seems kind of good for a change. Sure, later on I'll get out my flies and plugs and all the stuff that's supposed to impress the fish and the public, but right now I just want to sit and drowse and stretch. What a day! What a lake! What a life! What a—whoops! Got 'em! and sure enough what a fish! You beautiful, shimmering bundle of fightin' fun, I wonder if folks really realize the plans, the work and heartaches that we realize in helping good old mother nature produce just this kind of fishing fun. You know that reminds me of a bit of chatting I had the other day with the boys that do the actual producing of these fishing dreams.

Let's see now, there was Glen Poster, the man who has all the headaches pertinent to Nebraska's fish story, he's our Supervisor of Hatcheries and Salvage, then there's Jack Mendenhall, he's our number one man at Valentine Hatchery just northeast of Valentine, Nebraska. Mighty pretty spot too nestled in the heart of the pine-ridge bluffs with wonderful water direct from Minnechaduza Creek, pure white buildings scattered through the trees and so very many ponds teeming with fish of all sizes, but more about that later. Then there's Ed Lake the daddy of our new fish hatchery at North Platte. Ed is in charge of developing a hatchery right in the heart of our new reservoir country and nothing but walleyes by the millions. Sure it will be tough on Minnesota (we hope) but after all there is no place like Nebraska for Nebraskans. And say, you should know Prank Weiss at Rock Creek, Hatchery. He has a beautiful hatchery, right in the heart of the prairie, fed by Nebraska's biggest natural spring; 8.25 C. P. S. of crystal clear water always 58° Centigrade. Away down east, Gerhard Lenz guides the destiny of Nebraska's oldest hatchery just south of Gretna on the Platte River. Everything from aquariums to picnic areas and catfish, well more about that later.

We were just a sittin' a chattin' but you should have been there. The things these boys are thinking up to improve the growth on their fish before they are stocked. Jack was describing "a natural" for feeding those little white specks which will some day be an adult fish.

"I've never seen anything like it," Jack said, "our output in some ponds jumped as much as 40 percent. I call them my fish harbors. We build them out of large piles of brush so arranged that they stick out of the water about 2 feet. Then we place 2 tubs of wellbedded cow manure on each pile, (sheep manure would really be a little better) letting the edges of the manure droop into the water. Then as the brush settles it will always have fresh manure dropping into the water. Daphnia, which is a little animal baby fish love to eat,   Outdoor Nebraska—Spring, 1944 5 breed by the millions on this manure and the settling of the brush also creates an additional automatic insect breeder, the brush acting as a harbor for the young fish as well." The men all approve this idea of producing more feed for moie fish.

And then Gerhard threw in a good one for the records. "We have been trying out an idea that is working well. In fact, it is being used on some of our State lakes. We drain our ponds in the fall and plant them in rye. By spring when we fill the ponds again the rye is about a foot high. This method is very successful as the decayed green rye creates an abundance of aquatic life at the right time to start our fry or baby fish well on their way to be fingerlings. Then we substitute it with a diet of minnows, crayfish and grasshoppers and the fingerlings are soon on their way to be fishing fun for someone."

We have some other experiences the men are working on, I mean experiments, but say speaking of experiences that reminds me of one Jack told me just to show that the life of a fish hatchery man is not a bed of roses. It seems Jack was on the Platte River seining minnows for fish food, but let's let Jack tell it in his own words.

"One of the boys and I had pulled our boat upon a sandbar in the center of the river and walked about a quarter of a mile to some toeheads where we expected to seine. Unknown to us there had been a terrific cloud burst on the Elkhorn and a log gorge coming down suddenly raised the river about 2 feet in 30 minutes. When we first noticed this the water was coming in a wall over the bar at our feet. We tried to reach our boat but arrived too late. It had washed on down with the tide. My partner Steve couldn't swim so I left him in the most shallow water I could find and I started swimming for the bank landing about one-half mile down the river. I tried to get help from an old quarry but all of the men refused to enter the river as it looked too dangerous. I then phoned to South Bend for Fred Wagner and he came up on a gas car. We then tore down about a hundred yards of telephone wire which we finally were able to work out to Steve. After tying it securely, one of us would ' sWUji- with the other end until w e crossed the channel then with the help of the man who stayed with Steve we gradually got him ferried across and about 4 hours later landed thankful but tired."

Ah well, such is the life of a fish monger, but we were talking about experiments. Probably one of the most important and certainly the most radical is one that if it works out will have many a neighboring State eyeing us with envy.

In the past stocking programs, large numbers of fish were stocked but many were either fry or fingerlings. Some of these will survive the trials and tribulations of a baby fish and reach maturity but oh so many more will end up in the stomach of some larger fish. So naturally the wish follows that it would be Utopia to stock legal size fish. They would then stay where they were stocked until caught by some fortunate fisherman. This will mean holding our fingerlings over one extra season as well   6 Outdoor Nebraska—Spring, 1944 as greatly increased pond area for holding such fish. Primary results are beginning to sift in and Prank reports as follows: "The fall of 1942 we experimented on the holding over of a few thousand bullheads and bluegills to be planted out in the fall of 1943. These fish more than doubled their size and with very small loss of fish." Frank adds: "Prom the 1943 production we are holding over several thousand black bass, bluegill and bullheads. These larger fish planted in our streams will survive much better than the small fish and will be less prey to larger fish and fish eating birds."

Jack is working on another interesting experiment, namely, the rearing of white or albino bullheads. He is going to try to find a virgin lake in Nebraska for his white bullheads where people can go and have the rare experience of catching a white fish.

Other states scan Nebraska with a wishful eye because of our ability to hatch and rear catfish successfully. Nebraska is one of the few States that has accomplished this work and the success seems due to the use of muddy water from the Platte River which is used in the hatch houses at our Gretna Hatchery. Gerhard Lenz seines his spawners from the nearby Platte River and places the adult fish in specially prepared spawning ponds. Nail kegs bedded with sand are used as nests and here the female lays her eggs. The eggs are held together in a gelatinous mass averaging about 9 oz. and about 700 eggs per oz. These eggs are gathered twice daily and transferred to troughs through which runs a mixture of river and spring water where they are hatched artificially by automatic agitation, hatching in about 7 to 9 days. The baby fry are immediately transferred to feeding troughs where they are held 3 days before they are fed, giving the tiny fish time to absorb the yolk sac which clings to them for this period. Their first feed is composed of powdered skim milk, powdered egg yolk and cod liver oil and is used for about 3 weeks. They are then transferred to culture ponds where they are fed powdered skim milk, meat scraps and ground coarse fish. Last year 10,000 fingerlings were produced out of 12,000 fry in this manner.

If you think these men at our State Hatcheries are not providing expendable fish for Nebraska's recreation, let us take a glimpse at our production figures at our various hatcheries the past year. Frank Weiss at Rock Creek this year has hatched half a million trout eggs. The production on this particular fish is being reduced due to the impossibility of obtaining feed but in 1942 over 125,000 legal size trout were produced and several hundred thousand black bass, bluegills, crappie and bullheads will be ready to stock from this hatchery this fall. At Gretna, Gerhard Lenz produced around   Outdoor Nebraska—Spring, 1944 7 665,000 crappie, bass, trout, pike, bullheads and catfish. While at Valentine, Jack Mendenhall has turned the production crank for a total of approximately one million warm water fish and 200,000 trout fry and fingerlings. "These production figures are especially commendable when it is realized that these fish were produced with a minimum amount of man labor available. In-many cases, wives and children of these men had to be called into action during especially busy days.

No fish have been produced as yet at North Platte as this hatchery is still in the developmental stages. The Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission realizing the extent of Nebraska's new irrigation system saw the need for production in mass quantities of one of our most gamey game fish, the walleyed pike, and this hatchery is being built with the aim of producing millions of walleyes each year. The ponds are nearly completed, in fact, Ed Lake was just mentioning the other day, "By early spring 9 ponds will be available in all, each one 184 feet wide and 285 feet long with separate water supply to each obtained from the North Platte Reservoir through the cooperation of the Platte Valley Public Power and Irrigation District officials. The hatchery house is not complete as yet but eggs this year will be hatched in temporary buildings provided to hold the large glass jars in which the eggs are hatched. Three million eggs will be hatched this spring. The first month or two the fish will live on acquatic insects and later a heavier diet of minnows; the production of which will be no small job in itself, as it takes 1,800 to 3,000 minnows to raise a walleyed pike to 3 years of age." Mr. Lake hopes to raise his own minnows in small ponds being developed in this area. The biggest problem at North Platte will be the segregation of the young pike as there is nothing a young pike loves any more than a young pike and they have often been seen forming a complete circle of 3 or 4 fish, each one trying to swallow the other one. However, by constant grading operations the fish can be kept in ponds containing the same size fish thereby avoiding this cannibalism. Hatchery specialists from the Fish and Wildlife Service indicate that the possibilities for this hatchery are unusually good and predict it will be one of the finest in the middlewest.

Visitors at these hatcheries will find they are ever welcome and a hatchery attendant will be present at all times to explain the mechanics of the rearing of the fish at that hatchery. Nebraska's fish production is further increased by the splendid cooperation of the Federal Fish Hatchery at Crawford, Nebraska

THE JUVENILE AND THE OUTDOORS

There is no chemistry by which law violations can be neutralized by law enforcement so as to produce a good citizen. The policeman's club, with its "thou shall" and "thou shall not," cannot provide a desire to observe the rules of organized society. That must find its source elsewhere. The will to live right must come from within the youngster. I agree with those who hold that the problem of juvenile delinquency often originates with the parents, and can be better solved by the parents' aid.

I have a notion that the first step of a father in producing a good citizen is to make reasonably certain that the mother has those physical, mental and spiritual qualities that will cause her to nurture, care for and inspire her children to right living.

The next step is for the father so to live that he may, by example, and not by precept, set the standards by which his children may measure the proper conduct of their lives.

Then there comes the study of a child to find out those changing things in which he has a controlling interest, and then keep him everlastingly busy at them. It may be a hobby, good books, athletics, music. It may be outdoor things such as snakes or stones, birds or berries, flowers or fish, artichokes or artifacts, bugs or bindweed, trees or toads, ducks or dirt. Whatever the interest may be, the outdoors presents the laboratory where father, mother and child may pursue those things in which the "kid" has a controlling interest, and where "dad" and "mom" may guide and share.

There inevitably will come the time when the youngster must ask the personal questions about life and its relationships. What better place to ask and answer could be had than the seclusion of some outdoor temple? Possibly that sanctuary may be on the bank of a stream where fish sometimes bite, in a duck blind, or on an old Indian camp ground. Possibly, it may come while studying the ways of a flower or an animal, or the higher law which makes natural things as they are. Wherever or whenever it comes, the questions will be asked and must be answered.

Where the attitude of the father and mother is right, the doing of these things together will help toward a better citizenship, the development of the natural, good qualities that inhere in every person, and they are fun besides!

Fish-Fur-Fun in Nebraska

The Game Commission depends entirely upon the sale of permits as their source of income to be allocated again to the development of the various forms of fishing and hunting pleasures throughout the State. The degree of growth of these types of recreation is in proportion to the licenses sold. The record for the past ten years is encouraging. In 1934, the Department's total income was $153,730.11, as compared with the 1943 total income of $298,940.61. More permit sales means more fish, more birds, and more recreational areas. See Map 3 for License Sales by Counties.

In spite of discouraging wartime restrictions, the Commission's fishery division has been able to produce well over five million fish from Nebraska waters in 1943. The map at the left shows how completely these fish were distributed, despite transportation difficulties. Individual fish applications where anyone is permitted to fish, were filled by this Department. Private ponds were stocked by federal fish and delivered by State employees. See Map 1 for Fish Stocked by the Commission.

The greater part of Nebraska's game bird production at the Commission's two game farms was placed in eastern Nebraska in an attempt to provide some hunting pleasure for those individuals located in well-populated areas who found it impossible to travel any distance to realize a little hunting because of wartime restrictions. Fremont, Lincoln and Omaha areas were especially well stocked with these birds. The map at the left gives total birds stocked, which includes pheasant, quail, and chukar partridge. See Map 2 for Game Birds Stocked by Counties.

Your Dollars Worth from Hunting and Fishing 1943 Report Exclusive parks

Nebraska's Gastronomic Underworld

Deep in the inner sanctums of some Nebraskans lies a silent, shifting, subversive group. Stool-pigeons of a gastronomic underworld, who like a corrupt political boss become fat and greedy over ill-gotten gains. Our alimentary gangsters slip into the doldrums of the perpetual nite that surrounds them with such lassitude and complete abandon, that they lose all vestiges of any means of locomotion. For who wants to go anywhere when they are perfectly happy where they are. Thus our lodgers of lower Villi Street are without locomotion for the most part. Eyes ? No eyes. There is nothing to see in the permanent black-out that is ever in effect in our lower cecal tunnels.

Thus we greet our doubtful friends as they lavishly bathe in the nutritious river that surrounds them. The first character we shall visit is a veritable dragon in length; but, like the proverbial ostrich, spends most of its time with its head buried deeply in the folds of what is, intestinally speaking, youv Anchored securely by a crown of double hooks aided by a ring of suckers, the head of our adversary the tapeworm is most securely rooted in our unfortunate intestine; and try as you may, you may break off its body, or pull it in shreds, but allow the beggar his head-way, so to speak, and he will soon produce a new body. Did we say he? Well, not exactly, for the love-life of a tapeworm is entirely a matter of self-esteem; for bound up in the pale band-like body of this creature lies both prerequisites for an amourous existence. Digestive apparatus? It has none; for why bother with digestion when your food is sent down to you pre-digested? Work? Well, with food and relaxation ever at hand and courtship a matter entirely of the mind, which the tapeworm doesn't have, life resolves itself into the laying of eggladen cases by the thousands, to be sent on and out to the surrounding world. Then begins a series of experiences in the life of a youthful tapeworm that staggers even the powers of fable's magic wand. For before the lowly egg, deposited with unused body intake, can become a full-fledged tapeworm, it must run a gauntlet of circumstances which will reduce its chances for survival to a minimum.

For example, there is one tapeworm with a name as long as your arm, which lives as an adult in man, bear, fox, and other fish-eaters. In our fisherman friend, it lives as a happy parasite, if parasites could be happy, and reaches the length of around thirty feet without stretching much. This long pale ribbon gradually breaks off rear sections of its body which are filled with eggs, as new sections are developed full of sexual organs at the opposite end. Millions of eggs are thus produced and they pass out of our fisherman friend with the what-have-you that his digestion was unable to use. If the eggs are fortunate enough and fall in water, their development continues; but if fate or the fisherman deposits them on land, their prospects for future activities end.

Should the egg fall in water, it hatches into a free-swimming organism that looks nothing like the adult, being only kneehigh to a pin point. If this little fellow had nervous system enough, which he hasn't, we could say he looks as though he were looking for something. Actually, mother nature is letting him bask in the sunlight of his temporary freedom until a small water flea - like animal about the size of a pinhead comes along and gobbles up our new hatched baby. If the water flea does not come along our baby is doomed to die unheralded and unsung, as far as ever achieving adult tapewormhood is concerned. However, if chance does place the infant tapeworm in the gullet of a water flea, it does not end up a juicy tidbit as the flea had intended. But rather it pulls a Jekyll and Hyde and turns into a very different organism from either of the two mentioned above. Here an elongated form develops which is doomed to lie as a chained princess in a witch's castle until the right prince comes along to break the spell and free her from the enchantment. The prince in this case is a fish, who, eying the water flea as a delectable morsel, swallows it and unknowingly speeds the youthful tapeworm on its long life cycle. In the deeper darkness of the unsuspecting fish, the water flea becomes nutritious   Outdoor Nebraska—Spring, 1944 15 juice; and the youthful tapeworm, free of its bonds, digs into the soft body of the fish.

Once again the tapeworm comes under a spell of inactivity which can be broken only by some fortunate, or unfortunate, fisheater's catching the unsuspecting fish having the expectant adolescent worm. If the fish is not sufficiently cooked and the worm, therefore, not reduced to its least common denominator by heat; it will revel in the luxury of finally achieving the eternal hope of all tapeworms, if tapeworms could hope, namely that of achieving adulthood after a long and treacherous childhood. And before long the unsuspecting fisherman would have a fine example of tapeworm, obtained from an unsuspecting fish which ate an unsuspecting flea, which ate a little something it shouldn't have, which was placed there by a fisherman who didn't know it.

This tapeworm, common in some of our more northern fishing states, is not so common in Nebraska. So fishermen need not put away their tackle in fear. In fact, even if it is contacted in fish, thorough cooking kills it, and it becomes just that much more extra heat.

Other kinds of tapeworms may be found in almost any animal. And oftentimes people find them in the.digestive organs when cleaning fish or game, and discard the carcass. This is most wasteful, as the "tape" that reaches adulthood in the fish or the bird can not develop in human beings. And, again, thorough cooking takes care of it anyway. Man can obtain different kinds of tapeworms from beef and pork, in which animals the worms are found in small cysts awaiting digestion by some person who enjoys very rare, poorly cooked, or even raw beef or pork.

Perhaps you hunters have been disturbed by the passage of worms from your favorite hunting dog. This is still a different kind of tapeworm quite common in dogs and is easily remedied by a good evacuation by use of a good commercial worm medicine or a veterinarian's prescription. Puppies are especially susceptible. In this instance, our little life's journey for the "tape" is shortened a bit, and its chances of survival much better. Here the intermediate host is the lowly dog flea and the final host the dog. By "host" we mean the certain animal in which the parasite happens to find itself. Usually it is an unsuspecting host and the parasite is the uninvited guest. The dog, of course, being in contact with other dogs, as dogs are, gets other dog's fleas which may be infected with the tapeworm larvae. The flea bites dog, dog bites flea, swallows, and soon an adult tapeworm forms. Eggs pass with the wastes from the dog. Some cling to the fur or come in contact with another dog. Uninfected fleas inadvertently feed on the eggs of the tapeworm. And the vicious circle is again started. Moral: Worm your dog occasionally but first give him a good de-fleaing.

Another common tapeworm found in dogs has its intermediate stage in the tissues of the rabbit, in which animal large bladder-like cysts develop, causing what is commonly known on the Prairie as "lumpy rabbits." Perhaps in your cleaning of other game, in rare instances you may note little white specks through the muscles. These may be the resting stages of some one of the many kinds of tapeworms or some other group of parasites. A near relation to the "tapes", or segmented flatworms, are the round worms, such as are occasionally passed by hogs or horses. The intermediate stage of some of these intestinal round worms may be found flecked through the muscle of edible meat. Again, just cook well before using. In the case of domestic meat, look for the blue stamp, "U. S. Government Inspected".

Another little bugger that causes worry to hunters, in fact so little that it just can't be seen without a microscope, is an organism remotely removed from the groups discussed above. This organism causes the very serious disease, Tularemia. This blood disease is contracted from rabbits (usually in the cleaning of the rabbit), from rabbit ticks, or even from deer flies. Rubber gloves have been suggested as one means of protection when cleaning rabbits, but actually there isn't a hunter who hasn't at some time splashed rabbit blood on himself or his clothing while hunting.

Cases of this disease are rather rare and serve little cause for worry; but if a hunter desires to protect himself as much as possible, just don't handle rabbits until after the first good freeze. Yeatter and Thompson of the Illinois Natural History Survey show the following relationship of human tularemia rates to weather:

Other diseases and parasites may be obtained from ticks, fleas, mosquitos, and flies; but the relative proportion of cases is not high enough to cause much worry during that proposed hunting or fishing trip. Just keep a few pointers in mind and your chances of infection will be far less than from hunting or fishing accidents.

1. Cook all game, in fact all meat, thoroughly.

2. Keep all pets as clean and free from vermine as possible.

3. Use insect repellants, netting, and long sleeved clothing when out camping.

4. Keep food in air-tight containers.

5. Confine your handling of furs, when possible, to winter weather.

6. Keep a good anticeptic handy for bites, cuts, and scratches. And don't be afraid to use it generously.

7. Don't worry, just be careful, forget the office or the job, and enjoy your sporting pleasures to the fullest extent.

LAZY RIVER SOLILOQUY

managed by E. D. Mason and supervised by C. F. Culler, Regional Supervisor of Fish Culture of the Fish and Wildlife Service. The major part of the production of this large Federal Hatchery goes into private ponds and lakes and rivers of Nebraska through the generous cooperation of Mr. Culler and his assistants.

And so back to my fishing and snoozing; these fish sure are interesting and entertaining, but not any more so than the story of how they come to be here. Ah well, happy fishin' folks, and don't forget "Fishing For Food Is Fun"

Club Activities

Here are a few of the activities that this editor has noted in a birdseye view of the State. We will be glad to publish descriptions and even pictures of club projects as they occur over the State. Send them in.

This group is the first of the wildlife groups to go all out 100% in the sales of subscriptions for the Commission's publication, OUTDOOR NEBRASKA. Every member will now be acquainted with the Commission's activities and will learn much regarding conservation from this publication.

This is the second of the wildlife clubs to follow the "Read OUTDOOR NEBRASKA Campaign". We will be glad to have a letter from Grand Island regarding their activities.

This Association, in conjunction with the North Platte Chamber of Commerce, Prairie Lake Boat Club, North Platte Better Fishing Association, The Mill Isle Boat Club, Elks Club, Lions Club and some railroad organizations, have all joined hands to raise funds in the amount of $2,700 for the purchase of an electric fish screen to be used at the outlet of the regulating reservoir at North Platte. This is one of the finest club activities that we have heard of lately, as it will ensure the maintaining, within the North Platte Reservoir, of the fish that are stocked there by the Commission. And it will stop completely any fish loss through the outlet. Nice going North Platte.

This group has purchased a beautiful lake with surrounding grounds and has constructed a beautiful cabin for club meetings. As a result of having such an active program, they have greatly increased their membership. Moral—A busy member is an active member.

Hundreds of youngsters received prizes as well as a lot of fun at a recent fishing contest sponsored by this group. This contest is used as a method of instructing the youngsters in kinds and sizes of hooks to be used as well as methods of handling fish.

CARL S. HORN LEAVES COMMISSION

The outgoing Commissioner for 1943 was Carl S. Horn who had served on the Commission since 1939 at which time he received his appointment by Governor Cochran. Mr. Horn was one of Nebraska's most conscientious and faithful members of the Commission and accomplished a great deal in the development of the Department during his chairmanship. Mr. Horn's home is at Hay Springs where he is president of the Horn & Morgan Real Estate Company, local telephone company and theatre. Mr. Horn is prominent in national dairy and agricultural organizations. Future Commissions will always be assured of having an ardent aide in Mr. Carl Horn at Hay Springs.

CROW BOMBING

The Nebraska Game Commission tried their first crow bombing in recent years at Superior, Nebraska, last February. The site chosen for the experiment was a large grove just southeast of the Superior Cement Company, the employees of which company cooperated in the obtaining of materials. Conservation Officers Harold Miner of Allen, Nebraska, and Bernard Schoenrock of Grand Island did the actual dynamiting and setting of bombs.

A hundred and sixty bombs were used, each bomb being constructed of a teninch mailing tube sealed at both ends and filled with No. 4 lead shot and a charge of dynamite. These bombs were suspended from branches of trees throughout the growth, and were connected in series by means of a relatively new discharging device known as prima cord which sets off the entire series instantaneously.

Towards midnight the men skirted the area to be bombed, driving the crows into a more restricted area. At midnight the bombs were touched off by Officer Miner. The explosion from so many bombs was not as great as anticipated, the dense growth of trees deadening the effect. Immediately after the bombing, the roost was given a complete investigation by Commission Secretary, Mr. Gilbert, and several other Conservation Officers, who spent the next two hours clubbing any crows that had not been killed by the explosion. In many places the ground was literally black with dead crows.

The next morning, after counting certain portions of the area, a reasonably close estimate of twenty thousand dead crows was made by representatives present. This, figured in terms of pheasant and duck eggs and young saved, means a considerable contribution to wildlife propagation. If materials are available next winter, further work of this type may be attempted.

APOLOGIES

We are very sorry that all those nice people who subscribed to this magazine this spring have had to wait so long for this Spring Issue, but labor difficulties held up the production of the cuts. We have been assured that further work for this publication can and will be handled immediately. You may look for your next issue in late July or early August.

Junior Conservationist

Show Dad How to Catch and Cook a Carp

Carp can be found in almost every stream or lake in the State and you should not have to go far to find some.

If there is shallow muddy water near where the carp like to work in during hot summer days where you can see them, it is great sport to spear them with a fish spear or a pitch fork. If you do this, you should be careful to spear only carp as it is not allowed to spear game fish. You should also be sure that the season is open for spearing which is from April 1 to December 31 this year, also have a permit.

If you have deep water near and like to sit on the bank or in a boat to fish, there are several things you can use for bait that the carp like. Carp have been caught on worms, grubs, grasshoppers or pieces of fresh meat but the best bait I know of is dough balls. To make these get some wheat flour or use bread crumbs and mix with water to make a thick tough paste that can be worked with your hands. A little honey or sugar should be thoroughly mixed in. Then to make the dough balls stay together better and stay on your hook get a little cotton and mix in small pieces with the dough. If you want it a little better yet, mix in a little ground or mashed up white or bleached meat such as pork or veal scraps. If meat is used, the dough balls should be kept fresh in a cool place or used at once as they will soon spoil in warm weather. The dough balls make good bait without using meat if it is not handy. Roll the dough into balls that will fit well on a number 5 or 6 hook.

Carp are harder to catch than some game fish but about the best method of catching them with hook and line is as follows: Use a medium sized line— clouded if possible—with a light float about No. 4. Put a good sized shot or sinker about 6 inches from the hook. Measure the depth of the water you plan to fish and then arrange the float so that the sinker will just rest on the bottom without slack in the line. If fishing from a bank, set the pole in the bank and keep perfectly quiet. When you get a bite do not strike until the float starts to move away. The bigger fish are, of course, harder to catch but make the best size for smoking. The smaller size fish can be fried, pickeled or fixed in a lot of different ways. Any of you who are interested in different ways to cook carp should write to me and I'll send you a booklet about cooking all kinds of fish.

Large carp can be prepared for frying so that no bones will be found when ready to eat.

The fish is first fleeced or scaled, then with a sharp knife cut down through the flesh just behind the head, then cut along the full length of the back on one side of the dorsal fin to the bone. The knife should then be turned flat and the flesh cut from the rib bones. The entire side is lifted off the fish. Turn the fish over and loosen the flesh from the other side in the same manner. This removes all the good flesh from the fish and the rest can be thrown away. The two fillets are then laid with the skin side down and scored along the upper half or thick   20 Outdoor Nebraska—Spring, 1944 half of the fillet. Make the cuts from % to % inch apart and % through the fillet. The cuts are made only down about half or % of the length of the fillet starting at the head as that is the only area that contains fine bones. The fillets are then fried in fairly deep fat and the hot fat will crystalize the small bones so they cannot be noticed when eating them.

If you do not have a small smoke house in your back yard, you are missing a great deal of fun and if you like fish at all you will surely not be without one after tasting the fine flavor of a well smoked fish. Smoking fish is very inexpensive and can be done by anyone. Carp especially are fine for smoking and have an extremely appetizing taste.

A smoke house is easily made for small lots of fish from a large barrel by knocking out both ends or by building a rough box 4 feet long by 2 feet wide by 4 feet high. The bottom should be open and it should have a loose lid on top. Wooden strips are nailed on the inside to hold wire or wood racks on which the fish are laid. One inch chicken wire is fine for a rack. Two racks can be placed in the house about 8-10 inches apart and about 2 or 3 feet above the bottom.

The smoke house is now placed over a pit dug in the ground about 2 feet deep and a little narrower than the barrel or box. A hole is dug from the pit to the outside of the box so the fire can be fed without moving the box. A steel plate or tincan be placed over the pit to keep any flame from hitting the fish.

Any non-resinous wood can be used for fuel that will make a good smudge. Don't use any pine woods as it will flavor the meat. Oak, hickory, willow, corn cobs, hardwood sawdust or bark, etc., are all good fuel. Dead fruit tree limbs are especially good sometimes giving a fine flavor to the fish. The fire should not be allowed to burn but only smoke and smolder. After the fire has been well started the fish are laid skin side down on the racks and the lid placed on the smoke house. The fire is kept going steadily for about 8 hours for smaller fish or longer for large ones. The fish can be tested and sampled at intervals to see how near they are done. After you do the job once you will know just what to do and how long to smoke the different size fish and you will improve each time.

Sportsman Widow

1. A sharp knife with a stiff, narrow blade about 6 inches long is best for scaling or "fleecing" a fish.

2. Hold the fish by the tail and slice off the scales by moving the knife in a sawing motion toward the head. There will be about 3 strips of scales on each side. This removes the scales and dark skin and leaves a clean white skin.

3. Cut the flesh to the bone around the head and twist the head off. Cut off the tail.

4. Split the fish down the back the full length on one side of the dorsal fin through therib bones leaving the fish in one piece and clean and wash out all ciscera and blood. If the fish is big the back bone can be cut out completely by cutting along both sides of the dorsal fin.

5. After washing thoroughly place the fish in salt brine made in the proportions of 1 cup of salt to a gallon of water and leave for 30 minutes. Then wash in fresh water and drain for a few minutes.

6. Each piece of fish is then dropped into a pan or box of fine salt and covered thoroughly. The fish are removed with as much salt left on as will cling to them and packed in layers in a box or pan. They are left packed over night or about 10 hours if very large fish. If small fish, 4 or 5 hours will do.

7. Rinse the fish thoroughly in fresh water three or four times to remove all salt and then hang up to dry in a shady place where the air can reach theni. Leave them for an hour or two until a thin skin is formed on the surface and they are then ready to be smoked.

Tartar sauce is most popular for serving with deep fried fish, oysters, and scallops.

(Used mainly for carp and buffalo)

Scale fish, but do not skin, and cut in desired lengths (pieces that go in a quart jar easily). Put in crock and cover with half vinegar and water. Let stand overnight.

In the morning put three cups of vinegar, five or six slices of lemon, salt, pepper and a teaspoon of mixed spices in a kettle and let boil for a few minutes.

Put four or five pieces of fish into the boiling mixture and let heat thoroughly but not until too well done. Place in jar along with five or six slices of raw onion. Then put some more fish into the vinegar and after you have heated all the fish, pour over the boiling vinegar, enough to cover. Add as many onions as you wish. Let stand until cold. Then place in refrigerator until it congeals.

Creole sauce, especially popular in the southern States, is used principally for baked fish.

Place the butter, onion, pepper, and garlic in a saucepan and cook about 10 minutes or until tender. Then add tomato and seasoning; cook for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

The clear meat of various kinds of seafood, cut if necessary into slices about 34 inch thick, may be simmered in this sauce for about 10 minutes and served.

Lemon butter is used especially on broiled, planked, and baked fish.

FISH HATCHERY - NORTH PLATTE

FISHING REGULATIONS