CORMORANTS IN NEBRASKA

by Dick H. Schaffer Editor

THE AVERAGE visitor to spacious McConaughy reservoir focuses his attention on the diversified fishing found in that Tri-County impoundment. This is natural and understood inasmuch as that big lake through the years has been recipient of both state and national recogntion for its almost constant productive angling.

With interest devoted almost entirely to fishing, these visitors pay little attention to or even fail to notice the peculiar colonies of nests found in the slowly disappearing cottonwood groves in the reservoir shallows. These nests are made by the double-crested cormorants, also known by such names as crow duck, shag, black loon, water-turkey, lawyer and nigger goose.

Cormorants comprise two genera, the Phalacrocorax and the Nannopterum. The first mentioned genus consists of the true cormorants and includes about 30 species while the other genus is made up of but one species, that being Harris's cormorant, a flightless and rare bird of the Galapagos Islands.

There are about ten species of the true cormorant found in North America. Though most of the species are primarily maritime in their habitats, some are found far inland, such as the double-crested cormorant which frequents McConaughy, and some other Nebraska waters, but in lesser numbers. McConaughy's cormorant population usually arrives in early April and departs sometime during the waterfowl hunting season.

The double-crested cormorant is found in eastern North America. It breeds from central Saskatchewan, southern Keewatin, northeastern Quebec and Newfoundland south to northern Utah, Nebraska, southern Minnesota and Penobscot Bay, Maine. This species winters from North Carolina south to the Gulf coast.

When migrating, cormorants pass above in orderly fashion and at a distance may be mistaken for geese. On occasion, their flock-formation may resemble the wedge characteristic of Canada geese. Generally, however, the cormorants are more evenly spaced in long, oblique lines. Other characteristics distinguishing them from geese are their silent flight as compared to the loud clamor of geese, and their long tails and fast-beating wings. Cormorants are larger than any of the ducks and appear black both above and beneath, unlike the coloration of any goose. These birds also differ from geese in body outline.

The cormorant has a compressed bill. The upper half of it is strongly hooked. Though it has nostrils, the bird apparently breathes through its mouth. The claw of the SUMMER ISSUE 3   middle toe is armed with a comb-like process which is used in preening the plumage.

A cormorant's tail is stiff and rounded and contains 12 to 14 feathers. It is used to assist the cormorant in walking and climbing. The tail, however, is of little use when alighting in trees. The bird appears awkward and has trouble maintaining its balance in coming to rest. The tail is useful though when the bird is on level surfaces or among thick or matted brushes.

Short and stout describes the legs of the cormorant. They are set far back on the body. The cormorant has a rather long neck but comparatively short wings which extend just slightly beyond the base of the tail. Plumage is very dense and is a glossy greenish-black. The feathers on the back and wings are coppery-gray with narrow distinct black edges.

The head is frequently crested with two curly black crests. During the breeding season, these may be further ornamented by plumes of slight feathers of hair-like structure.

Eyes are small and wicked looking and are set close to the base of the bill. They are surrounded by bare, dusky skin. The iris is green while the eyelids are blue. Beneath the bill, the cormorant has a small pouch resembling that of a pelican. It is bare of feathers and bright orange in color.

The bill of the cormorant is dusky in summer but becomes yellow in winter. Crests are absent during the cold season. This bird reaches a maximum length of about 33 inches from the tip of its bill to the end of its tail. Its maximum wing spread measures approximately 54 inches.

Cormorants are gregarious, always associating in large groups. During the mating season, they assemble in large colonies. Cormorant colonies at McConaughy are found in the dead cottonwood trees. Conservation Officer Loron Bunney of Ogallala reports that he has never seen a cormorant nest in a dead tree.

In other areas, cormorants nest on bare, rocky islands where the nests are built of sticks, rushes and weed stalks and are lined with rushes and coarse grasses. In still other places, cormorants nest on the ground and in others in low bushes.

The cottonwood trees at McConaughy contain as few as one nest or as many as six, eight, ten and even twenty as are shown in the accompanying photograph taken by Officer Bunney. Another accompanying photograph by Bunney shows at least 34 cormorants in one tree alone and not all of the tree is visible.

Eggs usually run from four to five in number per cormorant. They are about two and one-half inches long and are dull bluish-white, roughened with a chalky coating. The young cormorants, when first hatched, are naked and sooty-black. They look very unattractive and resemble greasy rubber bags. In a few days, however, they take on a thick growth of black down. The young feed by thrusting their heads down the throats of the parents and extracting the partly digested fish therefrom.

Cormorants feed almost exclusively on fish, both the rough and game species, dependent probably on which is the easiest to capture. They catch fish in full pursuit beneath the surface. Probably no other bird is as expert a swimmer and diver as is the cormorant. If the fish captured is in a position which makes swallowing difficult or inconvenient, the cormorant merely tosses it into the air and catches it again in a way which simplifies the swallowing operation. And—while diving for fish, cormorants do this from the surface or a low perch, not from any altitude.

Cormorants are capable of diving to tremendous depths as is indicated by the report of a cormorant caught off the coast of England in a crab-pot 120 feet below the surface.

Inasmuch as the cormorant's diet consists almost entirely of fish, it has become hated by many fishermen, particularly the professional. In Minnesota, it is common to see cormorants sitting upright on the tops of stakes supporting commercial fishing nets. Their desire is obvious. According to THE BIRDS OF MINNESOTA, Vol. 1, permits in past years "have been granted for the killing of cormortiants, chiefly during the spring migration, but occasionally on their nesting-grounds as well."

The book adds that, "Under such circumstances" where cormorants are a nuisance, "one cannot blame the professional fisherman for feeling that the cormorant is a bird that must be done away with in order to protect his interests. But as for the angler, a plea may be made for the cormorant that it be allowed the fish necessary for its existence, in view of the element of picturesque wildness that its presence adds to our many sylvan lakes."

It doesn't appear at the present anyway that the cormorant situation in Nebraska will ever become so acute that corrective measures will have to be taken to curb the cormorant population. Officer Bunney said, "Owing to the lack of dead trees in McConaughy as compared to the large number a few years ago, the cormorant is not present in as great numbers. As the cottonwood groves stand but a few years after dying and as the ice pushes them over, so go the nesting grounds and the large cormorant population."

4 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

CREEL CENSUS "INFO" VALUABLE

by Elmer Carlson Fisheries Biologist

HEY CHARLIE!, does that car over there have the Game Commission sign on the side?"

Charlie, rudely awakened from his peaceful snooze, answered, "Yep, believe it does."

Upon hearing this, Joe quickly fumbled through his billfold for his fishing license—finally finding it. "Sometimes I wondered if I needed to buy a license, but I guess this is one time it will be worth having."

In the meantime, Charlie had excavated his old-age fishing permit from the bottom of his duffle bag of possible fishing equipment.

The fishermen then began to discuss the small bass under the crappie and bluegill on their stringer. An argument ensued as to whether or not it was illegal to keep it. Charlie vaguely remembered a law about a ten-inch minimum length or something to that effect. However, Joe thought he had heard all fish were to be kept regardless of size and that the bag limit was all that mattered. In fact, he was sure they would get arrested if the warden saw them return the six-inch bass to the water.

The Game Commission car was working nearer and nearer. The fellow who drove it had a book, and he seemed to be writing something in it as he talked to the people fishing. Yes siree, he was measuring all the fish the people caught. It was too late now to return the bass. The only way possible now was to cut the stringer, and then all the fish would be lost. They were sure the roving eye of the warden would catch them anyway, so decided to stand their ground. "Here he comes, and here goes $20," thought Charlie.

The fellow came up and introduced himself as a fisheries biologist with the Game Commission. "Fisheries what? Not a warden? What do you do?" blurted out Charlie.

The man explained that a fisheries biologist worked mostly with fish and the conditions under which they live, eventually to try to increase the number and size of fish produced and by the most efficient means. In doing this, it would be possible to get optimum fishing results from a body of water.

The fisheries man asked them if they would be willing to answer some impersonal questions. Of course they would. "Anything to help us catch more fish," said Charlie.

Charlie didn't know, but the days of the "meat" fisherman are going out of existence as far as sport fishing is concerned. The emphasis is more and more on the recreational values, or shall we say, more on the mind and less on the stomach and stomachs of the neighbors who dutifully but unwillingly accept the excess catch of the angler.

Charlie and Joe were asked the number of hours they had fished. Neither had a watch, but they finally agreed on the time they began. How many miles had they traveled in order to fish? They didn't know, but they did know their street addresses. After some bickering, four miles was decided on as a compromise distance. Next came the type of bait they were using. Charlie pointed to the duffle bag. "I've got bait in there for all the kinds of fish in this lake. I've fished here nigh onto twenty years." Before the biologist could intercede, he had the contents of the bag dumped on the ground.

"This is fish bait?" asked the census taker.

"Yep, this is fish bait," answered Charlie, almost as though he could read the biologist's mind.

A few of the items were—limburger cheese which must have been aging for sometime, some pieces of inner tube cut in the shape of minnows, a bar of soap, a bottle of pickled minnows, an artificial plug for muskie fishing, the remains of three artificial flies in a box, and a jar of chicken guts which, if placed in a warm place, would possibly have exploded.

"What are you using for bait?" the technician asked after a hurried look.

SUMMER ISSUE 5  

"Worms," Charlie apologetically answered, "we're using some of Joe's worms."

The next item on the biologist's census form made reference to the fish. "That is it," thought Charlie.

The stringer was taken out of the water, and the fish were measured and weighed individually on a portable scale. The fellow began to take a few scales from each of the fish, putting them into separate envelopes.

"These," he said, "will be aged under a microscope." He meant that the age of the fish could be determined by counting certain rings on the scales. The age, compared with the length and weight, would be of much help in determining whether or not the fish growth was normal or stunted. If stunted, remedial measures would be taken.

After checking the rest of the fish, the technician came to the little bass—the last fish on the stringer. Charlie immediately assured the biologist that if the bass hadn't been hooked so deeply it would have been returned to the water. Whereupon the answer came that the Nebraska Fishing Regulations for 1953 permit the taking of all fish legally caught regardless of size.

Immediately Joe asked about the penalty if they were returned to the water. He was told that it was not illegal to return the fish to the water. Some reasons for this regulation are: (1) to induce people to keep little fish which may very easily have been badly hooked, and would die if returned to the water; (2) to take out some small fish so that others may grow larger. A given body of water can support only a certain number of pounds of fish, whether it be 100 weighing 1 lb. or 1,600 weighing 1 oz.; (3) to discourage some fish hogs from catching their limit and continuing fishing, returning the small fish as they catch larger ones.

After the information was gathered, the technician thanked them for their cooperation and went on his way. Joe turned to Charlie. "Kind of an interesting guy, wasn't he? You know, maybe they can improve the fishing if they find out things like that." Charlie made no gesture of agreement. He was finishing his snooze.

The results of the preceding interview, when multiplied many times, will give part of the answers to the following questions:

1. How many pounds of fish per acre can the lake produce?

2. How abundant is each species of fish as far as the angler's catch is concerned?

3. Does the abundance of each species change from year to year?

4. Are some fish more suited to the lake than others?

5. How heavily is the lake fished?

6. Is the average catch one fish per hour or 1/10 fish per hour?

7. What percentage of the fishing population is under 16 and do not need licenses?

8. Is the fishing mostly family fishing or by individuals? This may indicate whether panfish or larger game fish would furnish most fishing to the lake.

9. Which bait and methods are most effective?

10. Does the fishing success depend on the time of day and the "rise or fall" of the barometer?

11. Can the fish population be successfully maintained by natural reproduction or must the individual lake be stocked?

12. What size or bag limits need be imposed on the lake?

These are some of the questions which can be answered. The creel census by itself or in conjunction with other methods can be of much help in fisheries management.

(Continued on page 12)

WITH NEBRASKA'S '53 fishing season only half over, four state fishing records have already succumbed. New records have been accepted on rainbow trout, brook trout, walleye and carp.

J. C. Wickard of Brule took a 12-pound, 4-ounce rainbow in Sports Service bay near Kingsley dam. Wickard's big rainbow, having a girth of 19 inches and a length of 28% inches, topped the old record by two ounces.

McConaughy also produced the record 13-pound, 1-ounce walleye for Bob Yates of Lexington and the record 4-pound, 8-ounce brook trout for Vernon Zimmerman of Avid, Colo.

Fourth record to tumble was carp. Sixty-three-year-old Bill Watt of Fairbury, fishing in the Blue river, brought in a ponderous 38-pound, 14%-ounce carp while using night-crawlers and a cane pole. Watt's feat is probably the most outstanding catch inasmuch as he has but 7V2 per cent of normal visibility. Watt is a World War I disabled veteran.

6 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   A. Snake River Falls. B. Gallagher Canyon Reservoir. C. Morton Mansion, Arbor Lodge State Park. D. West view of mansion. E. Arbor Lodge State Park grounds. SUMMER ISSUE 7   F. Norfolk Game farm. G. Valentine Fish hatchery. H. Cabins built in 1873, Victoria Springs State Park. I. Victoria Springs picnic grounds. J. Wildcat Hills Big Game reserve. K. Scottsbluff National Monument. 8 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   I. Chadron State Park swimming pool. M. Chadron creek rambling through park. N. Typical drive through Chadron Park pines. O. Spacious shelter, Ponca State Park. P. Log cabin, Niobrara State Park. Q. Modern cabin, Niobrara State Park. R. Group Camp Mess Hall, Ponca State Park. SUMMER ISSUE 9   S. Stolley State Park. T. Enders Reservoir fishing. U. Medicine Creek Reservoir. V. Tri-County reservoir angling. W. Dead Timber Recreation Grounds. X. Winding Long Pine creek. Y. Memphis Recreation Grounds. Z. Ravenna Recreation grounds. 10 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

SPINNING

by Dan Ryan Reprinted from 1953 Manual for the Fisherman

"Cookbooks," says Dan in explanation of his primer-like approach to spinning, "are loaded with 'simple' recipes. Inexperienced cooks buy most of these books. But how many of these cookbooks get used—after the first going-over? A high percentage of them collect dust—not thumbprints. Here's why:

"Do you know how to 'fold in an egg'? Expressions like that are common in so-called elementary' cook books—but nary a paragraph, sentence, or even phrase on how an egg is 'folded in'.

"The outdoor books are similarly loaded with articles on the 'how' of taking various species of fish, which are the better fishing situations, etc. I feel rather strongly that, spinning and spining tackle being relatively strange, the neophytes and prospective neophytes will appreciate something on how to "fold in an egg."

THE basic advantages of spinning are obvious.

1. In casting, the spool does not revolve. That means—no overrun at the end of the cast ... no backlash!

2. Exceptionally light line can be used. Danger of broken line is minimized, because the friction drag is brought into play before the breaking point of the line is reached.

3. Extremely light lures can be cast great distances, because very light line can be used, there is no spool inertia to overcome, and no "thumbing" to retard the lure's flight.

4. A wide range of lures—from as light as 1/16-oz.—can be cast satisfactorily with little practice.

5. A single spinning outfit, properly selected, can be so much more versatile than the usual single outfit used in other methods of angling. Two or more spools—quickly interchangeable—provide different tests and types of line, and the variety of lures can be virtually unlimited.

Just a glance at a tackle store featuring spinning equipment will make it obvious that to take up spinning seriously means to get an entire spinning outfit—rod, reel, line, and lures. It is false economy, for instance, to "adapt" just any rod to spinning. Each detail in the design of a good spinning rod contributes much to the performance of your entire outfit.

You have probably heard the "experts" talk of "balanced tackle"—in spinning as in other types of angling. "Balanced" spinning tackle is that combination of rod, reel, line, and lure that works best for you. There are no valid rules for balancing spinning tackle. There are "guides", which are, of course, the findings of spinning enthusiasts, based on extensive experience. Remember that the initial investment in a complete spinning outfit is quite a "capital investment". If it were possible to draw up specifications for the spinning reel, obviously there would be but one reel available. The same goes for rods, and to a lesser degree for lines and lures. Lacking personal experience, your best guide is the counsel of a dealer known as a headquarters for spinning. If he really features spinning he will have a selection of reels for comparison, and will be able to fit your fishing temperament and your pocketbook.

The uninitiated have a series of stock questions to ask about spinning. 'Why is a spinning reel mounted 'upside down'? . . . Isn't it awkward to crank with the left hand? . . . How am I going to handle a lunker on those light lines?" These are a few of them. These questions answer themselves, once you have spent even a single session with a spinning outfit.

It will be worth while to spend a bit of time getting acquainted with a spinning outfit before fishing with it.

SUMMER ISSUE 11  

If a manual of any sort comes with the reel, read it carefully, so that you may thoroughly understand all instructions on caring for and using your reel—how to lubricate it . . . proper line capacity . . . how to adjust the drag . . . how the anti-reverse works . . . how to put line on reel and reel on rod . . . etc.

SPOOLING THE LINE. Perhaps no single detail in spinning is the subject of more arguments.

Each "expert" knows the "best" way to do it. And just about ail of those "best" ways are entirely satisfactory. The important thing is to get the line from the factory spool to the reel spool with as little twist as possible. Then, too, monofilament line develops a "set" when stored. If this "set" is reversed (see sketch "A1") in transferring line from the original spool to reel spool, the "set" will disappear. Braided spinning line does not develop this "set", and may be transferred to the reel spool without this reversing process, (sketch "A2")

MOUNTING REEL ON ROD. Secure reel—spool forward—on the under side of spinning rod handle, holding it in place with the two movable rings, (ill. "B") See that reel and guides are in line. There are no rules for where along the handle the reel should be placed. Generally, the reel is placed farther forward, toward the rod tip, for heavier lures . . . farther back toward the butt for lighter lures. Let your own experience guide you. Pass the line through guides and tiptop, and tie on a practice weight -oz. is a good starting weight.

GET THE FEEL OF THE OUTFIT. Grasp rod handle firmly—don't try to choke it! (illustration "C") The reel hangs between the second and third fingers. With some reels it may be necessary to hang the reel between the index and middle fingers, because there may not be sufficient clearance to miss the middle finger when retrieving. The rod is shown here pointing at about "ten o'clock." Hold it that way. Assume a comfortable position, with your casting shoulder somewhat ahead of the other one. Now . . . remember—the rod does the work, you do not. You control the power that is built into the rod. Try this-

"Starting at "ten o'clock" (illustration "D"), bring the rod smartly to "one o'clock" (illustration "E") and back to "ten o'clock". Don't let the rod come to rest at "one o'clock". You will have built up some compression on the back cast. If you stop, even for an instant, before completing the casting movement, that compression is lost. Before making an actual cast, practice that "ten-to-one-to-ten" pendulum movement a bit. It's all done with the wrist and forearm. Timing—not brute strength—makes for smooth casting. If you just can't break yourself of trying to "throw" the plug, try this same movement with the elbow of your casting arm resting firmly on your knee or other rest. You'll see.

READY TO CAST. 1. Bring plug up to within a few inches of tiptop . . . bring pick-up arm to top of reel and catch line with tip of index finger, (illustration "F")

2. Holding line with index finger, back off on reel handle until pick-up arm is at bottom of reel, (illustration "G")

3. Flip pick-up arm out of way, and you're ready to cast, (illustration "H")

THAT FIRST CAST. 1. Stand comfortable and relaxed —lure in position, pick-up arm out of the way, reel ready for casting, rod pointing at "ten o'clock", (illustration "I")

2. Back smartly to "one o'clock"! (illustration "J") Don't let the rod tip come to rest at the end of the back cast. If you do—there goes the power of your cast.

3. Let go as the tip comes about to "ten o'clock" again. This release point will vary with the distance you're after and the amount of power that is built into each cast. The most common error is releasing loo soon. Remember there is no spool inertia to overcome. The lure takes off right now when released, (illustration "K")

CONTROL OF CAST. Here you may have the equivalent of "thumbing". Let the tip of the forefinger touch the front rim of the spool lightly. This will retard the speed at which line leaves the spool. And should you find that you have cast entirely too far, apply considerable pressure with the forefinger, and the plug or lure can be brought to a halt as abruptly as you wish, (illustration "L")

RETRIEVE. With most spinning reels, just start turning the crank, (illustration "M") The pick-up arm will lay the line onto the spool. Don't permit the line to flutter loosely in the air. To do so may cause line to pile unevenly on the spool—and that can spell "trouble" on the next cast.

If you will consider what you have read here fundamentally as suggestions, and not as rules, you will find your introduction to spinning pleasant, exciting at times, and fascinating. Good luck to you!

Creel Census (Continued from page 6)

Some of the other methods used are: (1) tagging- recovery in which a certain number of a kind of fish are marked and released. The number of these caught when compared to the number of unmarked fish of the same kind taken will give an idea of the number of that species present; (2) test seining is also used in an attempt to determine the size of a fish population, kinds of fish of which it is comprised, and the sizes and weights of individual fish.

In the future, many more "Charlies" and "Joes" will be contacted by the fishery biologists to add their individual bit of information toward the evaluation of fishing conditions and future fishing possibilities in Nebraska.

Valentine Hatchery Superintendent Dies

Game Commission employees and hundreds of sportsmen throughout the state were saddened to hear of the death of Jack Mendenhall on May 19. Mendenhall was superintendent of the Valentine State Fish Hatchery since 1938.

Second among all employees in years of service, Mendenhall, who was born on July 22, 1897, was first employed by the Game Commission in 1916. He continued with the department until 1930. Mendenhall returned to the employ of the department in 1938 as superintendent of the Valentine hatchery, a position he held until his death.

Mendenhall is survived by his wife, Hazel, and three children.

Jim Gray has been appointed acting superintendent of the hatchery.

Boys of Woodcraft club No. 644 of Lincoln showed its flying heels to the other B.O.W. clubs in the state in the three-month OUTDOOR NEBRASKA subscription contest conducted during February, March and April.

Sponsor of the clubs, Woodmen of the World Insurance company, promoted the contest and provided cash prizes for the three clubs selling the largest number of subscriptions—$25 for first, $15 for second and $10 for third. The prize money went into the winning clubs' funds for future use of their choice.

Club No. 644, bearing the name of Paul T. Gilbert, honoring the Game Commission's executive secretary, sold 190 subscriptions. The club is directed by G. E. "Lucky" Landess.

Second place honors went to B.O.W. club No. 639 of Broken Bow with 125 subscriptions and third to Club No. 632 of Blair with 119 subscriptions. Individual champion was Jack Graves of the winning club. Young Graves sold 18 subscriptions.

In a brief ceremony, Dr. Herbert Kennedy of Omaha, medical director of WOW and former chairman of the Nebraska Game Commission, presented the winning check of $25 to Paul T. Gilbert who accepted on behalf of Club 644.

Other competing clubs and their respective subscription totals: Omaha 642 (83), Lincoln 622 (45), Lincoln 623 (13), Bellevue 645 (9), Seward 646 (30), Lincoln 630 (30), York 634 (15), North Platte 626 (31), Kearney 629 (51), Beatrice 625 (12), Oakland 636 (17), Wymore 643 (46), Plattsmouth 628 (36), Ashland 633 (40) and Nehawka 631 (4). Total subscriptions sold by all clubs—896.

Since the Boys of Woodcraft Sportsmen club program was launched on Sept. 1, 1951, several hundred boys have joined the clubs which not only teach conservation and associated outdoor activities, but also stress the fundamentals of citizenship, good sportsmanship and health. There are now 32 different clubs in Nebraska.

All clubs participated in the annual encampment held at the National Guard Camp at Ashland in late June.

  WILDLIFE IN ONE REEL  

BLUE WINGED TEAL

by George Schildman Game Biologist

OF THE twenty some species of ducks that are seen in Nebraska (some of them rarely), the blue-winged teal is by far the most common summer resident. During the spring migration, these small ducks may be seen wherever there is water. They prefer shallow ponds and sloughs, or the shallow bays of the larger lakes. The first "bluewings" arrive in our state the last part of March but the majority usually arrive in April. Along with the shovellers and ruddy ducks, they are our latest arrivals in spring. Blue-wings and pintails are the first to leave in the fall.

Most of our ducks are generally classified in one of two rather loosely termed groups, the "puddle ducks" (teal mallard, shoveller, pintail, baldpate, etc.) and the "diving ducks" (scaup, redhead, canvasback, etc.). Blue-winged teal belong in the first group because they habitually feed in shallow water and do not dive for food. However, these ducks are less apt to "tip-up" their tails with their heads submerged than do most other members of "puddle ducks." They more frequently feed from a sitting position on the water with their heads and necks submerged. Like most other "puddle ducks" and unlike the "divine ducks." they posess a bright area (speculum) on the wing. This is iridescent green, but the larger chalky blue area in front of the speculum is more conspicuous particularly while the bird is in flight and viewed from the rear. The bills of puddle ducks are generally broader and flatter than the divers, and they can take off almost vertically from the water.

Some blue-winged teal winter in the southern United States, but the majority spend this time below the boundary in Mexico, Central America and South America, and as far south as Central Chile. They spend the winter further south than any other North American duck. Not until spring is well advanced and warm weather has set in, does the blue-wing start north. It is a bird of the inland marshes and seldom visits the coasts.

The blue-wing's courtship begins on the wintering grounds and continues during migration. It becomes intensified as they approach the breeding grounds. The nesting period courtship is an interesting behavior to watch and can be seen anywhere that these small ducks are observed during spring migration and before incubation begins. Much courting is done by both sexes and is performed on the water and in flight. Often in three's (two males and a female), they will course over and around the ponds in very rapid and erratic flight—the male (or males) in very close pursuit of the female. On the water, they swim slowly around each other, bowing their heads. The male, or the two males as is often the case, does the most bowing but the female frequently acknowledges by joining in the head bobbing. This courting may go on for hours at a time and is interrupted only by feeding and rest periods. The female apparently accepts the attentions being paid her by both males alike, but after several hours, one male may chase the other away and the female may occasionally help him chase the other away. When they have reached the breeding grounds and it is time to select a nesting site, they have definitely paired.

The breeding range is mainly Central North America. The prairies seem to provide the ideal breeding conditions with their grassy nesting cover and abundant taller growing aquatic plants (cattails, bulrushes and others) for rearing cover. The blue-winged teal does not utilize the timbered water areas to any great extent for nesting. Since 1900, a great amount of the breeding range of this small duck has been destroyed by drainage and agriculture in the northcentral United States and in Canada.

Nebraska's sandhills country, with its numerous small lakes, does not lend itself well to drainage nor to cultivation, and has consequently remained relatively unchanged and is still an excellent breeding territory for this species. Cattle raising is the chief use made of the sandhills grass country. Moderate to moderately heavy grazing appears to be beneficial to the nesting habitat, but overgrazing and trampling destroys the grass necessary for nesting. Limited grazing reduces the heavy tangled mat of grass (that accumulates under complete protection from grazing) and aids the newly hatched ducklings in reaching the water. The heavier grass also increases the number of skunks and other predators in the nesting area. The emergent aquatic vegetation growing around the margins of the ponds, necessary cover for the rearing of the young, will also be destroyed by cattle. Grazing can very easily eliminate nesting blue-winged teal from an area.

Both the male and female appear to select the water area to be used for nesting, but the female selects the nest site and makes the nest. The nest is nearly always on dry land, but occasionally a bird will make it on a muskrat house or some other odd place. The vast majority of nests are located within 200 yards of water but some have been found as much as a mile away.

The nest is a scooped-out hollow in the soil or dead vegetation and is lined with grass. Down plucked from the hen's breast is added to the nest lining regularly until the eggs start to hatch. While the female is building the nest and laying the eggs, the male waits at a selected spot some distance away from the nest, along the pond margin. Each day when the hen leaves the nest, she joins the waiting male.

The eggs are laid one each day until 8 to 12 have been deposited in the well hidden nest. The female starts incubation after the last egg has been laid. The male abandons the female and his loafing site shortly after incubation starts. Before nest building time, the female may drop eggs at random around the area. Sometimes a pheasant will lay eggs in the nest, too, and on one occasion, a mallard deposited two eggs with the eight teal eggs. With the

(Continued on page 20) 16 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

FLUSHING BAR Reduces Loss of HENS, YOUNG

by Bud Kemptar Revenna Capter, Izaak Walton League

WOULD YOU deliberately—during the nesting season—destroy the game that all of us are so anxious to see protected in order that it may multiply? If your answer is no, which it undoubtedly will be, this article should be of interest to you, whether you are a farmer, a sportsman, a wildlife club member or an FFA student.

Most game birds killed during normal mowing operations in Nebraska, as well as in other states, are hens and young birds which obviously are essential to maintain and increase the game population. The large mortality from mowing is not evident at the time it happens but is reflected in the fall of the year when a reduced pheasant population is available for harvest by Nebraska sportsmen.

The Ohio Research Unit on Wildlife recently found that 106 hens or 58 per cent of 183 nesting pheasant hens in 590 acres of alfalfa were killed during a mowing season. This is an alarming number even without considering the toll taken by natural causes, predators and highway traffic. Nevertheless, the situation need not be as grave as it may appear.

That is—if sportsmen, farmers, wildlife clubs and vocational agricultural students stress the use of a flushing bar during mowing operations which can materially reduce the pheasant loss.

The above mentioned individuals and groups can play important roles in game protection and propagation by constructing easily-built flushing bars either as ^ an individual or group project, and by taking them to nearby farmers and even help install them if necessary. They will not only be helping themselves to improved hunting in the fall, but will also build better understanding and cooperation between farmers and sportsmen, both of whom are more or less dependent upon the other.

The Ravenna Chapter of the Izaak Walton league has designed a flushing bar which has proven highly successful in reducing game bird losses during mowing operations and wishes to pass this information to all those interested.

Flushing bars are not new as there have been many attempts made in the past to reduce mowing losses from power mowers. A study on the use of flushing bars was conducted in Woods County, Ohio, in 1948 and 1949 which produced encouraging information. A comparison was made between the game mortality that occurred when a bar was used and that which resulted under similar conditions but when a bar was not used. It was learned that when the bar was used that the adult hen pheasant mortality was reduced 45 per cent, the young pheasant loss 70 per cent and the young rabbit kill 80 per cent.

The study also indicated that very little adult rabbit kill was inflicted. Cock pheasant loss was negligible.

During the work carried out in Ohio, they used a flushing bar made from a 2 x 4 foot board with cables hanging downward and which had weights at each end. The bar was mounted on the front of the tractor.

The bar I have designed is somewhat different. It is made of one-half inch pipe and is 8V2 feet long for 7-foot mowers and has 6-inch wide rubberized belting as flaps. These are riveted on pipe 10 inches apart and clear the ground about 10 inches. The flaps are painted white.

The pipe slips into two collars with set screws and is welded on a bracket that fastens to the front of the tractor This places the flushing bar 11 feet from the cutting bar on the mower. It is a simple task for the tractor operator to remove the bar as all that is necessary is the

(Cont'd on page 23) SUMMER ISSUE 17

Nebraska's POISONOUS SNAKES

THOUGH SNAKES appear to abound in some sectors of Nebraska, the situation isn't acute as far as danger to humans is concerned inasmuch as the poisonous species are in the minority. Of the 28 species of snakes known to inhabit the state, only four are poisonous. These are the Northern Copperhead, Western Massasauga, Timber Rattlesnake and Prairie Rattlesnake.

All of the state's poisonous snakes belong to the family CROTALIDAE, pit vipers. Twenty-one species of pit vipers occur in North America and are all characterized by the presence of a deep pit on either side of the face and a pair of long, movable, hollow poison fangs in the front of the upper jaw. The pupil is a vertical slit, and the subcaudals are mostly undivided.

Following are a few characteristics and habits of each of the poisonous snakes as are related in The Amphibians and Reptiles of Nebraska by George E. Hudson, former instructor in Zoology at the University of Nebraska, which appears in Nebraska Conservation Bulletin No. 24:

NORTHERN COPPERHEAD—Head flat and triangular, much wider than neck; no rattle; dorsal scales keeled, in 23 rows at middle of body; a series of less than 25 large hour-glass shaped blotches above; medium sized.

Ground color above yellowish-brown, grayish-brown or reddish-brown with 15-21 pairs of large chestnut lateral blotches which usually connect by a narrow band across the middle of the neck.

The copperhead may attain a maximum length of about four feet. It appears to be fairly common along the heavily wooded Missouri River bluffs immediately south of the mouth of the Big Nemaha. Its food is said to consist of insects, mice, frogs, and sometimes birds, salamanders and snakes. Larger prey is killed by striking it with the poison fangs, but smaller animals may be crushed in the jaws or swallowed alive.

Distribution in Nebraska—wooded areas in southeastern corner of state.

Young copperheads are "born alive" as are all species of pit vipers. Because of its smaller average size, the copperhead is not as dangerous to man as the timber rattler. Nevertheless, its bite is a serious matter and the results may at times prove fatal.

WESTERN MASSASAUGA—Has enlarged symmetrical plates on top of the head; dorsal scales strongly keeled, in 23-27 rows at middle of body; anal plate single; a median series of 33-42 blotches anterior to vent; size medium.

Color is grayish or brownish above with a median series of 33-42 chocolatebrown blotches anterior to vent and 5-8 chocolate bands on the tail; a dark band on either side of the head.

Maximum length reached is 29 inches. It occurs in native prairie and other types of grassland in Lancaster county. It appears to be fairly common in the 400-acre virgin prairie about 10 miles west of Lincoln. Several specimens were also taken near the Havelock airport.

In newly born young, the rattle is represented by a single "button." Some individuals seldom use the rattle but others kept in captivity buzzed angrily when molested.

Range—Probably occurs over much of the southeastern part of the state.

TIMBER RATTLESNAKE — Small scales on top of head, only the supraoculars being much enlarged; dorsal scales keeled, in 21-23 rows at middle of body; a median series of not more than 33 dorsal blotches; tail black; anal plate single; size large.

Ground color above brownish-gray or yellowish-brown with a median series of 18-33 dark brown or blackish blotches which may or may not be outlined with a light-colored border; top of head without distinct markings; rattle brown with the basal segment black.

The timber rattlesnake is partial to rocky hillsides covered with underbrush and deciduous woods. They are active at night and usually spend the 18 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   day hiding in crevices among the rocks. Food is said to consist mainly of mice, rats, squirrels and birds. The snake strikes the prey with the poison fangs, injecting venom, then waits for the poison to take effect. In a few minutes the victim is dead and the rattler begins the laborious task of swallowing it, head first.

Nebraska distribution—southeastern corner of state.

PRAIRIE RATTLESNAKE — Has small scales on top of head; dorsal scales are strongly keeled, in 25-29 rows at middle of body; anal plate single; a median series of 37-51 dorsal blotches anterior to vent; size medium to large.

Ground color above grayish, brownish, or pale yellowish-brown, with a median series of 37-51 dark brown blotches anterior to vent and 5-11 on tail; a dark band extending from the eye to the angle of the jaw; distal rattles brown, usually one or two basal rattles black.

Large males have maximum length of 38 inches and females 35. Prairie rattlesnakes are common in much of the grassy plains country of western Nebraska. They prefer higher ground and are seldom found in the river bottoms or low-lying hay meadows

Some specimens buzz the rattle furiously when disturbed but others observed in the field failed to use the rattle at all even when tormented until they struck savagely. The prairie rattler is a dangerous snake and large specimens are quite capable of inflicting bites fatal to man.

Food probably consists mainly of mice, ground squirrels and other small mammals. The food habits of this species probably make it economically beneficial to man but the danger of snake bite prevents it from being considered a desirable neighbor.

Nebraska distribution — apparently confined to about the western half of the state except perhaps along the northern border. It occurs as far east as Boyd county and very likely will eventually be taken in Knox and Cedar counties.

Non-Poisonous SNAKES SUMMER ISSUE 19

Outdoor NEBRASKA QUIZ

AT RIGHT ARE 10 multiple choice questions relative to Nebraska's state parks. Indicate at the end of each question your choice of answer and compare with answers found below. Credit 10 points for each correct answer. A score of 100 is excellent, 90 very good, 80 good, and 70 fair.

"OUTDOOR NEBRASKA" QUIZ ANSWERS •eouod (e)-*0T .'Aujrea^i 'jj (q)-*6 .'uoip^qo (q)-*8 .'Ofipoq loqiy (q)"*£ 'A3II°?S (*)-*9 ruoipeqo (o)-'S Jsfiinidg biioioia (e)-*|r .'Aanoig (D)--e .'A?!Q H^seiq -*N (°)-,2 .'aJtiretsiBeq arejg Acl suotrBiidojdde |eiuuaig (q)-'l

Blue Winged Teal (Continued from page 16)

advance of incubation, the female will feign injury (crippled wing act) when flushed from the nest.

Eggs hatch in 21 to 23 days and as soon as the young have dried off, the hen leads them to water and feed. By early July, most of the nests have hatched. These teal, being late migrants in the spring, are late breeders. The young develop rapidly and are the first to leave in the fall.

The young, by late August, are difficult to distinguish from the adult female. In spring, the first nuptial plumage is obtained and is very similar to the adult nuptial plumage, except that the colors are somewhat duller. When the male left his waiting site a day or two after the hen started incubation, he flew to some other locality and joined the other drakes and molted most all of the body feathers and assumed the drab eclipse plumage resembling the female. They are slow in shedding this plumage; some birds not acquiring the complete nuptial plumage again until late winter.

The blue-winged teal's food consists of weed seeds, water plants, and insects and their larvae. Plant foods, however, make up the majority of their food.

This little duck (about 3A of a pound) is a favorite of the sportsmen, from both the standpoint of sport and flesh. The blue-winged teal is placed near the top of the list of wild duck delicacies.

Blue-winged teal are important in the Nebraska sportsmen's bag only during the first few days of the waterfowl season.

Let's Get Acquainted

A DIVERSITY of experience relating to law enforcement is possessed by Mike L. Burney who became associated with the Nebraska Game Commission as a conservation officer in 1948. Presiding over the Antelope, Wheeler, Greeley and Boone county district with headquarters at Neligh, Burney had previously served as a charter member of the Nebraska Safety Patrol from 1937-39 and then as an agent of the U.S. Secret Service.

"Irish" Mike had many thrilling and some dangerous moments while being a part of the personal bodyguard of two presidents—Roosevelt and Truman. "It was a tension packed job," Burney said, "but I gained experience that could never be found in any other endeavor."

In addition to employment with the Safety Patrol and Secret Service, Burney was previously a special agent for a major railroad in Chicago. He graduated from McCook Junior College and later from Illinois College of Chiropody. A minor accident which injured his right elbow forced discontinuance of his practice of chiropody three years after graduation.

Mike, like most other wardens, enjoys fishing and hunting to such an extent that his law enforcement activities are not considered work. He has enjoyed fishing and hunting above everything else since his childhood. When he was twelve, his father brought him a 20 gauge pump gun and proceeded to school him in the knack of "leading" flying game birds. "My father told me to always lead the birds," Mike recalled, "and to make 'em fly into the shot."

While hunting ducks with his father near Imperial, west of his boyhood home at McCook, two mallards swung into their blind in nice range. "I got a nice bead on the lead bird," Mike said, "giving what I thought was a good lead. I fired. The first bird kept flying. The second duck, however, flying about eight feet behind the leader, fell into the slough. That really taught me the leading business."

Mike recalled another duck hunting trip, this occurring near Scottsbluff. "I witnessed one of the oddest pieces of shooting I've ever heard of—and it's the gospel truth. Another warden and myself

(Continued on page 23)

FOLLOWING ARE characteristics of a popular game fish found in Nebraska waters. How many of the characteristics must you read before you can bring the picture into focus?

1. This fish, a member of the catfish family, is usually dark olive to black.

2. Its belly is usually white and its chin barbels are dusky or black. Its tail fin is slightly notched.

3. This fish is naturally gregarious, usually traveling in schools.

4. An omnivorous feeder, this fish feeds upon nearly every conceivable thing in the water. It bites readily night and day.

5. Fond of mud, this fish grows best in weedy ponds and rivers without much current. It stays near the bottom, moving slowly about with its barbels widely spread, feeling for anything edible.

6. In late fall, this fish becomes sluggish and ceases feeding, often 'muddying up' or burying itself more or less in soft leafy ooze along shore.

7. This fish can live out of water for many hours when on ice.

8. It is known in virtually every water of the state.

9. This fish is the most numerous of the catfish family, and aside from the rough fish, is probably the most abundant fish in Nebraska.

10. It will reach a weight of two pounds or more but generally will average from 6 to 10 inches in length rarely exceeding 15.

11. Nebraska's unique sand hills lakesare famous for this species which tends to overpopulate itself in these waters.

12. This fish has a characteristic for which it is sometimes called "horned pout" and "stinger."

13. Easily caught by young and old alike, this fish can be taken in generous numbers—bag and possession limit of 15 in all but four counties where the limit is 25.

Where Are The Pheasants?

by Levi Mohler Leader, Wildlife Survey and Investigation

PROBABLY every pheasant hunter who does much hunting has had some good days in the field. And he's also had some bad days. When hunting goes well, naturally a hunter is pleased. But when it turns out badly, —well, what were the reasons?

Forgetting, for the time being, that a fellow's shooting can be "off" on some days, and remembering that most hunters take some pride in their shooting skills, its only natural for the average outdoorsman to ponder the thought that the pheasants themselves are likely to be to blame for the days that didn't turn out just right.

The deer hunter needs a special permit, and the duck hunter is limited (usually by the supply of water) but practically everybody in Nebraska who hunts turns to pheasants because they are found practically statewide. And by the time a hundred thousand or more pheasant hunters have given the state's thickets and weed patches a beating, a lot of ideas have popped up in the hunters' minds concerning pheasants.

Some of the questions which come up time after time are these: (1) Where are all the pheasants? (2) Are the cocks all shot off?-we are seeing mostly hens. (3) How many hens per cock pheasant are there, anyway? (4) Are there more young pheasants than old ones?

Getting some solid information with which to answer such questions is the job of game management workers across the country. The answers for the past year or so may shed some light on to the experiences which hunters had last season and may also help in plannnig for future days afield.

The first question (Where are all the pheasants?) is one often asked by the hunter by way of opening up the conversation when he meets a game technician or conservation officer in the field. And anyone who hasn't already bagged his limit that day is likely to be longing for flushes of big flocks of cock birds.

To get an idea of the supply of cocks in comparison to hens, Nebraska's conservation officers, or game wardens as they are often called, in recent years have kept field records of what they were seeing at different periods. Their records show that more cocks than hens are seen most of the year, but in mid-summer, when the cocks are moulting their feathers, the cocks seem to disappear for awhile. For example, in the summer of 1952 the officers saw 95 cocks per 100 hens in about five weeks of July-August observations covering nearly three thousand adult pheasants. In one of those weeks, over six hundred mail carriers also kept records of over eight thousand adults and their figures also showed 95 cocks per 100 hens. Officers and carriers both saw about the same summer ratio in 1951 as in 1952.

But remember, these adults comprise less than half of the fall population; most of the fall birds are young, usually about three young per adult. And the young are shelled out in fairly near a fifty-fifty ratio of males to females. So by fall the field ratio is fairly near a balance, but in heavily hunted country there will be more hens than cocks even on opening day.

In several past seasons, the pheasant investigation project asked hunters in several areas to keep track of their observations of pheasants seen while hunting. In 1948, 85 hunters in four widely separated parts of the state put up about 79 cocks for every 100 hens they flushed. In 1949, 89 hunters in five separate areas put up 86 cocks for every 100 hens they flushed. The catch is, of course, that many hunters hunt only the concentration points and skip the fields. Concentration points are notorious for holding chiefly hens, simply because its the nature of the hens to be more sociable than are the roosters. The fellow who takes off across the fields, hitting all kinds of cover instead of just attempting to "skim the cream," is likely to see a higher percentage of cocks than is the "spot hunter." But most of us simply don't have good enough legs to stand much of that kind of hunting.

Incidentally, hunters can bag quite a few birds in areas where no great numbers are being seen. For example, in 1952 biologists watched two local areas of two sections each, the first three week-ends of the season, to contact all the hunters coming there and to see first-hand what they bagged. These areas were both run-of-the-mill pheasant areas in general farming country in heavily hunted south-central Nebraska. One area yielded a known bag of 44 cocks per section and the other area yielded 22 cocks per section. Some birds in addition to these were undoubtedly killed there in late season after the main hunting had tapered off.

22 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA  

So that the ratio of cocks to hens after the season can be sized up, mail carriers each winter cooperate in statewide pheasant counts. In 1953 in mid-winter, about seven weeks after the pheasant season closed, the carriers saw 88 cocks per 100 hens in a four-day statewide count covering 13,780 pheasants. That, of course, isn't the exact field ratio, but it doesn't indicate any shortage of cocks. (In late April, 1953— when hens were no longer in concentrations and when the roosters were out in the open, conspicuous in the early part of the breeding season — carriers saw 132 cocks per 100 hens in a four-day count which included 21,284 pheasants.)

As a further check on the ratio of cocks to hens, most of the conservation officers in our most heavily hunted pheasant range kept weekly records of hens which they saw accompanied by cocks in the spring courting period of late April and thru May. Field sheets on this were still arriving in the mails when this was written, but in the first 1,500 observations by men in different parts of the state about 83 percent of these cock-and-hen groups contained either one or two hens per cock. Less than five percent of these groups contained as many as five hens per cock and the largest harem recorded was a group of seven hens.

Spring survey work aimed at following population trends — gains or losses in the total numbers of pheasants — indicates that the 1953 breeding population isn't as large as that in 1952. But since such trends affect both the protected hen population and the shot cock population the ratio of cocks to hens for the current breeding season is quite similar to that in other years. And this ratio is a good deal higher in Nebraska than in some of the other states. In Wisconsin, for example, the statewide average was between three and four hens per cock in the winters of 1951 and 1952, with unhunted Milwaukee county showing about 15 cocks for every 10 hens. Several other counties in southern Wisconsin's pheasant range ran from one cock per 10 hens to about four cocks per ten hens.

When we turn to 1952 two things showed up in field checks which probably have a bearing on disappointing hunting results. The fall of 1952 was probably the driest and dustiest of any season since the drouth years of the middle 1930's. Its effect, apparently, was to discourage hunters from spending as much time afield as they did in 1951. And when you cut down on time hunted the take-home bag drops too. Conservation officers interviewed over seven thousand hunters—mostly pheasant seekers—in the 1952 season and recorded the amount of time which they had hunted on the day when contacted. These records showed that the average time hunted per day in 1952 was only about 89 percent as great as in 1951. And the wardens found that bags averaged about 87 per cent as great as in 1951. On a time-hunted-per-pheasant-bagged basis the difference was only about three per cent greater in 1952, or four hours even, in 1952, compared to three hours and 52 minutes in the year before.

The dry, dusty field conditions of 1952 weren't relished by either hunters or their dogs, and it appears that these conditions resulted in lower bags largely through cutting down on hunting time. Right now many hunters are hoping that the weather man mixes in an occasional rainy day when we reach the bright blue days of 1953's autumn time.

Let's Get Acquainted

(Continued from page 21)

were in a blind. Another partner had gone to the car with cold feet when two mallards came within range of any ordinary shooter. I had just stepped behind the blind to begin cleaning a couple of ducks. There were three guns in the blind at the time.

"My hunting partner started shooting at the mallards and ran his gun dry of its three shells without a hit. He picked up our absent partner's gun and ran its three shells out into the air, again without a hit. The ducks had circled very disdainfully all during this 6-shot barrage and seemingly appeared unafraid. He then grabbed my gun and after two futile shots, finally brought the hen mallard to task on the third shot. I walked over to pick up the duck. I took 110 long steps behind the blind to retrieve the duck dropped on the ninth shot."

In addition to hunting and fishing, Burney's hobbies are golf and trap shooting. He married the former Betty Basch of McCook and has two daughters—Susan, 9, and Sally, 7.

Flushing Bar

(Continued from page 17)

loosening of two set screws. If he prefers removing the bracket each time, he finds that this, too, is relatively simple and requires less than five minutes. The bracket is fastened to the tractor by two bolts.

Blueprints have been drawn of the flushing bar and are available to all wildlife clubs upon written request to Flushing Bar Committee, c/o Bud Kemptar, Izaak Walton. league, Ravenna. The club presidents are asked to make the requests.

The blue prints were made through the courtesy of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. of Lincoln.

Salt Water Tackle & Chicken Entrails Ideal for Catfishing

by Dr. Walter E. Kendle 1. Select chicken entrail. 2. Start to thread entrail on bait stringer. 3. Feed entrail on past last hook. 4. All of entrail on line. 5. Unhook stringer from bottom hook. 6. Secure bait to bottom hook by looping couple of times. 7. Line completely baited and ready to go. 8. Baited line has considerable action in current. 9. If you did everything right, you may catch a string of cat like this.

THE FIRST WARM days in the months of February and March do something to an outdoor sportsman's blood. He yearns to try out last year's fishing hole which he discovered before cold weather set in. The writer always opens the new year fishing calendar with two or three weeks of trout fishing which, by the way, was very good this spring for me.

To me, fishing is one of the greatest we have today for pastime, relaxation and pleasure and for absorbing some of that good old sunshine along with that good Nebraska atmosphere. You know, when a man, woman, girl or boy is out fishing, he is right with his God; he or she has no time for thoughts of ill will toward anyone—man, beast or bird for he is fishing, and also right with the world. His thoughts are clean and actions are good for he is out fishing.

While living in Oregon, I loved to fish for steelhead, which as you know are rainbow trout than have gone to sea and become salt water fish. This makes him a larger fish, both in weight and length, than his brother who stays in fresh water.

Well, when I came back to Nebraska in 1946 from the Armed Services, I had lost a real pastime. So what did I do? I looked for fishing in Nebraska to replace my kind of fishing. Believe me, I have found it—only 30 miles from Lincoln in the Platte river which is usually fairly swift in places. It has taken the place of the fast streams of Oregon for me and has provided many an hour of pleasure and pastime thrills.

Since 1947, it is safe for me to say that I have taken 500 pounds of catfish out of the Platte river on rod and reel for I am strictly a rod and reel fisherman: Bank lines, throw lines and limb lines are out me. I love the thrill of setting a hook, and the thrill of a fight whether I land him or not. And don't you sell the channel catfish short, for a channel cat from 2 to 8 pounds will give you a real thrill at the end of a line 600 feet away. I have had the thrill of fighting them for as long as 45 minutes, leaving my hands and 24 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   wrists so tired that I would have to shake them to loosen them up before baiting and going out again.

Now let me explain to you how to do it for I have no secrets in fishing. I love to fish and catch fish. I also like to dress them which isn't hard if you know the trick, and I like to eat what I catch.

Here is how I do my fishing. I use a salt water reel, line capacity 500 yards, and a salt water rod which I formerly used in Oregon. Any reel with a capacity of 250 yards on up is okay. You have to have yardage of line to float the stream current and play your fish and also plenty of yardage to be able to float from one pocket or hole to another. Catfish seek these pockets to lay or hide in and they dart for anything that passes over them that looks like a meal or appears tasty.

The line I use is 36-pound test which runs to my bait line. The bait line is made of 18-pound test line. At this point or rather between the two lines, I place an ordinary swivel The reason for the 18-pound test line is so that if one gets hooked on a snag or old tree limb or stump, the bait line will break below the swivel and you still have your good line intact. I usually fix up four or five bait lines and have them ready just in case this happens. It doesn't take but a minute to slip it through one end of the swivel. This is wise as one may break his bait line right in the middle of a feeding period and sure would hate to stop and make a new bait line. I have seen the boys get snagged and lose 100 yards of good costly line. If they had used the lesser test, they still would have had their yardage to float the current. By the way, let me say right here before I forget it that this method of fishing I do is good only in • current or swift channel fishing as it takes a good current to keep the bait moving down stream.

Now let's find out what bait to use. I have used catfish bait put in cans or jars; also used to be an ardent blood fisher, but for the past six years I have used only chicken entrails. The bait has proven more than satisfactory to me with excellent catches on almost every trip.

Now with the bait question settled, let's see how I use it. Here is what I get to start with: an old coat hanger which I picked up in the clothes closet. I cut this at one end and bend with a pair of pliers so as to form an eyelit about 1/16 of an inch, just big enough that a hook will go through it. Then straighten out the rest of the hanger so as to have a shank or stem about 18 inches long. I then bend what is left of the hanger so as to make a figure 4 upside down, and at this point where it crosses the shank, I solder it. I also solder the joint at the eyelet so there is no place for the bait to catch and interfere while stringing it up on the hooks.

With this finished, we are now ready to fix our bait line. I get three hooks, number l's or 2's, a medium sinker, and a medium-sized swivel. The sinkers I use are the clip-on variety as they are quick to put on and take off in case one had to use a heavier sinker due to a very strong current. But remember after you have left out 100 yards of line, you have a dead weight which also acts as a sinker for your bait. You will have to judge this point for yourself. I use a piece of 18-pound test about 30 inches long for my bait line. I tie my first hook about 12 inches from one end of this line, take a half hitch over the point of this hook, and pull tight. This will keep your hook straight with the line. Next take a No. 2 hook and tie in the middle of the line, also taking a half hitch over the point of this hook and draw it tight. This is the middle hook which I use only when I find the fish are striking the middle of my bait, tearing it between the top and bottom hooks. Now tie on the 3rd hook or the bottom hook. Next place the swivel on the other end of bait line and clip on the sinker about 5 or 6 inches below the swivel. Tie reel line into the free end of the swivel, thus completing our set up.

We are now ready to bait up. With the bait stringer, 1 thread the eyelit and through the center of the selected piece of chicken entrail. This entrail should be about six inches longer than the length of space taken up by the hooks on the line so as to have about four inches above the top hook and two inches below the bottom hook which is used to loop over a couple of times in securing the bait.

We are now ready to try our luck. Throw the reel in free spooling, and with the thumb acting as a brake on the spool of the line, let it out about as fast as you judge the current or flow of the stream to be. Just a little under the speed of current flow is best. Float the bait about 100 yards, and then throw the spool out of free spooling. Let bait set for a little while, say 10 minutes, and if no strike— let out another 100 yards. If you don't get strike, let out another 100 yards arid repeat, keeping in mind the speed of the current. Move your rod back and forth every couple of minutes to prevent bait line from becoming sanded down. If it becomes sanded down, you will no doubt lose your bait line.

This method of fishing can be done from a boat or you can try wading out to the channel, or from a sandbar point where there is a channel or chute on both sides of the bar coming together below the sandbar point and forming one channel. The last is always an excellent spot to fish. Another good spot is off an old bridge, provided of course that fishing is permitted from the bridge. There is always one point to remember if wading out to the channel to fish. Always use a life belt or safety belt as one can always step in a hole at any moment while fighting a fish, or hit a strip of quick sand.

Here is wishing you real thrills in your fishing this year and I will be more than pleased to hear from you on your luck.

SUMMER ISSUE 25

Notes On NEBRASKA FAUNA

This is the fourteenth of a series of articles and drawings depicting Nebraska wildlife. The article was written by Editor Dick H. Schaffer and the painting prepared by Staff Artisl C. G. Pritchard. The Fall Issue of OUTDOOR NEBRASKA will feature the Canada goose.

Prarie Dog

DISAPPEARING from the topography of much of the United States is the prairie dog—a fat, short-tailed ground squirrel—and its vast cities of underground dwellings. Persecuted primarily by cattlemen using strychnine to poison them because of their competition with livestock for forage, prairie dogs are today almost as rare as buffaloes on the Great Plains.

It is true, however, that natural controls have lessened. Man destroyed the buffalo and consequently removed the prairie dog's greatest competitor for grass, its most important food. Other natural enemies such as the coyote, hawk and owl are fewer in number.

Nebraska is still inhabited by the plump-bodied prairie dog whose range is confined to western North America. Though it is found throughout the state, it is most abundant in the western two-thirds of Nebraska. There are two general classes of prairie dogs—the black-tailed and whitetailed. The first mentioned—black-tailed—lives in Nebraska.

The prairie dog is a rather large rodent with flattened head, low, rounded ears, short legs, and short, slender tail. Its fur is relatively coarse and close to the body. Its color is pale buffy to pinkish cinnamon grizzled with blackish, grading into white on under parts. Prairie dogs reach 12 to 15V2 inches in length, about 5 inches in height at the shoulder, and IV2 to 3 pounds in weight.

Prairie dogs spend considerable time and effort on their dwellings which are believed to be the most elaborate homes devised by any American mammal. Using their sharp, rather long claws on their front feet, they dig large burrows with a crater-shaped dike around the entrance. Instead of carrying the earth out of the tunnel in their arms, prairie dogs kick it out by backward strokes of the hind feet. Though the burrows or residences are sometimes only a few feet apart, they are usually 30 to 50 feet distant from one another.

The dike surrounding the entrance is of extreme importance to prairie dogs, especially in the event of a summer cloudburst which would leave two or three inches of water standing on the flat land. Without a substantial dike, the water would pour down the burrow and flood the occupant.

Prairie dogs are diurnal, being active only by day. And—this, too, is limited. They grow drowsy and one by one retire to their burrows for a nap of two or three hours duration when the sun reaches the top of its arc. When they awake, they feed and then retire again by sundown.

Almost 90 per cent of the prairie dog's food is vegetation and when it is realized that they are hearty eaters, it becomes evident why they are disliked by cattlemen and agriculturists. It has been estimated that 32 prairie dogs will consume enough forage to support one sheep and 256 will eat the "keep" of a cow. Most of the vegetation consists of wheat-grasses which may be eaten entirely—the stems, leaves, roots and seeds.

Water is apparently of little importance to prairie dogs for they can get along without water for long periods of time. When showers fall, they drink from puddles. Otherwise, they do without.

Prairie dogs are suspicious and wary. While most members of a typical prairie dog town are scattered about feeding within the confines of the colony or at a short distance from the outermost burrows, a few are on the outlook for enemies. Even those feeding are constantly on the alert. They invariably raise their heads and look about every few seconds while feeding. Almost every plant over six inches high that grows within 75 to 100 feet of their burrows is cut off. This is a safety measure to clear the view so that no enemy can sneak up under the cover of tall weeds and shrubs.

When alarmed by an approaching man, they stand stiff and rigid, sound a shrill alarm, a piercing chirp or whistle. This is the signal for all other prairie dogs to take notice. If it appears that danger does exist, they scurry to the nearest burrows where they remain until danger passes. They stop and watch atop their burrows, delaying the dash down into them until the last possible moment. The alertness of prairie dogs can be described by anyone who has tried shooting them. When much persecuted, they become wild and abnormally shy. Showing only their heads above the rim of the mounds, they defy all except the most expert riflemen.

Possibly the prairie dog's greatest means of defense against man and its natural enemies is its powers of reproduction. A litter usually consists of four young but some have as many as six or eight. Mating occurs in late March.

Although is hasn't been learned exactly how long the mothers carry the young, it is believed that it ranges anywhere from 25 to 33 days. The first young usually show up in late May or early June. They begin to appear above the ground sometime between mid-June and mid-July. Shortly after this time and after being nursed by the mothers, they begin feeding on green plants. On this new diet they grow rapidly and almost double their weight between early July and the middle of September.

Soon after weaning her litter, the mother departs. The youngsters remain in the burrows for several weeks after which they drift apart, moving singly into nearby empty burrows which are plentiful in the town at this time.

Prairie dogs are not protected by Nebraska law and can be taken in any number and manner. Probably their greatest benefit is the hunting they provide to the few interested riflemen.

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