IN THIS ISSUE Fish Numerous—Anglers Scarce Page 3 Commission Investigates Gravel Pit Improvements Page 8 True and Distorted Page 10 Commercial Fishing Hits 6-Year Low Page 11 "Outdoor Nebraska" Quiz Page 14 Cyanide Dose for Coyotes Page 15 Sharp-Tail Grouse Population Climbs Page 18 It Pays to Know . . . Quail Needs Page 25 Whose Game Is It? Page 27 Polio Victim Tackles Fly Tying Profession Page 28 Vandals Robbing Sportsmen of Recreational Facilities Page 30 1000 Hunters to Compete in State's 3rd Deer Hunt Page 33 "Operation Memphis Lake" No. 1 Improvement Project Page 34 The Missing Picture Page 37 "Carp Only" Lakes Rival Game Lakes in Popularity Page 38 How to Make Carp Fillets Page 41 Notes on Nebraska Fauna—Ring-Necked Pheasant Page 44

Outdoor Nebraska 3

FISH NUMEROUS . . ANGLERS SCARCE ... In Sand Hills

Have you ever had the desire to go fishing some place where there were both too many fish and too few anglers to catch them?

Well, if you haven't, you're not human. Believe it or not, but there are actually such places in the United States today. In fact, some of them can be found right here in "dear ole" Nebraska. Just take a trip to Nebraska's spacious sand hills area and you'll find a collection of natural lakes beckoning anglers to harvest their congested underwater game populations.

Year after year the Nebraska Game Commission draws its major supply of bullheads for stocking purposes from this area. But this regular program, transferring thousands and thousands of fish to other waters, fails to dent the steadily growing population. Besides the plentiful bullheads—both yellow and black which weigh as much as two pounds—the sand hills lakes boast huge numbers of crappie, perch, bluegill and bass. Rivers which head in the region provide outstanding trout and catfish.

The fishing pressure here, odd as it may seem, is surprisingly light when compared to that in other sections of the state. The angling populace consists primarily of sand hills residents. Their limited number and consequently their almost negligible effect can be evidenced by population figures which reveal that there are only one or two persons per square mile in the sand hills area.

There has been a marked upward trend of visiting anglers from other parts of Nebraska in recent years, but   still the fishing contingent is inadequate to harvest the amazingly large fish supply. Many fishermen are familiar with the productiveness of the sand hills waters but are lured to the reservoks which boast larger bodies of water. A comparison of catches made by anglers fishing in the sand hills lakes with those trying the reservoirs and other man-made lakes will show the sand hills angler experiencing the most consistent success.

Approximately 2,000 of Nebraska's 2,300 lakes are found in the sand hills area. The big majority of these natural waters are overcrowded and as a result the fish become stunted. With this terrific population the lakes have less food, oxygen and water space per fish and consequently the growth is retarded.

The sand hills lakes comprise Nebraska's most cherished and envied possession. Their value couldn't be defined in terms of money, but instead in the sport and thrill provided the angler. The lakes are of various sizes. One of the largest is Dad's lake, four miles south of Dewey Lake. It spreads out about seven-eighths of a mile in width and four miles in length. Some of the lakes, such as Big Alkali which covers 2,200 acres, hit 20 feet in depth. The overall average depth of Big Alkali is about 10 feet.

The depth and area of most of the lakes fluctuate markedly during the year and during periods of years. They are all at ground water level. The water in most of the lakes is fairly fresh and moderately hard. In these waters flourish a myriad of microscopic plants and animals, natural food essentials for the fish. The prized sand hills lakes are more fertile than the natural waters in Minnesota, most of which were gouged out by glaciers.

Anglers will find the weather in the sand hills comparative to that of other sections of the state. It gets pretty warm during the summer days but is always cool and crisp in the evening to provide pleasant and restful sleep. Some of the lakes aren't too accessible. However, the region is plotted with graded and surfaced highways.

The sand hills lie in northcentral Nebraska, chiefly in Cherry, Sheridan, Garden, Grant, Hooker, McPherson, Logan, Thomas, Blaine, Brown, Rock, Keith, Morrill, Arthur and Loup counties with some outliers in Lincoln, Custer, Chase, Dundy, Hayes, Holt and Keya Paha counties. The sand hills proper, including 1,275 square miles of prairie plains, contains 20,530 square miles. The main topographic features are rolling sand hills, small basins, dry valleys, wet valleys, marshes and lakes. The hills, formed by wind erosion of sand bedrock and mantlerock, vary from 25 to 100 feet and more in height and from one acre to more than one square mile in area.

Nebraska's sand hills country is unique in the United States, there being no   Outdoor Nebraska 5 similar region in the 48 states. The sand hills act as a great sponge in absorbing rainfall. They have a huge amount of ground water, many times greater than that of the lakes and rivers. The ground in numerous places has been found to be filled with water down to a depth of 300 feet.

Ranchers in the sand hills area have been particularly cooperative in providing pleasant and successful excursions for the visiting anglers. Their interest and assistance should be respected by fishermen who are courteous enough to request permission to fish, keep off the hay meadows and clean up after finishing picknicking and fishing. Most of the lakes are on private property.

State-owned waters are Shell lake, 14 miles northeast of Gordon; part of Rat and Beaver lakes, five miles south of Dad's lake; Willow lake, one mile northeast of Dewey lake; Long lake, 22 miles south of Ainsworth; Cottonwood lake, one mile east of Merriman; and Ballards Marsh, 20 miles south of Valentine.

Following are 18 of the principal sand hills lakes open to fishing:

SHELL LAKE—Covers an area of about half a section. It started to dry up in about 1933 and was practically dry in 1938. The following year the Game Commission purchased a frontage on this lake, constructed a dam at' the outlet, after which the lake immediately began to fill up. It was restocked and has since provided an excellent area where bass, bluegill, crappie, bullheads and perch are regularly taken.

GAY LAKE—Five miles southeast of Irwin, a site adjoining the railroad right-of-way. It covers about a section of land. Provides excellent fishing.

COTTONWOOD LAKE — One mile east of Merriman and just south of Highway 20. It covers an area of about 30 acres. The Commission caused both Bear and Dry creeks to be diverted into this lake which prevented it from drying up during the drouth period. Fish of varieties common in this area have constantly been taken.

SHOUP LAKE—About 25 miles south of Cody and covers about 80 acres. This lake contains an abundance of bass, bluegill, crappie and bullheads.

CODY LAKE—Four miles north of Cody and covers approximately 1,000 acres. It was seined in 1942 because of low water but in spite of this a considerable number of fish were left and survived in some manner. This lake was restocked in 1943 and provides a haven   6 Outdoor Nebraska for fishermen because of its convenient location.

HACKBERRY LAKE — About 22 miles southwest of Valentine. It covers some 900 acres. In 1949 more than 100,000 pounds of carp were seined from under the ice here.

DEWEY LAKE—Covers about 1,200 acres and has a channel connected with Hackberry lake. During the winter of 1949 a test seining haul was made and it was learned that crappie, bluegill, bass and bullheads in this, lake were plentiful and in perfect health. Many crappie were taken that weighed in excess of one pound. Dewey lake is the most fished of all the sand hills waters at the present time.

DAD'S LAKE—In 1938 and '39 the water became low and the alkali so strong that all fish were killed. It was restocked in 1943 and having been known at one time as the best bullhead lake in the state, promises to again attain that distinction.

RAT AND BEAVER LAKES—Cover about 1,600 acres. These lakes are loaded with bullheads and game fish. They have been seined several times to transplant the bullheads and enable the game fish to develop more rapidly.

BULL LAKE—Southwest of Rat and Beaver lakes. It is located on the Dan Sears ranch and covers about 125 acres. It provides excellent bass and bluegill Ashing.

WILLOW LAKE—A state and federal lake. It consists of about 1,000 acres. It was entirely dry in 1939. At the outlet of Willow, from which the waters of Hackberry, Dewey and Clear lakes flow, the Commission had a dam constructed at the outlet to prevent carp from the mentioned lakes to migrate into Big Alkali, Trout, Red Deer lakes and on into Plum creek. Willow lake is becoming one of the most popular sand hills lakes.

BIG ALKALI—About four miles northwest of Willow lake and covers about 2,000 acres. In 1938 and 1939 this area was but a large dust bowl or blow out. Water returned in 1941 and is now in excess of 20 feet in depth. It was restocked in 1943 and '44 and now affords excellent fishing for bass, crappie, bullheads and perch.

TROUT LAKE—Between Willow and Big Alkali lakes. It covers about 1,000 acres and was dry in 1938 and '39. It was restocked in 1943. The overflow from this lake flows into Ballards Marsh.

BALLARDS MARSH — State-owned public shooting ground and covering 1,500 acres. It was restocked in 1944 after being practically dry. This marsh is located 20 miles south of Valentine and adjoins the oil surfaced highway •No. 83.

RED DEER LAKE—Two miles southeast of Ballards Marsh and covers 900 acres.

  Outdoor Nebraska 7

Red Deer was never completely dry. It was restocked in 1943 and abounds with all kinds of fish peculiar to this section of the state. The Game Commission had interlocking piling placed at the outlet of the lake (where it empties into Plum creek) to control the overflow. Plum creek is one of the good trout streams.

MOON LAKE—Twenty miles south of Ainsworth and covers about one section. Moon lake is the head of the Calamus river.

LONG LAKE—Is located five miles south of Moon lake and covers about 350 acres. It was seined in 1939 while the water was too low and restocked in 1940.

Many of the sand hills lakes receded considerably or went completely dry during the drouth years of the 1930's. The dry period is attributed to some form of capillary action and seems comparative with ground water levels. The water level is presently raising, as is the depth of the lakes. There is nothing to indicate these levels will not be maintained as they were for a long period of years.

The Nebraska Game Commission seined the lakes during the drouth period and restocked them immediately after the water level rose. Many other improvements were made. All of these operations were made possible by the sportsmen's dollars spent for hunting and fishing licenses.

The sand hills lakes are congested with fish and beckoning anglers to remove them. So why not, the next time you plan a fishing trip with the family or friends, try your luck in these natural lakes and get your portion of the sport, thrill and fish entitled you. Treat the sand hills rancher with courtesy for most of the waters are found on his property and he makes it possible for you to have a fling at productive fishing.

(Jack Mendenhall, superintendent of the Valentine hatchery, gathered most of the information used in the preparation of this article.)

8 Outdoor Nebraska

Commission Investigates Gravel Pit Improvements

Adding momentum to its immediate plan to investigate all possibilities of improving fishing throughout the state, the research division of the Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission has recently completed a thorough survey of numerous sand and gravel pits in the state. The division, headed by Dr. Walter Kiener, checked the pits and water samples to determine the extent of plankton—microscopic organisms— and other plant and animal life which serve as food for the fish found in the ground water-fed pits.

Dr. Kiener found many variations in the pits. Some of the waters had surprisingly large numbers of plankton while others had relatively few. Most of the older pits were fairly established with both plant and animal plankton. The new pits are sterile in that the water falls into the ground water category and consequently lacks any organic life. As the sand pits are in ground water basins the water is identical to that which is taken from wells for drinking purposes.

The task confronting the state is to convert the, pits from the sterile stage to productive waters full of organic life. There is only a small replenishment of water in the pits and consequently the process should be speeded up. Plants, by natural methods, are transferred to the pits by birds, floating seeds and air-transported seeds. But in order to speed this process up, it is recommended that any plant previously established in other waters be transplanted in the pits. These plants will serve as ideal habitat for insects where they can lay eggs. As a result, there are larvae, snails and hellgromites. The introduction of minnows is also recommended.

Plant plankton gets its start from basic natural sources—carbon dioxide and other mineral substances. The plant plankton absorbs this and builds up carbohydrates and other foods. The plankton then serves as food for animal plankton. Young fry of game fish and minnows feed on the animal plankton. Minnows also are known to do some feeding on plant plankton. The pan fish, or intermediate fish—crappie, bluegill and sunfish—feed on the larvae, snails and hellgromites. The large game fish have minnows and other small fish as their primary source of food.

Sand and gravel pits provide some of the better fishing waters in the eastern part of the state. Two examples of this are the Fremont state lakes and the Louisville lakes. The pits, averaging around 20 feet in depth, have a constantly cooler temperature than most other waters because of the depth and that they consist primarily of ground water.

Some of the species which have been found to thrive best in the pits are bass, crappie, bluegill, sunfish and bullheads. There is one fault, however. Occasionally one species becomes overpopulated because of the absence of sufficient foods required by the other species. Consequently a predator fish such as the bass must be introduced to feed upon the numerous young of the predominant species.

The surroundings of the pits need not be barren. Numerous species of trees will grow near the shoreline, providing they will be given a chance. Most successful plantings are cottonwoods and willows which grow at a surprisingly swift pace.

The following suggestions for sand pit improvement were prepared by Dr. Kiener after a long and detailed investigation:

1. MANURE—Add one to three loads of manure to one of the bays where the water is deep and no swimming desired. Scatter manure in several piles so that it will all be in the water. Organic detritus in manure will be food for plankton (microscopic animals) which are food for small fish. Manure will also stimulate the growth of plankton (microscopic) plants which are food for plankton animals. Abundance of plankton means rapid weight-growth of all minnow-sized fish.

2. ROCKS—If available, add waste rock (broken tiles, cement, blocks, pavement, etc.) at some places on the shore so they will be one to several feet under water. Small plants (algae) will grow on the rocks, insects will lay their eggs among which are desirable food for growing pan fish. The rocks will probably induce bass to spawn there.

3. CRAPPIE BEDS—Tie some brush or branches of trees together and place them in one to five feet of water near the shore or in small coves where   Outdoor Nebraska 9 they would not be hindering seining operations when necessary. At no time put anything in the water where it would obstruct seining operations. Crappie beds (piles of brush or tree branches) are protection, and mean better aeration for the fish eggs and a source of food for crappie fry, as well as minnows.

4. SHORE PLANTS—Transplant to the shore of the pit semi-submerged plants from sloughs and ditches nearby. Desirable plants are the arrowleaf and the soft-stemmed bulrush, and others. Put a few spade dumps of these plants here and there on the shore and they will spread on their own.

5. SUBMERGED PLANTS — Almost any submerged plant from any pond may to advantage be transplanted to the pit. The floating leaf pondweed is very desirable as it is also a good duck food plant. Its eliptic leaves are floating on the surface of the water and later in the summer spikes of seeds will stick up above the water. In late summer, when the plants are in full seed, they may be pulled up and simply scattered into the pit. Or better, little clumps of clay may be pressed around the lower end of the stems and these then dropped into the pit where the water is about three feet deep. Shore plants and submerged plants will attract insects, snails, etc., to lay their eggs there. This will produce nymphs and larvae, fish food which is larger than the plankton and necessary to produce good pan fish (crappie, bluegill, etc.).

6. MINNOW BAY —A small bay should be screened to keep larger fish out, but allow the passage of minnows. In this way a protected minnow spawning area will be created where breeding minnows and their nests may not be disturbed by other fish.

7. FISHING RECORD—Crop record. It is of great importance to know what a pond actually produces, therefore, it

(Cont'd on page 42).

10 Outdoor Nebraska

True and Distorted

Two women and one gentleman plucked off honors in the initial "Outdoor Nebraska" fishing and hunting story writing competition. They are Mrs. Cleo Teare of Kimball, Mrs. William Dowse, Sr., of Comstock, and Mr. J. A. Bauer of Lincoln. For their efforts each of the winners will receive complimentary five-year subscriptions to "Outdoor Nebraska," quarterly 48-page magazine published by the Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission.

Anyone can and is cordially invited to enter the story writing contest. Judging will be made on oddity and humor. Just jot down, not to exceed 300 words, a hunting or fishing incident which would provide pleasurable reading for the subscribers. Provisions have been made whereby both true and "distorted" stories can be entered. The stories. should be labeled either "true" or "false" and should be sent to the Editor, "Outdoor Nebraska," State House, Lincoln.

Mrs. Teare writes: "My husband decided one afternoon to go fishing. I had neither the license nor the intention of fishing but, since he had invited me, I decided to tag along.

"He baited the hooks and threw in two lines. Then, turning to me, he said, 'Watch these for me a second. I'm going downstream to put in two more.'

"He had just disappeared through the willows when one of the bobbers began to dance and suddenly it was gone. I pounced madly upon the pole. Whee! Right in my face, I had landed a beautiful perch.

'Good afternoon, Ma'am' said a masculine voice. Still gasping with pride, I confronted the stranger.

" 'Fine day for fishing,' he said.

' 'It seems to be,' said I.

" 'May I see your license, Ma'am?' I'm the Game Warden!'

" 'State Game Warden?' I screeched. 'But, Mr. Warden, I'm not fishing!'

" 'That is evident, my land,' he said, glaring at me with contempt.

" 'But, Officer, I was merely going to pull in the line. I---------.'

" 'Yes, Madam, that is usually the way one does it.'

"Then friend husband appeared. From the glint in his eye as he caught the situation, and knowing his love for pranks, I had a feeling of terror that the louse would walk right on by, pretending not to know me. After what seemed to me to be a very long time, he began to explain to the Warden just what had happened (with a great deal of excited and blundering help from me, of course).

"Finally, the Officer, half-heartedly convinced, turned to me and said, 'Lady, whether you are fishing or not, you had better get a license AT ONCE.'"

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Mrs. Teare bought a license).

Mr. Bauer's distorted version of a fishing excursion without bait: "Yes siree! It shore don't pay to be a hurryin' to git agoin' fishin'—bound to forgit somethin' or t'uther. Like the time me and my friend, agoin' fishin', got to hurryin' to git thar, and when we arove thar, found thet we done gone and forgit the bait. Thar we was, fish a jumpin' outen the water, jest a beggin' to be tuk. 'Wal,' sez I, 'whut we goin' to do now?'

" 'Dunno,' sez he.

" 'Wal,' sez I, 'reckon I will hafta find some bait.'

"So, I gits to lookin' 'round and finds me an old log and turns it over, and thar was my bait. Yes siree! A plumb big bullsnake with a mouse in his mouth. So, grabbin' the snake 'round   Outdoor Nebraska 11 the neck, I takes Mr. Mouse away from him but then I gits to feelin' kinda sorry for him. So, I reaches in my right hind pocket and pulls out a pint of corn likker and pours a slug into his mouth and turns him loose. Takin' the mouse back, I cut it up and started a fishin'.

"Jest as I gits comfably sat down, I felt somethin' kinda agin my hip pocket. Thinkin' it might be a piece of wood, I turns 'round to see, and, take me for a tin horn gambler, if thar wasn't thet same snake with anuther mouse in his mouth."

Gittin' or rather getting back to the truth, Mrs. Dowse submitted the following story: "Three years ago this summer, along in July, a hot, dry, dusty time—nothing unusual in that—I felt the urge to go fishing. Neither is that unusual. But, the fact that my big one didn't get away WAS unusual.

"I had fished an hour or two in Spring creek and caught nothing but one little chub. Then, I went out to the Loup river, east side of Oak Grove, looked around a bit and thought, 'Now where can I fish.'

"I baited my hook with worms, tossed it out into the water, perhaps two feet deep. It hardly struck the water when the cork went under, came up once, went under again and then started going places. And, from that time till I saw what looked like a monstrous catfish lying on the bank, my mind was a complete blank. I don't know how I got it out of the water—but yet, I did. After being out of water for well over an hour, it still weighed 51/2 pounds and was 22 inches long. I still shake when I think about it."

COMMERCIAL FISHING HITS 4-YEAR LOW

Productive commercial fishing in the Missouri river is gradually tapering off if annual reports received from Nebraska's seining-vendor permit holders are permitted to be used as evidence. During the year 1949 a total of 253,744 pounds of catfish and non-game fish was taken by 261 commercial fishermen. This represented a four-year low. The previous lightest take in recent years, according to Nebraska Game Commission records, was in 1943 when 411 commercial anglers together landed 202,653 pounds of fish.

The decline in commercial take isn't any immediate cause for alarm unless the drop continues to appear for several more years. If this should happen steps in all probability would be taken to remedy the situation, possibly by restricting the numbers taken or by limiting the number of days per year the commercial anglers can fish. The last possible step which could be taken would be to abolish commercial fishing entirely for several years while the river fish population builds up. This would have to be agreed upon unanimously by the four states bordering the Missouri river—South Dakota, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.

At present there is no restriction on the number of fish any commercial fisherman can take each year nor is there any limit on the number of days he can fish. There is, however, a size limit on catfish. All cats taken by the commercial anglers must measure at least 13 inches in length. Legal size for sportsmen is 12 inches.

During the past year the 261 commercial fishermen who reported their catches together caught 51,082 pounds of catfish (channel, blue and yellow) and 202,662 pounds of non-game fish (carp, buffalo, sturgeon, spoonbill and quillback). Of this number 231,194 pounds were sold for a grand total of $40,614.57. All of the fish taken by commercial anglers can be sold only once. Any individual or market purchasing fish from a commercial angler cannot under state law sell them to another consumer.

Of the 51,082 catfish hauled in by the   12 Outdoor Nebraska commercial fishermen during 1949, 22,996 pounds were channel cats, 9,131 pounds blue cats and 18,955 pounds yellow cats. Of the 194,154 pounds of non-game fish, 164,390 pounds were carp, 32,967 pounds buffalo, 1,315 pounds sturgeon, 3,965 pounds spoonbill and 25 pounds quillback. The revenue for the commercial anglers from the catfish was $13,385.19 as compared to $27,229.38 for the non-game fish.

Commercial fishing is limited to the Missouri river. Even there it has restrictions. Fishing by commercial anglers is prohibited within 300 yards of the mouth of any stream emptying into the Missouri. This is to protect the migration upstream. Anyone who seines for fish for any purpose whatsoever in the Missouri is required to have a seining-vendor permit. This may be obtained from the Nebraska Game Commission at a cost of $15. This permit' entitles them to sell fish taken from the Missouri river.

Commercial anglers are required to submit a report on the total weight of fish taken during the year by species, number sold and revenue received. These reports should be accurate and must be received in the Lincoln office of the Game Commission by the 15th of January of the following year. Commercial anglers failing to do this will be denied new permits. Nebraska's seining-vendor permit holders can fish anywhere in the Missouri river, whether it borders Missouri or Iowa. They cannot, however, land on the shore of any of the other states with their fish.

Authorized equipment for the commercial angling group consists of hoop nets, seines and trammel nets. These must be made of non-metalic cord. The meshes of all the equipment must not be less than one and one-half inches square. The use or possession of wing nets, dip nets, basket traps, .gill nets or any other trap or device is illegal. Numerous commercial fishermen are taking fish by the use of throw lines or poles. To catch fish by this means they are required to have a regular fishing permit.

Many anglers are under the impression   Outdoor Nebraska 13 that there should be a limited season for commercial fishermen to protect catfish during the early spring and late fall months when they are cold and loggy and can be taken in larger numbers. This has been the desire of the Game Commission. It is possible but impractical unless all four states would agree to limit the season. If only Nebraska set a season for commercial anglers our fishermen would be at a distinct and unfair disadvantage because commercial fishermen from other states could continue working the Missouri for the - cat and non-game fish. If the time arrives when there must be an immediate halt to commercial fishing activities only the fullest cooperation between the four states would be effective.

The following tabulation compares the weight of fish taken, weight sold and revenue received for the years 1943-49:

1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 SPECIES 1943 1944 Catfish 67,858 70,246 Non-Game Fish 134,795 326,249 Pounds Sold 181,758 321,958 Total Receipts $27,559 $46,311 49,500 58,371 54,423 77,338 51,082 236,823 225,767 448,831 288,455 202,662 230,521 770,713 259,968 273,651 194,154 $34,241 $38,498 $47,146 $54,788 $40,614

FISH BRIEFS

Gizzard Shad

Gizzard shad is often called skipjack because it skips over the surface of the water when surprised. Shad travel most commonly in schools close to the surface of the water.

Brown Trout

The brown trout can be distinguished from other trout by its square tail and large scales which number 115-150 in the lateral line.

Minnows

There are over 2,000 species of minnows known. Several American species reach a weight of as much as several pounds and a length of 18 inches.

Catfish

Catfish, by their services as scavengers, help to protect more sensitive fishes from effects of pollution of the water through a decomposition of objects which they are themselves willing to devour. Contrary to popular belief, carp are not scavengers. Their main feed is vegetation.

Bullheads

Bullheads are naturally gregarious and usually travel in schools. Sometimes two or three species congregate.

Bullheads make nests on shallow sand or mud bottoms, often utilizing a natural depression or a muskrat burrow. The young remain for some time in dense schools attended by the male.

He's Got Proof

Nebraska Game Warden George Weidman, while on a routine trip in Scotts Bluff county, approached an angler and asked to see his license. The gentleman looked at him, reached into his pocket, and asked, "Is this what you want?" It was his 1911 fishing and hunting license. Warden Weidman nodded no. So the fellow pulled out a roll and produced his fishing and hunting licenses for every year from 1912 thru 1950.

Ouidooh. Nebraska Quiz

You are invited to test your ability in answering these pictorial questions. Count one for each question answered correctly. A score of eight is excellent; six is good; five is fair; and four or below is poor. For answers see page 44.

Outdoor Nebraska 15

CYANIDE DOSE FOR COYOTES . . . Supplements Steel Trap

By Noble E. Buell District Agent Dakotas-Nebraska District U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Not many years ago a professional coyote trapper's equipment consisted of 100 to 200 steel traps, a supply of steel stakes or drags, a saddle horse, camping equipment, and perhaps a pack horse and wagon. Naturally these heavy and somewhat awkward items, together with a slow means of transportation severely limited the scope of his efforts. His equipment and his transportation were, however, pretty well in balance.

With the development of the auto as a more or less reliable means of trapline travel, the scope of the coyote trapper's efforts was considerably widened and the limit of his daily work was determined by the number of traps he could place and maintain safely and efficiently. His equipment and transportation were no longer in balance.

In the natural course of adjustment, airplanes were introduced as a means of taking coyotes for sport and as a means of control. As a control measure, the airplane hunting had a very definite and important role and still has. In some areas it greatly supplemented onthe-ground coyote control, but it could not satisfactorily replace it.

In the late 1930's and early 1940's a small device appeared on the market, under several trade names, which forcibly ejected a small quantity of cyanide into a coyote's mouth. This device was probably the most important development in coyote control since the advent of the steel trap. Although these devices did not, and probably cannot ever completely replace the steel trap, they were and are one of the most important items of the modern professional coyote trapper's equipment. Not only did the trapper's equipment suddenly catch up with his transportation but it surpassed it and not until the post-war development of common four-wheel drive vehicles could the trapper's equipment and transportation be regarded as being in balance again.

The first cyanide. devices were satisfactory as a new development; however, as they became used more and more the professional trapper and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed refinements in technique increasing the efficiency and minimizing the hazard to other wildlife, domestic animals, and curious people. For example, the Fish and Wildlife Service found that the cartridge did not need the amount of propelling charge originally used, nor was the original amount of cyanide necessary to kill a coyote, an animal normally weighing less than 40 pounds. The amounts of each component needed also to be standardized by accurate measurement so there would be no variation among cartridges. Cartridge seals were developed to protect the components from moisture and weather over long periods of exposure. Today professional coyote trappers, cooperatively employed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, State Departments, and many county and livestock protective associations of Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, rely to a large extent on this little device. It has accounted for 56% of coyotes taken in the district by all methods during the past three years. Steel traps have accounted for 7%.

This cyanide device consists of a hollow stake driven into the ground until flush or nearly flush with the ground surface. In this stake is hooked a firing unit which contains a coil spring, a firing pin and a setting mechanism. Above the ground is a small cylinder of cotton or wool about the size of an ordinary spool of thread. This "head" is   16 Outdoor Nebraska covered with paraffin and smeared with a bait attractive to coyotes. Inside the cotton or wool head is a standard .38 caliber cartridge (minus the bullet and powder) which, in a holder, is screwed onto the firing unit. In lieu of the bullet and powder the cartridge contains a light powder propelling charge, a small amount of sodium cyanide and activating material, some separating wads and on top, a small sealing compound. Only by pulling up on the cotton cylinder does the firing of mechanism trip, setting off the cartridge and expelling the cyanide out the end of the cylinder into the mouth of the coyote.

Probably no trapper who uses these devices regularly has escaped accidentally setting off at least one. When accidentally discharged into the hands without gloves, a severe bruise and painful powder burn usually results. With gloves, only a sharp sting lingers for a few minutes. Through long habit, the professional trapper never puts his head oyer the devices when working with them, as painful injury to the eyes would probably result from an accidental discharge with the possibility of the loss of sight, or even loss of life if the cyanide charge was expelled into the open mouth. The wadding might also cause the loss of an eye at close range.

Several manufacturers make similar devices and anyone can buy them from almost any trappers' supply concern so they might be found wherever a trapper deemed it safe to use them. Cooperatively employed Fish and Wildlife Service hunters are, however, required to secure the written permission of any landowner or tenant before placing them on their land. They are not placed along the public roads, near recreational sites or rural schools, or in any place where it can be anticipated the public or its household pets are likely to come in contact with them. In addition, warning signs are placed on all entrances to fields or pastures in which they are used, or upon posts or boards along trails in open -range country.

In Nebraska special permits for the use of "coyote getters" and similar devices for killing coyotes and other predatory animals are issued from the Lincoln office of the Game Commission. Trappers using this kind of equipment are required to abide by the regulations as set forth in Sections 37-523 and 37524 of the Nebraska game code. Section 37-523 reads: Use of explosive trap or device, poison gas, penalty. It shall be unlawful, except as provided in section 37-524, to set or place any explosive trap or device, operated by the use of poison gas or by the explosion of gunpowder or other explosives, for the purpose of taking, stunning or destroying wild animals.

Section 37-524 reads: Exceptions in use of explosive device, poison gas, etc. It shall be lawful to use any device which (1) is operated by the explosion of small amount of gunpowder or other explosives; (2) is designed to discharge poison into the mouth of a wolf, coyote, fox, wildcat or other predatory animals upon the grabbing or seizing of the bait attached to such device by such predatory animals; (3) does not discharge any ball, slug, shot or other missile and; (4) does not endanger the life and limb of any human being or animal, other than   Outdoor Nebraska 17 a predatory animal, during the legal trapping season for fur-bearing animals; provided, such device may be used at any time by any agency of the Game, Forestation and Parks Commission or of the federal government or by persons having the written permission of the Game Commission. Such lawful device when used shall be set not less than 200 yards from any federal, state or approved county highway and not less than 1,000 yards from any rural school, while functioning, or any inhabited dwelling without written permission of the resident of said building; nor may such device be used on the land without the written permission of the owner or operator.

The cyanide loaded shells used by cooperative U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service trappers contain a yellow dye which indelibly marks the coyote or other animals pulling off the device. No cyanide shell on the commercial market contains this dye. The devices in place are shown in accompanying picture. People who have set them off accidentally have usually done so through curiosity or not having recognized the set device from the descriptive warning signs. Look again at the picture. If you should stumble onto one in some out-of-the-way place, for safety's sake LEAVE IT ALONE!

It is true this device has its own peculiar hazards. It is equally as dangerous to a roving and undisciplined dog as it is to a coyote. Valuable or pet dogs can easily be trained to leave them alone by substituting a red pepper cartridge for a cyanide cartridge and letting the dog set off the device. Most professional trappers train their own dogs in this fashion and use the dogs regularly to retrieve the coyotes which have been killed.

Occasionally a skunk or badger may be accidentally killed. Raccoons almost always set them off with their front feet without harm. Magpies, crows or eagles are rarely injured. Foxes are nearly as susceptible as coyotes and dogs, but aquatic fur bearers seldom leave water courses very far and so do not come in contact with the coyote sets. Cattle, horses, sheep and poultry are not endangered but calves, up to 300-400 pounds, may lick the scent off the cotton cylinders and in doing so may set off the cartridge, sometimes with fatal results. Sets are not made where swine can get at them.

On the credit side, coyotes killed by these devices have a swift and humane death. Deer, antelope, domestic sheep, upland game birds, and most fur bearers run no risk of possible injury as they do in steel traps. The trapper does not waste valuable time resetting the traps sprung by horses, cattle, sheep and game before the killing coyote can be caught.

The cyanide device for taking coyotes is apparently here to stay so let's get familiar with its appearance, peculiarities, and hazards and learn to respect it.

Assistant District Agent Tom Turner, Post Office Building, North Platte, is in charge of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service predator control program in Nebraska. Four cooperative hunters are stationed as follows: Mr. Marvin Babel, Long Pine; Mr. Ralph Ingles, Niobrara; Mr. Elmer Sternhagen, Chadron; and Mr. Reed Young, Wood River.

18 Outdoor Nebraska

SHARP-TAIL GROUSE POPULATION CLIMBS

BY LEVI MOHLER Biologist, Research Division

Everybody in southwestern Nebraska did a lot of angling when I was a boy— and water wasn't neecssary for our brand of angling. Just turn the calendar back to about 1914 and I'll tell you how it worked.

One nice day in February or March my brother and I piled into the spring wagon with our father .to go after a few sacks of seed oats at a place about 10 miles away. In those days a 10-mile jaunt took at least a couple of hours and cars were used only by a limited few.

After an early start, we pulled into the yard of a neighbor a couple of miles away. The neighbor greeted us and then Dad asked, "How do we get to Charlie Eckerd's place?"

The roads have all been changed since then, but the general directions ran something like this: "Go two or three miles north; jog west aways after you pass that brush pocket; go on north until the main road ends and then you angle northwest past an old stack of prairie hay and the next buildings you see will be the Eckerds."

Most of the prairie trails headed toward the destination. We angled south and a little east to reach Wauneta, going toward the Empire school, through Kanost's pasture and down the long canyon. And to reach Enders we angled southwest, up the "Hog Chute" (local name for the canyon-ridge road), past Henry Waggoner's place, followed the White Pole Line (now Highway No. 6) to the Blue Ridge school, angled southwest through the bluestem draws, around the buffalo wallows, past a prairie-dog town or two, over the magnesia hills and into town.

That kind of angling has disappeared from much of the state. Section line roads are common now. And yet there are still considerable areas where this angling is done today. Angling roads go with the unbroken prairie. And part of the life of the unbroken prairie is the prairie chicken. So now let's jump from the early days to 1940, and the beginning of what we call the prairie chicken investigation.

Prairie chickens used to flush at the roadside up in Charlie Eckerd's neighborhood, and I was naturally pleased to find that there were still some in that community in 1940. Why were they   Outdoor Nebraska 19 there, after they had disappeared from most of the southeastern half of the state? The investigation had as its purpose to find out what prairie chicken requirements are, to make an extensive survey of the state's prairie chicken range, and to help plan ways of handling farm and ranch land so that these fine prairie birds could continue to live and increase in numbers.

Although wartime conditions practically ' stymied the investigation for awhile, considerable information has accumulated by now; in fact, the outlook for prairie chickens in Nebraska is probably brighter than in any other state.

Nebraska's prairie chicken, the greater prairie chicken or pinnated grouse, is a near relative of another common Nebraska resident, the sharp-tailed grouse. So it was natural that, as the investigation went along, it included both chickens and sharptails. As a matter of fact, agriculture encroached upon the range of the sharp-tailed grouse less than it did upon that of the prairie chicken. Hence, the sharp-tail in North America is better off today than the chicken, considering each species as a whole.

The prairie chicken and grouse investigation, starting in the vicinity of the spring wagon trails in the Eckerd area, soon expanded to include Keith, Logan, Wheeler and Holt counties. Field work has now been done in every sandhills county from Morrill and Box Butte on the west to Antelope and Pierce on the east. Counties southeast of the sandhills have also entered into the chicken studies, while Dawes and Sioux counties, northwest of the sandhills, have a part in the sharp-tailed grouse setup.

When one takes a look at the prairie chicken situation today the outstanding fact about their present distribution is that they are always associated with grasslands. It may surprise some of the readers to learn that prairie chickens are still residents of Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, in addition to Nebraska. In the various states, grass seed-producing areas, swampy areas, sandy areas and others which aren't plowed up for one reason or another, all have chickens if the native grasses are protected. In most of the states listed, such areas are small.

All of our sandhill counties, including those south of the Platte river, plus several counties further west in the panhandle, have either prairie chickens or sharp-tailed grouse. Many of these counties contain both species.

In the northwest counties, and in the northern and western parts of the sandhills, sharp-tails outnumber prairie chickens. In the central part of the range country, both are found in good numbers, while prairie chickens take over as the number one bird in the eastern and southern sandhills. In addition, many counties south and east of the sandhills have wintering flocks of prairie chickens which move to the cultivated lands for winter and go back to the ranch country again for nesting.

Seasonal shifts of both birds could be a bit confusing if year around information was not used. For example, Brown county has a well-distributed breeding population of prairie chickens and some winter flocks while in the winter much of this county undoubtedly has more sharptails and fewer chickens.

Our earlier studies, which happened to be in Chase county as a matter of convenience, were aimed at finding out more about fall and winter food and cover requirements of prairie chickens and in general getting well acquainted with the habits of these birds so that work could be planned systematically for the rest of the state.

In the past several years most of the field work has been done in the spring, directed towards mapping the breeding distribution of the two kinds of birds. This hasn't been a one-man job. I have had excellent help on various parts of the work from conservation officers, ranchers, farmers, old-timers, and outdoorsmen who hunted these birds in the "good old days" of buckboards and angling roads. And we shouldn't leave out my fellow biologists, whose alarm clocks have often sounded as early as three o'clock in the morning so that they could get on location to make counts of male birds in spring at the booming grounds.

Prairie chicken males make a sound called booming, sort of a three syllable "boom-ah-boom," on spring mornings. The sound carries well, although it is not particularly loud at the source, and can be heard at least two miles under good conditions and perhaps further. By following the sound it is possible to locate the birds on the booming ground, which is a spot traditionally used, year after year. The males gather there daily, from the first spring-like mornings of the year until sometime in June. Counts of the birds present are useful in checking up on population trends of breeding birds through the years. The annual counts may show an up trend the help of cultivation.   20 Outdoor Nebraska at some grounds and a down trend at others, but if a large number of such spots are visited the over-all trend can be determined.

Spring work by the game biologist includes visiting a number of booming grounds in key areas to follow trends, and visiting new territory to locate more grounds for future local checkups.

Including locations used by sharptailed grouse, as well as those used by prairie chickens, nearly a hundred grounds have been located and more are added every year. Prairie chicken grounds have been observed in at least fifteen counties during the 1940's, and sharp-tailed grouse grounds have been observed in at least 12 counties during the same period. Most of the field work has been in the better prairie chicken country; prairie chickens apparently breed in 31 counties. Sharptails probably breed in at least 20 counties.

In Nebraska, the term booming ground is used when speaking of prairie chickens, and the similar spots used by sharp-tailed grouse are called dancing grounds, to distinguish the two. Grouse sounds do not carry as well as the booming of the chickens. Both species engage in sham battles, and they do a lot of displaying, parading, cavorting, etc., all of which is a part of their pre-mating or courtship behavior. Breeding takes place at these courtship grounds, but the casual observer isn't likely to see the actual mating unless he visits such a place at the peak of the breeding season, which includes only a small part of the total spring booming period.

Besides the spring observations, some time has been spent in inventorying local populations of both chickens and grouse by watching the winter flocks which congregate at certain points where both food and cover are available. Quite often these points are in rather out-of-the-way places; hence, many people are surprised to learn that we have places where we are keeping an eye on flocks of fifty, a hundred, or even two hundred of these birds under winter conditions.

The winter flocking tendency in prairie chickens is more noticeable than in sharptails. Chickens usually select as a wintering range a cultivated area, usually one having corn and which has a large acreage of tall native grasses nearby. Waste grain in the fields provides a good winter diet, but the tall grasses for night roosting are' important, too. They give the birds protection from chilly winter winds. Chase county winter investigations indicate that these birds are likely to shun a place in winter unless the grass provides adequate protection. Many of Nebraska's cattle ranges provide excellent winter cover now, but those that are grazed down close aren't of much use to groundroosting birds.

Incidentally, a pasture which doesn't have enough litter of fallen and tangled grasses on the ground to be useful to prairie chickens for winter roosting isn't likely to be much good for nesting the following year. Nests are usually built in the accumulated ground cover from the previous year's growth. This helps to explain why burning can be detrimental to nesting even though the burning may occur months before the nesting season.

Both prairie chickens and sharptailed grouse are well adapted to survive the winter's snows. They burrow or tunnel into the snow, sometimes going back several feet from the entrance of such a tunnel and thus getting complete protection from the winds which blow above. "When winter really gets tough they can "loaf out" a bad storm, but the first bright morning usually finds them feeding again much the same as before the storm.

When the snow is deep both these birds often go into trees and feed on buds of willows, cottonwoods, and sometimes other trees. The buds don't seem to be of very high value from the standpoint of straight nutrition, but in the dead of winter they tide the grouse over until other foods are available. Quite a lot of Nebraska's range country could be improved for chickens and grouse by planting more trees and shrubs in protected sites; windbreaks for cattle often serve a dual purpose by also harboring the prairie game birds in winter.

Native prairie shrubs, including sand cherry, sandhill willow, redroot, and some others, may have been more common under early day conditions than today; at least they can be found more easily in areas protected from grazing than elsewhere. It is quite likely that continued heavy grazing not only reduces the grassy ground cover but also brings about further deterioration of the prairie grouse habitat by slowly eliminating the brush.

Where the range grasses and the brush are in good shape the chickens and grouse respond by occupying the areas. Although chickens may move to the nearest cultivated area, or even shift completely into farm lands for part-of the winter, the sharptails.get by fine-even in the interior sandhills without the help of cultivation.

  Outdoor Nebraska 21

In a dozen or so counties, prairie chickens and grouse are more commorl than pheasants. It appears, that the sandhills and the cultivated sandhilledge counties give these hardy natives a stronghold which will carry them far into the future. The generally better handling of the grasslands in recent years, including rotation, grazing and re-seeding of some lands to grass, have brought about better conditions not only for the rancher but for the birds as well.

Most Nebraskans are genuinely interested in our two kinds of native grouse. I think the question which I hear most often when chickens are being discussed is this: "What happened to the prairie chicken? Or, what adds up to the same thing: Will the chicken ever come back?

The first question can be answered somewhat in this way: Prairie chickens, in common with other grouse, snowshoe rabbits, and apparently even pheasants, are subject to what many people call the ten-year game cycle. The population builds up a few years and then goes down again. About ten years elapse from one high point to the next high point and a similar period from one low point to the next. Both chicken and grouse populations are going up now. The next high should be in the early 50's.

Other than this population change, which seems to go on almost like clockwork, the main thing that happened to prairie chickens was that man destroyed most of their preferred habitat when he plowed the midwestern prairie. The original range of the prairie chicken was quite similar in extent to what we now call the corn belt. We can find the answer in a hurry if we ask, "What would happen to our total corn yield if we took out of production most of the better cornland in the states from Indiana and Michigan on the east, through the midwest, to Nebraska and her neighbors in the great plains area?" The answer is obvious, and it explains what happened to most of the chicken range in southern and eastern Nebraska and in the vast "bread basket" east of here.

As to whether or not the chickens will "come back," that question misses the, boat a little. Actually the prairie chicken IS back, or to be more correct, it did not disappear from the areas where extensive tall grass prairie still exists. But if it is to approach the numbers of 35 to 70 years ago, we'd have to have far more land in grass and less in cultivation than we have today. And it isn't very likely that we'll convert to a grassland economy very soon, although recent trends toward grass are certainly a step in favor of the prairie chicken.

Earlier in this article it was mentioned that agriculture bothered the sharptail less than the chicken. This bird occupies a large area in the country west and north of the corn belt, mostly in Nebraska, the Dakotas, Montana, Canada, and the lake states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Most of the country used by sharptails is relatively inaccessible. Hence, open seasons during the last few years in several states have taken only a small part of the available grouse. While hunting pressure has been heavy upon bobwhites in some southeastern states and in some parts of eastern pheasant range, the grouse hasn't been affected much simply because the grouse country is populated by few people; and the type of hunting is rough enough that only the hardy outdoorsman is likely to make a serious try at sharptails.

Recent grouse seasons in other states have been planned so as to permit harvesting of sharptails and at the same time giving prairie chickens protection. This has been done by opening the main sharptail range to hunting and keeping the main prairie chicken areas closed. This has worked very well. It enables the states to hunt the large population of sharp-tailed grouse without endangering prairie chickens which most game workers believe should be protected in their present restricted range.

Frequently someone asks, "When can we shoot grouse and chickens again?" Both have been protected for over twenty years. In view of the good population of sharptails and their location in such wild country, it would seem that some hunting of them would be entirely appropriate, at least during the years at or near peak populations.

With prairie chickens, the situation is different. Probably the first aim should be to make the future of the species safe. And since Nebraska has a considerable reservoir of breeding stock, and land use practice which will probably keep present grasslands in grass, our chances of having chickens in numbers big enough to provide good future shooting are probably as good as those of any state. But for the present, improvement of range conditions and protection of the breeding stock, are probably the soundest chicken management procedures.

IT PAYS TO KN0W--Quail Needs

 

Outdoor Nebraska 27

Whose Game Is It?

By JACK STRAIN Farm Manager

Who does game actually belong to? This query has been the point in question of many friendly, and some not-so-friendly, arguments down through the years of man's recorded history, resulting in many and varied interpretations of ownership of game in its wild state.

The sports of hunting and fishing probably have more actual participants than any other sport in this country, and an unbelievable amount of money is spent annually in these pursuits. Yet, at the same time, there is probably less known about the rules, regulations, and background of this game than any other. It is hoped that this article may help to clarify some of these points for Mr. Average Sportsman.

First of all, what is game? Generally speaking, the word "game" pertains to any kind of wild animals, fowl, or birds, that have not been domesticated or reduced to private ownership. More specifically, game is further defined in Section 37-101 of the Revised Statutes of Nebraska to include "All game, fish, game animals, fur-bearing animals, game birds, and all other birds and creatures protected by this act." The section also names each bird, animal, and fish, in its proper category.

That the ownership of game, and the right to administer laws pertaining to it, is not of recent controversy, is attested to by the laws of Ancient Athens, which are said to have forbade the killing of game because the rulers noted that the Athenians were applying too much time to the chase at the expense of the mechanical arts. Also, the Roman law, among other sub-divisions, classified things into public and common. Among those things common were animals in the wild state, which, having no owner, were considered as belonging in common to all of the citizens of the State.

This theory, of public ownership of game through the State in its sovereign capacity, has continued down through the years, being incorporated in the Napoleonic Code and the common law of England.

When the colonists settled in America, they brought the English common law with them, and today we have the accepted principle that wild game is owned by the State in its soverign capacity, as a trust for the people of the State. Since this is generally accepted by the courts throughout the Nation, it can be seen that no one individual can acquire a title or property right to wild game, except as under such conditions and regulations as the State may permit.

As an example of this, a man in Nebraska who kills a pheasant in closed season is actually stealing the common property right that the other citizens of the State have in that bird. Only the people, through their duly elected and appointed representatives, have the authority to designate when, where, and how, wild game can be reduced to private ownership. No one individual may take this responsibility upon himself.

That the State has this authority, seems amply pointed out in the case of Geer v. Connecticut, 161 U. S. 519, where the right of the State to regulate and control the manner in which wild game may be appropriated by the individual is sustained on two grounds: (1) The sovereign ownership of animals, wild by nature, by the State in trust for the benefit of its citizens; and (2) The police power of the State which flows from its duty to preserve for its people a valuable food supply.

At this point, it may be wondered how the individual can actually acquire ownership of wild game if everyone owns it. As we pointed out before, legal acquisition can be accomplished only by observation of the laws and regulations set forth and enforced by the people for this purpose. Even when in legal pursuit of game, conditions occasionally arise where the participants in the chase have to resort to the courts to establish ownership of game. In one case, a hunter wounded a deer, and by the time he was able to get to the point where the deer became exhausted, he found that another hunter had taken possession of it. The court held that the second hunter had legal possession, as he was the first to actually reduce the animal to his   28 Outdoor Nebraska power and control, even though it was a direct result of action taken by the first hunter.

In a summary of several cases of this nature, it has usually been held that the ownership of the animal in question rested in the first person to take actual physical possession of it.

We are often approached by the landowner, who in a half-joking, half-serious manner asks, "Inasmuch as I support the game on my place, why don't I have more right to it than the city hunter who comes to my farm to hunt?" The answer, of course, goes back to the accepted fact that wild game belongs to the people as a whole, and not to any individual, regardless of his occupation or station in life. To be more specific, however, it is certainly true that the landowner does contribute a certain amount of feed for game. It is also true, especially in the case of game birds, that they pay their way, so to speak, by feeding on countless insects, larvae, and weed seeds, that are injurious to crops. Also, the landowner who hunts and fishes, and we have many in our state, enjoys one exceptional advantage over his city cousin when the open season rolls around. This advantage is that he may hunt and fish on his property without trespassing, which the non-land holder cannot do. In these times, with our hunting and fishing public increasing by leaps and bounds, this is indeed a fact to be considered, and is often compensation enough for our farmer-Sportsman.

Whose game IS it? It S yours.

(Some of the material used in the preparation iitu tn's story was taken from the book, "Wild Game—It's Legal Status", published by DuPont).

Polio Victim Tackles Fly Tying Profession

Dreaded polio is usually successful in confining an inflicted person to bed or at least to a wheel chair. It succeeded in restricting jovial Jack Krotz, 34-year-old Ravenna sportsman, to a wheel chair but failed miserably in destroying his activities or dampening his spirits. Jack has been a polio victim since nine years of age and is paralyzed from the arms on down. But never a day passes that Jack hasn't a broad smile and cordial greeting for everyone who chats with him. His only means of transportation is a new electric-powered wheel chair which moves him up a specially constructed ramp on the porch of his house and to and from town.

Jack is reputedly one of the best fly tyers in the state, but he has yet to experience the thrill and satisfaction of tempting battling game fish with his homemade lures. This opportunity has been promised him by fellow members of the Ravenna chapter of the Izaak Walton league sometime this summer. Jack started his fly-tying profession during the years of World War II when there was a noted scarcity of flies in Ravenna and neighboring towns. Local anglers entered the scene and encouraged Jack to try his hand at the game. It proved to be a huge task for Jack as he wasn't accustomed to such movement and consequently tired easily. He discovered, though, before very long that he was able to manipulate his hands sufficiently to carry out all the detailed precision required in fly-tying.

Mr. E. N. "Ernie" Thomas, a railroad conductor and sportsman who tied his own flies for many years, intervened and taught Jack the basic fundamentals of flytying. This occurred about six years ago. He also gave Jack tips on the tying of difficult and popular patterns. The results were very encouraging and on numerous occasions his flies were in great demand. Local anglers seeing his products were amazed with their finesse and traced them to Jack.

The family doctor, L. E. Dickinson, a fly-tying addict who has developed some patterns which were manufactured by a Denver concern for many years, also offered his assistance. He succeeded in locating numerous patterns which Jack had previously been unable to obtain. Another sportsman, Alvin Gibbs of Omaha, instructed Jack on the finer points of fly rod assembly. Credit should also go to the members of the Ravenna chapter for their assistance and encouragement.

Mr. Thomas and other helpful Ravenna citizens helped Jack get in communication with wholesale firms to order equipment and other supplies. He started   Outdoor Nebraska 29 originally to tie flies for the Waltons but now makes them on a commercial basis. He has mastered all the tricks of the trade and ties about 500 of the top national favorites in addition to nymphs and streamers. The list of his flies is continually growing in proportion with the demand. He recently stopped listing his flies and now takes orders on standard pattern flies. Some of his prices are: One dozen wet flies, matched set and mailed at $1.30 or $15.00 per gross of 12 mixed kinds. Simple pattern streamers at about $1.50 per dozen and all nymphs at $2.00 a dozen. He also ties quite a number of special flies which originate in the minds of numerous anglers.

Jack's home is constantly visited by friends and potential purchasers of his unique flies. Youngsters of Ravenna flock to his home to discuss sports of the day and run errands for him. He's made countless friends who consider him "one swell guy. Jack lives with his father at Ravenna, each taking turns in preparing the meals. Jack said some of his meals take a "nightmarish" turn, but that his coffee could float a spoon.

All anglers in need of flies for your next fishing excursion will find your money well spent in doing business with Jack. Some of Nebraska's leading anglers have nothing but praise for his work. Those desiring his service should write to Jack Krotz, Ravenna, Nebraska. You can rest assured that he will deeply appreciate your interest in his profession.

30 Outdoor Nebraska

Vandals Robbing Sportsmen Of Recreational Facilities

To wilfully destruct or at least cause damage to property, regardless of to whom it rightfully belongs, appears to be the malicious oath adhered to and practiced by a small but growing number of vandals who roam through the state-owned recreation grounds in quest of destructive excitement. The great damage inflicted by the vandals, however, can't be defined in dollars and cents, but instead in the loss to the many owners—sportsmen and recreationists of the state—of the use of the accommodations and facilities for lengthy periods of time.

The state of Nebraska and its residents are extremely fortunate in having 55 recreation grounds scattered throughout the state's 77,237 square miles. The recreation grounds have several major purposes—to provide recreation and relaxation for all Nebraskans and to make it unnecessary for them to trespass on private property in seeking such activity. The grounds are constructed and improved solely through money made available by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. Consequently, when vandals go on a destruction-packed rampage they are robbing the sportsmen of what rightfully belongs to them.

Vandalism isn't anything new. It's been a headache for some time, but only in recent years has it been so extensive to create a major problem. No logical reason can be found for the marked increase. Preventative steps have been taken in recent years but still vandalism goes marching on. The damage incurred runs up into thousands of dollars annually. This is fantastic in itself, but still second to the loss of the facilities to the public for indefinite periods of time. This latter loss can't be expressed alone in terms of money, but in the degree of unnecessary discomfort and inconvenience. Imagine planning a group or family picnic at one of the recreation grounds and upon arriving there find the fireplaces torn down, the water system fouled up, picnic tables broken and floating in the river or lake, or somebody target shooting and bullets whizzing over your head.

You might find buildings torn from their foundations and upset, initials carved in any kind of structures, beautiful green trees cut down for no apparent reason, garbage and other refuse scattered all over the area while containers sit idly by, signs broken and perforated with bullets, and sanitary facilities destructed beyond repair.

Many steps have been taken to curb the rampaging vandals but the results have been almost negligible. Caretakers have been assigned to some of the areas, wardens alerted to make closer observations, and signs posted giving warning of the penalty for such an offense. For destroying or injuring property belonging to the state to the amount of less than $35, a person can be fined in any sum not exceeding $100.or be imprisoned for a period not exceeding 30 days.

Costly but more permanent structures have been erected. Even this failed to stop the vandals. One building with an eight-inch cement foundation was torn from the ground and upset.

  Outdoor Nebraska 31

One recent regulation passed by the Game Commission, however, will definitely call a halt to one act of trouble. The target shooting problem which endangered innocent recreationists was remedied by the regulation forbidding the use of firearms of any kind at any of the state recreation grounds or state parks during the closed hunting seasons. Anyone prosecuted for this offense can be fined a sum not to exceed $100.

The Game Commission, representing the sportsmen of the state, constructs, improves and maintains the recreation grounds. Damage by vandalism has been so great recently that it has been necessary to assign one crew of men to work specifically on this kind of damage. But because the number of the recreation grounds is so large and evenly distributed throughout the state, it has been impossible for the crew to make repairs immediately. Consequently, the accommodations and facilities must lay idle until the crew can work the area into the schedule, leaving the sportsmen and vacationists without the conveniences placed there for them and with their money.

To stop vandalism is not a one-man job or a duty belonging distinctly to the Game Commission. It's a job for all of us. By observing all of the regulations in effect at the recreation grounds, cooperating with the caretakers and Game Commission, and reporting any deliberate attempts by anyone to cause any damage, we can go a very long way in a successful effort to preserve our recreational areas where we can fish, picnic and enjoy nature's outdoors.

 

Outdoor Nebraska 33

1,000 HUNTERS TO COMPETE IN STATE'S 3rd DEER HUNT

Nebraska's big game hunters—1,000 strong—will take to the Pine Ridge and wooded areas of the Platte valley in Dawes, Sioux, Scotts Bluff, Morrill counties and Sheridan county north of the Niobrara river sometime in December to harvest the state's aggregation of buck deer. This forthcoming special hunt, scheduled for a 14-day period, marks the third time in the last six years that Nebraska ranges have been sufficiently inhabited with deer to afford a season.

The first hunt in Nebraska annals was held in 1945 when 500 nimrods bagged 361 bucks in the Halsey division of the Bessey National Forest. Then in 1949 a group of 1500 hunters dropped bucks in the five-county area which is again open for the 1950 season. The '49 hunters posted a 60 plus percent hunter success score, killing 910 bucks for one of the best deer-per-hunter successes recorded anywhere throughout the United States that year.

Many sportsmen are scratching their heads, wondering why it's now possible to have three big game seasons in a period of six years and not any prior to that. There are numerous factors involved. In the early days of settlement in this area there were no restrictions on game birds or game animals and consequently their numbers dwindled almost out of existence.

Realizing the probable extinction of game birds and game animals if no measures were taken limiting hunting, regulations were passed. Some 15 to 20 years ago an increase in the deer population was noted. A striking increase was found 10 years back and finally, in 1945, the deer population had multiplied to such an extent that it needed harvesting and a season was declared. Four years later the population was again plentiful enough to afford another season. Although 910 deer were killed in that hunt their number is again, only one year later, believed to be large enough to warrant another season.

Nebraska on a whole is not perfect habitat for deer, lacking forests and suitable cover. There are some exceptions, one being the Halsey division of the Bessey National Forest. The entire forest is hand-planted and provides proper cover for deer. Wooded areas in the Platte Valley are also favorable. A deer does more browsing than grazing, feeding principally upon twig tips, buds, leaves and fruits of trees, shrubs, vines and non-grassy herbs.

Deer are relatively long-lived when compared to game birds. Without any unusual causes for death or a hunting season, deer increase from 15 to 20 percent in number each year. The turnover in most game birds is the opposite. Birds are short-lived, a great toll taken by natural death before reaching one year of age.

The deer season last year set a precedent in one field and offers a challenge to this year's nimrods to duplicate. Probably the greatest achievement, excluding the successful kill, was the sportsman-rancher relationship which was unparalleled in any season of any kind. Sportsmen respected the rights of the land owners and the latter in turn offered all assistance possible. Ranchers Were so impressed with the good sportsmanship and conduct of the hunters that many of them journeyed miles out of their way to the sealing stations and sought hunters to take to their ranches.

The big majority of last year's nimrods who successfully brought home big game trophies—608 out of 910— made their kills in the Pine Ridge country. Thirty percent of the hunters took deer on the opening day of the season, December 5th. By the end of the first week of the hunt, 72 percent of the successful hunters bagged deer, 17 percent at the end of the second week, and 11 percent the final five days. Deer killed in Scotts Bluff county were taken largely by local residents and Pine Ridge deer chiefly by hunters from distant counties.

The exact dates and details of this year's hunt will be determined sometime this summer and will be announced   34 Outdoor Nebraska in newspapers throughout the state.

Applications for the special deer permits are to be received in the Lincoln office of the Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission by July 15. All applications postmarked not later than July 15 will be accepted. The drawing is scheduled to be held in the State House on August 1 and will be carried out in the same manner as the '49 drawing. Earlier dates were selected for applications and drawings to enable unsuccessful applicants to make arrangements to hunt elsewhere.

One change was made in last year's procedure. Some additional alternate permits will be drawn for the '50 hunt to allow for cancellation of permits which may be allowed no later than August 10. Any successful applicant who desires to cancel his permit prior to that date may do so and his permit will be assigned to the first alternate applicant drawn.

Though the big game hunt is still several months away, it is suggested that hunters, learning of their successful application, make contacts with ranchers and farmers in the five-county region to assure them of a place, to hunt. As most of the hunting will take place on privately-owned lands, it is up to the sportsman to convince the land owner of his reliability and conduct. Last year's perfect relationship weighed heavily in the decision to have the '50 hunt in the big area. Let's duplicate this perfect cooperation and respect of one another and mould the way for bigger and better hunts in the future, both for ourselves and the younger generation.

"OPERATION MEMPHIS LAKE" NO. 1 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

"Operation Memphis Lake", launched in mid-May, is the major assignment scheduled by the Lands and Waters Division of the Game Commission this year in an all out effort to improve fishing throughout the state of Nebraska. The program, calling for a complete renovation of the lake and accompanying grounds, is expected to be completed this fall and available for public use sometime next spring.

In addition to "Operation Memphis Lake", the Game Commission has already completed work in some areas and contemplates construction and improvement of other lakes, recreation grounds and state parks throughout the state. Only unfavorable weather will derail the most strenous and complete improvement and construction program ever undertaken by the Game Commission.

"Operation Memphis Lake" got underway about the- middle of May when Division Supervisor Carl Anderson opened the gate to mud bogged Memphis, permitting the lake to dry up in the shallower portions and concentrating the fish population in the deeper parts. By doing this anglers still had the opportunity to do some fishing prior to the final draining out process. In the first week of June, Paul Todd and his seining crew moved into the area and removed all game and rough fish from the lake, stocking them in nearby waters where Memphis anglers could still fish for them.

After all fish were seined, the remaining water in the lake was allowed to drain out. When the lake bottom dried enough to permit the use of heavy equipment, excavation work began. Present plans call for the lake to have a minimum depth of six feet. Some parts of the lakes will range between eight and ten feet in depth. Some years back Memphis Lake was considered one of the best lakes in eastern Nebraska and attracted anglers from all sections of the state. It is the hope of the Commission that the complete renovation program will restore Memphis lake to its long lost pinnacle in eastern Nebraska fishing.

While excavation work is being carried out in the lake, the surrounding grounds will be remodeled. New picnic tables and fireplaces will be installed. The now bumpy roads will be raised and graded. Sanitary facilities will be improved. To make the recreation grounds more complete, the Commission will try to make arrangements to have a refreshment and boating concession available.

 

A third lake, spring water fed, will be added to the Alexandria Recreation Grounds area, four miles south of Alexandria. At present there are two lakes which together are 40 acres in area. One of the present lakes is stocked with bass and the other with bluegill catfish and bullheads. The new lake, construction on which is expected to begin late this summer, will range between six and eight feet in depth. It will be stocked with game fish as soon as water is impounded.

Verdon lake, one mile west of Verdon, is overrun with moss and sea weeds, drastically curtailing good fishing. The only solution to the problem is to drain the lake and excavate it. Game Commission crews are expected to begin such work in October or November, all dependent on the weather. When completed the lake will have a minimum depth of six feet.

Construction has started on a large dam and gate at Hull lake, three miles southwest of Butte. When completed water will be impounded, forming a comparatively small but deep lake. The lake, because of its depth and being spring fed, should provide excellent fishing.

Over at Pawnee lake, two miles west of Guide Rock, dreding operations are being carried out to deepen the lake and eliminate the heavy concentration of moss and sea weeds. Dredging operations should be , completed about the middle of August. Other work there includes reinforcement of dikes and dam, repair of the spillway, and installation of new picnicking facilities.

Water has been impounded in Smith lake, 23 miles south of Rushville in the roving sand hills country. The lake is now full to capacity and consists of 200 acres. Early this spring some 8,000 trees were planted in the area, giving promise of excellent shade for anglers on those hot, sultry days. Picnic equipment will be provided. The lake should be excellent for bass and should also serve favorably as a duck nesting pond. The complete area has been fenced.

During the heavy rainy period this spring, Game Commission crews made an emergency trip to Willow lake, 25 miles south of Valentine. The threat of high waters flooding nearby ranch land was averted by raising and reinforcing the dam. If the dam would have gone out, trout lakes in the area would have been invaded by carp and other rough fish from Willow lake.

The dam on Arnold lake, one mile south of Arnold, was reconstructed and increased in size. A new headgate and overflow spillway were installed. The entire lake area was excavated to a minimum depth of six feet. It previously was between one and one-half and three feet in depth.

Spring floods caused an estimated $10,000 in damages at Niobrara State Park. Game Commission crews repaired and built new dikes, reconstructed the entire road system in the park, repaired damage to summer cottages, replaced the damaged bridge and constructed a suspension foot bridge. Two new large double cabins, finished with knotty pine in the interior, were completed, each with the latest modern conveniences.   36 Outdoor Nebraska The new cabins are situated on the attractive lake front.

Two new cabins, similar to those just completed at Niobrara, are under construction on the high bluffs of Ponca State Park. These are expected to be ready for occupancy around the 15th of July. With these two additions, Ponca provides five cabins for rental to recreationists and vacationists.

Approximately 50,000 yards of dirt have been moved in the process of changing the channel of Minnechaduza creek, bringing it closer to the Valentine state fish hatchery which is dependent on it for its water supply. With the water source nearer, the construction of additional rearing ponds will be possible.

Electric service was installed at Camp Hayes recreation grounds, 11 miles north of Hayes Center. A new water system is to be installed and the cabins modernized. Surveys have been made at two new areas on Crystal lake at South Sioux City, preparatory to development sometime this summer. Development of a new area on Lake Quinnebaugh is also expected to be started this summer.

Out west at Chadron state park construction of 2,000 feet of six-inch water line has been completed. A 15 horse power Turbine pump is in the process of being installed. The largest building program, however, is the proposed construction of a group camp to accommodate 100 people. It is hoped to begin work on the camp sometime this summer.

Mentioned above are only the major improvement and construction programs already completed or in the process of being started. There will be some repair work at all of the recreation grounds and state parks during the remaining months of the year.

Outdoor Nebraska 37

The Missing Picture

Following are the nine characteristics of a fish found in Nebraska. How many of the characteristics must you read before you can determine which fish should appear in the above blank space. The name of the fish can be found on the reverse side of this page.

1. A warm water fish and originally found east of the Rockies from Canada southward to Florida and Mexico. It has been widely introduced elsewhere in the United States.

2. The spawning of this fish is largely controlled by weather conditions. A sudden drop of but 10 or 12 degrees below the normal temperature for the spawning season is sufficient to kill the eggs or the newly hatched fry. Most often spawning areas of this fish are found in more or less sheltered bays in waters two to six feet deep.

3. This fish eats a wide variety of food, including insects, small fishes (mostly minnows and perch), crayfishes and frogs.

4. This fish exercises care and courage in defending its nests against all enemies, fancied or real. From the time the male fish clears off an area for the female to deposit the eggs and until the eggs are hatched and the fry leave the nest, every object appearing in the vicinity, within a radius of at least 20 feet, is immediately attacked or driven off.

5. This fish, after seizing bait, is not often hooked because it runs some distance before swallowing it far enough to get hooked. Skill is often required to hook and land the fish.

6. One of the most popular game fishes found in Nebraska, it usually feeds in shallow, weedy waters.

7. Environmental differences exert a powerful influence on its appearance. Those from clear-bottom lakes are a rather bright dark green on the sides and silvery below, and the broad blackish band on the sides is almost as distinct as it is in the young. Adults from mud bottom lakes may shade from dark olive brown to deep black, with the markings scarcely discernible, and the fry and very young are almost colorless.

8. It differs from a similar fish of the same family in that the position of the jaw reaches back to below the hind margin of the eye. Thesdorsal fin of this fish has 10 spines, occasionally 9, and 12 or 13 soft rays; the spinous portion is separated from the soft portion by a deep notch.

9. The state record catch of this species weighs 9 pounds, 3 ounces and was caught by Wentworth Clark of Omaha in 1943.

38 Outdoor Nebraska

Carp Only Waters Rival Game Lakes In Popularity

Back in 1943 the Nebraska Game Commission had a huge surplus of carp left over from the rough fish seining program of the previous winter and early spring. The carp had been seined out of overcrowded waters to give the game fish more natural foods arid a better chance to develop. The usual practice followed was to sell the carp.

It seemed wasteful to sell the carp when fishermen continually remarked that fishing wasn't too good. The carp were both large in size and numerous in number. The Game Commission sought a way to use the carp to the fisherman's advantage. Fishing hadn't been too good in one of the Fremont state lakes or in lake No. 3 at Louisville. These lakes were relatively small, shallow and muddy and consequently not very suitable for game fish."

Rather than let these two lakes lie idly by, the Commission decided to stock carp in the waters so that anglers would at least have the opportunity to do some fishing in them. That was in 1943 and today, seven years later, these two lakes are just as popular as any of the game fish lakes in the two state lake groups. Anglers are unanimous in saying that carp fishing is hard, to beat.

Anglers fishing in those two lakes have learned the big advantage of carp lakes. They've found out that fresh water anglers have the chance to experience the thrill of playing large fish. The carp is present in great numbers and is a perfect target for still-fishing. .

Most fishermen used to turn a cold shoulder when mention of eating carp was made. Many anglers, upon catching carp, would stick their heads in the sand or kill them by some other means. That was before fishermen began disseminating their own home-designed recipes to preserve the flaky and firm flesh and to all but do away with the many fine bones found in the carp. Several of these recipes contributed to the Game Commission files can be found at the end of this article.

The popularity of the Fremont and Louisville "carp only" lakes spread throughout the state. Soon after the initial stocking of carp at these lakes, a letter was received from Humboldt where vegetation had overrun the lake. The Commission was asked what could  

be done to remedy the situation. Humboldt city officials were told that the lake could be drained and the vegetation destroyed but that the procedure would have to be carried out every two or three years because the vegetation would reoccur.

Told about the "carp only" lakes, Humboldt officials chose to have the lake stocked with carp. The carp, heavy vegetative feeders, hurriedly ate the vegetation and now Humboldt anglers enjoy good carp fishing. Other "carp only" lakes were introduced at Miller and Riverview parks in Omaha, Ralston and the state lake near Litchfield. The latest addition to the "carp only" category is East Oak Creek lake in Lincoln.

The lake was stocked on June 5. Before the stocking of carp, most fishing was done in the west lake and it was common to see cars parked bumper to bumper, around the entire lake. Now the fishing pressure is divided with as many anglers fishing the carp lake as there are in the game fish lake.

Most of the carp seining program is carried out in the winter months. Great numbers of carp are removed and available for stocking throughout the state in "carp only" lakes. Most waters, which for some reason fail to meet all of the requirements of proper habitat for game fish, are suitable for carp. The only restriction is that any water which drains into any game fish stream or lake will not be stocked with carp. It is the desire of the Commission to place and keep the carp in waters specifically set aside for carp.

The carp usually appears stupid and sluggish as it lazily makes its way foraging for food. It takes a different appearance, however, when it gets hooked and begins its struggle for existence. The carp has often been erroneously criticized for feeding on spawn of game fish. It occasionally feeds on spawn but it feeds primarily on vegetative matter. In addition to various types of plant food, carp also consume worms, insects, small crustaceans and crawfish.

The greatest thrill in landing carp comes when using a fly rod. The sport in landing a heavy fish on the light rod is hard to beat. Most anglers, however, fish for carp with a casting rod or bamboo pole. A couple of good tips to remember in carp fishing are to use a fairly light sinker and small hooks. Too much sinker weight causes the carp to become suspicious and often the lure is dropped. The mouth of the carp is small for the size of its body and is tender so a small hook proves most profitable.

Carp spawn during the months April through June. The spawning is accompanied by much splashing of water. The young fry hatch in a few days and shortly thereafter begin feeding on the bottom among vegetation and debris. The first breeding is usually at either two or three years of age.

The carp is very prolific, known to   40 Outdoor Nebraska produce more than 2,000,000 eggs in one season by a single female between 15 and 20 pounds in weight. Carp usually reach four to eight inches in length during the first season of growth. There are three common varieties of carp—the silver or gold carp which is fully scaled, the leather carp which hasn't any scales, and the mirror carp which has few scales, often the size of a 50-cent piece. All three varieties can be found in Nebraska.

For those of you who have previously frowned on eating carp, try one of the following recipes first:

SOUR FISH

Soak in half vinegar and half water overnight. First cut in pieces. In the morning take three cups of vinegar and one cup of water, add sliced lemon, allspice, mustard seed, pepper and salt. Let come to a boil.

Put in three or four pieces of fish and let them heat through thoroughly, but not until well done. Place in jar and slice an onion over it. Then put some more fish into boiling vinegar and after you have heated all the fish pour over the boiling vinegar. Add as many onions as you care to.

The submitter of this recipe says that she finds the vinegar is not as strong as it used to be and that she doesn't add any water to the vinegar in the boiled solution. She also adds a few mixed spices and a lot of onions. Fill the jar with the cooked fish and slice the raw onions between each layer. Fill all the jars first and then. pour boiling vinegar over them. Do not peel the skin off the fish. After soaking overnight it peels off very easily but does not jell or congeal as good when taken off.

GENERAL PREPARATION

In preparing carp, a simple operation which removes the entire skin is to plunge the fish (or its fillets) into boiling water, allowing it to remain for about 25 seconds after boiling starts again. The skin may then be easily rubbed off while the fish is hot, and the flesh rinsed in cold water. If the boiling is continued too long, the flesh may break up.

After dressing the carp should be treated as outlined below. It was found that this preliminary treatment imparted to the cooked fish an excellent flavor. The treatment consists of covering the dressed fish or fillet with a mixture made in the following proportions:

1 cup salt 1 cup onion finely crushed 2 tbsp. vinegar 1 tsp. black pepper 1/8 tsp. mace

Chop and crush the onion by passing through the finest plate of a food chopper, saving all the juice. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Place the fish in a deep plate and cover all surfaces with the mixture and allow it to stand for one hour. The fish is then thoroughly rinsed and the mixture discarded. The fish should then be washed in a pan of cold water for about one minute to remove any last traces of salt on its surface.

FRIED CARP

The fish prepared as above and split or filleted to about 5/8 inch thickness is wet in cold water and rolled in a mixture of cornmeal and flour or crumbs as desired. Do not use additional seasoning. The fish is fried by the same methods as other fish.

BROILED CARP

The fish prepared as previously described and split or filleted to about 5/8 inch thickness, is broiled by brushing the fish with oil and placing it on the heated, oiled broiler pan about two inches below the heat. At the end of five minutes the top should begin to bubble and turn brown. Continue cooking until the skin surface is covered with very dark brown . bubbles. Turn just once, baste several times, and cook until a nice brown. Do not overcook. Steaks or skinned fillets should begin to brown and cook in about the same time. This will take from six to twelve minutes depending upon the thickness of the fish.

BAKED CARP (With stuffing)

The fish prepared as previously mentioned may be baked whole with stuffing or baked flat in slices, using the following method: Stuffing—

1 quart bread cubes 3 tbsp. finely chopped onion 2 tbsp. finely crushed sage leaves 3/4 tsp. salt 3/8 tsp. black pepper 3/4 cup cooked celery, finely chopped 4 tbsp. hot celery liquid 6 tbsp. hot melted butter Mix the salt and pepper into the liquids and stir in celery.

Pour this mixture slowly over the bread with which the sage and onion have been mixed, with stirring, so as to moisten it thoroughly. Cover for a few minutes.

Brush fish with cooking oil. Lay two strips of bacon in the greased baking pan. Stuff the fish, tie with string to hold in stuffing, and place it on the strips of bacon. Lay two strips of bacon on the fish. Place it in the center of the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 500° F. Then lower the temperature to 400° F. and bake 8-10 minutes longer.

Outdoor Nebraska 41

42 Outdoor Nebraska SMOKED CARP

The following story on how to build a small smoke house for smoking carp and other fish was written by Glen Foster, supervisor of state fisheries. Foster writes, "If you do not have a small smoke house in your back yard, you are missing a great deal of fun. 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 and 4 feet high. The bottom should be open and 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 9-10 inches apart and about two or three feet above the bottom.

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

"A non-resinous wood can be used for fuel that will make a good smudge. Don't use pine woods as it will flavor the meat. The fire should not be allowed to burn but instead 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 eight hours for fairly big 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 will improve each time.

'The following steps should be taken to prepare the carp for smoking:

1. A sharp knife with a stiff, narrow blade about six 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 three 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 (top) fin through the rib bones, leaving the fish in one piece and clean and wash out all viscera 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 one 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 overnight or about 10 hours if large fish. If small fish, four or five 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 them. Leave them for an hour or two until a thin skin is formed on the surface and they are then ready to be smoked."

Let's compare notes. Any recipes for the preparation of carp will be appreciated and printed in subsequent issues of "Outdoor Nebraska."

Gravel pit improvements

(Cont'd from page 9).

would be advantageous to have a bulletin board erected at some convenient place where people could weigh and measure the fish and record the information so that the total amount of fish production over a given period of time could be ascertained. It would be of further advantage to remove some scales and mail them to the Fisheries Laboratory, Wildlife Building, State Fair Grounds, Lincoln, to determine the rate of growth of the fish.

 

44 Outdoor Nebraska

Notes on Nebraska Fauna . . . Ring-Necked Pheasant

This is the third in a series of articles and drawings on Nebraska's small and big game animals, game birds, and game fish. Lloyd P. Vance, supervisor of state game, prepared the written account while C. G. Pritchard, staff artist, made the drawing. The Fall issue of "Outdoor Nebraska," due off the press Oct. 1, will feature the beaver.

History records indicate the first successful introduction of the ring-necked pheasant into the United States was made by O. N. Denny, who brought the birds into the Willamette Valley of Oregon in 1880 and 1881. In 1887, they were successfully introduced into New Jersey. Probably the earliest recorded release of pheasants in this country was in 1793 when several pair from England were released in New Hampshire, and promptly disappeared.

Pheasants were first seen in Nebraska during the years 1900-1904 when individual birds were sighted and shot in the vicinity of Pawnee City and Table Rock. Private poultry fanciers were responsible for the original importation and release of pheasants in Nebraska.

The State of Nebraska, Bureau oi Game and Fish, brought in several dozen birds in 1915 and released them. Private individuals supplemented these releases. By 1926, pheasants had increased in Sherman and Howard counties, and excess birds were live-trapped and transplanted to other sections of the State.

The first open season on pheasants was declared in 1927 when pheasant shooting was authorized for three days, Oct. 6-8, in all of Wheeler and Sherman counties, with the exception of Scott, Harrison and Hazard townships. The daily bag and possession limit was five males. In 1928, a 10-day season was allowed during the period Oct. 22-31 in Garfield, Valley, Sherman, Buffalo, Hall, Howard, Merrick, Greeley and Wheeler counties. The following year the pheasant season was for the same period and hunting was permitted in Garfield, Valley, Sherman, Buffalo, Boone, Nance, Garden and Morrill counties.

Pheasants usually begin to flock during the fall months. Large flocks of hens and a few cocks are not uncommon; the cocks usually band together in smaller groups. In March, flocks begin to break up and the cocks start to establish their crowing territories. As they are more or less polygamous, it is common to see a cock and two or three, and sometimes five hens, in an area. Nesting begins in April and continues into June and July. Usually, there are 10-15 eggs in a nest; sometimes two hens will lay in the same nest. The eggs generally hatch in 23 days. Pheasant poults are not ordinarily seen until about May 7 or thereafter in normal years. Young pheasants aren't commonly seen until late May or early June.

Many factors operate to reduce pheasant numbers. Predation by coyotes, dogs, cats,, and great horned owls, destroys some young and adults. Crows, magpies, skunks, racoon, and snakes destroy young and eggs. Agricultural operations destroy nests and in some instances the adult also. Freezing weather during May and June results in low production. Drainage destroys water supplies. Burning of fence rows and gullies destroys valuable nesting and escape cover. Extreme blizzards kill untold numbers of pheasants by suffocation. In grassland areas, the failure of weeds and grasses to produce seed results in winter starvation.

Nebraska sportsmen can have more pheasants by aiding in producing more nesting cover, escape cover, winter feed in critical areas, stopping unnecessary spring burning, avoiding indiscriminate use of weed sprays, protecting the hen pheasant, and by complete cooperation with the game laws.

From the small start of pheasants in Nebraska 50 years ago, we now have one of the finest pheasant populations in the United States-today.

ANSWERS TO "OUTDOOR NEBRASKA" QUIZ 1.—(c) White bass; 2.—(a) Live boat; 3.—(c) Chadron state park; 4.—(b) Multa-flora rose; 5.—(a) Beaver; 6—(b) Curlew; 7.—(b) Black crowned night heron; 8.—(a) Red breasted mergansers; 9.—(b) Rearing.