2 Outdoor Nebraska—1947

Mr. Frank J. Brady was appointed by Governor Peterson to serve a five-year term as a member of the Game Commission. Mr. Brady has been very active in wildlife organizations, having served as State President of the Izaak Walton League for five years, and was serving in that capacity at the time the Nebraska Legislature passed the bill creating the Game, Forestation, and Parks Commission. He was serving as a member of the legislature at that time, and instrumental in getting this important bill passed. Mr. Brady was a member of the last session of the Bi-cameral legislature, and was chairman of the Appropriations Committee the first two sessions of the Unicameral legislature.

Mr. Brady was appointed Tax Commissioner by Governor Griswold and served in this capacity for two years and four months. At present Mr. Brady resides at Atkinson where he owns and operates a feed business.

Judge Smith once held the distinction of being the youngest judge in the United States when he was elected County Judge of Franklin County in 1936 at the age of 24. He was appointed by Governor Peterson to serve two years as a member of the Game Commission. A native of Kansas, Judge Smith moved to Nebraska with his parents at the age of five, and has lived in Franklin County ever since. He graduated from Nebraska University with an A.B. degree in 1935, and received the degree of L.L.B from the College of Law in 1936.

Judge Smith has had a lifetime interest in hunting and fishing, and has been active in wildlife organizations such as the Franklin Gun Club. In 1940-1941 he was one of the sponsors of a pheasant-rearing cooperative, later was president of the Franklin County Fish and Game Improvement Club, a local affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.

A law enacted by the 1947 Unicameral provides for the appointment of two additional members to the 5-man Game, Forestation and Parks Commission. The State has been divided into seven districts, each of which will be represented by a commissioner residing within the limits of the district.

STAFF

PAUL T. GILBERT Executive Secretary SUPERVISORS John S. Burley, Accounts and Supplies Glen R. Foster, Fisheries Division Lloyd P. Vance, Game Division Levi L. Mohler, Pittman-Robertson SUPERINTENDENTS Gerhard Lenz, Gretna Hatchery H. C. Howard, North Platte Hatchery Frank Weiss, Rock Creek Hatchery Jack Mendenhall, Valentine Hatchery S. E. Ling, Norfolk Game Farm Grant McNeel, Arbor Lodge Park D. C. Short, Chadron Park H. E. Jones, Niobrara Park Paul R. Heil, Ponca Park Geo. Markhofer, Stolley Park C. O. Williams, Victoria Springs Park John J. Tooley, Forestry D. M. Snodgrass, Construction Paul Todd, Fish Salvage CONSERVATION OFFICERS William Ahern, Fremont Robert Benson, Unassigned Lee Bowers, Benkelman Loron Bunney, Ogallala Edward M. Cassell, Steele City L. J. Cunningham, Hay Springs *Wm. R. Cunningham, Lincoln A. O. Edmunds, Grand Island H. B. Guyer, Overton Samuel Grasmick, O'Neill Lee Jensen, North Platte Rudy Johnson, So. Sioux City Donald Lidolph, Fairfield A. G. McCarroll, Cody Roe Meyer, Unassigned Harold Miner, Allen *Roy E. Owen, Crete Bernard Patton, Lincoln * George Rishling, Benkelman William G. Schultz, McCook James Scott, Unassigned Jack Strain, Unassigned C. W. Shaffer, Columbus George Weidman, Gering * Special Investigators BIOLOGISTS Walter Kiener, Aquatics James Ager, Lincoln, Restoration Project Leader Edson Fichter, Lincoln, Fur Resources Survey David Damon, Lincoln, Quail Survey John H. Wampole, Grant, Waterfowl and Deer Survey Wade Hamor, Crete, Restoration Project Ass't. Leader

HUNTING IS BIG BUSINESS

By Arthur Carhart Reprinted through courtesy of SPORTS AFIELD

For years the nation's wildlife wealth has taken a beating from the dollar sign. Commercial interests, talking of payrolls and balance sheets, drowned-out protests against drainage, dam building, flooding, pollution and other things resulting from "commercial enterprise" that were destructive to wildlife.

Promoters have brushed aside our pleadings by branding sportsmen dreamers and sentimentalists. Sportsmen are that. They know the priceless values secured from going hunting and fishing never can be added up in a column of figures.

There is the beginning of a somewhat startled awakening to the dollar-in-the-till resting on hunting and fishing. Back in April 1945, NATION'S BUSINESS published an article I wrote, called "The Haul of the Wild." It pointed out that even in war years, with restrictions in effect, $2,000,000,000 was being spent annually by sportsmen. It forecast an increase in hunters and fishermen to 27 million after the war closed, with our annual spending exceeding $3,000,000,000.

Statistics presented in "The Haul of the Wild" shocked readers. Some challenged the facts. They were answered with positive data. That article aroused discussion and presumably was the most reprinted article of 1945. Others have written and talked on this subject with increasing frequency.

Recent national surveys and estimates from authoritative sources indicate that sportsmen are paying out their money at a rate approximately $4,000,000,000 per year for hunting and fishing expenses.

Let's see how this stacks up against some other business activities, just for the sake of comparison.

The Department of Commerce reports for 1948 show that total retail sales of filling stations in that year added up to $2,979,000,000—about a billion dollars less than sportsmen now are spending. Total retail sales of all drugstores in the nation stood at $2,959,000,000. Retail liquor sales totaled $1,698,000,000, less than half what the sportsmen spend, while retail jewelry store sales stood at $1,062,000,000, approximately a fourth of the fishing and hunting business.

That may flabbergast you. So will the following additional facts and figures.

The annual outlay of hunting and fishing sportsmen is approximately twice the total value of all hogs on farms January 1, 1947, as reported by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. Sportsmen's business is about eight times the total value of all sheep on farms last New Year's day. And the sportsmen spend in 12 months an amount   approximating half the capital value of all cattle in the nation at the beginning of this year.

Offhand, and thoughtlessly, one thinks of an outdoorsman entering a sporting goods store, buying arms, ammunition and tackle, and—that is the sum total of his expenditure, which doesn't amount to much. The 1944 survey of the Pish and Wildlife Service reveals how widespread the sportsman's dollar is distributed. Tackle, arms and ammunition actually are a small part of the sportsman's total annual outlay.

The break-down of this survey showed that 8 per cent of the sportsman dollar was spent for ammunition, 9 per cent for firearms and only 5 per cent for fishing tackle. These prime necessities accounted for only 22 per cent of every dollar spent.

Transportation to and from fishing and hunting areas amounted to 17 per cent, meals and lodging 11 per cent. These two items add up to more than the cost of all arms, ammunition and tackle. The balance of the sportsman dollar goes for boats, clothing, club dues and assessments, guide services, dogs and all the miscellaneous plunder a man buys because he is going hunting and fishing.

The annual dog bill alone is estimated to be equal to what the public blows in while attending football, baseball, basketball, boxing and horse racing events!

We can give a moment here to considering a very strange contrast. The amount sportsmen spend is approximately 10 times the amount spent on all spectator sports. Yet radio time, newspaper space, ballyhoo and publicity given to the competitive sports is a thousand-fold that given to hunting and fishing. A million dollar prize fight draws front page headlines. On an average, every day, sportsmen spend over 10 times that much. As a result we have the public keenly conscious of the position of competitive sports and indifferent to the status of hunting and fishing. Think of the furor that would boil if anything threatened baseball—and think of the indifference in the past when conservationists and outdoorsmen protested the creeping undermining of wildlife resources by promotions and exploitations and penny-wise pollution.

It is time for sportsmen to take the facts in hand and beat the truth into public consciousness. It is the most effective approach to offsetting the dollar-talk of exploiters. Properly and effectively used, the general realization of the actual position of hunting and fishing in the business fields is the best insurance for the future of wildlife resources.

But if you take the $125 annual average that is conservative, set up the totals of fishing and hunting licenses sold in your state, allow for duplications when sportsmen buy both of two types of licenses, and multiply by 125, you have a figure to indicate the volume of business hunting and fishing underwrites in your state. You probably will compute that several times because you'll not believe the result that shows up as tens on tens of millions of dollars. But when you're satisfied you do have the answer, use it.

WHEN DO WE GET TOGETHER?

Last fall I drove over 150 miles out to the country where I usually shoot pheasants, and only got to put in about three hours hunting. The rest of the time we drove around the country looking for a farm that didn't have great big "NO HUNTING" signs plastered all over the place. We found one farm that wasn't posted and went into a cornfield to look for birds. We hadn't gone more than 80 rods when the owner of the place came out in his pickup and told us to get the heck out of there!"

Well, I said, "did you ask any of those farmers for permission to go on their land? I have never."

"Ask them? Hells bells! Why should a guy have to ask for permission to go out after pheasants when he has bought a permit from the Game Commission to hunt? The birds belong to all of the people, don't they? These farmers haven't got any more right to them than you and I have, have they? What do you mean, 'ask for permission'?"

By this time Don was getting red above his collar, and it looked like we were in for an argument. Well, I don't like to argue, but I am willing to discuss almost anything with anybody, and it looked as though this guy was going to need some discussing. We were sitting in a booth in a small-town restaurant, enjoying coffee and a cigarette after a good meal. I was about to make with some fast talk on sportsmanship property rights, and a few other things when an old friend of mine came in for a cigar. I called him over.

"Mr. Evans, I'd like you to meet my friend Don Johnson. Don is visiting me for a few days, and we plan to get out for a little duck and pheasant shooting tomorrow."

Evans sat down beside me, facing Don, and lit his cigar.

"Glad to know you, Don" Evans said going to do a little shooting, hmmm? Do a little myself, now and then, but I won t get time this fall until I get the corn picked . . . hate to think of the bird season opening this fall, with all those crazy hunters coming out from the city and running all over the place. Got er posted this year. Gonna keep 'em theck out of there this year if I have to watch it night and day. Why, last fall those guys killed a yearling steer the day the season opened, and I didn't find him until two weeks later'"

I could see Don's neck getting red again, but he was too polite to cut loose I just sat back in the booth and waited to see what would develop. This was too good to miss—an irritated sportsman and an irritated farmer about to mix it up a little.

"Did you say that you have posted your farm, Mr. Evans?"

"Why, sure, Don. Had to. Can't   Outdoor Nebraska—1947 7 have these so-called sportsmen crawling all over the place tearing down fences, leaving gates open, shooting everything that swims, walks, or flies!"

"But look here, Mr. Evans, if you fellows all post your farms and kick hunters out, where are we going to go to get any birds?"

"I don't know, and I don't much care!"

"Do you mean you don't let anybody hunt on your place? I mean, even if they . . .?"

"Well," said Evans, through a cloud of cigar smoke, "I let a few guys hunt in fields where we aren't picking corn, or where there isn't any livestock. But these guys are either friends of mine, or fellows who come up to the house and ask for permission to hunt on my place. Now even if a guy is a stranger, if he comes up like a gentleman and tells me his name and where he is from, and asks polite-like for permission, I probably let him go out for awhile. And another thing, if a guy has got liquor on his breath, he doesn't get in."

I could see that Don was weakening, but he likes to argue.

"But look," he said, "I realize you fellows practically raise these birds, and even leave a little winter food and nesting cover for them. That still doesn't give you any exclusive title to them, does it, so that you can say who is to shoot them and who is not?"

"Well, here is the way I look at it. I like to have a lot of birds around my place, and I do all I can for them. Even got a fenced-in planting of plums and cedars for the birds to play around in. But even so, I realize that game birds are state property and they belong to everybody. But I own that farm, and I can keep anybody off that I darned well please, and nobody can stop me unless he has got a warrant in his pocket. Is that right?" Evans was looking at me.

"That's right," I said, "we still have trespass laws and property rights."

"No sir, Don, I don't care who the birds belong to. But if they are on my farm they are gonna be pretty safe from getting shot unless the hunter happens to be a friend of mine or unless I kind of like the way he wears his hat when he comes up and asks for permission to hunt. But too many of these guys come out from the city dressed up like real sports, but they don't act like they ever heard of what sportsmanship is about. No sir, those guys are out of luck as far as my place is concerned."

"Hmmm. Ah ... I begin to see what you mean. . . . Think you have got something there."

Turning to me, Don said, "I have to run along now. Meet you at the house at five. Glad to have met you, Mr. Evans. Take good care of those birds of yours. See you again."

After Don had gone, Evans said, "Hey, Don looked kind of sore there for awhile. Is he one of those 'city sportsman' I was cussing awhile ago?"

"I think he used to be," I said, "but I think maybe he has got some different ideas now."

The Game Commission has a large supply of the signs pictured above at left. These may be obtained free of charge by land operators who are willing to allow hunting on their land, but who want to know the identity of hunters going into their fields. Send request to: State Game Commission, Lincoln 9, Nebraska, stating number of signs required.

LIVING FENCES HELP GAME BIRDS

Test plantings were made this year of living fences, consisting of a shrub which is new to the country. Multiflora rose is the shrub, and when properly planted it will turn cattle, horses, sheep and hogs. In addition, it makes fine game bird cover and it will not spread beyond the planted row, hence it can be used as a fence without the danger of spreading into the nearby cultivated ground. 1947 plantings of multiflora rose were made in Kearney, Cedar and Phelps counties. This rose is particularly valuable as quail cover and if it withstands Nebraska winters it may be very helpful in extending Nebraska's quail range.

CONSERVATION OFFICERS' RECORDS OF PHEASANTS SEEN

During July and part of August Conservation Officers kept weekly records of all pheasants seen. Conservation Officers are in the field throughout the day and hence their observations give an excellent picture of pheasant conditions. Their records showed a shortage of young birds, particularly in many northern and western areas.

HALF AND HALF

As told by JAMES AGER Illustrated by Edson Fichter

I don't remember much about Queen because she was getting pretty old by the time I was big enough to carry a shotgun. But Uncle Ed, once he got on the subject of Queen's accomplishments in the field or working from blinds, never tired of glorifying her ability as a retriever. I shot over Queen a few times, and when Uncle Ed told of her accomplishments he wasn't bragging.

Queen did not come from an especially long line of Chesapeakes, but Uncle Ed made plenty of money from the sale of her offspring. That is, until her last litter came along, and Uncle Ed, after one look at the progeny, decided that Queen had made acquaintance with a German Shepherd.

There were four in the litter. Uncle Ed was so mad at first he wanted to kill them all, but I guess he thought Queen wouldn't like that so well, and they were pretty nice looking pups. I don't recall who got three of the pups, but Doc Adams happened to come around about that time to check up on Mother's headaches and Uncle Ed called him out to show him what a raw deal Queen had given him.

Doc is pretty much of a Springer Spaniel man, but his last liver-and-white Springer had succumbed to distemper the year before, and Doc needed a dog. Uncle Ed said that he was a darn fool for wanting one of the pups, but Doc sort of liked the looks of one of them. Anyway he took him along despite Uncle Ed's assertion that a German Shepherd-Chesapeake cross would make the world's worst hunting dog.

Doc named the pup Quinn and fed him all kinds of prepared dog foods, serum, vitamins, and worm capsules, in spite of which Quinn grew up to be bigger than either a German Shepherd or a Chesapeake. He was all black except for tan on his flanks and around his eyes and muzzle. Doc used to take him along on calls out in the country, and I suppose he spent a hundred dollars paying for farmers' chicken that Quinn caught.

I didn't see Quinn for over a year while I was working in another town, but I guess Doc put in a lot of time working with him, teaching him obedience and to bring in anything from a baseball to a bone at the butcher shop. Doc bragged a lot about what a good hunting dog Quinn would make, and some of the other fellows around town, who wouldn't use a cross-bred dog or a mongrel for target practice, used to laugh at him. One especially, Nick Bates, a barber, liked to kid Doc about his "half-and-half" that would use German police methods to find cripples and Chesapeake Bay strength to bring them in with. Nick got in on Quinn's first duck hunt, but I don't suppose he would like to be reminded of unkind things he used to say about Quinn.

Doc didn't do a lot of hunting—he didn't have time for it. But when he did go he usually asked me to go along because he knew I could shoot fairly well, and I had spent a lot of time out   Outdoor Nebraska—1947 along the river. One Sunday morning in late November Doc came by to pick me up about seven and we drove out to the old Hickman place which adjoins the river and where we stood a chance of knocking off a quail or two in Hickman's pasture on the way to our blind.

I didn't take anything but duck loads with me, but Doc likes to do a lot of shooting when he gets out, so he loaded up with number sevens and we started out across the breaks toward the river. There is a lot of good quail cover on the Hickman place, and it wasn't a half hour before Quinn started getting excited and Doc let him flush a covey of bob whites out of a patch of buckbrush. Doc isn't a bad shot, and he dropped a nice double out of the covey. He was pretty pleased with his shooting until he saw Quinn streaking away toward the car as fast as he could travel. I never saw such a look on a guy's face. Doc just stood there with his mouth open for a while, and then words started coming out. Ordinarily Doc is rather quiet and easy going, but this time he cut loose with some language that raised echoes out of the hills.

Neither of us cared much about shooting from a blind without a dog, but after Doc cooled down a little we went on down to the river and took the decoys out of the lock box in the duck blind. I thought he was cooled off, but he started cussing again and making threats as to what he would do to Quinn if he ever caught up with him again. All the whistling and calling both of us had done after Doc shot the quail couldn't induce Quinn to follow us to the river. Doc swore that he would pay me fifty dollars if I would put Quinn out of misery and end his abject disgrace. I never saw Doc so mad.

There were quite a few birds flying when we put the decoys out, so we settled down in the blind to wait for our decoys to do their stuff. After awhile about six pintails came in for a landing and I got in a lucky shot and dropped one. It landed about thirty yards out in front of the blind and started floating downstream. It would have been a nice time to have a good dog, and Doc didn't miss the chance to heap more invective on Quinn.

I had just brought the pintail back to the blind when we heard some splashing behind us, and there was Quinn. He had his tail between his legs, and he crawled into the back of the blind and lay down between Doc and me. I know it sounds far-fetched to say that a dog could wear a sheepish look, but Quinn certainly was wearing one. I thought Doc was going to let him have one behind* the ears, but I guess he was just as amazed as I was. Anyone knows that a gun-shy dog isn't going to come back for more gunfire, but there was Quinn in the flesh. He sure looked sheepish.

Doc was mumbling something about all the time and trouble and money he had spent training Quinn, when two mallards came swinging in. We both shot, but only one bird hit the water. I didn't think it was mine, and neither one of us cared whose bird it was. Quinn was out of the blind like he had a rocket on his tail. But instead of heading back for the car he plowed into the river and had the mallard before it quit flapping.

Doc must have run out of profanity. He just said, "Well, what do you think of that!"

Quinn brought the bird back and laid it down right in front of Doc. I guess by then Doc was out of words entirely. He just sat there and patted Quinn on the top of his wide muzzle and didn't even pick up the bird. I didn't say anything either.

In spite of it being a clear day we had some fast shooting for about an hour, and Quinn never missed a bird. He brought them in through the shallow water in front of the blind with his tremendous tail waving like a flag in an Armistice Day parade. I don't know if Doc thought again about that fifty he offered earlier in the morning. I will probably ask him some day when I know him better.

During our hour's shooting, Nick Bates and a friend of his were occupying a blind across the river and a few yards upstream from us. They weren't using a dog, but were getting in some good shooting, too. Good shooting, that is, but no birds. On most of the flights that came in, Nick's party started shooting about the same time we did, and their birds hit the water between our blinds. But Nick didn't get any ducks into his hunting coat until we talked to him later on. Quinn was out after those birds as fast as his powerful legs would carry him, and he brought them all back without any regard for ownership and laid them in front of Doc. We could hear Nick cussing over on his side of the river, and finally he could stand it no longer. He came over to our blind.

"Where'd ya get the dog, Doc? Good Lord, don't tell me it's that half-and-half job of yours!" Nick knew perfectly well it was, because after all, he had watched Quinn bring his rightful quarry over to our side of the river.

"Well, I'll be a . . . Give you fifty bucks for him, Doc,—seventy-five, cross-breed or no cross-breed!"

Doc just stood there scratching Quinn's ears, smiling.

10 Outdoor Nebraska—1947

KEARNEY CONSERVATION WORKSHOP

Several hundreds of Nebraska's elementary school teachers got an opportunity to become acquainted with the need for teaching conservation in elementary grades recently, and some concrete ideas on how conservation may be taught. The event was the Conservation Workshop held at Kearney State Teachers College from August 2 to August 16, 1947.

The Kearney event was the first of its kind to be held in Nebraska. It is hoped that the work will be carried on again next year and expanded to a degree merited by the importance of the work to be done.

The Workshop was sponsored by: The Department of Public Instruction, Lincoln; The Game Forestation and Parks Commission, Lincoln; Nebraska State Teachers College, Kearney; The University of Nebraska College of Agriculture and Agricultural Extension Service, and the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service. With the sponsorship of these important agencies, the Kearney Workshop could not have been other than successful. A total of 45 instructors and discussion leaders were provided by the above agencies.

Here are the aims and purposes for which the workshop was designed:

1. To provide for elementary school teachers information from firsthand observation concerning: a. The need for conservation of soil, water, trees, wildlife. b. Desirable conservation practices. c. Practical methods of teaching conservation in the public schools. 2. To acquaint the teacher with the work of local, state, and federal   Outdoor Nebraska—1947 11 agencies cooperating in the conservation movement. 3. To acquaint the teacher with source materials on conservation education.

If the enthusiasm generated in the minds of the teachers who attended the workshop can be carried back to the schoolrooms this fall, a lot of elementary school students are going to get more than an indifferent exposure to conservation education. Activities at the workshop included field trips by chartered bus which took the teachers out to the land where conservation needs and practices could be demonstrated. There were illustrated lectures, movie films, demonstrations, and discussions.

The only detrimental factor of the Kearney Workshop was the intense August heat which made field trips unpleasant. Some had to be canceled.

One of the more animated sessions held at the Kearney event was the Game Commission's program under the title: "Homes for Wildlife." Game Secretary Paul Gilbert opened the forum with a discussion of "Wildlife Conservation in the Rural School Program," followed by a talk on "Wildlife Numbers" by Levi Mohler. Edson Fichter discussed the subject "What Do Wild Animals Eat," and Dr. Walter Kiener talked about "Farm Pond Management". David Damon discussed "Farm Planning for Wildlife," using a model farm for demonstration. The final formal discussion by Game Commission workers was on the Subject of "Studying Conservation in the Rural School Yard" by Rod Amundson.

After the formal talks by discussion leaders the session was opened to a panel discussion, with discussion leaders answering questions submitted by workshop participants.

The future of this state and nation depend as much upon the conservation of natural resources as any other economic and social factor. Events such as the Kearney Conservation Education Workshop can go a long way toward making conservation of our natural resources an effective reality.

1947 NEBRASKA STATE TRAP SHOOT

Upper Left: Senator Arthur Carmody, Trenton, Former Blue Rock Champion, a well-known Sportsman and Legislator Center: Floyd Daily, Fremont 1947 Champion, and his son William, 1947 Junior Champion. Upper Right: Mrs. Elsie Rasmussen, North Platte, Women's Champion Lower Left: This is an actual photograph of a clay pigeon hit by a load of shot...Shooter unknown. Lower Right: Dayton Dorn, Big Springs, 3rd Place; Floyd Daily, Fremont, 1st Place; Pete Crite, North Platte, 3rd Place. Game Commission Photos  

14 Outdoor Nebraska—1947

UPSETTING NATURE'S BALANCE

To be read before ridding the land of any wildlife, no matter how annoying. By Robert S. Russell Reprinted through the Courtesy of ESQUIRE Magazine

A group of wealthy sportsmen maintained a sizeable tract of land in central Texas, as a private hunting preserve. For several years members had noticed that the number of quail was diminishing. Since the membership was limited and the acreage large, this could not be blamed on overshooting. They were puzzled.

One fine morning a club member was startled by a large hawk booming up out of the brush almost at his feet. In its talons was grasped a baby quail. He swung his gun automatically, fired, and blasted the hawk out of the air.

Elated because he had discovered a cause for the shortage of quail, he hurried back to the clubhouse to spread the news. Other members agreed with him that hawks must be decimating the carefully protected game birds. The hawk was mounted just as it had been shot, complete with the quail in its claws. It was then hung in a drugstore window, with a sign offering a liberal bounty for every dead hawk brought in.

The hawks died by the hundreds, and club officials paid off gleefully, after which they settled back to await a tremendous increase in the quail population. Unfortunately, it did not materialize.

In desperation the club called on the state university for assistance. Scientists arrived and made a painstaking survey.

"Your trouble," they declared, "is due to a surplus of field rats, which in turn is due to a shortage of hawks. Rats are now raiding the quail nests of eggs and newly hatched birds."

The news brought despondency to members of that club, but high hopes to another group who maintained another quail refuge.

"We'll kill off all the rats and have the best quail hunting in the land," they declared forthwith. And they did just that. The increase in quail was immediate and astounding. Long before the next season opened there were too many for the natural cover and they were being fed grain, like domestic chickens.

Delighted club members invited a national association of dog fanciers to hold their annual field trials on the island.

But alas for the best-laid plans of field rats, men, hawks and quail, Fall came, and with it an unusually early, cold, norther whistled down from the great plains. Ahead of it flew the hawks. Reaching the refuge they swooped down, anticipating their annual feast of field rats. But of course there were no rats, and hunt as they might the hungry hawks could find nothing but slow, half-tame and grossly overfed quail, gorged on the substitute.

No field trials were held there that year.

Another group of men maintained a small lake for their own private fishing. One summer they found it almost impossible to hook a bass of keeping size. They noted, however, that the great, ugly garfish seemed to be on the increase. Since all fresh-water fishermen agree that gars destroy an enormous number of valuable fishes annually, these men decided to eliminate the pests. Seining the lake produced nearly a ton of gars.

The sportsmen then dumped a large quantity of bass fingerlings into the lake. Two days later all the small bass were at the surface gasping feebly.

"Pollution!" they chorused angrily, and they started an immediate hunt for a source.

Across the fields a wildcat oil rig puffed and chugged as it drove a great bit downward in search of oil. "Those   Outdoor Nebraska—1947 15 guys are fouling up our lake!" they decided. Being men of wealth and influence they forced the wildcatter to build a great, watertight dike around his rig. They dropped more fingerlings into their private lake.

Unfortunately, these too failed to thrive. Completely baffled, the sportsmen turned to their state university scientists, who made tests of the lake water and found it sour. Poking carefully along the bank, they discovered a tiny stream, no larger than a man's thumb, of discolored, highly poisonous Water. Tracing it back into the cutover pine land, they found a deep pit, filled with bark and sawdust, where a mobile sawmill unit had once operated. Rain and seepage had filled the pit with water until it had eventually overflowed and found its way to the stream that fed the lake. Acids, soaked from the rotting wood, had caused the pollution.

Draining the pit in another direction and then filling it with earth was no problem. After that it was necessary to procure a quantity of oyster shell, grind it fine and dump it into the lake. It acted like soda on a sour stomach. The water tested sweet and clear.

Quickly procuring another lot of fingerlings, the harried sportsmen sloshed them into the lake. The little fishes lived! But after many months it was quite obvious that they were growing only to bare maturity. At that point they stopped.

This time the lake owners tried no blind experiments. They contacted the scientists at once.

"Now," the learned men suggested, "suppose you tell us exactly what you did here, particularly before you first called on us."

"Well," they began, "first we seined out all the gars, then . . ."

"That's enough!" the professors interrupted. "That's quite enough. You will have to restock with a few gars. You see, gars do eat small bass, but they are too slow and logy to catch a lively adult. On the other hand, mature bass find baby gars and spawn" a favorite food. All things being equal, the bass will hold their own against the gars."

My own fish conservation lesson was painful.

Once, when I was fishing editor for a Texas paper, I assailed a great oil refinery for polluting a favorite bayou and killing the fish. I did so in all sincerity for I thought the evidence was there and easily read. The refinery's own investigation proved that a grass fire which had burned many poisonous weeds was responsible for the destruction. Wind had blown the fine ash, still deadly to fish life, into the water. Was my face red? It was. I quit the job and left that town in the dark of a moonless night.

GAME HABITAT RESTORATION WORK IN 1947

The Game Commission's program of building homes for wildlife took an important step forward last spring when 55 development plots were fenced and planted to produce winter cover and nesting cover. These plots are located in eleven south central and northeastern counties and the same kind of work is planned for additional counties during the coming year. The Soil Conservation Service is cooperating in this game bird habitat restoration program and interested farmers can obtain information either from the Game Commission or from the local Soil Conservation District office.

MAIL CARRIERS' JULY OBSERVATIONS

In July more than 600 carriers again recorded their game bird observations. They saw slightly less than sixty per cent as many pheasants as in a similar period of 1946. The drop in the pheasant population was quite severe in northern and extreme western parts of the state while the remainder of the state was more fortunate.

These records, from mail carriers over the state in 1945, 1946 and 1947, have shown a smaller proportion of young pheasants each year, which again indicates that the decline in pheasant numbers is the result of poor production of young.

16 Outdoor Nebraska—1947

WILDLIFE NOTES

By Levi L. Mohler PHEASANT INVENTORY

When this was written the pre-season inventory of pheasants was almost completed. Late returns could change the results somewhat, but it appears that the pheasant population now is considerably below that of a year ago. 1946 gave pheasants a drubbing with poor weather conditions at nesting time and 1947 was even worse. A June snowstorm was thrown in for good measure in 1947, and the net result hasn't been what the pheasant hunter would order if he had his way about it.

PHEASANT BREEDING POPULATION IN 1947

An extensive spring survey of the pheasant breeding population was conducted by the Game Commission for the first time in 1947. Similar work in future years will show the population trend as nesting gets under way. 1947 results indicated well over a hundred breeders per section in some areas but the statewide average was probably somewhere between 20 and 40 adults per section.

MAIL CARRIERS COUNT GAME BIRDS

Over 600 Nebraska mail carriers kept track of game birds seen on their routes during the week of April 21-26, 1947. They saw about two-thirds as many pheasants as in a similar period in 1945. Cocks and hens were seen in almost exactly the same proportion in both years, 156 cocks per 100 hens in 1945 and 157 cocks per 100 hens in April 1947. Other game birds seen by the carriers included quail, prairie chickens, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridges and chukar partridges.

POWER MACHINERY HURTS PHEASANT NESTS

Field investigations of damage to pheasant nests by power machinery in commercial alfalfa growing areas indicate a high loss of both nests and hens. Eggs from damaged nests examined during the past spring by game biologist John Wampole showed a very high percentage of fertility but the nesting density was not especially high.

PHEASANTS AND SEED CORN

Farmers in Sherman, Valley, Wayne and Cedar counties cooperated with game biologist David Damon the past spring in experimenting with red lead applied to seed corn as a repellent against pheasant damage. Because of the unusually wet spring the experiments were not conclusive but several farmers noted   Outdoor Nebraska—1947 17 that corn treated with oil and red lead actually germinated better than untreated corn.

GAME BIRDS AS SEEN BY FARMERS AND RANCHERS

Over 300 farmers and ranchers, serving as wildlife reporters, turned in their April inventory reports on game birds this year. According to these land operators' reports quail seem to be on the upswing, prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse showed a slight increase, and pheasants showed a downward trend. The same landowners were contacted again in August for reports concerning hatching success.

MUSKRAT TAKE

Southern and eastern Nebraska was closed to muskrat trapping last winter but the take in the open area held up quite well compared to previous years. Trappers in the heavily producing sandhill lakes area practice management of muskrats by means of controlled trapping, decreasing their trapping when muskrat populations are low.

PRAIRIE CHICKEN INVESTIGATION

Prairie chickens on booming or mating grounds in Keith county have been checked each spring since 1942. The number of males on 12 occupied booming grounds in 1947 was 8.6, compared to 9.9 in 1946. Of eleven grounds occupied and checked in both 1946 and 1947, three grounds showed an increase, six showed a decrease, and two showed no change in the number of males present in 1947 compared to a year ago. Mating was observed on May 13.

TOO MUCH WATER CAN HARM DUCKS

Occasionally someone asks, "How can flooding hurt duck nesting? I thought ducks lived in water anyway". As a matter of fact, flooding can be very detrimental to duck nests, by actually "drowning out" the nest and causing the hen to desert her eggs. A rise in the water level of a duck nesting lake can be particularly damaging to diving ducks such as redheads, canvasbacks and ruddies, which habitually build nests over water and only a few inches above the water line. Puddle ducks,—mallards, teal, pintails, shovellers, and others,—build on land, from within a few feet of water to more than a mile from the nearest water.

CINNAMON TEAL IN NEBRASKA

Cinnamon teal, which range chiefly in western and southwestern states, have been sighted several times in Nebraska during the 1947 breeding season.

WILDLIFE LABORATORY WORK

Workers in the Game Commission's wildlife laboratory have examined the following since the lab opened last winter: 103 mink stomachs, 146 coyote stomachs, 235 coyote droppings, 3 deer stomachs, 33 owl pellets, 100 crow pellets, 8 owl stomachs, 2 hawk stomachs, 39 pheasant crops, 4 grouse crops and gizzards and 19 quail crops.

PHEASANT MEETING IN SOUTH DAKOTA

On August 14 and 15 a meeting was held at Pierre, South Dakota, to compare pheasant population data from Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The meeting was attended by representatives from the game departments of the three states.

All three states used similar methods in making a late July check on the pheasant population. The three-state results showed a similar drop through much of the pheasant range, and the ratio of young birds to adult hens was practically the same in all three states.

The meeting was the first of its kind in the pre-season period and it was very enlightening to all three states.

18 Outdoor Nebraska—1947

NEBRASKA HUNTING LAWS AND REGULATIONS FOR 1947

BIRDS DUCKS, GEESE, BRANTS AND COOTS (MUDHENS)

OPEN SEASON, October 21 to November 24, inclusive. AREA OPEN, Entire State, except Federal and State Sanctuaries and Refuges, Walgren State Lake in Sheridan County, Wellfleet Lake in Lincoln County, and Willow Lake in Cherry County. HOURS OPEN EACH DAY, From sunrise to one hour before sunset, except that the hour for the commencement of hunting of waterfowl and coot on the first day of the season shall be 12 o'clock noon. USE OF LIVE DECOYS OR BAIT, prohibited. USE OF CATTLE, HORSES OR MULES, prohibited. DAILY BAG DUCKS, 4, but no wood ducks may be taken. AMERICAN AND BED-BREASTED MERGANSERS—-25 singly or in the aggregate POSSESSION AT ANY TIME AFTER OPENING DAY, DUCKS, not more than 8 ducks. No wood ducks may be included. AMERICAN AND RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS—No limit. DAILY BAG AND POSSESSION. GEESE and BRANTS, 4, including in such limit either 1 Canada goose (including Hutchins or cackling geese) or 1 white-fronted goose. No Ross' geese may be included. DAILY BAG AND POSSESSION, COOTS, 25, and any person may possess not more than 25.

QUAIL

OPEN SEASON, November 8 to November 30, inclusive. AREA OPEN, Otoe, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee, Richardson, Jefferson counties, and that portion of Gage county south of State Highway No. 4, except for Federal and State Sanctuaries and Refuges in these areas. All other counties closed. HOURS OPEN EACH DAY, One-half hour before sunrise to sunset. DAILY BAG AND POSSESSION AT ANY TIME, 7.

COCK PHEASANTS

OPEN SEASON, October 18 to October 27, inclusive. AREA OPEN, Entire State except Federal and State Sanctuaries and Refuges. HOURS OPEN EACH DAY, 12 o'clock noon until sunset. DAILY BAG, 2 cocks. POSSESSION AT ANY TIME, 2 cocks. IDENTIFICATION, All pheasants taken must have sex identification. Either head, tail feathers or feet must be left on the bird.

HEN PHEASANTS

OPEN SEASON, No open season.

DOVES

OPEN SEASON, September 10 to September 24, inclusive. AREA OPEN, Entire State except Federal and State Sanctuaries and Refuges. HOURS OPEN EACH DAY, One-half hour before sunrise until sunset. DAILY BAG, 10 doves. POSSESSION AT ANY TIME, 10 doves. USE OF LIVE DECOYS OR BAIT, Prohibited. USE OF CATTLE, HORSES OR MULES, Prohibited.

CLOSED SEASON The following game birds are protected by closed season: All Swans, Cranes, Snipe (Wilson or Jack), Curlew, Rails, Gallinules, Prairie Chicken, Grouse, Partridges (Chukar and Hungarian), Wild Turkey, Plover, and Hen Pheasants. ANIMALS RABBITS (Cottontails) OPEN SEASON, September 1 to January 31, inclusive. AREA OPEN, Entire State except Federal and State Sanctuaries and Refuges. HOURS OPEN EACH DAY, One-half hour before sunrise to sunset. DAILY BAG, 5. POSSESSION AT ANY TIME AFTER OPENING DAY, 5. JACKS, No closed season. No limit.   Outdoor Nebraska—1947 19 SQUIRRELS OPEN SEASON, October 1 to December 31, inclusive. AREA OPEN, Entire State except Federal and State Sanctuaries and Refuges. HOURS OPEN EACH DAY, One-half hour before sunrise to sunset. DAILY BAG, 5. POSSESSION AT ANY TIME AFTER OPENING DAY, 5. RACCOON AND OPOSSUM OPEN SEASON, October 15 to March 1, inclusive. AREA OPEN, Entire State except Federal and State Sanctuaries and Refuges. HOURS OPEN EACH DAY, All hours. DAILY BAG, No limit. DAILY BAG, No limit. POSSESSION AT ANY TIME, No limit. NOTE, All persons hunting raccoon or opossum with dogs must purchase a trapper's permit. ANTELOPE OPEN SEASON, No open season. DEER OPEN SEASON, No open season. GENERAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS Every person sixteen years of age or older hunting migratory waterfowl must have a federal duck stamp validated by his signature written across the face thereof in ink, and attached to his regular hunting permit. Every resident person sixteen years of age or older who hunts for game animals or game birds shall first purchase a resident hunting permit. IT IS UNLAWFUL:

To hunt unless the hunting permit is on the person while hunting or to use a hunting permit unless it is countersigned by the holder. To lend or transfer a permit to any person. To borrow a hunting permit from any person. To procure a permit under an assumed name. To falsely state the place of legal residence. For any person disqualified for a permit to hunt or to falsely secure a permit. For anyone under the age if sixteen to receive a permit without the written request therefore signed by his father, mother or guardian. Te refuse to show on demand the hunting permit to any person or officer whose duty it is to enforce game laws and regulations. To issue a hunting permit to anyone known to be physically or mentally unfit to carry or use firearms. To shoot from any public highway at any protected bird or animal. To hunt, kill, take, or attempt to hunt, kill or take, any game birds or game animals from a vehicle of any kind. To hunt, kill, take, trap, or attempt to hunt, kill, take or trap, any game birds with nets, traps, or clubs. To have or carry any shotgun in or on any vehicle on any public highway unless such shotgun is unloaded. To hunt for any protected bird or animal with a spotlight or artificial light. To hunt, drive or disturb game birds or game animals with or from any aircraft. To use any shotgun capable of holding more than three shells for hunting game birds. To hunt, kill, or attempt to hunt or kill, any waterfowl from any boat or watercraft propelled by sails or electric, gas or steam power, or from an aeroplane or hydroplane. To use any rifle, pistol, revolver, swivel gun or shotgun larger than 10 gauge in hunting any game birds or to trap, snare, net or attempt to trap, snare or net any game bird or birds. To hunt, kill or attempt to hunt or kill any game bird or birds by attracting them to the place where hunted by the distribution of grain or other feed, commonly called baiting. To construct blinds or other devices on State-owned lakes; to destroy, molest, or disturb natural or planted vegetation on or near State-owned lakes. To use live decoys, cattle, horses or mules for the purpose of hunting any game bird or game animal. To transport any game bird or game animal except when it is accompanied by the shipper. To place any game birds, or game animals in any commercial refrigeration plant except by the lawful owner in his or her own name.   20 Outdoor Nebraska—1947 To hunt or possess any game bird or game animal or the flesh of any game bird or game animal at any time except during the legal open season thereon and for 90 days thereafter. For any person in any one day to have in his possession a greater number of game birds or game animals of any one kind than the possession limit as fixed by the Commission. To buy, sell, or barter any game bird or game animal except the flesh of raccoon which has been legally taken. For any person to kill, take or attempt to kill or take any game bird or game animal upon any game reserve or game sanctuary. For any person to go upon a game reserve or game sanctuary with a gun or dog. For any person to permit a dog to run upon a game reserve or game sanctuary. For any person to intentionally disturb game birds or game animals upon a game reserve or game sanctuary. For any person to cause game birds or game animals to depart from a game reserve or game sanctuary. For any person to enter upon a game reserve or game sanctuary to fish or for any other purpose during the legal open season on game birds. For any person or persons to hunt or pursue with dogs any animals, whether protected by law or not, on any federal forest reserve in this state, or to carry any firearms on or across said forest reserve unless same is incased. For anyone to hunt upon any private lands without permission of the owner. To hunt, kill, take or destroy or attempt to hunt, kill, take or destroy rabbits, squirrels or any fur-bearing animal with or by the aid of a ferret. For any person to have a ferret in his or her possession or control in a field or forest or in any vehicle going to or from any hunting territory. To take or needlessly destroy the nests or eggs of any game bird or birds. For any person to shoot, kill, destroy or catch, or attempt to shoot, kill, destroy or catch, or have in possession, any bird except English sparrow, blue jay, Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, goshawk, European starling, bronzed grackle, magpie and game birds upon which an open legal season is declared . For any person to take or needlessly destroy the nests or eggs of any song, insectivorous or non-game birds except the non-game birds enumerated in the preceding paragraph. To cause any prairie or forest fire or injure any person or livestock with firearms. For any person to intentionally deface, obliterate, tear down or destroy in whole or in part any notification whatsoever set up in any public place for public information. The Platte River and for twenty (20) rods on each side in Garden county is a game refuge and is closed to all hunting all hours. The Platte River and for twenty (20) rods on each side beginning at the west line of Dodge and Saunders counties and extending to the highway bridge on U.S. Route No. 30A and State Route No. 92 is a Game Refuge and is closed to all hunting all hours. The Niobrara River and for twenty (20) rods on each side from the west line of Boyd and Holt counties to the east line of Boyd and Hold counties is a Game Refuge and is closed to hunting all hours. 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. All State-owned lakes are open to hunting except Walgren Lake, Willow Lake and Wellfleet Lake which are closed. Please report to the Department the band numbers and the county where taken of all banded birds in the bag. Quail hunters will aid the Department by reporting their hunting take. It is illegal to take a bag of game and return to hunt and take another bag the same day. Hunters are warned that persons so doing will be prosecuted and full damages of $10.00 per bird or animal will be assessed.

SPECIAL NON-RESIDENT REGULATIONS IT IS UNLAWFUL:

For any non-resident, regardless of age or sex, to hunt in Nebraska, unless he or she has purchased a non-resident hunting permit. For any non-resident to have in his or her possession signed or dated coupons detached from the regular non-resident hunting permit unless they are affixed to a pheasant or pheasants. For any non-resident to sign or date pheasant coupons except with indelible pencil or ink. To alter, deface, or erase signature or date on a permit or coupon. For further information and full game law books, write to Paul T. Gilbert, Executive Secretary, Nebraska. Game, Forestation and Parks Commission, Lincoln 9, Nebr.

Outdoor Nebraska—1947 21

AL DAY'S DUCK REPORT CARDS

Editor, Outdoor Nebraska, Game, Forestation & Parks Commission, Lincoln 9, Nebraska.

Dear Sir:

The duck scorecard experiment which we tried out last year for the first time, with your generous cooperation, brought in to the U. S. Pish and Wildlife Service so much information about the number of ducks bagged by hunters, the cripples lost, and how the shooting compared with the previous year that we consider it desirable to employ the same idea again this year in order to accumulate all the data we can obtain on hunting conditions throughout the country during the 1947 season. Information of the type obtained through the scorecards is most helpful to the Service in its job of determining the status of migratory waterfowl.

We have worked out the attached form, very similar to the one used last, year, with the hope that you may find space for it in either your November or December issue, or in both, if possible. Judging from the amount of interest generated over the idea last year, as conveyed to us in the letters received from hunters, we feel that the response this year will be even greater than it was in 1946.

We know we are asking a big favor of you but we hope that you will be able to cooperate with us again because it is so important for the Service to gain reliable data on the "annual harvest" for game management purposes. There is no better way than through outdoor publications to get our request into the hands of the real sportsmen.

As we did this last spring, we will furnish the results of the survey to you, in summary form, as soon as they become available.

Sincerely yours, /S/ALBERT M. DAY Director. U. S. Pish and Wildlife Service. DUCK HUNTERS!

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is again inviting you to join them in the big job of getting the facts about migratory waterfowl hunting conditions throughout the country during the 1947 season. We want from you the same kind of frank, informative, and helpful information which you sent in to us for the 1946 season. We want reports — purely voluntary reports — again on the results of your shooting. Your views on the waterfowl situation are invaluable to us in our job of working out fair hunting regulations.

Outdoor Nebraska is glad to donate this space to help gather this vitally needed information. Here's how YOU can help.

1. Keep tally of the birds you bag, cripple, and observe this fall. 2. At the end of the season, send completed score card to the United States Pish and Wildlife Service, Washington 25, D. C. SCORECARD How Many, What Kinds of Ducks, Geese Bagged □ How Many Cripples Lost I ............. ! .................................................. Compared with Last Year Waterfowl | ...................................................................... Numbers were ! ...................................................................... □ More □ Less □ Same ! ! 1 j Where you hunted.. Shooting Grounds (Check one) □ Public □ Commercial fj Private (State) Date............................................ Name...... Address (County) .How many days.

22 Outdoor Nebraska—1947

TAKE A DOG ALONG

It is just good common sense this year, as every year, to take a good dog along when you go hunting. Last year hunters who used dogs recovered twice as many birds knocked down as those who did not use dogs.

With the bird populations down this year, it is more important than ever that we take every possible measure toward conservation. Crippled birds left in the field may not count in the daily bag limit, but they are a total loss to the game population since most of them die or are killed by predatory animals.

In addition to the conservational value of using dogs for hunting is the pleasure to be derived from watching a good dog perform his duty, and a lot of satisfaction in having your game laid down at your feet by a willing canine worker.

TAKE A DOG ALONG. YOU WON'T REGRET IT!   Outdoor Nebraska—1947 23  

The above is one of the more incisive of J. N. (Ding) Darling's famous cartoons. "Ding" is the sworn enemy of all who endanger American fish and game by anti-conservation practices. This is one of a series of Darling's cartoons to be reprinted in OUTDOOR NEBRASKA. The series is obtained through James Harlan, Iowa Conservation Commission.