OUTDOOR Nebraska

PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY NEBRASKA GAME, FORESTATION AND PARKS COMMISSION Editor: Dick H. Schaffer Associate editors: Peie Czura, Jim Tische Photographer-writer: Gene Hornbeck Artist: Claremont G. Pritchard Circulation: Phyllis Martin DECEMBER, 1958 Vol. 36, No. 12 25 cents per copy $1.75 for one year $3 for two years Send subscriptions to: OUTDOOR NEBRASKA, State Capitol Lincoln 9 NEBRASKA GAME COMMISSION Floyd Stone, Alliance, chairman Leon A. Sprague, Red Cloud, vice chairman Don F. Robertson, North Platte George Pinkerton, Beatrice Robert H. Hall, Omaha Keith Kreycik, Valentine Robert F. Kennedy, Columbus DIRECTOR M. O. Steen DIVISION CHIEFS Eugene H. Baker, engineering and operations Glen R. Foster, fisheries Lloyd P. Vance, game Dick H. Schaffer, information and education Jack D. Strain, land management and parks FEDERAL AID CO-ORDINATOR Phil Agee (Lincoln) PROJECT AND ASSISTANT PROJECT LEADERS Orty Orr, fisheries (Lincoln) Frank Sleight, operations Bill Bailey, big game (Lincoln) (Lincoln) Clarence Newton, land management (Lincoln) Harvey Miller, waterfowl (Bassett) Dale Bree, land management Baymond Linder, upland game birds and small game (Fairmont) (Lincoln) Malcolm D. Lindeman, operations (Lincoln) RESERVOIR MANAGERS Melvin Grim, Medicine Creek, Carl E. Gettmann, Lewis and Enders, Swanson (McCook) Clark Lake (Bloomfield) DISTRICT SUPERVISORS DISTRICT I (Alliance, phone 412) L. J. Cunningham, law enforcement Lem Hewitt, operations John Mathisen, game Keith Donoho, fisheries Robert L. Schick, land management DISTRICT II (Bassett, phone 334) John Harpham, law enforcement Delmer Dorsey, operations Jack Walstrom, game Bruce McCarraher, fisheries Gerald Chaffin, land management DISTRICT III (Norfolk, phone 2875) Robert Benson, law enforcement Lewis Klein, operations H, O. Compton, big game George Kidd, fisheries Harold Edwards, land management DISTRICT IV 'North Platte, phone 4425-26) Samuel Grasmick, law enforcement Robert Thomas, fisheries Chester McClain, land management DISTRICT V (Lincoln, phone 5-2951) Bernard Patton, law enforcement Robert Reynolds, operations George Schildman, game Richard Spady. land management Delvin M. Whiteley, land manager RESEARCH BIOLOGISTS Karl E. Menzel, coturnix quail (Lincoln) Marvin Schwilling, grouse (Burment well) AREA CONSERVATION OFFICERS William J. Ahern, Box 1197, North Loup, phone 89 Robert Ator, Box 66, Sutton, phone 4921 Cecil Avey, 519 4th Street, Crawford, phone 228 William F. Bonsall, Box 305, Alma, phone 154 H. Lee Bowers, Benkelman, phone 49R Dale Bruha, 1026 Elmer Avenue, York, phone 1635 Loron Bunney, Box 675, Ogallala, phone 247 Raloh L. Craig, Box 4«2 Chappell. phone 4-1343 Robert Downing, Box 343, Fremont, phone PA 1-4792 Lowell I Fleming, Box 269, Lyons, phone Mutual 7-2383 Raymond Frandsen, P. O. 373, Humboldt, phone 5711 John D. Green, 720 West Avon Road, Lincoln, phone 8-1165 Ed Greving, 501 So. Central Ave., Kearney, phone 7-2777 H. Burman Guyer, 1212 N. Washington, Lexington, phone Fairview 4-3208 Larry Iverson, Box 201, Hartington, phone 15F120 Norbert J. Kampsnider, 106 East 18th, Box 1, Grand Island, phone DUpont 2-7006 Jim McCole, Box 268, Gering, phone 837 L Jack Morgan, Box 603, Valentine, phone 504 Roy E. Owen, Box 288, Crete, phone 446 Paul C. Phillippe, Syracuse, phone 166W Fred Salak, Box 152, Mullen, phone KI 6-6291 Herman O. Schmidt, Jr., 1011 East Fourth, McCook, phone 992W Harry A. Spall. 8?0 Clay Street, O'Neill, phone 637 Joe Ulrich, Box 492, Bridgeport, phone 100 Lyman Wilkinson, R. R. 3, Humphrey, phone 2663 Richard Wolkow, 817 South 60th Street, Omaha, phone Capital 1293 Don J. Wolverton, Box 31, Rushville, phone David 72186 V. B. Woodgate, Albion

IN THIS ISSUE:

MUZZLE-LOADING FUN Page 3 (Gene Hornbeck) WINTER SIESTA FOR FISH? Page 6 (Orty Orr) YOUR BIRDS NEVER DIE Page 8 (Pete Czura) NEBRASKA'S WINTER WORKSHOP Page 12 (Jim Tische) FOR THE SPORTSMAN'S CHRISTMAS Page 14 (Jim Tische) LEGEND OF THE ACORNS Page 18 SPEAK UP Page 19 EASTERN PLAYGROUND Page 20 HOW TO REFINISH A GUN STOCK Page 22 (Gene Hornbeck) PHOTO NEWS Page 24 OUTDOOR ELSEWHERE Page 25 NOTES ON NEBRASKA FAUNA (LESSER SCAUP) Page 26 (Pete Czura) WATCH YOUR TIME LIMIT Page 28

MUZZLE-LOADING FUN

We challenged the wise old pheasants with weapons of our forefather's day

THICK, BLACK SMOKE, accompanied by an arm of fire, belched from my muzzle-loader. Paper wadding fluttered downward like festive confetti, and simultaneously, fine shot peppered a highballing ringneck 35 yards out. Powerful wings folded like a punctured accordion, and the bird plunged to the edge of a road bordering a milo field.

I picked up my prize and walked across the crackling milo rows to where my hunting partners waited. Elatedly, I told how I nailed the bird, slapping the gnarled stock of the old 12 gauge double-barreled muzzle-loader with affection.

"I'm not so sure grandpa had it as bad as we think," I said. "Man, that bird was way out when I clobbered him, and he fell like a rock."

Dick Millnitz, muzzle-loading enthusiast from Plainview, and our genial host, added, "these old blunderbusses may DECEMBER, 1958 3   not be as fast as modern weapons, but they'll do the job if you put the shot where it should be."

Dick Schaffer, editor of OUTDOOR NEBRASKA, was busily tamping a new load into his 12 gauge muzzle-loader, replacing one that had gone smoking after a big jack rabbit.

"Had to wait until the smoke cleared to see whether I'd hit him or not," Dick laughingly said. "And I hadn't; the big hare was nowhere in sight."

A telephone call several days earlier by Dick S. had set up the hunt with our Plainview chums—Dick Millnitz, sporting-goods dealer, and Harlan Story, state president of the Izaak Walton League. The four of us rendezvoused the evening before in a Plainview coffee shop.

Dick S. introduced me as "Sureshot" Hornbeck. This prompted Harlan to ask the why's for the handle. And an explanation was quick in coming.

"He got the name because of his terrific shooting eye," Dick S. grinned. "Took him only a box of shells to kill four ducks on opening day."

With the ribbing over, talk turned to the next day's hunt. Dick M. clued us in on some of the facts of the muzzle-loading game, and Harlan offered his farm, west of Plainview, as a place to hold the hunt.

The morning dawned bright and clear, with a blanket of hoary frost on field and buildings. We huddled around Dick M., as he showed us the fundamentals of loading and handling the muzzle-loading shotguns.

First, he poured his black powder from the powder horn, emptying a full measure into each barrel. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out some newspapers, torn in small pieces, and stuffed them into each muzzle for wadding. Using the ramrod, he packed the wadding in on top of the powder.

"My dad," he informed us, packing the wadding, "had a pet way of knowing when the wadding was packed tight enough. He would slam the ramrod down the barrel, and if it bounced clear out, she was ready to go."

Shot was poured into the measure and then dumped into each barrel. "The old stand-by load," Dick went on," is half and half. In other words, a full measure of powder and the same amount of shot. The load is about lx/4 ounce of shot and three drams of powder.

"If you want a little more oomph, add a few extra pinches of powder," he rambled on, tearing more newspapers into bits—these to place on top of the shot. After tamping the wadding down firmly, he turned to the process of placing No. 13 percussion caps on the gun's hollow nipples, which lead directly to the powder charge in the barrel.

"It's a good practice," he said, "to bring along a small amount of fine powder like FFFFg to prime the nipples. I use an FFg black powder for the charge."

Misfires with these guns, we learned, are not uncommon. Most of the trouble comes from insufficient powder in the nipples to carry the fire of the percussion cap down to the main charge.

The guns loaded, Dick M. eased the hammers down on the caps and handed each of us a gun. "Good luck and hang on tight," he added.

Three of the old-time guns were muzzle-loaders. The other was an old muzzle-loader converted to a breechloader, called the "Zulu," that originally used brass cases which were handloaded after each firing. Dick M. now uses standard 12 gauge paper cases because brass becomes almost impossible to remove from the chamber after repeated firings.

Harlan volunteered to use the Zulu. Dick S. and I drew the 12 doubles, and Dick M. a lightweight, beautifully made 20 gauge double.

Four modern-age Daniel Boones then began the hunt. Two hours slipped by as we tried for a shot, but the smart old roosters gave us the slip on every drive through corn 4 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   field and weed patches. We then conferred and decided that we would have to add rabbits to our targets if we were to get any action with the muzzle-loaders.

A broad milo field was next on our list. Harlan and I volunteered to make a drive through the last 20 or 25 rows, so Dick M. and Dick S. posted themselves at the end to keep the birds and rabbits from giving us the slip.

I'd just walked about 20 yards into the field when I caught the flash of a gaudy cock running ahead of me. I put on my track shoes and sprinted toward him, hoping to pin him down. About 30 yards down the row, I stopped, gingerly taking a step at a time, hoping brer ringneck would take to the air. My rues worked, as the bird bombshelled out of the waist-high milo.

Automatically I raised the gun, thumb-pressuring the hammer back into shooting position, put the twin barrels on the bird's head, and touched the trigger. There was a sharp pop as the cap went off followed by a "kerb-loom." The rest you know: I got the bird—the first time I ever fired a muzzle-loader.

Within minutes I heard Dick Schaffer's gun roar, as he tried for a jack hotfooting it down the milo, and as he said later, he couldn't tell if he'd scored or not until smoke and paper cleared.

On the way into town for lunch, I pestered Dick M. for more information about the muzzle-loaders, particularly the patterns, chokes, and shot sizes.

"From all I've been able to dig up on these particular guns," he said, looking at me, "and with the mixed-shot sizes we're using, they pattern about modified. The shot we're using includes Nos. 2, 4, and 7%; happen to have a lot of it around after I hand-loaded my regular shells."

Harlan jokingly called it the universal load—7 1/2's for quail, 4's for pheasants, and 2's for geese.

"What about the gauge of the guns?" asked Dick S.

"They never were too reliable in the old guns," came Dick M.'s reply. "The guns were made by individual gunsmiths and they had no particular need to make a specific gauge. Seems as though they just made sure the guns had a hole in them about the size that looked right and let them go at that. I used the micrometer on these guns and they come close to the gauges I mentioned."

After lunch we drove about 10 miles west of Plainview, stopping along a shelter belt. While we loaded the guns, each of us on our own now, Dick Millnitz related how he'd hunted this belt a couple days before and put up about 50 quail.

"With the leaves, grass, and cover dry," he cautioned us, "it's a good policy to check after you shoot to make sure that the paper wadding doesn't start a fire. It sometimes is ignited by the burning powder and could start a fire."

The four of us entered the heavy cover, tense and ready for an exploding covey of "bobs." Harlan Story had just crossed the belt to the outside edge, when the raucous cackle of a ringneck brought his old 'Zulu' into action. The long-barreled gun spewed smoke, fire, and paper, but the bird escaped unscathed above the trees.

"Fellows," Harlan grinned through wind-chapped lips, "that bird got up so close I had to raise the barrel on this old cannon to let him out. Next one tries that, I'll try clubbing him, rather than shoot."

Fifty yards of pushing and elbowing our way through the jungle of olive and wild-plum thickets put up a covey of feathered jets in front of Harlan and Dick S. Three loads of shot raked the brush in pursuit. (Continued on Page 17)

DECEMBER, 1958

WINTER SIESTA FOR FISH?

Many fish go into a semidormant sleep. Some, however, remain active all winter by Orty Orr Fisheries Project Leader

IT HAS OFTEN been said that production of fish has certain parallels with production of crops on the land. A primary parallel is that a body of water has capacity to produce fish crops, just as a piece of land has capacity to produce agricultural crops. The fish crop differs, though, in one respect: it requires more time to mature. A crop of corn or quail is produced each summer, but the fish crop may require from one to three years. In winter, the production of the fish crop loses momentum, as some species grow little or none while other species continue to grow.

Successful fish production requires not only adequate fish food in the summer, but also suitable winter conditions for a succession of years. One factor that may have a decisive effect on the well-being of fish is the oxygen supply. Although deficiencies may develop in water bodies in summer, oxygen depletion occurs more commonly in winter and with more disastrous effects.

Water can hold only a small amount of dissolved oxygen, and it is available to fish only in this form. The two sources of oxygen, in water, are from the atmosphere and green plants. Oxygen from the air enters the water surface and spreads very slowly. The upper few inches of the surface may be rich in oxygen, but unless agitated by winds or currents, the gas will spread little. In streams the current, through changing contact with the air, will keep water aerated. In lakes, though, the presence of aquatic plants may be necessary for production of oxygen to sustain fish life.

Water plants, from microscopic algae to big weeds, liberate oxygen when there is enough light for plants to carry on the process called photosynthesis—the life process of plants. In this process plants, in water, use sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce plant food and release oxygen as a by-product. During the winter when ice covers the lakes, sunlight may be shaded from plants and oxygen will not be produced.

In waters, oxygen is used up in three ways: 1, by aquatic animals including fish; 2, by plants that use oxygen as well as liberate it, and 3, by bacteria. The latter feeds upon organic matter, and in lakes where there is much vegetation and rich mud, the demand for oxygen by bacteria may be greater than that of aquatic animals. These are the principal factors of winter kill of fish.

During the winter many fish are semidormant and feed very little, while others continue to feed actively. The largemouth bass is an example of the semidormant. Laboratory experiments have shown that bass did not feed voluntarily at temperatures below 50°F., but when force fed, the rate of digestion was slow. At 39°F., a six-inch bass digested a minnow, weighing five grams, in about 300 hours. The same-size fish required 150 hours to digest a minnow at 50°F., and at 90°, digestion was complete in less than 10 hours.

I don't mean to imply that largemouth bass and other sunfish do not feed when water temperatures are below 50°F., for it is known that bass, bluegill, crappie, and other of the so-called warm-water fishes are taken occasionally during winter when ice is on the lakes. Conditions in the laboratory can not duplicate those of nature. The ability to merely survive under unnatural experimental conditions is not a reliable indication that the quality of the medium is satisfactory. In natural habitat, fish must be more or less active; they must escape enemies, grow, and reproduce successfully.

6 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA  

The fact that the metabolic rate drops with chilling is significant and supports the belief that angling for some warm-water fish in winter may be unrewarding. Generally, the sensitivity of fishes to chilling has not been investigated extensively. There is some evidence that lethal cold can be more important than lethal heat in the distribution of some fish. Experiments have shown that for some species resistance to chilling is lost slowly on warming and is acquired more rapidly on cooling.

It has been shown further that within the range of temperatures ordinarily encountered, for some species at least, in natural environment, that about one-half of the change of resistance to cold occurs in the first few days; complete acclimatization may require as much as three weeks. After becoming acclimatized to warm water and then put into cold water, above freezing, even such resistant species as goldfish and bullheads do not survive. Death, from chilling, may be delayed for several days. After the first shock of the temperature change, the fish may appear to recover but actually do not. Resistant species have been known to tolerate brief periods of superficial freezing, but there seems to be no reliable evidence that fish can survive freezing in ice for long periods of time.

One of the related phenomena that occurs frequently in Nebraska is that of winter die-off of the gizzard shad, sometimes erroneously called skipjack. Although it is not known whether disease, starvation, or lethal cold are responsible, it is believed that shad may be more sensitive to temperature change or may acquire acclimatization to cold more slowly than some other species; however, the lower incipient lethal temperature may be about the same. If this premise is valid, sudden sharp temperature drops may account for much of the shad die-off found in our lakes each winter.

The behavior of fish in winter is a subject that has not been widely studied, but chances are that this phase of fishery science will receive more attention in the future.

THE END DECEMBER, 1958 7

YOUR BIRDS NEVER DIE

by Pete Czura Associate Editor You can keep memory of your thrill-packed hunting adventures alive by do-it-yourself mounting in various lifelike poses, styles

WHEN YOU BRING down a ringneck, or any kind of upland-game bird, do you stuff the bird into your game bag, ruffling and messing up his beautiful plumage? Maybe you carelessly toss your birds into a crumpled heap in the trunk of your car, as you head homeward?

"Well, if you handle downed birds in that manner," commented Tom Weiler, a Lincoln taxidermist, "and expect to restore the bird to its former beauty, you're out of luck!"

'How should a person handle a downed bird?" I asked.

'The simplest and best way," he answered, "is to grasp the tail and wing feathers together, firmly, and keep that 8 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   hold until you reach the car. Then, to prevent damage during transport, wrap your bird with a clean cloth, so the feathers will not be mussed, taking care to avoid bending or breaking the tail feathers. Do this and your specimen will be easier to work with and more natural appearing when finished."

In my travels I've met many outdoorsmen who were bitten by the taxidermy bug. Bubbling with enthusiasm, they would barge into the project ill-prepared, and usually wind up with a mounted bird that was dismally prepared, poorly shaped, and completely bedraggled.

For your first attempt at mounting, pick a specimen in as perfect condition as possible. Badly shot-up birds make the task almost an impossibility for the amateur. Be careful not to disturb the feather pattern for the feathers cannot be pulled back into their original shape. Plug all shot holes, mouth, and nostrils and vent with cotton. And immediately wipe or wash off all blood from the plumage with a damp rag.

At home, clean plumage with a pad of cotton dipped in a weak solution of ammonia and cold water. Be sure to remove all bloodstains, since they are almost impossible to wash off once they harden.

You may, if you wish, clean your bird's plumage with turpentine. Benzine, too, can be used. However, it is dangerous because of its high volatility, and it evaporates too quickly to render the best service.

Study the bird in the field before you begin any preparation. Make accurate color notes of bill, eyes, legs, and feet. If you wait, colors will fade.

Make several contact outlines of the downed bird while it is still limp. Lay it on its side on a piece of heavy paper and shape it into various positions. Trace around the body, making several different outlines to refer to later when deciding the final position of the mount. It might pay to refer to a bird identification book giving complete color illustrations and identifying characteristics of each type of bird. Color Key to North American Birds, by Frank Chapman, will provide lots of help.

Ralph Velich of Omaha, a nationally known taxidermist, suggests: "In skinning your bird, part the feathers along the breastbone. Make your opening cut long the breastbone line, making certain not to pierce the abdominal wall, for blood and body fluids will run out onto the feathers, creating a mess. Place powdered borax into the opening and on the skin as you work."

Velich cautioned, however, that borax should not be used if the meat of the bird is to be eaten. "Instead, use corn meal to absorb blood and body fluids. Later, with the meat out, be sure to rub borax over the inside portion of the skin for preservation."

Once you begin to skin your bird, work downward, separating the skin from the body with fingers and scalpel. When legs are reached, grasp each from the outside, face upward, and detach from the body—at the joint.

Work the skin off down to the tail and detach tail, being careful not to cut too close to the tail feathers. If the skin is cut too close, the tail feathers will fall out.

Continue working the skin down over the back, shifting corn meal, or borax, until the wings are reached. Separate both wings from the body at the ball and socket joint. Caution: do- not cut or break the bone. Use extreme care in removing the skin and above all, do not stretch it any way. This precaution applies particularly when working with the neck skin.

Work the skin down gently over the ticklish neck and head. A pair of tweezers will help to make this operation easier, but be careful not to cut or tear .the skin around the eyes and lips. With the body separated from the skin, at the base of the skull, leave the skull attached to the skin, and gently remove the brain from the brain cavity.

With the bird's skin removed, turn it wrong-side-out and clean throughly. Remove all specks of flesh from the base DECEMBER, 1958 9   of tail by snipping off with shears or scraping with a skin scraper. Cut away all flesh from leg and wing bones. Remove eyes, cut away face muscles, and clean skull, leaving only the small muscles to hold the upper and lower bill together.

When birds with large wing spreads are skinned, remove the flesh from the underside of each wing. If the bird is to be mounted in a flying position, extreme care must be exercised in making this cut and removing the flesh. Later, the wing must be wired and the opening sewed, so incision will not show.

Scrape the skin with a skin scraper or a dull knife. Remove all fat and inner skin muscles completely. Work carefully so as not to tear, cut, or rupture the skin. Insert small pads of cotton into each eye and turn the skin right-side-out after scraping. Immediately straighten all feathers.

One way to remove the dirt, fat, and stains is to wash the skin with lukewarm, sudsy water. Do it gently, until clean, then rinse several times in cold water until all soap is removed. If some soap remains, the feathers will not fluff and appear natural when bird is mounted. After rinsing, remove excess moisture by placing skin between newspapers, changing papers often until all water has been absorbed.

Tom Weiler, who mounts many birds during the hunting season, suggests that beginners might be wise in using Calorax, a specially prepared preservative which eliminates the need of washing the skin.

"The Calorax should be applied to the skin as soon as it is removed from the body," he said, as I watched him skin a bird. "Sprinkle liberally and rub it in. If some of it spills over the plumage, don't worry, for it's a good moth proof agent, too. And it's non-poisonous,"

The secret of Weiler's success, besides hard work, is the uniqueness of his methods. His mounts seem to leap off the walls at a sharp, moving angle. A cock pheasant struts in proud disdain; another strains itself in a freewheeling mad flight to freedom, as it tries to out-speed the blast of a shotgun. A head of a bobcat snarls at you, spitting defiance, just as it did before it was cut down by the gun of a hunter who caught it fighting one of his dogs.

His mounts are the work of an artist who takes intense pride in executing perfect mounts. His work is in great and constant demand by many.

Some of you may wonder about what procedure to use in degreasing the skin. Use a solution of eight parts benzine and two parts commercial alcohol; work this into the skin until all grease is out, then dry the skin in fine hardwood sawdust.

After the sawdust has absorbed most of the moisture, shake the skin out and fluff the feathers with a small stick or bamboo rattan, beating gently to knock off the clinging sawdust. Next adjust into their proper pattern, and smooth all body feathers so they will lie flat. You can use a vacuum sweeper attachment to fluff the bird's plumage, to give it that final touch of naturalness.

With the skin cleaned, you should now poison it with a preservative. Make this solution with one gallon of water and one ounce of sodium arsenite. Label this bottle "POISON" and handle with caution. Brush this solution on the skin, covering all parts thoroughly. Should the skin begin to dry before you complete the artificial body, dampen it with a carbolic acid-water solution (one gallon water and four ounces of powdered borax) until the skin is relaxed.

10 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA  

Using the natural body for a guide—and your field contact drawings, too—model your artificial body from fine tow or wood wool, winding it about the wire with stout string. To determine length of your bird, measure carcass, then wind tow into a form that resembles a thin sausage. Next, take a piece of tow and turn all loose ends inward, cupping the tow to form the breast. Wind this to the thin sausage, and keep building up the body until it reaches the desired or measured proportions. With the artificial body completed, clinch body and neck wire by bending wire about eight inches from one end and inserting this bent end into the body. Next build artificial neck, molding it as needed to enter and fit the skull.

It's a good policy to use annealed, galvanized wires. Make certain they are strong enough to support the mounted bird, for nothing makes a mounted specimen look worse—except, perhaps, bad body design—than a drooping bird because of weak wires.

Legs are wired by inserting wires up inside each leg and along the leg bone, starting from the outside and at the bottom of the foot. Wrap tow around both wire and leg bone to take the place of the flesh that was cut away.

Wire the tail by running a wire through the base of the feathers. Work the artificial body and neck up inside the neck skin. Do this slowly and carefully. (The neck wire is pushed up through the neck, into the skull, and out the top of the head). Now carefully adjust and fit the skin to the artificial body, shaking it from time to time, so the feathers will fall into their correct pattern.

Anchor all wires firmly in their proper positions, then begin at the vent and sew the skin together toward the breastbone. Take care not to sew any feathers to the opening. Lift the bird by its feet after sewing is done and shake it gently to loosen the feathers, so they will fall into place.

The bird is now fastened to its perch or base by the wires left protruding from the bottom of its feet. Do not pull the feet down too tightly, or the bird will appear flatfooted. Bend the neck, wings, legs, and tail, shaping the bird into a lifelike position. Fill out the throat cavity with a small wad of cotton and pin or tie the bill together with thread. Try to have the birds mouth open if you mount him in a flying position; its more realistic. Fasten toes to the base with pins and spread the toes with cardboard. When you arrange your tail feathers, hold them in position while the bird is drying with two strips of cardboard pinned together.

If you plan to mount your bird in a flying position, the wings must be mounted differently. Use a wire heavy enough to support the spread wings, cut to proper length, and sharpen on both ends. Place the wire in position along the wing bones, then force it along the base of the third primary feather. Tie wire securely to the bone, and wind tow or wood wool to replace the muscles. The wings are then anchored to the body.

While the eyelids are still relaxed, fill the eye sockets with papierimache and set in the glass eyes of the proper color and size. Adjust eyelids in a manner which will lend some kind of expression to the face. Now tie down the bird's wings and feathers, not too tightly, with some fine thread to hold them in place as mount dries. This is only for the standing mounts.

"Allow the specimen to dry for several weeks," advises Ralph Velich. "While it's drying, check it from time to time, adjusting the plumage and tail for best appearance. When it is dry, remove the thread and tail cardboard and cut all protruding wires with sharp cutters."

Using your field notes, restore the proper colors to the bill, eyes, legs, and feet and other parts that may have faded. Use oil paints thinned in turpentine and a bit of linseed oil. Don't overdo this coloring, or these parts will attain an unnatural appearance. The red flesh around the eye of the pheasant will turn white after a few weeks. Allow this area to dry completely before you attempt to paint it.

Here is a list of basic tools and materials you'll need to mount your first bird: scalpel, bone scraper, blunted pocketknife, large pair of pinchers or wire cutters for stubborn bones, fat scraper (you can make one out of a common table spoon by notching it), forceps, plumage straightener (make one from a darning needle and insert one end into a six-inch long dowel), tape measure, hammer, tow or wood wool, corn meal or sawdust, galvanized wire, needle, and thread, and a combination brain, spoon, and eyehook.

Don't despair if your first venture flops. It might take you many hours of practice, and many birds, too, but if you presevere you eventually will have mounts that will be the envy of your outdoor buddies.

THE END DECEMBER, 1958

Nebraska's WINTER Workshops

by Jim Tische Associate Editor State parks know no respite, particularly in wintertime, for they must then be put into apple-pie order for the spring rush

THE coming of another Nebraska winter brings visions of sleigh bells and cozy evenings before the fireside. It also brings thoughts of ice fishing, rabbit hunting, skating, and other activities enjoyed during the cold months. To those pessimistic, it brings only thoughts of snow shovels, icy roads, and little cheer.

State parks, which have been a hub of activity in the summer months, with thousands of visitors, are now quiet and silent under a blanket of snow. They are all open to the public the year around, but few visitors pass through their gates in winter.

What, then, do the state park employees do during the winter season? Many persons think summer care of the parks and tourists is the only major activity, but this is only one seasonal job. Two permanent employees are on duty at each park during the winter. They have a planned program for rehabilitating park facilities, and have a big job ahead of them in the next few months. The park must be readied once again for the rush of visitors who will come with the first signs of spring.

Nebraska's state parks are Arbor Lodge in the southeastern section near Nebraska City; Chadron State Park in the northwestern area near Chadron; Fort Kearny in the central section near Kearney; Fort Robinson in the Pine Ridge territory near Crawford; Niobrara State Park in the northeastern section near Niobrara; Ponca State Park, also in northeast, near Ponca; Stolley in central section near Grand Island, and Victoria Springs in middle of state near Merna.

Labor Day and the opening of school heralds the end of the large crowds at the state parks and the beginning of the fall and winter work programs. Still, though, latefall traffic is occasionally heavy at Stolley and Niobrara, where deer herds are maintained. Also, Fort Robinson operates until mid-November, as its facilities are open to deer hunters in the Pine Ridge area. Ponca State Park, too, experiences a late rush, as it is a fine taking-off-place for duck and goose hunting.

The work program takes in a large variety of jobs, and the pattern is about the same at all parks. Each winter 12 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   buildings are repaired, and occasionally new ones are constructed. Picnic tables must be built and plenty of paint added to the entire park. Employees do most of the construction work, with the exception of new buildings and cabins.

A trip to any park in the late fall or early winter will give the visitor a look at the off-season activity. For the purpose of this article, I made such a trip —to Ponca State park, and toured the area with Superintendent Dallas Johnson.

Ponca is a park of rough picturesque scenery nestled in the hills and bluffs overlooking the Missouri River. Trees and shrubs had already turned to fall colors. Truly, Ponca is one of the state's loveliest scenic spots.

The activities there are typical of those at the other parks. First, the buildings have to be readied for winter. They are cleaned, water pipes are drained, and storm windows are repaired and installed. Road-side fountains are shut off and drained. Picnic benches are brought in, repaired, painted, and stored. Then the entire park area is cleaned. Leaves are raked, hauled to dump and burned. Fireplaces must be repaired and new ones built. Twenty-one new fireplaces were built for picnicking and camping at Chadron State Park alone last year.

One of the biggest winter jobs is clearing out dead timber and trimming trees. This wood is hauled to a central area, then worked up for use as firewood in the picnic areas next summer. A tremendous supply of wood is needed to accommodate the multitude of visitors. Four years ago, 30,000 people used the facilities at Ponca, and last year this number mushroomed to approximately 100,000.

Some of the better timber is cut into posts and used for guard rails along park drives. A lot of the wintertrimmed wood is used for new foot trails in the park. These are laid out to lead the hikers to vantage points from where they can admire and photograph the beautiful works of nature. Ponca has eight miles of foot trails to clean and maintain. Trees are selectively trimmed or cut to enhance the view of some scenic spots. A few trees have been thinned out along one hilltop drive at Ponca, so visitors can have a magnificent view of the Missouri River and its tree-studded bluffs.

Last winter, the Ponca employees laid out and cleared a fine new camping grounds for Boy Scouts and other youth and church organizations. The new area is located on a level ridge top, far from the main traveled roads of the park, giving the campers an opportunity for solitude.

Some of the parks have shelter houses which must be cleaned and repaired during the winter months. Ponca State has two such shelters, one high on a bluff and commanding a fine view of the Missouri River. And at most of the parks, there are miles of roads to be maintained the year around. These are graded and repaired each spring and fall and cleared of snow each winter.

Activities at Ponca this fall included construction of a foot bridge between a river parking area and a new picnic grounds. The new area, right at the edge of the river, is one of this winter's projects at Ponca. New picnic tables and fireplaces will be constructed on the site.

At parks such as Arbor Lodge, Victoria Springs, and Stolley, there are historical buildings to maintain. The biggest such job is at Arbor Lodge, where the former grounds and buildings of the J. Sterling Morton family must be maintained. Included are a 52-room colonial mansion and a carriage building. Parks such as Chadron, Fort Robinson, and Ponca have cabins to keep in top trim.

In December, each of the superintendents has to file an annual report of the year's activities. Education work, such as lectures for school children and meetings of civic organizations, also take up considerable time. Much of the public relations work is aimed at the younger generation, teaching them to appreciate the parks and park system. Nebraska has the core of a fine park system which provides wonderful recreation to the citizens of the state and their guests.

With the approach of spring, and all facilities back in first-class order, park personnel may have a chance for a deep breath before it is time once again to greet the first rush of visitors, who, before next year's park season ends, will again exceed one-half million in number.

THE END DECEMBER, 1958 13

OUTDOOR NEBRASKA  

THE SPORTSMEN'S CHRISTMAS

Santa s sleigh is jammed with outdoor goodies. Some are listed here to facilitate your shopping by Jim Tische Associate Editor

THIS IS THE MONTH all good children from 17 to 70 walk the straight and narrow. For this is the month Santa Claus brings such sparkling new toys as shotguns, fishing rods, rifles, outdoor clothing, and other goodies from the sportsman's gift bag.

Few outdoorsmen leave it to Santa to pick out the equipment they need. They know the old gent is busy with many other things, and the sensible thing to do is give him a few ideas. Either the sportsman drops casual hints or jots down exactly what he wants and hands the list to a member of the family or friends.

When gift shopping for an angler or hunter, be sure you buy the equipment of his choice. If he won't drop a hint, the best thing to do is to consult his fishing or hunting buddy, having first sworn the friend to secrecy. Another sure way of making a hit is to give him a gift certificate at his favorite sporting-goods store. This way he can trot down to the store December 26, and select the equipment he wants most.

By taking these steps you can avoid a calamity which may find the big-game hunter (who would cherish a nice new rifle) receiving a shotgun and the dyed-in-the-wool trout fisherman (who is aching for a new glass fly rod) picking up a casting outfit Christmas morning.

One sure-fire bet to keep your sportsman or friend happy the year around is a subscription to OUTDOOR NEBRASKA. It costs only $1.75 for one year or $3 for two years. Our magazine will keep him posted on all activity on Nebraska hunting and fishing.

And dads don't forget your son or sons when it comes to hunting and fishing gifts. You can find happy companionship and understanding with your son through shared experiences and there is no better way to find these than with a rod and reel on a lake or looking down a shotgun barrel at waterfowl or upland game.

Hunters, fishermen, campers, and all others who like the out-of-doors are going to be lucky fellows this year DECEMBER, 1958   for 1958 is a good year for buying outdoor gifts. There are thousands of items from which to make selections. Be sure of one thing, though: don't buy cheap goods. Purchase something that will last for years and will bring many wonderful moments of satisfaction. Don't give anyone, even a youngster, cheap hunting or fishing material. It will not give satisfactory performances and could turn a youngster against a lifetime of enjoyment that can be derived from outdoor sports.

Shooters won't have to take a back seat to anyone in the variety of gifts and new equipment on the market. The gift list shows many worth-while rifles and shotguns in all calibers and gauges. In the accessory field, there are telescope sights, gun-cleaning kits, scope covers, hunter's packs, clothing, gun racks, game calls, binoculars, and other things too numerous to mention. Why not give the gunner a certificate entitling him to a restocking job by a first-rate stocker?

When buying clothing, remember that the color of hunting gear is slowly changing to yellow. It has been proven that yellow is the safest color to wear afield. Tests conducted by the National Rifle Association and U. S. Army showed that yellow was recognized six times as quickly as red. So, when buying the hunter clothing, take a look at the yellow gear now on most counters.

Remember, too, when buying clothes for a hunter that he is a practical cuss. Whether he is the glass of fashion or the best-dressed hunter in the neighborhood is the least of his worries. Of prime importance is how his clothes meet the practical needs of a day afield. The clothes should be purchased with the idea of providing the hunter with comfort, not excess baggage to interfere with his primary objective. Also, do not forget his comfort at home after a hard day's hunt. To ease his weary feet, there is nothing like a soft pair of bedroom slippers or moccasins.

Another item that will appeal to hunters is the gun sling—a new concept in gun carrying. A leather strap goes over the shoulder, and the stirrup, which holds the butt of the gun, is just at the hip on the side. The stirrup remains at the side as the gun is shouldered. Manufacturers claim it helps to bring up the gun faster while tramping in the field, and that it promotes safety. One thing for sure, it will minimize fatigue on those long pheasant drives. A deluxe model costs approximately $5, a standard model, $3.

A game belt always makes a fine hunter's gift. Some of the belts have wire carrying clips while others come with plastic game bags. The plastic game bags are blood proof, odor free, and snap to the belt by the use of metal springsteel snaps. Some game bags button into hunting coats and can be removed quickly to put in the car. The bags are reuseable, and in case of rain, can double as a waterproof head cover or gun case. Some of the belts are combination game and shell carriers. Space is available on the belt to carry 10 or 12 shotgun shells between the game clips.

A new product which will attract considerable interest is the outdoor footwarmer. This is a handy item for any occasion, such as ice fishing or duck hunting, where cold feet may be a problem. The warmer consists of a three-burner heating unit and insulated carrying case. Your feet slide into the carrying case for a toasty warming. The warmer operates continually for eight hours or longer on 3^ ounces of any type lighter fluid.

One item that will appeal to camper, angler, and hunter alike is a traveling coffee percolator. You can brew up a fresh cup of coffee* anywhere, anytime, with the six-cup portable equipment. The outfit consists of a coffee pot and small can of fuel which attaches to the handle. The pot looks like an ordinary every-day piece of kitchen equipment, except for the 10 or 12 holes at the bottom to allow air to reach the burner. The gas can, five inches tall and 2V2 inches in diameter, cost 69 cents and brews approximately 200 cups of coffee. Sounds real good for those cold mornings in a duck blind. And it will also make coffee while traveling in a car or in a fishing boat.

One gun manufacturer has announced two new shotgun and rifle-cleaning kits in fitted plastic cases. These will give 16 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   the shooter an easily stored and easy-to-handle, complete cleaning kit. The kits can be ordered for 12, 16, and 20 gauge shotguns, and the rifle outfit covers a range from 22 caliber on up.

For the man who prefers shotgun equipment, an automatic selective choke might fit the bill. These chokes have from five to nine different settings. You pick any of the settings, from open to full-choke, for the first shot. Automatically the pattern of the second shot will be adjusted to the extra distance needed for the missed bird. Doublebarrel versatility is given on a single-barrel gun.

And don't forget decoys and shotgun shells. Duck and goose decoys are always handy items to have for next fall. If the hunter already has a good supply of decoys, buy some decoy paint to touch up the collection. His friends or a quick look at the gun closet will tell you whether he prefers 4's, 5's, 6's or IWs in shotgun shells, and in what gauge.

If the sportsman happens to be a pistoleer, you can get him numerous items for Christmas. Try a gun holster or gun belt in handsomely tooled leather, or grips of ivory, plastic, pearl, walnut, and bone will dress up the pistol.

Now, just because it is December, don't get the idea this is the wrong time of the year to give fishing articles. Many anglers enjoy ice fishing, and this type of fishing hits its peak in January and February. In case he doesn't take to ice fishing, though, receiving the gift at Christmas gives him a world of time to admire the new articles and to dream of the big catches next spring.

There are many fine gifts available, such as rods, reels, lines, and lures. Boats, clothing, outboard motors, and flytying kits will make him happy. Other desirable gifts include a bait trap, fishing vest, boots, fish knife, minnow bucket, rain suit, sun glasses, and right down the line.

Unless you know exactly what the angler wants, it is best to come right out and ask him. While it eliminates the element of surprise, it guarantees satisfaction. Rods and reels are the biggest items at Christmas while artificial lures are perennial favorites. And it is well to bear in mind that the spinning type of gear is becoming more popular each year. Spinning makes casting completely free from back lashes, and permits the use of light bait and lures.

Books are standard gifts at Christmas, and again this year many fine hunting and fishing publications are available. They come in two distinct categories: those which contain reminiscences and anecdotes, to be read for entertainment and those which are informative. The latter will give instructions on how to get more fish or game and how to buy and properly use equipment.

And to you hunters, your lady fair may also be in line for some hunting and fishing gear. She needs the same equipment you do—only it's just a little lighter and feminine, as "The Princess" spinning reel which comes all dressed up in delectable pink enamel. Most shotgun companies have new featherweight guns which are just the thing for the lady of the house. But regardless of what hunting or fishing gear you buy for her, make certain of one thing: leave it alone and be sure she uses it.

Gifts too numerous to mention are also available for campers, archers and boaters.

THE END

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

Rates for classified advertising: 10 cents a word: minimum order $2.50 TAXIDERMY Mounting fox, raccoon, or badger rug, $10; coyote or bobcat, $15. Strange, Nebraska City, Nebraska.

MUZZLE - LOADING FUN

(Continued from Page 5)

"Hey! I got one," yelled Dick S., in mild surprise.

"Me too," answered Harlan, as they hurried to retrieve their birds.

Humorous remarks sifted through the thicket as ramrods hurriedly pushed new loads into the guns. Ready to go again, we worked our way slowly down the shelter belt, blasting at quail as they zigzagged through the trees. I fired six times at fleeing bobs and never touched a feather. Harlan Story managed to drop one more before we finished the drive.

Dick M. and I were just clearing the end of the belt when a cottontail bounced from the fringe, legging it up a fence row. His little 20 gauge leaped to his shoulder and fired in one well-timed movement. The bunny upended and rolled to a stop about 30 yards out.

"Those quail are sure tough to hit," he moaned. "We should be using No. 8 or 9 shot rather than my miscellaneous loads. There are too many small holes in the patterns for hits on those small targets. These loads work fine on rabbits and pheasants, though, but that's their limit."

The next hour turned up only a couple of more jacks and a squirrel, so we decided to call it quits for the day. Harlan and Dick Millnitz offered their apologies for the lack of pheasants to shoot at, but we accepted the fact that hunting was unpredictable, regardless of whether you hunted with the old-time muzzle-loaders or a modern autoloading gun.

We learned to handle, shoot, and had killed game with a weapon that our forefathers had relied on for food and protection. That in itself was enough compensation for a day with a muzzle-loader.

THE END

DECEMBER, 1958 17

LEGEND of the ACORNS

THERE is an ancient legend that mother and father squirrels pass along to their offspring. And after you read this, perhaps you'll have a better understanding of why squirrels bury some of their acorns.

Once upon a time, the mother squirrels tell their young children, there was a papa and mama fox squirrel with two youngsters. Life was pleasant and happy, as they lived in a woods filled with big nut trees that were heavy with acorns, oaks, hickories, and walnuts.

Then, one day, men came into their woods, carrying saws and axes. With them they brought disaster and calamity to this family of yellowish-brown dwellers. First, they chopped down the surrounding beautiful nut trees. And before too long they started to chop away at the oak tree in which mother squirrel had her nest of leaves.

When she heard the thud of the pounding axes biting into the bark of the tree, she poked her head out, in curiosity, wondering: 'Tor heaven's sakes! What's happening to my home?"

The father squirrel, who was perched on a near-by tree, called out excitedly: "Come over here, mother, where it's safer. Jump to my tree."

But mother squirrel didn't move. She only kept looking down at the men who were busy swinging their axes against the trunk of her home. She was frozen with fear. If she came out of her nest they might shoot her, so she decided to remain where it was safe. Then the tall tree began to rock and sway.

"Please, jump," squealed the father squirrel. "Jump, or you'll be killed!"

Too late, the mother squirrel sensed her danger. She crawled out of her nest, out onto a limb, but the tree began to fall and then, with a giant crash, thudded against the ground. Dust spewed upward and then silence gripped the woods.

The father squirrel and his two children trembled with fear, as they realized mother squirrel had not jumped away from the falling tree. They gazed down, at the fallen oak tree, to see if mother squirrel had perchance escaped, but no sign of life appeared below. Had she escaped she probably would have screamed in rage at the men for chopping down her home.

With grief in his heart, the father squirrel slowly turned to his bushytailed children and said sadly, "Let's go down and see if we can find her." But before he went down, he removed three acorns from his winter cache and inserted one in each side of his cheek and one in his mouth.

Once on the ground, he hid the acorns and then the three began their long search for mother squirrel. Four days and nights they looked for her but found no trace. Meantime, the men with saws and axes had ruthlessly chopped down the remaining nut trees with complete unconcern. The area, once resplendent with growing beauty, now lay naked and desolate, leaving hundreds of squirrels homeless and without food.

On the fifth day, the squirrels returned to the site where they'd last seen the mother squirrel. They looked everywhere, calling out her name often. Only the mournful whisper of the sighing wind, weeping across the naked land, answered them.

Then, a woodchuck, hearing them call, spoke up with a sigh of despair. He told them the mother squirrel was dead and that the men with the axes had buried her, over there, close to the oak stump.

With head bowed in sorrow, the father squirrel slowly walked to where his spouse was buried. Filled with remorse and grief, he sat for a long time, weeping. The two young stood by in mute silence, knowing nothing they could say would console the grief of their father.

Slowly the father squirrel lifted his head and in a choke-filled voice said, "Children, you must go away. The woods we once lived in are barren and empty of food. Go to the big woods and find a new home. Before you go, here is an acorn for each of you. Use it for food on your journey. However, at your first opportunity, return here each year and bury a few acorns in memory of your mother. Teach your children to do likewise. Meanwhile, I will begin the ritual by burying the first acorn.

"Since I am old and feeble, I will remain here with your mother. No, don't ask me to change my mind. Here I'll stay until the cold winds of the north sweep across the land, bringing with them a blanket of snow."

Taking one acorn apiece, the young left their father huddled on the grave of their mother. Days passed by and he never moved. Finally, overcome with grief, he died of a broken heart. Mother Nature was kind, sending a heavy snowstorm that gently covered him, and there he remained forever.

The two young remembered their promise to their father and each year they returned, with their youngsters, to bury acorns in their mother's honor. Later their children kept up the tradition and their children passed on the custom to other squirrels.

In time the tiny acorns began to grow until eventually they became huge oak trees with lots of .spreading limbs, furnishing bushels and bushels of nuts for other squirrels to bury. Soon the once desolate region sprang up with big growing trees, furnishing new homes and food for squirrels.

And ever since that day, mother and father squirrels have taught their youngsters to bury acorns each year for the lost spirit of the dead * mother squirrel. Now, if you should wander about our Nebraska woods and by chance spy a squirrel hiding an acorn or two, you will know the reason why. And as long as we have beautiful nut trees to grace our landscape, to provide food and shelter to all squirrels, we need never worry that the bushytail will vanish from the face of our earth.

THE END 18 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

SPEAK UP

Send your questions to "Speak Up/' OUTDOOR NEBRASKA, State Capitol, Lincoln 9, Nebraska It's Up To You

"I must differ with you on the directions for cooking duck in the November story entitled EPICUREAN JACK POT. Take my word for it, a duck cannot be eaten that has been cooked only 20 minutes. The way to cook a ,duck is to cook in a 350-degree oven for a minimum of four hours."—Frank P. Button, Ogallala.

As you know, each and every meal is prepared to suit the individual tastes of—and for—the person, or persons, who will partake of the meal. Your statement, of a duck being roasted for about 4 hours in a 350-degree oven is fine, and probably used by many wildlife gourmets. However, please observe that our roast wild duck recipe called for 18 to 21 minutes in a 550 to 600-degree oven. A bit further we mention that it could be left in the oven for about 30-minutes IF you want it well done. Our oven temperature is almost double of yours, perhaps this explains the difference in the time.—Editor.

***** Older Permit Yet

"I see by OUTDOOR NEBRASKA that you are looking for the oldest hunting and fishing permit. I think I have the fellow from Grant beat. I have a 1912 license, serial No. 20. This was the first year that Nebraska required them. I also have all subsequent licenses."—Frank J. Miller, Valley.

Mr. Miller stands corrected. The first year fishing and hunting permits were sold in Nebraska goes back to 1901, not 1912 as Mr. Miller indicated. The cost was $1, and the permit entitled the bearer to hunt and fish anywhere in the state. A license wasn't required, however, to hunt or fish in the county in which a person was a resident. Now, any older permits still in existence?—Editor.

***** Lauds Magazine Improvements

"You are certainly going hog wild in your editorial improvements with OUTDOOR NEBRASKA. We very much admire all you have done to make your book so attractive, interesting, and entertaining."—Harry L. Hampton, Sportsmen's Service Bureau, New York City, N. Y.

***** Live Better Electrically

"Poisoning has not been a satisfactory method for reducing our local English sparrow population. I plan a feeding station incorporating a manually controlled electrified perch. A trial perch of two heavy, closely parallel wires carrying house current has shocked sparrows, but has not killed them. How much current do I need?" —E. E. Gerrish,

Here are two sure ways of killing off your sparrows. A neon sign transformer—used ones for around $12 are good enough—hooked up to house current can fry birds with a 15,000 volt jolt. Also, the R.E.A. might have, in excess stock, some 1\'2 kilowatt transformers which can provide a 5,000-volt shock. Of course, in tampering with such high voltage you should exercise extreme caution, since these can easily kill a person. Why don't you do it the sporting way? Use a high-powered air aun or a sling shot. We'll bet you'll have more fun that way, too.—Editor.

***** Frowns on Using Chicken Wire

"I read recently where hunters were placing chicken wire across the ends of milo fields so the birds would have to flush. That burns me up. It's the most unsportsman thing I ever heard of. Give man his own way and he would destroy all game, forgetting that future generations are entitled to the game as much as we. We have too many hunters and game hogs who want to fill up their deep freeze. Every hunter and sportsman should belong to an oragnization such as the Iza^k Walton League and live up to its teachings. We should get solidly behind our game department and conservation officers who are doing a wonderful job in propagation, restoration, and conservation of our wildlife. Lester Childers, Fairbury.

Mention of chicken-wire hunting appears in OUTDOOR ELSEWHERE, page 25—Editor.

***** Winter Camping

"I'm no hunter or fisherman, but I did very much enjoy your article on 'Camping in Comfort.' Let's have some more camping articles. How about one on winter camp? Our boy scout troops do it."—Foster H. Pendarvis, Bellevue.

January 1959 magazine will carry a winter camping article.—Editor.

*** Record Catfish?

"Last year I caught a 38-pound catfish, 44 inches long, on a fly rod with 15-pound-test line and 10-pound-test leader. My bait was a minnow is this a Nebraska record for a catfish taken on a fly rod?—Mrs. Ervin Pagels, West Point.

Nebraska does not have separate records for fish taken on light and heavy tackle. The one set of records applies to all fish taken on hook and line. Current state records ares channel catfish—31 pounds, 12 ounces; yellow catfish—56 pounds, 8 ounces; and blue catfish—58 pounds.—Editor.

***** Poisonous to Cats?

Recently this question arose: Are rat tails poisonous to cats? This is probably just another old folktale, but I'd appreciate an answer anyway to settle the controversy.—J. A. Lapacek, Schuyler.

Lloyd P. Vance, game-division chief, Nebraska Game Commission, said there is absolutely no evidence of any kind that indicates rat tails are poisonous, However, the tail could be contaminated or poisoned from some other source and then could cause death to any cat. On the other hand, a cat could choke to death trying to swallow the large tail that some rats have. If your cat eats rat tails, don't think you need worry about the cat being poisoned. Anyway, doesn't your cat have nine lives?—Editor.

***** Insists Snakes Swallow Young

Reference to your answer to my letter about snakes in November's "Speak Up." Yours is the same answer I have received from other snake experts when I corrected them. I still insist you are in error. There now live here two other persons who have seen this occur, I think it was Galileo who said the earth moved, and he was jailed for that. He taunted them by saying for all this the earth still moves, or was it Copernicus?—G. J. Owens, Benkelman.

Mr. Owens had written that the striped garter snake pictured in OUTDOOR NEBRASKA does allow her young to escape from danger by opening her mouth and protecting them in her body. Our reply was that not a single snake possesses any kind of maternal instinct, and we quoted two prominent reptile authorities substantiating this. —Editor.

OUTDOOR NEBRASKA 19

FREMONT RECREATION GROUNDS: Eastern Playground

This 800-acre paradise, second largest in state, serves heavily populated and recreation-shy area

THE state recreation area at Fremont offers a fine blend of scenic and recreational advantages for residents of eastern Nebraska. This 800-acre area of land and water stands beckoning to the Nebraska public, with its swimming, picnic tables, fireplaces, camping grounds, boating facilities, and fine fishing lakes.

This tract of wooded land and small lakes is ideally located within reach of eastern Nebraska's heavily populated area. It is situated four miles west of Fremont. Accessible by hard-top roads to the metropolitan cities of Omaha and Lincoln, these grounds play a big part in the outdoor life of this recreation-shy area.

The area is within easy reach of some of the major highways in the state. Highway 30, running east and west, and highway 77, running north and south, go through Fremont. The east-west 30 is a northern boundary for the recreation area. Once in Fremont, the visitor can use highway 30 to reach the recreational grounds or go west on Military Avenue.

Fremont is the second largest recreational grounds in the state. The recently purchased Cowles Lake resort, 22 miles west of Omaha, is the largest public recreation area with a total of 933.1 acres. This new area will take some of the summer pressure off the overcrowed Fremont grounds.

The area is a beehive .of activity each summer. Thousands of visitors seek the cool breezes and recreational facilities of the grounds in the warm months. And the acreage is none too large to accommodate all the visitors as the number of Sunday guests may run as high as 6,000.

The grounds are divided into two areas, east and west. The west area ha's 300 acres, including seven lakes which take up 60 acres. In the east area, there are 500 acres, including five lakes, covering 160 acres. There are several smaller ponds which are not classified as lakes. The lakes were originally sand pits and were pumped to depths of 50 and 60 feet. Sand and silt have filled in most of the ponds and the deepest spots now are probably 30 to 35 feet.

Structures at Fremont include two concession stands, a shelter house, boat docks and ramps. Three new cement boat ramps were built at the lake this fall, and several more docks are scheduled to be built in the near future. At the concession stands, which are leased out each year, visitors can purchase groceries, soft drinks, candy, ice cream, bait, and fishing tackle.

20 DECEMBER, 1958  

Development of this area started in 1926, when the state made its first purchase of land and sand pits. Since then, more lakes and land have gradually been added so the present size is about 800 acres.

Attendance at Fremont has grown right along with the size of the area. The 1957 calculated count of visitors was 347,816, and the 1958 total will be at least 10 per cent greater. Average figures show the visitors traveled a total of 2,391,606 miles to and from the park.

Visitors, who like to drive and enjoy scenery, will be happy to find that the Fremont area has miles of road, winding around and between the lakes. The roads are gravel, and to drive every nook and cranny in the area would take approximately two hours.

The Fremont lakes are a fisherman's paradise. Anglers find plenty of action with bass, perch, catfish, crappie, bluegill, bullheads, and trout. There are even two small ponds which are stocked every year with carp.

Main attractions are lakes Nos. 1 and 5, which are stocked with trout each spring. Anglers stand elbow to elbow around these put-and-take ponds to try for rainbows and browns. Trout are added each week during the spring, and last year 12,500 were stocked in the two lakes. Anglers may use only artificial lures in lake No. 1, while they may try any bait in lake No. 5. The latter has a variety of fish in it.

Two lakes, Nos. 2 and 4, were renovated this year and subsequently restocked with bass, bluegill and catfish. More bass will be added next spring. Plans call for lake No. 5 to be renovated next summer and planted with bass, bluegill, and catfish.

Picnic grounds are located throughout the recreation area. Additional picnicking and recreational facilities are being added. Money from the Recreation Use Stamps is being used to purchase children's playground equipment, such as swings and merry-go-rounds.

Cooking may be done over the fireplaces located throughout the grounds. Midway through the park is a fine stone shelter house for use in cold or rainy weather. Boaters are allowed on three lakes which have been connected by dredged channels. Motor boats of unlimited horse power are allowed to use the facilities. It is also a very popular spot for water skiers.

Swimming, while not encouraged at the park, is allowed in all of the lakes. There are no life guards, so individuals swim at their own risk. Several of the lakes have fine bathing beaches of soft sand.

The area draws a number of passing tourists from Highway 30 who find it a convenient place to stop to eat or stay overnight. House trailers are allowed on the area, but the tourist needs a recreation stamp to use these facilities.

Ground has been set aside to construct an overnight free trailer-parking area. To park in the newly planned area, the tourist will not need a stamp. The grounds will be maintained by the State Highway Department and will be constructed this winter. Plans also call for a trailer camping area to be constructed this winter in the east area.

Funds derived from the sale of the $1 Recreation Use Stamps are used to improve and maintain the different areas. The stamps are required on all vehicles entering the 33 major recreation grounds, including Fremont. The stamp automatically admits all passengers without further charge. The 1959 stamps are now on sale and may be purchased from the 1,200 permit vendors in the state and from all conservation officers.

An area officer, Robert Downing, lives on the grounds. The area does not have a permanent maintenance crew. A work crew out of the Game Commission's district headquarters at Norfolk does most of the work. According to the terms of a lease each year, the concessionaires must help keep the area clean.

THE END (Editor's note: January's OUTDOOR NEBRASKA will feature Gavins Point Reservoir.)

HOW TO Refinish A Gun Stock

Before putting your shotgun away for the season, take a close look at the stock. Does it show the mars and scratches of many hard hours afield? Improving the looks and durability of such a stock is a fine way to spend a few hours of the long winter nights ahead.

You can rush the job along or work at your leisure when you have a spare hour or two. To do the job you will need some pieces of window glass, medium and fine grades of sandpaper, fine steel wool, clean rag, linseed oil, shellac, and varnish remover. You may want to use a fine wood rasp to remove heavy scratches. Oh, yes, and for heavy dents you will need your wife's flat iron.

To remove the old finish you can use varnish remover or scrape it off with the pieces of glass. Throughout the entire process, work with the grain of the wood to prevent other scratches. Now, sand with medium and then fine sandpaper. To bring out the dents, apply a wet cloth and heat with the flat iron.

A word of caution in your finishing: do not over-sand the stock or try to remove extremely deep marks. The butt plate and hardware are made to fit the stock, and over-sanding may cause trouble when you try to refit the pieces.

When the sanding is to your liking, douse the stock in hot water and dry—either over covered heat or overnight. This process raises the grain and fuzz, making a finer finish. Repeat two or three times, working the stock now with steel wool.

When you feel the wood is in top shape, you are ready for the application of the finish. A 50-50 mixture of improved linseed oil and clear shellac serves as a good filler for the first coat. Rub this first coat in with your palm until it becomes almost dry in appearance. Allow to dry at room temperature for at least 24 hours before putting on the second coat. Use fine steel wool before applying the second coat and again use the same mixture and the same process. Steel wool when dry.

I prefer a dark, semiglossy finish, so on the third coat I use straight linseed. If you want your stock to remain light, continue with at least a one-fourth mixture of shellac in the linseed. After application of the third coat, begin rubbing with your hand to bring up the finish rather than using steel wool.

The finish you get depends on the time you spend palming the wood. Work it for a few minutes whenever you have time, and then apply another coat of oil or mixture.

There is no set time or number of coats to apply. It all depends on how high a gloss you want. The more you rub and the more coats you apply, the higher and richer the gloss. When completed you will not only be proud of the job but you will have a highly durable finish, one that can be touched with a few drops of oil and a little rubbing.

THE END 22 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   DECEMBER, 1958 23

24 December, 1958

OUTDOOR ELSEWHERE

Hike in Fees Asked

MASSACHUSETTS . . . The Division of Fisheries and Game will soon ask the legislature to increase fishing and hunting licenses by $1 and combination sporting licenses by $2. This would make the resident fishing license cost $4.25, the hunting license $4.25, and the combination sporting license $7.25. Rising costs and greater efforts by the division to provide hunting and fishing were cited as reasons for the increase request. Operating costs of the division have risen 30 per cent in the last five years.

***** Pheasant And Calf Tangle

PENNSYLVANIA . . . Game Protector Claude Kelsey reported the following incident in Clearfield County: "While patrolling for pre-season hunting I saw a male ringneck fly into a pasture field, where he soon crowed. A calf in the field approached the bird and they took a few passes at each other. The pheasant flew away to a cornfield, but 20 minutes later appeared at the far side of the pasture, where he again crowed. The calf gave battle once more, and the cock bird took to the air, landing on a near-by hillside. There the ringneck crowed a few times, which caused the calf to run across the field from side to side, looking for his opponent."

***** Telephoning for Fish

TEXAS . . . When a state game warden saw some fishermen on the Mexican side busily cranking old-fashioned telephones, he knew they were using them as generators to give fish electric shocks. They were not breaking any law, so long as they stayed where they were, but in the U.S. catching fish this way is illegal. Knowing these men often slip over to the American side, the warden decided to sit it out. He dressed in old clothes and a slouch hat, baited his trotlines, and waited. But he didn't fool anyone. After three days and nights he gave up. He'd caught so many catfish he didn't know where to put them.

***** Eat Fish, Stay Healthy?

WASHINGTON, CD.... Arteriosclerosis is presently the cause of approximately one-third of the total deaths of men over 45 years of age. Although there is no agreement on the causes of this disease, it does seem to be of metabolic origin with an deficiency, excess, or imbalance of diet possibly playing an obscure role in relation to disturbed lipid (fat metabolism). Fish and fishery products offer a number of demonstrated nutritive merits in this or other diseases that evidence nutritional implications. Among these features are: Complete and well-balanced protein; ease of digestion; unique fortification with unsaturated fatty acids; and wide choice in fat content, in species (specific flavors and textures), and in market form so that eye and appetite appeal need not be sacrificed to comply with a strict dietary regimen.—Charles Butler, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Commercial Fisheries Review.

***** Wire Aids Hunting

WASHINGTON, D. C. . . . Knowing hunters have a new weapon and are using chicken wire to help put pheasants in the game bag. This is the story from the midwest, as reported to the National Wildlife Federation. The chicken wire, portable by use of lightly driven stakes at regular intervals, is stretched at one end of a field. Pheasants, running ahead of the hunters, encounter the fence and are forced to fly—thus becoming a targets. When a field has been "worked," the 100-plus feet of fencing is rolled up and moved to another likely spot.

***** Quail Before Ants

MISSOURI . . . Controversy surrounding the program to eliminate fire ants has given many persons reason to think of the possible effect insecticides generally might have on wildlife. A farmer in Dent County apparently has made up his mind. Harry Feltz, conservation officer there, reports: "Not many farmers place the value of wildlife above their crops. However, one refused to use an insecticide to control insects in an alfalfa field for fearing of killing quail that were using the area. His explanation was that the sport of hunting for himself and his friends was more important than a few bales of hay."

*** Reading Water

WISCONSIN . . . How good are you at "reading" water? Does the color have significance? Brown water is bog drainage. A light-yellowish green color often is indicative of a plant community dominated by diatom algae. A blue - green color tells us there is probably a large crop of blue-green algae present. Perfectly clear water means few plants and infertile water. We have even had reports of red water caused by a bloom of red algae. "Reading" water is an important tool of the Wisconsin Conservation Department's fish managers, and perhaps you, too, can be good at it.

*** To The Rescue

VIRGINIA . . . The rescue of a fawn deer from death-dealing dogs was witnessed by Dr. Travis of Montross. The fawn, chased from the woods on Travis' farm at Neenah by two dogs, screamed as it was overtaken by the dogs. A buck deer bounded out of the woods and attacked the dogs, killing one with its antlers and severely injuring the other with a flying hoof. The buck then led the little deer back into the woods.

DECEMBER, 1958 25

Notes on Nebraska Fauna

LESSER SCAUP

by Pete Czura Associate Editor Not choosy eaters and sometimes scavengers, these fast-flying ducks are good table birds. Scaup return to state each year in mile-long caravans

THERE isn't a Nebraska waterfowler, young or old, who hasn't thrilled at the sight of swift-moving, fall-migrating ducks and geese in precision "vee" flights. However, when the ducks are on the wing, many hunters have difficulty recognizing some species, particularly the difference between a lesser scaup, greater scaup, and ring-necked duck. Even with the three in hand, differentiating one from the other is difficult because of the similar physical characteristics.

Most abundant of the three in Nebraska is the lesser scaup, or Nyroca affinis. Average length is 16V2 to 23 inches; average weight, 1V2 to 2V2 pounds The lesser scaup rivals the ruddy duck, which has nearly 100 colloquial names, with 62 colloquial names of its own. But the names they are best known by are bluebills and little bluebills.

Massed flights of scaup descend upon Nebraska, usually in the last week of October and the first week of November. They do not tarry too long in our state, moving on to southern wintering grounds on the coasts of Louisiana and Florida after feed and resting here.

Wild as "March hares" during the hunting season, scaup become exceedingly docile on the wintering ground. Visitors derive great entertainment throwing food to the trusting "wild" ducks who scramble and fight among themselves for the morsels.

One old-timer declared: "Scaup remind me of a bullet. Not the sleek bullet that tapers out of a rifle brass, but the stumpy, hard-hitting splat of lead that comes lumbering out of a .45 caliber handgun."

The antics of scaup are zany. They fly hell-bent, sometimes in long strings of continuous lines, sometimes in tightly bunched flocks. In short flights, they are erratic, twisting and turning high in the sky, out of gun range. They will fly from lake to lake, pond to pond, seeking safety and refuge from the hail of lead that fills the sky.

Scaup flash down boldly out of the sky, hitting the water without any preliminary survey. Once on the water, heads crane for a short look, then all dive for food. Singles commit suicide. Lonely, without friends, they'll decoy into a lump of mud. When shot at, they flare up wildly out of danger, reassemble their flight formation, and go charging to the next decoy spread.

What keeps the scaup population up is a mystery. But every fall they return to Nebraska in mile-long caravans, 26 DECEMBER, 1958   accompanied by goldeneyes, buffleheads, mallards, redheads, and teal.

The lesser scaup are usually found in marshes, or shallower places. Aided by field glasses you can identify the males by a combination of the following marks: (a) purple gloss on head, (b) angular shape of head, (c) vermiculated sides, (d) short white wing stripe. Scaup are easily confused with ringnecks, but the flight styles of both species is very different, making aerial recognition fairly easy.

In late June, or early July, the moult into partial eclipse commences and by mid-September is at its height. During this time the head becomes brownish black; a white mask, as in the females, is faintly discernible; sides are vermicuiated with brown splotches, and neck shows a gray collar. The full-plumaged wing is renewed.

Nebraska Game Commission biologists have reported some nesting and breeding of the scaup in the Sand Hills region. During the fall, as scaup migrate southward, thousands hit the Sand Hills in huge flocks. They reach their peak population there in early November. If the lakes and potholes are well filled, they tarry for a bit. However, if the water levels in these are down, they will on occasion rest in the reservoirs. These waters, though, lack the necessary food to hold them.

Not choosy eaters, scaup eat both animal and vegetable matter. Often they gorge on snails and water insects; at other times they feed exclusively on the seeds and roots of aquatic plants. When feeding on animal matter, their flesh has a displeasing flavor. A recent diet survey revealed that scaup, under certain conditions, are scavengers.

Scaup are late breeders, next to the white-winged scoter, probably the latest. Their broods do not hatch until early July, and since nearly three months pass before the young are able to fly, the autumn migration is necessarily late. The scaup are among the last to leave their breeding grounds, moving in a leisurely fashion just ahead of the advancing frost line.

While scaup may be seen on their breeding grounds in May, apparently already mated, June is usually well started before they settle down to building their nests. These are situated near marshy creeks, sloughs, and ponds of the prairie regions of Canada and the North Central States.

Courtship is a scene you won't forget soon—if you're lucky enough to view it. The female plays a major role during the brief ceremony, gently nipping the male with her bill. He responds by biting her gently. If a second.male approaches, he is driven away by quick rushes; through this, the female pays no attention. Often, during these displays, the female emits a peculiar, rattling, purring call like Kwuh-h-h-h, while the male whistles in a low tone.

The nests, well concealed in the tall prairie grasses, consist of hollows in the ground, sparingly lined with grasses and well supplied with down from the scaup's breast. The normal set of eggs is from 9 to 12 but can vary from 6 to 15. The eggs are dark olive buff in color and hatch in about 28 days. Downy young are dark brown on the back, with yellow on the under parts and running well up to the lower half of their head and throat, with an indistinct buff stripe on the sides of the head.

"The females are very close sitters," says Arthur C. Bent, well-known waterfowl author. "Males apparently desert the females after incubation has begun and flock by themselves in the sloughs or small ponds. Lesser scaup ducks occasionally lay in other ducks' nests; but at no time have I found evidence that other ducks lay in the scaup's nest."

In flight the scaup is devilishly tough to bring down. Traveling with the wind, they attain speeds between 65 and 75 miles per hour, so it pays to lead them by plenty. When frightened off the water, the scaup struggles mightily to leave the water, spattering on its surface for a long distance before gaining full flight.

Mel Ellis, nationally known outdoor writer, had the right words when he described the fast-flying scaup thusly: "Canvasbacks may be faster, mallards better eating, teal better at hedgehopping, goldeneyes more adept at slipping by unseen in the trough of a wave. But of all the waterfowl, only bluebills come through as if they'd been stampeded by the devil. Their flocks are a marvel at precision flying. And of all ducks, they're most decisive. There's no flirting with ideas. Either they decoy or they don't."

When alighting, scaup hit down with breathtaking speed, using wings and feet for brakes. Sometimes, by closing their wings, they barrel down faster, producing a roar an instant before they strike the water. Nebraska gunners know, from sad past experiences, that they can hit the scaup with everything from No. 2's to 7 1/2's and have a tough time downing them. There are few sportsmen who haven't chased a cripple for miles only to return empty handed.

Bluebills head for the sanctuary of land the minute they are hit and try to hide in a spot away from water. They are exceptionally good divers and can swim for long distances under water in effort to escape the gunners. They do this without the use of their wings, which they tuck in tightly against their sides.

During the day, scaup are usually silent. However, in flight, the male utters an oft-repeated, purring pbbbb pbbbb, and when startled, a loud discordant scaup!

Scaup are often called "raft ducks" (so are other species) from their habit of congregating in large, dense flocks on the larger bodies of water, where they rest during the day for hours at a time. Some claim that their flesh does not rank with the delectable quality of others in the Nyroca group (canvasbacks, redheads and ringneck), but others stoutly aver it is quite acceptable as a good table bird.

The scaup, is a free-wheeling, hell-bent-for-leather flyer who satisfies the appetite of the Nebraska hunter several ways. Emotionally, he excites and titillates all gunners who, with trembling barrels poked upward, try to bag the illusive bird. And gastronomically, he fills the empty stomach void in a pleasant, refreshing manner.

THE END. DECEMBER, 1958 27

WATCH YOUR TIME LIMIT