Outdoor Nebraska
JANUARY 1958 25c COTTONTAIL BOOGEY MALCOM MALLARD TROUT AND A FEATHER SHOTGUN CARE TRAPPING FOR FUN Now Monthly
Outdoor Nebraska
IN THIS ISSUE:
COTTONTAIL BOOGEY (Dick H. Schaffer) Page 3 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA GOES MONTHLY Page 5 TRAPPING FOR FUN AND MONEY (Jack Walstrom) Page 6 ADD LIFE TO YOUR SHOTGUN Page 8 TWO, TROUT A FEATHER, AND A PAN (Fred Gibbs) Page 10 MALCOLM MALLARD (Harvey Miller) Page 13 PREDATION (Phil Agee) Page 15 WHAT GIVES WITH NEBRASKA'S BOBWHITES (George Schildman) Page 16 SHOP TALK FROM OTHER STATES Page 18 STATE PARK PROBLEM (Jack D. Strain) Page 19 FIELD DRESSING YOUR RABBIT Page 21 RESUME ON NEBRASKA DEER (Bill Bailey) Page 22 1958 NEBRASKA FISHING REGULATIONS Page 24 TREE PLANTINGS FOR WILDLIFE (Clarence Newton) Page 25 NOTES ON NEBRASKA FAUNA (Keith Donoho) Page 26 WINTER HOMES Page 27
COTTONTAIL BOOGEY
by Dick H. Schaffer EditorEYES bugging and ears alert, the spooked cottontail braked to a stop, long enough for Del to line his open sights on the bunny's head. Del's .22 long shattered the country quiet and the cotton catapulted into the air and out of sight. Confidently the two of us pushed our way through the snow and jungle of ragweed to where the rabbit fell.
Del's aim was true, but we found no bunny, only a glob of fur. The rabbit apparently tumbled into a burrow in the snow and escaped through the maze of tunnels that interlaced the weeds like a turnpike cloverleaf. Stomping on the tunnels and leaning weeds produced nothing, so we gave up the bunny as a lost cause.
Earlier that Saturday morning, thought, I'd hit a hurrying cottontail with a
shotgun blast of No. 7y2's. The leaded bunny crumbled, then staggered a few
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feet to under a fallen clump of weeds, By the time I sloshed
through the snow and ragweeds to the clump, the rabbit
was gone. But he'd been hit and good, and left a crimson
trail on the snow.
Del and I followed the splotches for several minutes, hoping momentarily to route the bunny. Then the blood trail ended and we knew the rabbit was only a few steps away, somewhere under the fallen weeds around us. I took my gun off safety and tramped up and down on the weeds and tunnels. Finally the ailing bunny broke from the heavy cover a few feet ahead. One load carefully aimed at his head presented us with our first cottontail of the day.
Del Whiteley, a land supervisor with the Game Commission, kidded me about the shotgun. He's a rifle addict and would use nothing else on rabbits; says he spoils less meat this way. And he's right, too. But then a rifle isn't the handy gun that a shotgun is in such close cover as we hunted. A shotgun admittedly can raise havoc with a bunny, but the objective is to miss the body and hit the head only. A good shot can decapitate a cottontail.
About midmorning, hunting that same ragweed patch just five miles or so southeast of Lincoln, we routed several more powder puffs. The clever cottons were jumping all over the place but were seldom in sight long enough to draw fire from either Del or me. We'd work the patch one direction and spook bunnies, then go back through it again and route several more. We spent 2V2 hours scouring the one patch of half an acre in size.
This ragweed patch with fields of milo lining each side was ideal for cottontails. Other types of habitat frequented by the bushy-tailed rabbit include brushpiles, burrows, corn fields, post piles, wooded areas, shrubs behind out-buildings, and even the garden patch.
Cottontails are widely distributed in the state, from the hedgerows and brush patches of the southeast to the dry canyons and rocky bluffs of the west. In fact, the cotton is one game animal which occurs in practically every residential block in every Nebraska town and city. But it is in southeast Nebraska, however, where the rabbit is of prime importance.
Cottontails are taken in larger numbers than any other game animal in the United States. And they are an important meat crop. According to estimates made by the Michigan Conservation Department, cottons accounted for more than 33 per cent of the 13,633,000 pounds of meat from wild mammals harvested in the 1941-1942 season. They also accounted for 2,287,748 of the 3,334,598 wild mammals taken that year.
Nebraska is inhabited by several different species and subspecies. The western rabbits are light grayish in general color and commonly show more reddish color over the shoulder than the eastern rabbits which are darker with considerable black in the fur along the back. These rabbits weigh two to three pounds and have ears that are 2xk to 3 inches long. They have relatively short legs which accounts for their running instead of leaping like the hares.
The rabbit's ears and eyes are important in its fight for survival. The eyes bulge, permitting the bunny to see to the side and slightly to the rear as well as to the front. And the ears turn backward to catch sounds from the rear.
When there is snow on the ground, as there was on Del's and my outing, the course of any rabbit can be followed without much difficulty. And when snow is deep and fluffy, cottontails move about as little as possible, for their hind feet are not adapted to snowshoeing. We found places in the snow where it looked like the rabbits had held a town meeting, so many were their tracks.
Speaking of tracks, and on this same outing, Del came across a conglomeration of fresh quail markings crossing into the ragweed. Too late, though, for the bobwhites exploded before Del had a chance to alert me.
And still on the subject of tracks, and still in this same area, we discovered deer tracks along the ragweed jungle and into the adjoining milo field. These, too, were fresh.
Most cottontails "take it easy" during the day, spending the daylight hours in some sheltered spot—a brush pile, in heavy grass, or in their dens or burrows. They feed in late afternoon, early evening, or at any time during the night. Much of the common rabbit food consists of grasses and a variety of herbaceous vegetation. The winter diet, though, often runs heavily to bark, buds, roots, and other parts of woody plants.
A cottontail isn't much of a traveler and may spend an entire lifetime on a plot of several acres. The home territories vary in size up to 20 acres or so, depending upon the availability of food, cover, and water.
Cottontails become sexually active early in the year.
In Nebraska the breeding season is generally from March
through September. The female, using her forepaws,
excavates a small saucer-like depression in the ground,
often in an open field, sometimes in a grassy location.
The nest cavity, four to six inches deep and four to five
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inches in diameter, is first lined with dry grass, then
with fur from the female's body.
Gestation period is about 30 days. The young, called fawns, are born blind, hairless, and almost helpless. As long as they are in the latter state, the mother stays nearby. Litters range in size anywhere from one to eight bunnies, with the average at four or five. Spring litters are generally the largest, and there may be as many as three, four, or even five litters a year.
Frequently the female mates again within 24 hours of delivering her young. Soon after her young are weaned and on their own, the female may be busily preparing for the arrival of the next litter.
At 8 to 10 days of age, the young are well furred and their eyes are open. At 14 to 16 days, they leave the nest permanently. The young attain the weight of small adults—2 to 2V4 pounds—when about five months old. And the females usually outweigh the males.
From the moment the cottontail is born until its death, the powder puff of the brushpile is engaged in a perpetual struggle for its life. Farm operations take a large toll, particularly of bunnies in the nest. Heavy rains flood nests and drown the young. Predators such as the owl, hawk, and fox prey on them. The rabbit's tremendous reproductive powers, though, are sufficient to provide a huntable surplus despite the normal losses to natural agencies.
Rabbits bring to mind the subject of tularemia, commonly known as rabbit fever. It is not as dangerous a disease as it was years back, thanks to modern medicine and its antibiotics. In fact, there have been no reports of tularemia in the state during the last two years.
A large portion of human infections are contracted from handling infected rabbits. To avoid this, everyone should use rubber gloves when dressing rabbits. If none are available, wash your hands in rubbing alcohol or other disinfectants immediately after cleaning the bunny.
Then, too, thorough cooking destroys the tularemis organism and should always be practiced. One last precaution: Only healthy looking and acting rabbits should be bagged!
When the disease is prevalent, outbreaks are far less common after cold weather sets in, which explains one of the reasons why many choose to postpone their hunting until after the first real cold snap of winter.
Nebraska's cottontail season this year is from January 1 through December 31, with hunting permitted from sunrise to sunset over the entire state. Bag limit is five and possession limit is 10. These are liberal limits, particularly inasmuch as rabbits are such tasty morsels and that the average-size bunny makes a meal.
I don't know what your plans are, but I do know Del's and mine. Come the next snow, the two of us are going to put about fifteen minutes traveling time behind us and pot a few more bunnies for that tasty fried rabbit and gravy.
THE ENDOUTDOOR NEBRASKA Goes Monthly . . .
AT long last the frequency of OUTDOOR NEBRASKA changes from quarterly to monthly, beginning with this issue (January 1958). This progressive change was prompted by popular demand and an effort by the Game Commission to keep Nebraska sportsmen better informed on fishing and hunting.
OUTDOOR NEBRASKA is beginning its 31st year of publication with this issue. One of the biggest features of the new monthly is its price—$1.75 for one year (12 copies) and $3 for two years (24 copies). Newsstand price is 25 cents per copy.
Inasmuch as OUTDOOR NEBRASKA is now a monthly, the subscriptions of current subscribers will be changed accordingly. Under the quarterly system a oneyear subscriber received four copies. Such a subscriber will still receive a total of four copies before that oneyear subscription expires. However, the subscription will expire earlier, for the subscriber will receive his four copies on an earlier date.
Example: Joe Jones subscribe in September 1957 for one year (four copies). He received the Fall Issue (published September 1) and is entitled to three more copies. The January issue will be his second copy, so he is entitled to two more. The February and March issues will complete his subscription. Under the quarterly system he would have received, in addition to the Fall Issue sent to him in September, the Winter (January), Spring (April), and Summer (July) copies.
WINTER ISSUE 5
TRAPPING FOR FUN AND MONEY
by Jack Walstrom District II Game SupervisorFOR most Nebraska sportsmen, the coming of winter's first snow signals the end of another pleasant season in the outdoors. Many may feel some misgivings at the closing of the hunting season, but there are those hardy individuals who look forward with great anticipation to the opening of the trapping season on muskrat, mink, and beaver.
The first nip of cold northern air to place a film of ice upon the lakes and ponds starts the trapper's heart beating a little faster. The anticipation of running a trap line along one's favorite stream, lake, or game trail is hard to describe. By the time the season opens, most trappers have everything in readiness. Locations where traps are to be placed have been determined; baits and lures have been prepared or purchased; traps are in readiness; and the equipment for skinning, fleshing, and stretching the pelts is ready to be put to use. Personal equipment such as waterproof boots and warm clothing are other important items.
Each day spent checking the trap line brings some new experience or adventure. No two days are alike. In addition to the uncertainty of what the next trap may contain is the uncertainty of what the skin may bring on the market. The price a pelt draws is determined to a great degree by the attention given to the skinning and stretching steps, which determine the desirability of the trapper's product. Pride in making sets that kill the victims quickly, pride in preparing the skins properly, and the pride that comes from receiving good prices for the furs are all a part of trapping that make it one of the truly finest of sports.
For those who contemplate trapping for the first time this year, first learn your trapping regulations and adhere to them. Second, be certain that permission has been received before you trap on any private lands, for it is unlawful to trap on the land of others without their knowledge or consent. Third, do not waste any of our God-given natural resources. Take proper care in the trapping and preparation of your pelts and you will be rewarded with a feeling of a "job well done."
The 1957-58 muskrat and mink season began at noon,
Friday, November 15, over the entire state. Those people
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trapping in Zone I may take muskrat and mink until
March 1, while those in Zone II must suspend trapping
activities on January 15.
Open season on beaver started January 1 and continues through January 31. There are no limits on any furbearers in Nebraska. Raccoon, opossum, badger, skunk, civet, and fox can be taken by any legal means the year around.
Numerous trappers have asked what the reasons are for dividing the state into two zones with a different closing date for each. This decision was based on the compilation of information taken from questionnaire cards sent out annually by the Game Commission to those individuals who purchased trapping permits the preceding season.
It was noted that those counties generally thought of as being in the sandhill region were producing a greater percentage of muskrat in relation to the mink harvest than were counties outside this area. Trappers and those people familiar with furbearers know that the skins of muskrat and mink prime at a different period of the year. Mink skins are prime (and therefore bring a greater monetary return) toward late November and through December, while the skin of the muskrat is not fully prime until February.
Therefore, it was reasonable to assume that if the state could be zoned and seasons set to facilitate the muskrat harvest in that area in which the ratio of muskrat to mink was greatest, then we could most wisely utilize this natural resource. As a matter of compromise, it was decided to use a ratio of 15 muskrat to 1 mink as the determining factor for placing a county within one zone or the other. Those counties in which trappers reported taking a total of muskrat 15 times greater than that of mink were placed in Zone I and all others in Zone II. The seasons were then set so trappers in Zone I could take muskrat when they were prime (in February) and yet not seriously deplete the mink population at a period when their skins were past prime.
In Zone II, emphasis is placed on an early seasonharvesting the surplus mink population at a time when the skins are prime and will bring (continued on page 12)
WINTER ISSUE 7
Add Life To Your Shotgun By Cleaning Before Storing
TWO TROUT, A FEATHER, AND A PAN
by Fred Gibbs Photographer-WriterTAKE the eggs of a female trout, a long feather, a small pan with a little water in the bottom, and the milt of a male trout. Mix the milt and eggs in the pan, stirring with the feather. No, this isn't a witches' brew, just one step in the fascinating work of trout propagation for better fishing in Nebraska.
Each year, starting in November, the Nebraska Game Commission's No. 1 trout farm, Rock Creek Hatchery in Dundy County, begins the process of raising several hundred thousand trout to stock Nebraska waters. Trout propagation is a many step, exacting process that leaves no room for slovenly work or mistakes.
Nebraska is fortunate in having as superintendent at Rock Creek, Frank Weiss, who has over 30 years service with the department, all in trout propagation. Weiss is continuously experimenting to produce better trout at less cost.
While most trout eggs used at Rock Creek are supplied by federal hatcheries, many thousand are taken from trout spawners held at the state hatchery.
How are the eggs obtained locally? Step No. 1 is to seine the spawners from the holding ponds and ready them for stripping. In this preparation the males and females are placed in separate tanks to facilitate access to the desired sex once the actual stripping begins, for the mixing of milt and eggs must be done without a moment's delay.
Two to three pounds of wriggling, squirming trout
is hardly an aid to this delicate work, so before the fish
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are stripped they are put in a tank of water containing
urethane. This chemical is used as an anesthesia or
tranquilizer. The spawners are placed in this chemical
solution for several minutes, or until they become perfectly quiet. They are then lifted out of the tank and
spawned, then returned to the fresh-water pond.
By two men working together in the spawning pen, one keeping the fish placed in the solution as needed, and the other taking the spawn, spawning was speeded up considerably over the old method of holding the fish until they quit struggling. The fish were completely relaxed, the eggs came freely from the ripe females, and all of the eggs were easily extracted without injuring the fish or the eggs; also, the sperm came freely from the males and could be applied quickly to the eggs.
Experienced fishery personnel have little difficulty in distinguishing the two sexes. The ripe female, full of eggs, has a full, rounded stomach. Coloration is sometimes used, too, to distinguish the males from the females.
Now the actual stripping begins. Small pans containing a little water at approximately 55° F. are readied. Into these the eggs and milt will be released and then mixed with a feather. To take the eggs and milt from trout, a hatchery technician holds the fish against his body. Then, by taking a firm grip on the stomach and pushing up and back, he gently forces the eggs or milt out through the vent into the pans.
It makes little difference whether the male or female is stripped first, but it is absolutely necessary that once one sex is stripped into the pan, the opposite sex must be stripped immediately thereafter. Eggs are porous, and once they are exposed to air and water, the pores begin to close. Therefore, the milt must be mixed with the eggs immediately, so that it can enter the eggs and achieve fertilization before the pores close. This process is speeded by stirring the milt and eggs together with a feather. The use of the feather and the water in the pan protect the eggs from jarring or sticking to the pan.
Newly spawned eggs in this early stage are extremely delicate, so every precaution must be taken. After fertilization the eggs are washed in 55° to 56° water, much as gold is panned. During this process the eggs begin to harden as the pores close, and they are then placed in tubs with running water for three or four hours until hard enough to transfer to the hatching troughs.
After five or six hours the immediate danger has passed and the "bad" eggs have shown up. Bad eggs, or dead eggs, turn white or white spotted, while good eggs run from yellow to orange.
The good eggs are now ready for the hatching troughs. These troughs have a constant flow of five or six gallons of fresh spring water—which stays at a constant 56° all year. This makes for ideal hatching conditions, for the most successful temperature for hatching trout runs between 50° and 60°. A prolonged hatching period will result if the water is too cold. And any variance over 60° accelerates hatching and will produce weak fish, and very possibly a large fatality.
Eggs sent to Rock Creek from federal hatcheries are transported, already fertilized, in specially constructed containers. These eggs, too, are subjected to special handling and temperature control.
The shipping containers are square-shaped, heavily
insulated boxes. Several egg-filled trays are fitted into
each box. All trays have a fine screen bottom. Placed
on this screen and also on the top of each tray is a piece
of moistened cloth. Chipped ice and moss are packed
around the trays Moss is also placed between the fourth
and fifth trays. The moss and wet cloth helps maintain
the necessary moisture. Placed on top of the egg trays
is a metal, perforated container which is packed with
chipped ice. As the ice melts, moisture drips through
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the perforations, works its way through the cloth, and
covers the eggs. The eggs must be kept moist in transit
and permitted neither to freeze nor get too warm.
Immediately upon receipt of the shipment at the hatchery, the temperature of the eggs is taken. It is normally quite low because of the chipped ice in the shipping containers. But before the eggs are placed in the hatching troughs, the temperature of the eggs must coincide with that of the water. The eggs are tempered to the warmer water during a three or four-hour process. A variation in temperature can result in a huge loss of eggs.
Nearly all eggs shipped are developed to the "eyed stage" before being shipped.
On the other hand, it takes about two weeks in the hatching troughs before the eggs that are stripped locally reach the "eyed stage." During this period the eggs are transparent and the eyes of the immature fish are visible through the membrane of the egg.
In about a month from the time the eggs are stripped, the fish begin forcing their way through the eggs. These newly hatched fish are called fry and hardly resemble the flashing brown or rainbow trout they eventually become. At this fry stage they appear to be all head and yolk sac. Not until all the food in the yolk sac is absorbed will the fry begin to feed.
Once the yolk sac is absorbed, the trout are usually started on a diet of fairy or brine shrimp. These minute organisms provide an excellent starting diet. But due to the exacting conditions under which the brine shrimp must be grown, it is difficult to maintain enough of these to feed the ravenous fry over a long period, so beef liver is eventually substituted. This liver is ground to an almost liquid form and is fed four or five times daily.
From the moment the eggs hatch, cleanliness is the watchword, for an outbreak of parasites or bacterial disease can wipe out the entire hatch. To prevent this, the troughs at first are scrubbed with a rubber sponge about twice each week, without removing the fry. But as the trout grow stronger, scrubbing becomes a daily chore.
When trout reach about 1V2 inches in length they are called fingerlings. These are separated from the slower growing fry and are transferred to outdoor circular ponds. The fingerlings' diet is changed from straight liver to ground beef melts mixed with cereal pellets. From here on the pellets will make up the bulk of their diet.
As the trout continue to grow, they are again segregated, with the larger fish going to the spring-fed ponds. Here the trout are fed twice a day, and after two weeks are fed only once daily, for they have now started to feed on the insect life produced in the pond. This prepares them for survival on the natural food available in the streams in which they will eventually be released.
While awaiting stocking time in the spring-fed ponds, the trout are checked constantly to keep them in good condition. Sanitation continues to be important, as these large ponds are scrubbed several times each month.
Propagation of trout, a long and tedious proposition, is the most costly propagation of any species raised by the Game Commission. Anglers have only to catch a few trout to be one up on the Commission. It costs the state approximately 37 cents to hatch, raise, and stock a trout as a yearling in state waters. A daily limit catch of seven trout costs the Commission $2.59, more than the cost of a fishing license for an entire year.
One of the prerequisites of better fishing, however, is an ample supply of robust trout. Their fast and powerful runs interspersed with breathtaking jumps make them a favorite with all anglers. And it is the Game Commission's intention to continue its trout propagation program in an effort to supplement the natural reproduction in our streams and provide better fishing for Nebraskans. THE END
TRAPPING FOR FUN AND MONEY
(Continued from page 7)the highest price. Separate seasons cannot be set on muskrat or mink, as it is difficult to trap selectively for one or the other.
Your Game Commission has conducted a fur-harvest inventory annually for 15 years. This information (the number of each furbearer taken, the average price received, and the locality where the person trapped) is obtained from the voluntary return of postal cards sent trappers after each season. The greater the response, the more accurate our final tablulations.
Using this we can determine a trend in our furbearer populations from one year to another. Several interesting facts have become apparent over the past several years, one of which is the downward trend in number of licenses sold. The reason for this is not difficult to understand when a second look is given to the average price received per pelt. There also, a continuing downward trend is noted. Even the staple items of the fur industry, mink and muskrat, have declined in value from a reported $16.69 for mink in 1951-52 to the present $13.26, and the $1.16 per muskrat pelt in 1951-52 to the present low of 68 cents in 1956-57.
There are many who will trap regardless of the monetary return received for the pelts, for they just plain love the outdoors and wonders of nature. There are also those to whom the additional income received for furs caught during the "slack" period in the year may mean a new coat or pair of shoes for the kids. Individuals whose jobs are seasonal may count quite heavily on that "winter income" from trapping.
Last season 3,725 trapping permits were sold in Nebraska, where every trapper regardless of age must have a permit to trap. Such a permit costs a resident $2.50 and entitles the holder to trap all legal furbearers according to the regulations set forth by the Game Commission.
Information from postal card surveys indicate that trappers last season harvested 169,400 furs. Included in this were 114,100 muskrat and 10,100 mink, or about 74 per cent of the total fur harvest. In spite of last year's extremely dry conditions and the smallest number of trappers in the field in over 10 years, the muskrat harvest increased 10 per cent over 1955-56. The survey also showed that 74 per cent of all trappers took muskrat, and that the average take per muskrat trapper was 41 muskrat. Raccoon harvest was 8 per cent less than last year's total of 22,500. Badger and skunk, both long-haired furs, were more sought by trappers as evidenced by the increased harvest. Skunk prices increased 12 per cent (to 95 cents), while badger dropped to 48 cents (average).
But be it for fun or for money, trapping is truly one of the finest of sports.
THE END
MALCOLM MALLARD
by Harvey Miller Assistant Project Leader Shot from near the raft of kin below teaches Mal to be wary of all ducksRIDING the cold north wind as it scattered flakes of what promised to be winter's first snowstorm, five mallards bore straight into my dancing decoys in this sheltered cove. As the tired birds lowered their feet to reach for the water, I bolted up from the rushes and let go with my double barrel. My first shot missed in the tricky wind, but my second caught a big greenhead trying desperately for altitude. He collapsed and tumbled among the wooden blocks that had fooled him moments before.
Thus, I pause to pay tribute to the late Malcomb Mallard, as handsome a drake as ever came down the Central Flyway.
Malcomb Mallard, his friends called him "Mal," was hatched May 29, 1954, the son of Mortimer J. and Daisey Mallard. He was the first of nine brothers and sisters to see the world from the family's down-lined nest on a grassy hillside in Eelgrass Slough, Tule Marsh District, Saskatchewan.
Mal's first adventure in this world was the trip down to the water—half a mile walk isn't what you'd call just ducky for such stubby legs. But Mal's Mother, infinitely wise in the ways of nature, led her brood of waddling offspring to the water without mishap, and they took to water like ducks.
Mal's first concern was for food. Luckily the waters of Eelgrass Slough were teeming with tiny snails, insect larvae, and other animal life. There was an abundance, too, of tender new growth of aquatic plants. So, Daisey's family grew. In two weeks they were nearly one-fourth grown and had their first feathers, and in just seven weeks they were practically full grown. Mal could flap clumsily off the water by the time he enjoyed his two-month birthday.
Daisey's brood should have been happy. They were, too, except for the tragic death of Mal's second oldest sister, Mae, who was caught by a duck hawk. Daisey had seen the hawk coming, too, and had squawked her a warning. The whole brood, with the exception of Mae, dove under the water. Mae got tangled up in a mass of sago pondweed and just couldn't get under in time.
Then, just about the time Mal learned to fly, Mortimer, Jr. was pulled under and drowned by a snapping turtle. How could a mother duck warn her brood about something like that?
So, there were seven in the family who learned to fly just before Daisey slipped quietly off into the rushes to moult. After all, it had been a trying summer, and Daisey just couldn't face the "girls" without a new dress for the fall migration. (Of course, it would look just like the last one in style and color, but it wouldn't be so faded.) Mal hardly noticed she was gone, busy as he was trying out his new wings and meeting all the kin from the other end of Eelgrass Slough. Matter of fact, Mal never saw his mother again.
Mal never did see his father, Mortimer Mallard, Sr.
His mother did mention once that as soon as a family of
ducklings was assured, the scoundrel had taken off with
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the rest of the "boys" for a stag affair. She said she suspected that they all went over to Lone Tree Marsh to
moult. Daisey was used to being abandoned, though; her
first and second husbands ('52 and '53 respectively) had
done the same thing.
Right after Daisey disappeared, Mal, his brothers and sisters, and the rest of the gang from Eelgrass (those that could fly, that is) took off for Antler Swamp, just over the hill from Eelgrass. It wasn't long until they had explored it and united with the gang raised there to go on, and on, until they'd covered half the country before those shirt-tail cousins of Mal's, the canvasbacks, had even learned to fly.
By the time the nights had turned chilly and scum ice was appearing on the shallow ponds, Mal was flying around with a big, ambitious crowd. Every minute they weren't eating, they were flying; they even flew by moonlight. Mal was so busy getting acquainted with the world and his kinfolk that he never noticed another of his sisters was no longer with the crowd. A fox had caught her napping on a narrow sand beach.
It was then that a strange urge came over Mal—he wanted to go someplace. He mentioned it to the other fellows and they agreed it was time to get out. So, with a devil-may-care attitude, they headed toward the noonday sun. No one knew why, it just seemed the natural thing to do.
Mal got his first look at a hunter on this trip. He and his friends had just crossed the border (they didn't really know it was the border) and were flight-weary when they spotted a raft of their kin sitting in a sheltered cove on a lake. They flew over to join them. Mal was right in the middle of the flock which paid no heed to the two white blobs in that dark hole in the rushes below. Suddenly there was a puff of smoke from the dark hole and Mal heard wing feathers snap. He didn't know what had happened, nor did he stick around long enough to find the answer. He looked back over his shoulder in time to see three of the gang tumbling toward the water. From that day on, Mal was suspicious of any kinfolk, and if he saw a dark hole with white blobs, he just flapped right on by. (Good thing, too, for a brother and two sisters were blasted from the sky that fall of '54.)
Fall, full of harassment by hunters every time he tried to rest, soon passed into winter, and Mal found himself peacefully situated on the Platte River near Fremont, Nebraska, along with 50 or 60 thousand kinfolk. Most of the mallards and all of Mal's shirt-tailed relatives went to the warmer climes of the southern states, Mexico, and even South America. But Mal was tough, so here he enjoyed the winter, particularly the bountiful meals in near-by corn fields.
Mal, along with the rest of his male friends, finished out his new "nuptial" suit that he had been working on since September. With that, he was Beau Brummel and could catch the eye of any female duck.
It was soon after this, late January of '55, that Mal began noticing the lovely lassies about him. As the days lengthened, Mal started serious courtship with a particularly attractive duck named Myrtle. It was quite a battle, fighting off all the other suitors, but by mid-February, Myrt gave in and became Mrs. Malcomb Mallard. She didn't know then that she was only the first of a long line of Mrs. Malcomb Mallards.
The whole flock felt just as Mal and his new bride that it was high time to get back on the breeding grounds and start the new families. So, they followed the receding ice and by mid-April were back in Saskatchewan on a little pothole near where Myrt had hatched.
Mal discovered there were wife-stealers among his kin, and he was constantly defending his bridal suite against invasion. Myrt got busy with the nest and it didn't seem like any time at all until she had practically deserted him. She came off the nest only long enough to grab a bite to eat and a drink. After about three weeks, Mal tired of waiting, so flew to a larger lake and met with some of the boys for a stag session. They then adjourned to the marsh where the boys moulted into their new "eclipse" suits—a complete change into a most feminine attire. Mal made a trip over the pothole as soon as he could fly with his new feathers, but he never saw Myrt again.
The next year of Mal's life was much the same— winter in Nebraska where he courted and won Marie, back to Saskatchewan where Marie deserted him and he took off with the boys again, then through the lines of hunters back to Nebraska and courtship time again. Ah, wonderful life! Mal didn't know it, but he became the last living representative of the Mortimer J. and Daisey Mallard family with the deaths of his last brother, a victim of botulism during the summer, and his last sister, who was shot during the fall of '56.
Although Mal was middle-aged as ducks go, he courted and won for his bride the classiest of them all, a fair young damsel named Marilyn. But Marilyn also became the motherly type, too preoccupied with the nest to make life interesting. Mal slipped off from her, too. He hoped she could make '57 a banner year by raising the whole brood; after all, a man likes to leave his mark on the world.
It was during the fall of '57 that Mal met his demise. He didn't suspect he was getting into a tight spot until that first shot. He and his four buddies had made the long trip across the high plains from the Missouri River in South Dakota to a Holt County, Nebraska lake, and all were tired. So, when they spotted some of the boys (so they thought) loafing in the sheltered cove, they didn't ask questions. They simply started to drop in among my decoys. The rest you know. Mal pumped hard, and just couldn't make it out of range before he caught a full charge of buckshot.
Fret not, though, Mal would have preferred this quick, painless way to go. He left behind a host of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as his mark on the world, and they, along with all Mal's kinfolk, assure the perpetuation of the species in the Central Flyway.
THE END 14 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA
PREDATION
by Phil Agee Project LeaderWETHER it be in the jungles of India or the most placid pond of Nebraska, every creature from the tiniest microbe to the largest elephant is somehow involved in a life-and-death struggle for existence. Where this struggle is apparent, we automatically tend to label the aggressor as a "predator." Other species we throw into a broad category called "harmless."
Technically, a predator is any animal which is dependent for its food supply upon other animals it kills. Werner Nagel, one of the outstanding wildlife writers, conveys a more popular concept by defining it as "any creature that has beaten you to another creature that you wanted for yourself." His anaylsis is apt; at least it fits the situation in Nebraska where we usually recognize only a few species such as coyote, fox, horned owl, mink, skunk, and raccoon as predators. Critics often say, "These are the ones you ought to do something about if we are ever to see any good hunting."
But before any person can embark upon a program of extermination, he must first know if the predator is really bad. Every student of ecology has learned that no species is entirely good or bad. For instance, the controversial coyote has proved himself to be a firm ally of the farmer in many areas, for that animal's feeding habits are not confined to chickens, lambs, or game species. But in Nebraska, most significant losses to coyotes can be traced to just one or two individuals which for one reason or another prefer domestic prey. In many areas these are taken only rarely, as rodents, fruit, and carrion make up most of the coyote's diet.
The great-horned owl also falls into this category. His destruction of mice and rats usually far outweighs his predation upon more desirable forms.
Some species, which we do not normally think of as being predators, may actually assume importance under certain conditions. The 13-lined ground squirrel is an example. Pheasant research in Nebraska has revealed that some of these rodents make it a habit to visit a particular pheasant nest once each day. The squirrel takes a single egg and rolls it unbroken from the nest to his burrow or to a point several feet from the nest where he consumes it. His predation goes unnoticed, except to the investigator who is looking for it specifically.
But let us assume we know that a certain predatory species depends largely upon a certain species of game. Is this the knowledge we need to put the final nail in that predator's coffin?
Research has shown that the populations of most prey species respond to stresses placed upon them. This means that when the population is depressed, the rates of reproduction and survival actually increase until the level is restored. But at a high population level, reproduction and survival are relatively low. This important principle is called inversity. When we examine it in detail, we realize that the predator exerts relatively little influence in holding down a population.
Another important point is that under certain conditions marauding by predators actually benefits the prey species. Cartwright found in Canada that predators were primarily responsible for staggering the nesting season of sharp-tailed grouse. In the absence of predators, all nests would be at about the same stage of incubation at the same time. In most years this might be a desirable thing, but in the event of a late snow or a hail storm, the entire production for that year could be destroyed. When predators broke up part of the nests early in incubation, hens built new nests and brought their broods off later than they would have otherwise. Thus predators provided insurance against complete destruction by a weather catastrophe.
Predator-prey relationships are usually very involved and are not easily understood. A few years ago a group of Ohio sportsmen set out to improve duck nesting around a certain marsh by destroying the obvious abundance of skunks. They found, however, that they were killing their only allies, for the skunks were living primarily on the eggs of turtles which actually were responsible for destroying the duck nests.
In some of our western states the removal of cougars and wolves, efficient killers of deer, has been followed by extreme build-ups in the deer population. Following control of cougars on the Kaibab Forest in Arizona, deer became so numerous that they virtually destroyed their own food supply, which resulted in a large-scale die-off due to starvation. It is obvious that the predator is essential to the welfare of such a herd.
If the science of game management is to progress, each of us must recognize the potentialities of predator management. As long as we are harvesting game species (which are primarily plant eaters), it is only logical that the harvest of meat eaters be permitted also. But it is entirely illogical that we should attempt to exterminate them.
The struggle in nature is universal. It undoubtedly played a very important part in the development of vigorous species through natural selection. Predation plays an essential role in each wild community. We should make every effort to understand it and deal with it intelligently.
THE END WINTER ISSUE 15
WHAT GIVES WITH NEBRASKA'S BOBWHITES
by George Schildman Game SupervisorTHERE is not a dissenting word from anyone who is even slightly familiar with our native bobwhite, for he is truly a wonderful bird, and to know him is to enjoy him.
Nebraska is situated on the fringe of the main continental bobwhite range. South and east from a point in northeast Nebraska lies the main bobwhite range of the United States. Nebraska's primary range is the southern and southeastern parts of the state, and the Missouri and Platte Rivers and their tributaries where suitable habitat exists. Our populations range from excellent in the southeastern corner to none in the northwestern corner. Bobwhites do occur, however, along the North Platte River as far west as the Wyoming line.
The state's 1957 bobwhite population experienced its third consecutive bumper crop. Although a portion of the southern range declined in 1956, this area appears to have improved for 1957. Because of the increased numbers of birds in the fringe country bordering the better quail range, it is possible that Nebraska had more bobwhites last fall than she has had for many years.
Certainly 1957's population was one of the best in the past 15 years. Only the '51 and '56 populations compare favorably with this year's. No comparable population data are available prior to 1943. Through the 1940's and between the high years mentioned above, the population fluctuated at somewhat lower levels than we have today.
The past few years have produced what might be
termed "good" populations over considerably more of the
state than was once thought possible. Much of our bobwhite range, particularly the central and western portions,
does not typify bobwhite range found south and east of
16
OUTDOOR NEBRASKA
Nebraska. The steep hills and canyon country support
some excellent local populations.
The general periphery of the bobwhite's range probably hasn't been expanded greatly; the increased distribution is most noticeable in the occupation of areas within the general range. Comments like "We heard quail here for the first time in 20 years" were not too uncommon following our recent population build-up.
The past hunt was Nebraska's 14th consecutive season. In 1944, following nearly 25 years of closed seasons, four southeastern counties were opened for 10 days, with a daily bag of five. In 1957 nearly one-half of the state was open, part of it for 30 days, the remainder for 15 days. In 1956, 23,000 hunters bagged about 90,000 quail.
The only thing certain of the future is that it isn't known, and making predictions can be dangerous. However, certain facts are known and some trends are established that should give an inkling of what is coming.
These facts are known: (1) The size of the fall population is dependent upon the size of the breeding population and the success of producing and rearing young; (2) the foregoing is related to cover and weather conditions; (3) wild populations do fluctuate naturally; (4) our present population is considerably above what we would expect normally, except possibly at the peaks of fluctuations; (5) all living things are a product of the environment in which they live. Their presence, absence, or abundance is governed by their surroundings. The bobwhite is no exception.
Environmental changes are continuously occurring from day to day, season to season, and year to year. Some of these are only temporary, others are of long duration. Temporary changes of short duration can be adjusted to, substituted for, or just endured until conditions improve. The adverse changes that are more or less permanent mean that the birds must disappear. Some of these latter changes have occurred and are still occuring.
On the debit side, thousands of miles of osage orange hedgerows have permanently disappeared from the landscape in southeastern Nebraska alone. Today bulldozers and herbicides make the continuing removal of hedgerows, plum thickets, and other woody and weedy coverts comparatively easy. Also the removal of field boundary fences that serve as travel lanes, and the cultivating and planting of roadsides are eliminating another portion of the quail's usable habitat. Extensive use of insecticides and "clean farming" methods precludes any optimistic comparison of future conditions with those of a few years ago.
On the other side of the ledger, offsetting at least to some degree the disappearance of habitat, is the Game Commission's habitat development program. Educational programs and an increasing demand for outdoor activities may also help to save, improve, or restore some of the deteriorating habitat. New developments in game-management techniques will need to be listed on the credit side, too.
In the realm of the unknown are future developments which may have great influence one way or the other. New policies of some related organizations could change the outlook. New government regulations relating to water and land use could effect future prospects. New federal farm programs such as the soil bank plan could be of tremendous importance. New methods of producing food and cloth may some day drastically change farming practices and hence wildlife prospects. And finally a severe weather period could drastically reduce the numbers and distribution of our quail at any time.
When all the known trends are considered, prospects will have to be on the pessimistic side. But with future developments unknown, prospects have to be classified mainly in the unknown, too.
THE END
SHOP TALK From other States
WYOMING . . . Game and Fish Department airplanes were used effectively in stocking 43 relatively inaccessible waters throughout Wyoming. Total flying time was about 32 hours, or four working days. It is estimated that it would have taken about 390 hours, or nearly 50 working days, to have stocked the water by jeeps, trucks, or with pack horses. Department airplanes are also used for big-game surveys and censusing, waterfowl trend counts, aerial photography, herding elk, transporting supplies and personnel, and aerial application of lake rehabilitating chemicals.
MISSOURI A pack of stray dogs killed 45 sheep near Norborne recently and injured several others. The loss was estimated at $1,500. Fortythree sheep were dead in one pile. According to the local conservation officer, there has been considerable loss of animals to predators in that area recently and a number of coyotes trapped. "However," he added, "this is proof that losses are not all attributable to coyotes, as dogs were definitely seen leaving the area."
* * * *NEW YORK . . . During the deer season, the people living in the back country of the Adirondacks see many hunters; in fact, so many at times that traffic and parking on the narrow roads become a major problem. Jack Kenny and his wife, of North Bay, were periodically beset with hunters who parked indiscriminately on or around their property. They decided to conduct an experiment. They had an 8-point buck head that had been mounted some years back, and they used the head along with canvas, wood, and white cloth to build a model deer in the far corner of an adjacent field. On the first day of the season, 18 hunters unloaded their guns at the dummy. A number of hunters crawled on hands and knees halfway across the field before shooting. Each day, at some personal risk, the Kennys marked the new bullet holes. At season's end, their deer had absorbed 5,000 hits.
WASHINGTON, D. C. . . . During the 1955-56 hunting season the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service made an intensive study to determine the total shooting kill of waterfowl. The season's toll amounted to 15,152,200 ducks and 906,635 geese for a total of 16,058,835 birds. These included both retrieved and nonretrieved birds. The nonretrieved portion amounted to 3,070,964 birds21 per cent of the total kill. Over the years it appears that the national average for waterfowl loss is at least a disgraceful 25 per cent waste. Primary responsibility for this waste of waterfowl rests with the gunner—trigger happy shooting, failure to use retrievers, inability to judge distances, inability to judge the effective range of a load, and poor marksmanship.
WISCONSIN . . . Carp are prolific, we know. But how prolific are they in a good year for reproduction? Six pair of fish (75 pounds per acre) had spawned successfully in early summer at the Delafield station. When the ponds were drained, there were 8,500 youngsters (388 pounds per acre) surviving in the muddy water. In other words, mama and papa carp had contributed offspring weighing more than five times their own weight and numbering more than 700 times their own number. With carp uncontrolled one would expect some vicious competition for food resources, with gamefish losing out. There are few species of gamefish that could build up to that weight in such a short time.
* * * *CONNECTICUT . . . Would you like to avoid getting shot 15 times in that part of your anatomy sometimes referred to as your "seat?" If you would, then leave wild things alone. Many perons in Connecticut are undergoing the 15-shot Pasteur series for rabies just because they couldn't resist handling or attempting to handle some wild animal. Naturally, wild things bite, and since a case of rabies was found in the state several months ago, persons bitten are given the antirabies injections. Save yourself the discomfort of the shots by leaving wild things alone!
BRITISH COLUMBIA . . . Wildlife Review reports this interesting tale concerning the ingenuity of one British Columbia deer hunter. It seems the hunter bagged his buck last fall but was unable to use the meat because he needed raw teeth. Store teeth, he reckoned, were far too expensive, so he decided to make his own with the raw materials he had on hand. He extracted the teeth from the deer, then filed and ground them until they were the right size. He used plastic wood for the plate, molding it around the roof of his mouth. He then fitted the teeth into place and glued them with household cement. The homemade choppers worked perfectly, according to reports, and the toothless hunter was able to enjoy his venison by eating with its own teeth.
WASHINGTON, D. C. . . . E. A. "Woody" Seaman, former executive secretary of the Sport Fishing Institute, has been appointed consultant to the U. S. Air Force on fish and game.
18 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA
STATE PARK PROBLEM
(Editor's note: Following are excepts from an analysis of the state park program in Nebraska, prepared specifically for the consideration of the 1957 State Legislature's Interim Committee.)
by Jack D. Strain Land Management ChiefPUBLIC recreation is administered in Nebraska at three levels of government: local, state, and national. Generally speaking, local areas, such as a city park, are designed primarily to accommodate persons residing in the immediate locality. State areas, such as state parks or state recreation areas, are contemplated for the use of all Nebraska citizens, visitors, and expanded local use.
Areas administered by the federal government are considered to be of nationwide importance. In Nebraska such areas emphasize some outstanding historical, geographical, or ecological feature.
The number and extent of local recreation areas and facilities is not known. Most all cities, towns, and villages have some form of public recreation facility whether it be a small park, a ball diamond, a community hall, or perhaps a swimming pool.
At the national level in Nebraska, four areas afford limited recreational facilities: two national monuments administered by the National Park Service; one Division of the Nebraska National Forest, administered by the U. S. Forest Service; and one refuge administered by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. None provide a fully rounded recreational opportunity. There are no national parks in Nebraska.
At the state level, responsibility for administration of the state parks and state recreation areas is vested in the Game, Forestation, and Parks Commission. Stateowned or controlled recreation areas are in the following numbers and categories: state parks 7, state park facilities 1, state recreation grounds 44, reservoir areas 3. Total 55.
State parks are designated statutatory law and are financed solely by legislative appropriations from the general tax fund, plus revenues. State recreation grounds, on the other hand, were primarily acquired and equipped as free public access areas for fishing, and are financed through the sale of hunting and fishing permits, plus miscellaneous revenues such as concessions, and in a few instances, grazing or haying.
The 1957 Legislature provided a $1 annual sticker fee for all autos entering state recreation grounds. This law does not apply to state parks. As provided by law, not one cent of the appropriated state park fund may be spent on state recreation grounds, and conversely, no fish and game revenues may be expended on state parks.
State parks, tax supported, are administered by Land Management, one of the six divisions of the Game Commission. This arrangement is probably the best system devised in the department to date, as the tax-supported parks are completely separate fund-wise from fish and game activities, yet technical services, specialized equipment, and in some instances, labor, are available to the parks from other divisions at cost.
The Land Management division also administers the reservoir management program and the habitat development project under federal aid to wildlife. The administrative staff consists of one chief, one project leader (activities confined exclusively to habitat development under federal aid), and one part-time steno-clerk.
THE PROBLEMThere are two factors that constitute the state recreation problem in Nebraska. These are distribution and finances.
Probably the greatest single factor affecting outdoor recreation in Nebraska now, and in the future, is distribution—distribution of human populations, fish and game, surface water, development potential, and existing areas. The accompanying map illustrates the paradox of the distribution of human population and existing recreation sites in Nebraska.
The 22 counties outlined in eastern Nebraska comprise less than 15 per cent of the area of the state, yet contain more than 50 per cent of its population. This 22-county area might well be referred to as the Zone of Primary Need. Located here are over 50 per cent of Nebraska's population and only 18 per cent of its state-controlled public recreation areas.
The 18 per cent figure refers to numbers of state-controlled areas, not percentage of total recreation area. There is one acre of state-controlled recreation area for every 27 persons over the remaining 85 per cent of the state, but only one acre for every 446 persons in the 15 per cent of the state that we have designated as the Zone of Primary Need.
The national average is one acre of state-controlled recreation area for every 32 units of population.
Unfortunately, this situation is not going to improve by itself. Nebraska's population has risen from 20,595 in 1870 to 1,325,510 in 1950. It has been reliably estimated that the present U. S. population will mushroom to 227 million by 1957. If Nebraska were to parallel the national trend, we would expect nearly 350,000 new Cornhuskers by the time today's kindergarten youngsters graduate from college.
If this population boom were to occur overnight, it does not take much imagination to visualize what would be happening at our state-controlled recreation areas already overburdened with 1957's citizens.
The problem of finances besets the park administrator
everywhere. Even the California and New York departments whose fiscal budgets last year were over 10 and 15
million dollars respectively, have their problems. Nebraska
is no exception. Although funds made available have
increased substantially and steadily since World War II,
the park department's budget request suffered a greater
cut percentage-wise than any other tax-fund spending
WINTER ISSUE
19
agency at the hands of the drouth-wary 1957 Legislature.
While this is understandable from the viewpoint of the
legislator, it is a blow to the park adminstrator who knows
that the very condition that prompts the legislator to
tighten the purse strings is also a powerful incentive to the
populace to seek the most economical recreation possible.
The basic principle of economics is well substantiated by park attendance over the recent drouth period. In 1952, state park attendance totaled 233,767. In 1956, the last full drouth year, it was 511,128; a jump of 45 per cent, which is far greater than the population gain for the same period. Other factors entered into this situation, too, such as the general trend toward outdoor living, but the matter of economy cannot be ignored. It is too much in evidence in inquiries from citizens, comments from tourists, and a booming nation-wide participation to tent-camping vacations rather than the use of hotels, motels, and other commercial accommodations.
No state park system in America is self-supporting through revenue from operations alone. A few, such as Indiana, show annual incomes nearly equaling expenditures, but a casual look at the record will indicate some substantial outside income provided by law.
The income of the average state park system in the United States, from all sources, equaled 21 per cent of its expenditures in 1956.
Attendance at state recreation areas in Nebraska is a significant figure when compared with other better known and more publicized sport activities. In 1956, attendance at Nebraska's seven state parks alone was over 511,000, or 2V2 times greater than the total attendance at all University of Nebraska's home football games. State park attendance through July 1957 had already outstripped the 1956 figure, and will be approximately 3V2 times greater than the total home-and-away attendance at the Lincoln Chiefs' baseball games.
When attendance at the 44 state recreation grounds and the three state-operated federal reservoir areas is added, the combined visitation for 1957 will exceed 1V2 million people, which surpasses the entire population of the state.
Park usage is the only major form of outdoor recreation in which the entire family can participate on an equal basis without first developing a skill. In these days of increasing pressures, higher pay, shorter work weeks, increased longevity, and the growing problem of delinquency, places for wholesome family recreation are essential to a healthy society, and should receive worthy consideration.
* * * *Last year, tourists in the United States spent an estimated 15 billion dollars in the course of their travels. While Nebraska did not get its share, what was spent here might surprise many people. The exact figures are not known, but the following facts shed light on the picture:
1. Counts of persons-per-car made at national parks reveal that the cross-country tourist auto carries an average of 3V2 persons per car.
2. Similar checks of resident cars at Nebraska state parks indicate averages of from 3.40 to 4.48 persons per car.
3. At a check point west of Elm Creek on U. S. 30, the Department of Roads and Irrigation found an annual average of 3,519 cars passing per day. Of these, 35 per cent were out-of-state.
4. A sample of the survey sheets involving 1,349 non-resident automobiles shows an average of 2.7 persons per car on an annual basis, the figure being adjusted proportionally for seasonal fluctuations.
5. Applying the 2.7 figures to the average number of nonresident autos passing this point on U. S. 30, we learn that an average of 3,642 nonresident persons pass this point daily.
6. In 1956, an extensive survey of overnight campers was conducted in Washington state parks. The average expenditure per person per day for out-of-state campers was $8.61.
While similar figures are not available for Nebraska, there is good reason to believe that the figure could well be applied to the state.
7. If an arbitrary $8 per-person per-day figure is applied to the nonresident persons passing Elm Creek, it can be assured that these persons spent not less than $29,000 per day. To these figures must be added expenditures by out-of-state persons traveling on the other major east-west and north-south routes to get a figure approximating the amount spent in the state during the year by out-of-state travelers.
It has been estimated that the annual income to Nebraska from the out-of-state tourist amounts to between 30 and 50 million dollars. The U. S. Department of the Interior places it as high as 78 million dollars.
* * * *During 1953, this department made a survey of resident usage at state recreation grounds. It was learned that the average party drove 47.3 miles to reach the area, and that the party made nine visits to one more state recreation grounds in a year.
Applying this data to the 1956 attendance at Nebraska's 44 state recreation grounds, we find as follows:
(a) 1956 attendance was estimated to be 700,000; (b) Dividing by the 3.5 person per car factor, we find that this represents 200,000 automobile visits driving 94.5 miles per visit or a total of nearly 19 million miles. This would take about 1,260,000 gallons of gasoline.
* * * *In 1956, state park attendance was 511,128, and at other state-owned or controlled areas one million. It is known that nonresident cabin registrations at Chadron state park have run as high as 14 per cent for a season, and week-end general attendance at Ponca state park as high as 26 per cent nonresident.
The 1957 attendance at the seven state parks alone is going to be about 550,000, which is nearly twice as much as the 1957 Nebraska State Fair attendance.
The matter of self-sufficiency logically arises in any discussion of state park finances.
It has previously been noted that no state park system in the United States has an income from operated facilities that equals or exceeds its expenditures.
The reasons for this are quite logical:
1. Fees are usually charged for personal services (cabin use, swimming pool use, etc.), but not for general services (picnic facilities, roads, parking space, drinking water, etc.)
2. Costs of constructing and maintaining general services are quite as high per unit of use as those involving personal services, yet there is far greater demand for general than personal facilities.
3. The American citizen expects to pay a direct fee for personal services, but he resents a direct charge for general enjoyment of the out-of-doors which he considers his inherent right.
4. With sufficient use and judicious management, personal service facilities, such as Nebraska's state park swimming pools, will pay their costs of operation and maintenances. They will not, however, "carry" other general service park facilities.
Nebraska's present schedule of state park fees and charges taxes only those desiring personal services, and are designed to cover the operation and maintenance costs of such facilities. It is hoped that direct charges for general services will not become necessary in Nebraska. (The second half of this analysis, to appear in the February issue, will point out problems of the future and will touch upon several proposals to improve the existing park facilities.)
THE END 20 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA
FIELD DRESS YOUR COTTONTAIL
Photos by Fred Gibbs 1. Split skin from breast breast bone back to the anus 2. Carefully pull the skin loose from the stomach wall 3. Cut membrane gently; avoid rupturing the entrails 4. Spread the skin, exposing entrails to be removed 5. Break entrails loose and remove them gently 6. Field dressed, the bunny will remain fresh longer
RESUME ON NEBRASKA DEER
by Bill Bailey Assistant Project Leader 1. John Wilson, Ogallala, with 310-pound hog-dressed mule deer 2. Archer Jack Landen of Albion felled this while fallow buck 3. Deer taken with warls or fibroma-like growths. Still edible 4. Early injury probably caused deformed antlers on this buckIF you were one of the unsuccessful hunters during Nebraska's 1957 deer season, the ninth such hunt since 1949, you may tab the season as a complete failure. Others, though, who were lucky or skillful enough to get their deer, may describe it is as "fabulous," "greatest ever," or just plain "good." But before any of us draw too many hasty conclusions based on our individual hunts, let us look at some of the statistics on the over-all hunt and determine the success or failure on this basis.
Let's begin with hunting success—the universal tool for evaluating a hunt from a hunter's point of view.
In past years Nebraska deer hunters have enjoyed one of the best hunting success scores recorded anywhere in the United States, generally over 70 per cent. Except within local areas, the 1957 season was similarly successful.
This year we had more deer hunters afield than in
any one year in the state's recent history and we were
22
OUTDOOR NEBRASKA
able to take the largest harvest in recent history. A total
of 12,174 big—game enthusiasts took to the hills, plains,
and stream courses in search of deer in the state's seven
management units. Preliminary tabulations indicate these
hunters were successful in taking home 8,390 deer.
By national standards, or by anyone's standard, this is an excellent rate of success and compares favorably with past deer hunts in Nebraska. Scan the figures presented in Table 1, which give the kill and hunting success since 1949. Hunting success did decrease from that of 1956 and was slightly below the average rate of success for the seasons of 1949 through 1956 combined. But, while we are speaking of hunting success, let's consider our past seasons and how they may affect success.
High rates of success, such as Nebraskans have enjoyed, are normally characteristic of special, highly controlled hunts. There is little competition for the available animals between hunters, since the numbers of hunters in the field is controlled. This, in effect, is the kind of deer hunting experienced in Nebraska. As the opportunity to hunt deer is made available to more people and the hunting pressure increases, chances are the hunting success will decrease.
The Nebraska Game Commission authorized 16,400 permits for the hunting of deer in 1957, but only 12,174 applications were received. Possibly in the near future nonresident hunters will be given the opportunity to participate in the state's deer harvest.
Before leaving Table 1, notice the great increase in the harvest since 1949. The deer harvest mushroomed from 910 animals in 1949 to 8,390 in 1957—a time span of just nine years. This serves to point out the increasing importance of deer in the state's over-all game-management program.
Table 2 1957 Deer Harvest Management No. permits Unit issued No. deer harvested Hunting Success (per cent) Pine Ridge (October) 3,748 2,921 78.0 Pine Ridge (November) 3,195 1,898 59.6 Plains 607 380 62.6 Upper Platte 1,772 1,211 67.3 Sandhills 1,783 1,446 81.0 Halsey 400 322 80.5 Upper Missouri 495" 169 34.2 Elkhorn 174 43 24.7Some of you are probably interested in the hunting success for the management unit in which you hunted. If so, glance at the figures in Table 2. The success rate varied from 24.7 per cent in the Elkhorn Management Unit to a tremendous 81 in the Sandhills. Success was considerably lower in the Upper Missouri and Elkhorn units, where hunters were restricted to shooting only bucks with a forked antler. In all other units, they were allowed to shoot either bucks or does.
Table 1 Results of recent deer seasons in Nebraska Year Permits No. deer Hunting Issued harvested Success (per cent) 1949 1,500 910 60.7 1950 1,000 680 68.0 1951 1,200 712 59.3 1952 2,500 1,921 76.8 1953 5,300 4,083 76.9 1954 4,000 2,754 68.8 1955 5,597 4,300 76.9 1956 8,198 6,561 80.2 1957 12,174 8,390 68.8 Totals 41,969 30,661 73.1 Totals 12,174 8,390 68.8Now that we have considered the harvest quantatatively, let's take a quick look at the quality of deer harvested. Most of you probably followed newspaper accounts of the hunt as the season progressed. Consequently you probably realize that this was a record year for the number of new records established, especially weight records. Reports of hog-dressed deer exceeding 200 pounds were relatively common, and several of the more fortunate hunters bagged animals hog-dressing better than 250 pounds. These are large animals by anyone's standards, but there is a good reason why so many more heavy animals were killed in 1957 than in past years.
This was the first year in which deer were harvested before the onset of rutting season. During the breeding season food consumption by bucks decreases and activity increases, resulting in a loss of body weight. Consequently, weights of adult bucks are greater if taken in October or early November than if taken during December, after the deer have rutted. In general, the hunters were able to harvest bucks that were fatter and in better shape than in past years—due almost solely to a season before the rut as opposed to one after the rut.
Other records established during 1957 include:
Largest number of archers—658 (275 in '56); largest number of deer taken by archers—79 (28 in '56); highest success percentage by archers—12 per cent (10 per cent in '56); largest open area for archers—all counties (21 counties and Bessey Division of Nebraska National Forest in '56); largest number of counties open to rifle hunters-32 (31 in '56); most years without hunting fatality—10 (9 in '56).
We have now considered the 1957 deer season from the hunter's side, both quantitatively and qualitatively. How successful was the season? Judge for yourself. But, from this corner it appears that it will have to be described as excellent. Not only was a high rate of success realized, but the 1957 season provided a recreational outlet for many more sportsmen than in past years. Nebraska animals were in good shape, and the hunters took home some good trophies, comparable to almost any taken anywhere. Yes, this will have to be entered into the records as another highly successful deer hunt.
THE END WINTER ISSUE 23
1958 NEBRASKA FISHING REGULATIONS
Species Daily Possession Open Season Bag Limit Limit Species TROUT: 7 BLACK BASS: 10 WHITE BASS: 50 CRAPPIE: 50 CATFISH: (channel, blue, yellow' 1 10 BAIT MINNOWS: 100 BULLGROGS: 12 PADDLEFISH: Spoonbill Cat) 2 SAUGER: 10 WALLEYE: 6 NORTHERN PIKE: 5 7 10 50 50 10 100 12 4 10 12 5 Entire year Entire year Entire year Entire year Entire year Entire year July 1-Nov. 1 July 1-Feb. 28 Entire year Entire year Entire year ROCK BASS: Except in Gavins Point reservoir and the Missouri river in Boyd, Cedar, and Knox Counties where the limit is 6 and 6 Entire year 15 15 Entire year Except in Gavins Point Reservoir and the Missouri River in Boyd, Cedar, and Knox Counties where the limit is 50 and 50 FRESHWATER DRUM: STURGEON: No Limit No Limit No Limit No Limit Entire year Entire year AREA OPEN: Entire state except those areas closed by federal or state law or city ordinance. SIZE LIMITS: None. Daily Bag Limit Possession Open Season Limit BULLHEADS: 50 50 Entire year Except in the following state-owned lakes. Niobrara Park Lake, Knox County; Bowman Lake, Sherman County; Ravenna Lake, Buffalo County; Dead Timber Lake, Dodge County; State Lakes, Jefferson County; Memphis Lake, Saunders County; Hord Lake, Merrick County; Victoria Springs Lake, Custer County; Lake No. 3, Fremont, Dodge County; Lakes No. 2 and 3, Louisville, Cass County; Crystal Lake, Ayr, Adams County, where the limit is 10 and 10 BLUEGILL AND SUNFISH: (Green, orange-spotted, pumpkinseed, and redear) No Limit PERCH: No Limit NONGAME FISH: No Limit Except in the following state-owned carp lakes: Litchfield Lake, Sherman County; Fremont No. 6 Lake, Dodge County; (East of state residence); Fremont Carp Lake, Dodge County; (East U. P. Lake, east of Victory; Louisville No. 3 (west) Lake, Cass County; where the limit is 10 and 10 No Limit No Limit Entire year Entire year No Limit Entire year GENERAL REGULATIONSWASTE OF FISH: It is unlawful for any person to leave any fish, either game or nongame fish, on the banks of any stream, lake or other body of water in this state.
DAILY BAG: 'Daily Bag' means fish taken from midnight to midnight.
POSSESSION LIMIT: Tossession Limit' means fish in the possession of any person at any time.
BORDER WATERS: Any person taking fish from Gavins Point Reservoir or the Missouri River must carry a valid fishing license issued by the state from which he enters or returns from the waters.
FISHING HOUSE: It is unlawful for any person to place or use any fishing house, shanty, or other structure upon the ice in Gavins Point Reservoir or the Missouri River unless the name and address of the owner is plainly marked on the exterior, and the door constructed to permit entry at all times except when unoccupied and locked from the outside.
FLOAT LINES:The use of glass floats on float lines is unlawful.
BOW AND ARROW FISHINGNongame fish may be taken by bow and arrow from April 1 to December 1, from sunrise to sunset. 1. The long bow only, drawn by hand, is legal. (The use of the cross bow or similar device is unlawful).
STATE AREASThe following regulations are in effect on all state-owned and controlled areas:
1. DESTROYING OR DAMAGING STATE PROPERTY: It is unlawful to injure trees or shrubs, to pick flowers or ferns, to mar, deface, or remove any of the natural or structural features in any state-owned and controlled area.
2. STRUCTURES: It is unlawful to erect or maintain any shack, fence, or other structure.
3. BAIT: Digging or seining for bait is prohibited.
4. MOTOR BOATS: Motor boats are not permitted except on Victory Lake at Fremont and Cottonmill Lake at Kearney; provided, however, outboard motors of not over six (6) H.P. may be used for fishing purposes on Long Lake, Brown County; Rat and Beaver Lakes, Cherry County; Shell Lake, Cherry County; and Smith Lake, Sheridan County.
5. STATE LAKE NO. 1 of the Fremont sandpits, located along State Highway No. 30 about four miles west of Fremont in Sec. 13, T 17N, R 7E, Dodge County, is restricted to the use of artificial lures from January 1 to June 30, inclusive.
6. SWIMMING is prohibited at Memphis State Lake in Saunders County.
7. FIREARMS: The use of firearms is prohibited on state recreation areas from April 1 to September 30 inclusive. The use of firearms is prohibited at all times on stat parks, hatcheries, and reserves.
8. SPEED LIMIT is 20 (twenty) miles per hour, unless otherwise posted.
24 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA
TREE PLANTINGS FOR WILDLIFE: STOCK AVAILABLE IN SPRING
by Clarence Newton Project LeaderAS tree planting time arrives next spring, the Nebraska Game Commission will distribute one million trees and shrubs to farmers and ranchers of the state. Every effort will be made to see that the planting stock is delivered in the best of condition, for these farmers and ranchers are participating in an upland game restoration project to improve conditions for game on their lands.
Before the planting stock arrives, however, the landowners have work to do, for the condition of the proposed planting sites is just as important as the condition of the planting stock. In fact, the preparation of many planting sites had already been started. Some of the sites had to be summer fallowed to assure success of the planting project, while preparation of other sites started with fall plowing.
Summer fallowing has two important objectives: to eliminate the production of weed seeds, and to conserve soil moisture. These will reduce the cultivation work that will have to be done after thee trees have been planted and allow better survival and growth.
However, if the soil is light and the site exposed to wind, summer fallowing could invite disaster in the form of a blowout. And of course any soil exposed on a steep slope can wash away in one or two heavy rains.
Where the site will be subjected to wind erosion, the soil should probably be prepared only in narrow strips-one strip for each row of trees, leaving strips of vegetation between the rows to cut down the wind. The width of these strips will vary in accordance with the degree of control required.
Sites on slopes subjected to erosion by run-off water may be treated in various ways. On gentle slopes it may be enough to simply lay out rough contour lines and follow these lines in the ground-preparation operations. Somewhat steeper slopes may require terracing or at least one diversion terrace above the site. Sites on more extreme slopes may require strip preparation—as for wind erosion control—but on the contour. On the steepest of slopes, where you cannot run a tractor, the only preparation possible is to scalp off a square foot or so of sod where each tree is to be planted.
Another factor affecting ground preparation is the previous use of the planting site. The foregoing discussion applies largely to land in sod, alfalfa, or similar crops. On the other hand, land which is in row crops or even small grain may not require summer fallowing, provided that lack of moisture is not expected to be a problem. Weeds are not as likely to be bothersome on these sites. Ground preparation may logically start with a fall plowing and the site, left is a rough condition, will catch drifting winter snows and store up moisture.
For any site the finishing touches come in spring with a combination of disking and harrowing to obtain the proper soil structure and to prevent weeds from getting a start before the trees. Of course, on those sites which allow only narrow strips of ground to be opened, the spring preparations will have to be confined to these strips, leaving vegetation between them as a continuing control on erosion.
Ground preparation is important, too, for special types of planting such as single-row plantings for fieldborder hedges.
Unless concerned with erosion problems, plan on giving that row of trees or shrubs plenty of clean ground on both sides. Six feet will do nicely, but make the cleared area large enough so that one pass on each side can be made with the narrowest harrow or similar tool. This will leave the trees just as much clean ground on each side there would be between rows in a multiple row tree planting, and the trees will not have to compete with vegetation for available moisture.
It is well to remember that the growing of trees in Nebraska does not have to be a hit or miss affair that is dependent on good weather to bring the trees through. Tree growers need six items to assure success in their efforts. The first is proper ground preparation. The others are: good planting stock; a careful job of planting; control of competing vegetation; protection against grazing by fencing; and sometimes a control of insects such as grasshoppers.
THE END WINTER ISSUE 25
Notes on Nebraska Fauna
Yellow Perch
This is the 33rd of a series of articles and drawings depicting Nebraska wildlife. The article was written by Keith Donoho, District I fisheries supervisor, and the wash drawing by C. G. Pritchard. The February Issue will feature the red fox.
Two members of the perch family are widely sought by Nebraska fishermen. These are the walleye and the yellow perch. The latter species, also know as ring perch, has the scientific name of Perca flavescens.
The yellow perch is found commonly throughout the northern United States and Canada, but it is near the southern extremity of its range in Nebraska. The yellow perch is essentially, a lake fish but occurs also in streams; more abundantly in the larger rivers than a small streams.
It occupies an important place in the game fish fauna. Because it is so prolific and adaptable to feeding and spawning conditions, it is probably as abundant in Nebraska waters as any other game species. Perch are so numerous that overpopulation and stunting is common. For this reason perch fishing in recent years has not been so highly regarded. Most of those caught are undesirable in size.
During the early years of the Platte Valley reservoirs, however, there was a period when perch fishing was outstanding. McConaughy Reservoir was exceptionally good during the late 1940's and early '50's. Reasons for the excellent perch fishing in these Reservoirs during this period are obvious.
It is well known that biological productivity is highest during the first years of inundation. The organic matter, covered with water, gives up nutrients that become available to living organisms. Coupled with this optimum food condition is the fact that spawning conditions are also good and fish populations are building up. Therefore, these early year classes of fishes grow fast, and it is the young, fastgrowing fish populations that provide the best angling. Before these first age-groups of fishes have reached the end of their life spans, fishing generally will have been phenomenal, but it will never again be as good.
Fishermen are likely to feel that the lakes have been overfished, when actually greater numbers will have died of old age than those taken by hook and line. In the case of perch, as with other species, the succeeding age groups continued to reproduce. And as a consequence, in most cases, there have been more fish than food for them to grow well.
The yellow perch is versatile in its feeding habits. It is, however, less specialized in its adaptations for capturing fish for food than is its relative, the walleye. The perch's stocky body is suited to all sorts of conditions: the sharp, backwardly directed teeth hold struggling animals; the slender gillrakers strain out micro-organisms from the water; and the activity of the swim bladder renders adjustment to various pressures so that food may be sought over a wide range of depths.
A perch may grub out insect larvae from soft bottom mud, snatch crayfish from among the rocks, strain plankton from open water, lurk in the shore vegetation to capture passing fishes, or pull aquatic insects from retreats among water plants and elsewhere. The bulk of its food is insect larvae and some insect pupae and adults, which together constitute about 70 per cent of the total. The remainder consists of small fishes, fish eggs, crayfish, small mollusks, and plankton. A 16-ounce perch may eat, on the average, about one ounce of food per day.
Depending somewhat on environment, the yellow perch attains sexual maturity the second year. Spawning occurs in early spring, shortly after the ice "goes out" on the lakes. In Nebraska this is usually about mid-April.
Perch come into shallow water to breed. Males precede the females and apparently remain the longest time. The relative abundance of females on the spawning ground usually increases during the spawning period. They leave deep water for only a short period and eat little or nothing during spawning.
The eggs are laid in elongated bands, usually attached to underwater debris and rocks. After fertilization they increase in size as they become water-hardened. This string is zigzag in form and is of such consistency that the least agitation of the surrounding water puts the mass in motion. This feature probably serves for aeration.
Total number of eggs may range from 2 to 90 thousand. They hatch in about a week in water temperature of the mid 50's. The fry are generally found in depths of two to four feet. Unlike the bottom-feeding parents, young perch feed near the surface until they turn from a strict diet of plankton.
A change in the fishing regulations for 1958 removes the bag and possession limits of 25 on perch. Some counties were without limits before, but in 1958 the entire state is under the no limit law. This means the fisherman can take as many perch as he desires—that is as long as his luck holds.
The 1957 fishing season produced a state perch record. The new record was set by Mrs. Ethel Engle, 921 North Dewey, North Platte, when she caught a 1-pound, 10-ounce perch in McConaughy reservoir. The former record was held by Fred McMurty, also of North Platte, with a 1-pound, 8-ounce perch taken from Sutherland reservoir in 1956.
Because perch can be caught without much elaborate gear or unlimited patience, they are among the most popular American panfishes in all areas they inhabit. This is particularly true during winter when they can be caught by ice fishing, which is a preferred sport by many anglers. Other reasons for the perch's popularity are its excellent food quality and its easy capture by hook and line at any season of the year and with most any sort of bait.
THE END 26 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA
