OUTDOOR Nebraska

PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY NEBRASKA GAME, FORESTATION AND PARKS COMMISSION Editor: Dick H. Schaffer Associate editors: Pete Czura, Jim Tische Photographer-writer: Gene Hornbeck Artist: Claremont G. Pritchard Circulation: Lillian Meinecke APRIL, 1959 Vol. 37, No. 4 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 Leon A. Sprague, Red Cloud, chairman Don F. Robertson, North Platte, vice chairman George Pinkerton, Beatrice Wade Ellis, Alliance Robert H. Hall, Omaha Keith Kreycik, Valentine LeRoy Bahensky, Palmer 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) Bill Bailey, big game (Lincoln) Clarence Newton, land management (Lincoln) Dale Bree, land management (Lincoln) Malcolm D. Lindeman, operations (Lincoln) Frank Sleight, operations (Lincoln) Harvey Miller, waterfowl (Bassett) Raymond Linder, upland game birds and small game (Fairmont) AREA MANAGERS Melvin Grim, Medicine Creek, Carl E. Gettmann, Lewis and Enders, Swanson (McCook) Clark Lake (Bloomfield) Ralph Craig, McConaughy Reservoir Richard Wolkow, Cowles Lake (Ogallala) (Omaha) DISTRICT SUPERVISORS DISTRICT I (Alliance, phone 412) L. J. Cunningham, law enforcement Lem Hewitt, operations John Mathisen, game Harvey Suetsugu, big 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 Don Hunt, operations Oliver Scar vie, game 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 (Burwell) David Lyon, pheasants (Fairmont) 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 Robert Downing, Box 343, Fremont, phone PA 1-4792 Lowell I. Fleming, Box 269, Lyons, phone Mutual 7-2383 Richard Furley, Madison Raymond Frandsen, P. O. 373, Humboldt, phone 5711 John D. Green, 720 West Avon Road, Lincoln, phone 8-1165 Ed Greving, 316 South 31st, Kearney, phone 7-2777 H. Burman Guyer, 1212 N. Washington, Lexington, phone Fairview 4-3208 Larry Iverson, Box 201, Hartington, phone 429 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, 820 Clay Street, O'Neill, phone 637 Joe Ulrich, Box 492, Bridgeport, phone 100 Lyman Wilkinson, R. R. 3, Humphrey, phone 2663 Don J. Wolverton, Box 31, Rushville, phone David 72186 V. B. Woodgate, P. O. Box 72, Petersburg NEBRASKA FARMER PRINTING CO.. LINCOLN. NEBRASKA

IN THIS ISSUE:

HI-BAWLING COON (Pete Czura) Page 3 MIGRATION (Joseph R. Murphy) Page 6 PRAIRIE GROUSE ON PARADE (Marvin Schwilling) Page 8 FIXED-SPOOL ANGLING (Gene Hornbeck) Page 10 TACKLE REPAIR Page 13 SPRING RUN (Gene Hornbeck) Page 14 DOG SHOPPING (Pete Czura) Page 16 ALEXANDRIA (Jim Tische) Page 18 ANGLING RECORD HOP Page 20 HOME IMPROVEMENT PLAN (Clarence Newton) Page 22 SPEAK UP Page 23 DREAM COMES TRUE (John Orr) Page 24 OUTDOOR ELSEWHERE Page 25 NOTES ON NEBRASKA FUANA (Jim Tische) Page 26 MATCH THEM UP Page 28

OUTDOOR NEBRASKA of the Air

SUNDAY WOW, Omaha, (590 kc) 7:15 a.m. KXXX, Colby, Kas. (790 kc) 8:15 a.m. KBRL, McCook (1300 kc) 10:00 a.m. KMMJ, Grand Isl. (750 kc)10:15 a.m. KODY, N. Platte (1240 kc) 10:45 a.m. KOGA, Ogallala (830 kc) 12:30 p.m. KCNI. Broken Bow (1280 kc) 1:15 p.m. KFGT, Fremont (1340 kc) 4:45 p.m. KFOR, Lincoln (1240 kc) 12:45 p.m. KLMS, Lincoln (1480 kc) 7:15 a.m. MONDAY KJSK, Columbus (900 kc) 1:45 p.m. KSID, Sidney (1340 kc) 5:15 p.m. THURSDAY KCOW, Alliance (1400 kc) 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY KLMS, Lincoln (1480 kc) 5:15 p.m. SATURDAY KOLT, Scottsb'ff (1320 kc) 12:45 p.m. KCSR, Chadron (1450 kc) 1:30 p.m. KWBE, Beatrice (1450 kc) 5:00 p.m. KHAS, Hastings (1230 kc) 5:45 p.m. KVHC, 0,Neill (1400 kc) 6:00 p.m. KRVN, Lexington 11:45 a.m.

HI-BAWLING COON

by Pete Czura Associate Editor Our quarry took us on a merry trot. Then a bawl turned the table for us

THE stillness of the night drew us together. This was the moment we had been waiting for. In a minute we'd be off, stumbling through the inky-dark woods and swamps, north of Seward, attempting to keep up with the haunting alarum of Buster, a hell-bent-for-leather black and tan coonhound.

As he walked toward the back of the car, Dale Hudson said, 'Til check to make sure we have all the guns, flashlights, and leashes."

"Hurry up," muttered Larry Kleckner. "Even Buster is impatient to go."

Buster and the other hounds trembled in their eagerness to be off after the tantalizing coon scents. Overhead, the pitch-black sky was dotted with stars flickering like tiny APRIL, 1959 3   gems. A soft wind kissed our faces. And Clare Dailey's two redbones began to bark, raring to be released.

"The darker the better," Clare answered, when I mentioned how dark it was. "Moonlight keeps them close to the den tree and snow on the ground makes it bad. And when it's very windy, we don't even bother to go out for the pesky coons." He sniffed the air deeply, adding, "The way things are tonight, I could almost smell them myself."

We worked our way across a deep ditch and headed through the woods and fields. Our flashlights probed the darkness like bright shafts of silver. Buster had been turned loose, along with Millie and Boy. Clare's redbones made this group into a real singing fivesome.

Dale stopped me and said, "If we're lucky, the dogs should strike soon. Buster is the lead dog and if he jumps one, you'll hear him sing."

"Buster," Larry added, "will hit that creek and be on top of a coon before he knows which end is up."

Then it happened. Buster let go with a ringing cry that sent a chill racing up and down my spine. The bellow of alarm at the first hot scent was old stuff to my companions, but the excitement was as great as ever.

"Man, listen to him go," murmured Clare.

And Buster's bawl-throated roar was exciting. Soon the others joined him. There's delight in the sound of a running hound, unlike any other sound on earth. Each dog sings a different tune, each melody varies in pitch as the hounds report the coon's evasive tactics. In the excitement of the strike, I was on the run, behind Dale and Clare.

"Must be an old coon," Dale called over his shoulder, as we hit the edge of the creek.

"Let's see if we can cross it," said Clare, plunging into the icy waters. It was deeper than he thought and he nearly sank in over his hip boots. He struggled back to shore laughing, getting a helping hand from Dale.

"Too deep," he muttered. "We've got to get across somehow." We searched the creek for 100 yards for a ford without success.

Echoing down the valley, Buster's baying sounded like the steady B-O-O-M, B-O-O-M of a kettle drum.

"He's making real music tonight," grinned Dale proudly. "That means he's hot on a trail and if that coon doesn't hole up quick, we're in for some fancy running."

The baying continued as we pondered our next move. Each cry seemed to start before the other had left off.

"You know, Pete," Dale said happily, "I've had them all chop-mouths, bird and tenors. Buster's a bawl-mouth."

"Our best bet is to split up," Clare said. "You guys go back to the road and cross the bridge. I'll stay here in case the coon tries to cross the creek."

The hike back to the bridge is best forgotten. Sharppointed brambles stabbed me every foot of the way. Lowhanging tree branches slapped me in the face and my feet, ordinarily size 12, assumed size 20 proportions in the gumbo mud. Lucky for me, Dale suddenly stopped and grabbed my arm.

"Listen," he said tensely. Buster's cries had weakened, then changed to a series of faint yelps. "Darn it," he snapped. "I'll bet that old coon's holed up. Let's hurry."

I puffed along as the pace speeded up.

"The way a hound works, you can tell quickly if it is a $5 mutt or an honest-to-goodness coonhound. Buster's no mutt," Larry panted.

We redoubled our pace as Buster's cries got wilder. When we reached the area, we found the hounds racing frenziedly around a brush pile. The coon was inside the pile, as safe as money in a bank. No dog could penetrate it.

The dogs were called off and sent in pursuit of new scents. We listened to them sing out occasionally, then Buster picked up another trail. Soon his bellows became higher pitched and more intense.

"It looks like we're going to cover lots of ground tonight," joshed Larry, as we struck out to follow the hounds.

Pacing alongside of us, Dale and Clare, both of Lincoln, explained the "innards" of his coon-hunting game.

"Coon hunting will never be overcrowded," said Dale. "Most sportsmen don't possess the determination to plod hour after hour in search of coon. It's darn hard work and you've got to be in tiptop physical shape. Look at Clare; 4 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   this is his 80th night out this winter, and he swears he'll hit the 100 mark or bust."

Off in the distance, I could barely hear Buster as we tried to keep up with him. Before the night was over I was to see why Buster was highly regarded.

On the summit of a ridge, commanding a sweep of the drama sounding below, we rested a bit and talked.

Clare and Dale told us they'd hunted entire seasons in some areas without seeing a hunter, and rarely did they hear the bawl of another hound in this vicinity.

''It's not the scarcity of coons," Clare said. "We find just as many as we did years ago."

It was Clare's theory that some would-be coon hunters are discouraged by the difficulty of choosing and training good coonhounds. "The biggest fault," he said, "is that most fellows neglect to hunt their dogs regularly. A dog should be used often; there isn't a dog alive that can learn how to hunt coon being tied to the end of a chain."

Dale, during the day, is a busy painter. Clare is a trapper who annually quits any job he may have in October to pursue his hobby. Neither of them has much time to devote to training a hounds.

In answer to my question of how they train their dogs, Dale said, "I look for a hound out of good tree stock. He's got to be able to course out wide, and when he strikes, keep the coon moving until he's treed or holes up. He must be a good locator and a good tree barker, remaining there until his master arrives with help."

"Though it takes a considerable amount of time," Clare chimed in, "and skill to train a coonhound, it doesn't take much to test one. Just drop the dog in coon country and he either produces or he doesn't. That Buster got us nine band-tails one night."

I learned that experienced houndmen won't run a dog until he's at least 9 to 12 months old, and only with a veteran hound. Dale claims a good youngster will pull his own weight in a couple of seasons. Also, he said, if the hound breaks trail and returns sheepishly from a deer or fox chase, a couple of sharp reprimands will cure him.

The trouble Dale had taken in testing other hounds before buying Buster was paying off now, as we listened to his deep baying ring.

"We're all right," Dale said, "unless that old coon drives back to the creek and breaks for the tall timber."

We stood stock-still, as Buster's voice told the story. Unimpeded, he could quickly run down a coon, but the steady tone of his bay told of thousands of snarls and complications. Suddenly he stopped singing. Then, from afar, it began anew, but this time as if Buster were in anguish.

"The creek!" both men exclaimed.

We rushed for the woods along the creek's edge. Clare lumbered ahead, leading with the experience of many a hunt. I tried to follow but was a bad last. We reached the swamp and I got bogged, struggling in the sticky, stagnant mud. They shouted encouragement and told me to pick my feet up faster.

Soon the ground became more solid and we broke out of the muck.

"Listen," Larry gasped. "Buster's got him tapping. Come on!"

Buster's voice became a series of staccato sounds. Then he began to sing continually.

"Must have seen him," puffed Dale.

Then we reached the tree where Buster and the others were leaping frantically up the trunk. They sounded like a drunken group at a singing session.

With our flashlight we probed the tree. Dale loaded his .22 handgun, ready to bust the coon. Then from behind a crotch high up in the tree, a masked snout peered down at us. His eyes gleamed brightly in the dark.

Dale took three swift shots, missing as the wily coon hugged his hideaway. Clare then emitted the shrill squall of coons fighting. The brave coon came busting down the branches on the fly. When he hit the ground, five frantic hounds charged him. The coon retaliated, hitting the dogs with teeth bared and claws flying.

That wild battle between dogs and coon lasted five minutes. At one time the dogs had him almost spreadeagled, yet he escaped their snapping fangs. But the hounds nailed him again and fought to the bitter end.

The dogs escaped unscathed. Sometimes they aren't so lucky, and a brash dog will pay for bravery with his life.

And that's the way my first coon hunt ended. I have no intention of approaching Clare's 80 times out after coon, but I'll guarantee you my coon hunts won't stop at one.

THE END APRIL, 1959 5

MIGRATION

What governs migratory instincts? Even experts speculate as to the answer. Here are their theories by Joseph R. Murphy Instructor of Zoology University of Nebraska

ALTHOUGH it cannot be maintained that weather or any other single factor is the direct cause of bird migration, there are some aspects of spring weather which influence and regulate migratory travel. The wellknown caprices of nature at this time of year may have effects which are beneficial to some bird migrants but disastrous to others.

There are, however, some more or less regular and progressive environmental changes associated with spring. It is common knowledge that the days get longer; in other words, light increases in duration and intensity, and in a very precise manner. In similar fashion, the daily mean temperature increases at a regular rate, so that the northward advance of spring can be plotted by drawing temperature lines or isotherms (lines connecting points having the same mean temperature) on a map. Another factor of far-reaching importance in spring migration is the regular succession of warm fronts pushing up from the gulf region, bearing with them masses of warm, moist air.

The only environmental factor, though, that is consistently regular year after year, is the lengthening days. Applying this to the subject of migration, we at once find a possible correlation, for the pattern of migration is itself remarkably regular for each species, occurring at approximately the same time every year. Is it possible then that this increase in day length is an important stimulus which causes birds to migrate?

According to some authorities, the answer is in the affirmative, at least in part. It has been demonstrated for most birds that as day length increases, there is an equally regular increase in the size of the gonads (sexual glands). This is particularly marked in the males, where in several species the testes may increase in size many times their nonbreeding condition. That the increase in gonadal activity is not merely "seasonal" but is directly correlated with longer periods of illumination has been rather conclusively shown by Rowan, a University of Alberta biologist. By subjecting caged birds to gradually increasing periods of artificial light, he found that the testes reached breedsize and condition in mid-winter.

Yet the matter is not as simple as it would appear, for apparently it is not just increasing photoperiods as such that bring about this important change in the physiological state of a bird. Further experiments by Rowan and others have indicated that it may be the increased activity which is made possible by longer day lengths; in other words, with more light available, a bird has more time to move about in search of food. Increased food intake may in turn bring about a general increase in metabolism. Perhaps this activity increase, then, is the primary influence in 6 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   stimulating the pituitary gland to release the hormones affecting gonad development.

There is much recent evidence which indicates that other physiological adjustments must be made before a bird is ready to meet the energy requirements of prolonged migratory flight. For example, there is a noticeable increase in body weight, probably owing to increased fat deposition beneath the skin. Changes of this kind in the metabolic state of a bird are probably also under control of the pituitary, an important endocrine gland at the base of the brain.

But once this favorable physiological condition has been attained, migration will still not take place until the proper stimulus releases the pattern of migratory behavior. And this is where weather plays an important role, for the stimulus is often an external environmental factor, such as a sudden temperature change.

Once migration is under way, it continues to be directly influenced by such weather phenomena as temperature, wind, precipitation, and barometric pressure. In the eastern states, studies have shown that most spring migratory movements follow warm fronts, moving north with mild temperatures and moderate southerly winds. Wind may play a critical part during migratory flight. A strong head wind obviously places birds at a disadvantage, but even strong tail winds may be a hindrance rather than a help, especially if balance is disturbed or feathers are ruffled excessively. Favorable wind conditions, then, are moderate tail winds or cross breezes.

Reference was made earlier to the seasonal march of warmer air temperature northward. Many migrants appear to follow the advancing season up through the continent. The Canada goose is often cited as an example of a species which travels north with the season. The pattern of migration in this case is regular but slow, in that the geese may average only about 20 to 25 miles per day as they keep pace with the onset of spring. On the other hand, many species remain in more southerly latitudes until spring is well advanced in the northern regions. These later migrants then rapidly move northward, ofttimes catching up with those birds which had started much earlier.

Of course the general pattern of migration may be interrupted if inclement weather is encountered. Cold fronts sweeping down from the north are especially effective in either slowing down migration or bringing it to a virtual halt. The results of late-spring blizzards are occasionally disastrous for migrating birds, especially smaller species. Several years ago someone recorded the rather spectacular results of a spring blizzard in Minnesota. Apparently the birds most affected were longspurs, finch-like birds which winter in the central plains but nest in the Arctic tundra. Following that blizzard an estimated 750,000 of these birds were found dead on the ice of two adjoining lakes, and an abundance of dead longspurs was reported over an area of 1,500 square miles. Seldom, though, does migration require such a price from its participants.

During fall migration we often hear of mass bird accidents due to migrants striking aerial obstructions such as skyscrapers, radio and TV towers, and lighthouses. This is mainly owing to the circumstance that birds following the cold-air masses south are forced down under approaching warm fronts, since the warm south winds tend to rise up and over the autumnal cold fronts. Consequently, birds may be placed in dangerous proximity to high aerial structures. On occasion they are almost literally "driven into the ground" by the strong north winds moving under warm-air masses. In spring the situation is reversed; the birds then follow the warm fronts and either fly up and over approaching cold-air masses, or temporarily cease migrating. As a result, large-scale bird accidents of this kind are rare in spring.

Another important and controlling aspect of spring migration is food availability. This is manifestly not a weather factor as such, but it is directly influenced by the physical factors of the environment. Space limitations do not permit a thorough examination of the food factor in migration. Suffice it to say that many ornithologists feel that extended food searching may have been the basic, underlying cause leading to the establishment of present migratory patterns in prehistoric times. An inquiry into types of food availability and utilization during spring migration is often informative, however.

The sand-hill crane, a familiar spring migrant in Nebraska, arrives from its wintering grounds during March and early April. The Platte River valley of central and western Nebraska appears to be the major stopover for the majority of the migrating cranes, which often appear in huge flocks of 100,000 or more. Fortunately this heavy concentration of birds finds adequate food in the form of waste grains, invertebrates, and small vertebrates, and is of little concern as a potential threat to agriculture. Such is not always the case with migrating geese, whose wellknown depredations against young spring crops often bring militant demands for action from farmers.

It is always a temptation to speculate on the age-old mystery of just how migrating birds are able to navigate to distant destinations with remarkable precision. A number of experiments have been conducted with homing pigeons in an attempt to discern the underlying mechanism responsible for the precise orientation characteristic of the homing habit. Although some progress has been made in this field, it has been pointed out that homing and migratory navigation are not necessarily one and the same.

Matthews, an English investigator, has proposed an ingenious and rather complicated (Continued on page 19)

APRIL, 1959 7

PRAIRIE GROUSE ON PARADE

by Marvin Schwilling Research Biologist National as well as state obligation motivates Game Commission study of perhaps country's largest population

THE greater prairie chicken and prairie sharp-tailed grouse, often referred to collectively as prairie grouse in Nebraska, are the subjects of a detailed research project initiated by the Nebraska Game Commission. Both species are native to Nebraska and represent an extremely important game resource.

At one time, both prairie chickens and sharptails occupied must of Nebraska. Now most populations are restricted to the interior, or fringe areas of the Sand Hills, where large areas of tall grasses occur. This restriction has been due to a change in land practices over most of Nebraska, not to the gun.

Records indicate that populations of both species fluctuate markedly. No doubt these extreme changes in numbers have caused wildlife administrators to be ultraconservative in their management policies.

There is much we need to know to manage this resource for the maximum benefits to the sportsman and to society. At present, these grouse represent a renewable 8 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   wildlife resource that has not been developed to its greatest potential. This study was designed to provide basic information on prairie grouse and to open the door to realistic and intelligent management policies.

The general area of study is near Burwell. Two study areas, each one township in size, have been established. One is located in Loup County and the other in Garfield and Holt counties. There are several reasons why this general area was chosen. First, it is typical of much of our grouse range so that results can be applied on a large scale. Second, both species are plentiful in the area, insuring a good supply of birds for the study. And third, it has been included in the area open to hunting, providing Game Commission investigators a chance to measure the effect of hunting on future populations.

The broad objectives of the program are necessarily long term, for we can not expect to unravel all the mysteries of grouse populations and management overnight. Briefly, the objectives can be summed up under four broad topics.

(1) To resolve problems in the life history and ecology of prairie chickens and sharptails that have a significant bearing on management. A thorough knowledge of species is necessary to develop sound management policies. This is basic to all other work. What are the types of cover used daily and seasonally? What constitutes adequate nesting cover and good nesting sites? What is the basic productivity and what is the rate of mortality? What are the distances traversed by individuals or populations in a given area in their daily and seasonal movements? What are the true sex and age ratios in a population and is there a differential mortality of sexes? If so, why?

(2) To devise methods by which extensive population indices can be determined. This also is basic to an extensive management program. We must be able to determine approximate population levels over large areas and to determine reproduction success if we are to manage the species for the maximum benefit to sportsmen.

(3) To test various proposed management practices. Management practices to be tested will depend largely upon what is learned about the basic life requirements and history of the species. However, from our present knowledge, such measures may include: (a) grain food patches in rangeland; (b) planting certain forage species such as grasses and legumes in rangeland; (c) use of fertilizers on small key areas in conjunction with planting; and (d) grazing practices as related to the production of grouse and of domestic livestock.

This objective, of course, is directed primarily toward practices that can be applied to the land in an effort to increase or sustain populations.

(4) To outline, on the basis of this and other studies, a program of management for each major ecological zone of the state where a potential exists. This, the last phase of the study, will bring together all available information in formulating a management program from which sound, consistent management policies can be determined.

Again it should be emphasized that we cannot expect to achieve all these objectives overnight; it will take time, but it will be time well spent.

The state now endowed with one of the largest, if not the largest, flocks of greater prairie chickens remaining in the United States. So we have a national as well as a state obligation in the successful management of these birds. We are also endowed with a broad expanse of range for sharptailed grouse. Here again we have an obligation of successful management to provide maximum benefits to all.

The initiation and execution of our prairie-grouse project is a realization of these responsibilities and obligations.

THE END APRIL, 1959 9

FIXED-SPOOL ANGLING

Trouble-free, versatile spin tackle gives angler more sport and more fish by Gene Hornbeck Photographer-Writer

SPIN fishing a decade ago was almost as unknown as the hula hoop was in 1957, but once the American angling public discovered spinning, it caught on as fast as did the plastic wiggle rings. Spinning originated in Europe years ago. The old spin reels had very little eye appeal and were cumbersome in comparison with today's modern and sleek units.

Some Americans imported a few of the old units. Then through the American flair for dressing up a product for mass production and public acceptance, the reels hit the local markets. Almost overnight the average angler began to buy the new concept of what a fishing reel should do. Even the rankest amateur had little trouble casting with the spin outfits.

As a result, many a fly-rod purist turned an eye toward spin tackle. With its choice of lines down to their favorite two-pound-test tippets, the former fly-rodders began taking trout from hard-to-reach eddies and pockets that were impossible to reach with a fly rod.

Cane-pole fishermen tried the new novelty and were converted. Spinning youngsters were equaling or out-casting their fathers who were still using level-wind reels. So the fathers turned to spinning, and well they should, since fewer backlashes and birds' nests to pick out of the youngsters' reels added up to more time to enjoy fishing.

Practically anything you want in the way of a spinning or spin-casting equipment is available at sporting-goods stores. The fact that the sport has grown so rapidly should influence a person to buy carefully. With any gravy train, a few boys ride the rods instead of going first class and manufacturers, capitalizing on the demand for low priced gear, are flooding the market with inferior equipment.

Spinning implies casting with European-type fixedspool reels. Actually, there are three types of spinning reels on the American market today—open-faced, closed-faced or spin-cast and spin-bait casting type.

Which type reel should you buy? That can be the 64 dollar question. Actually, all three types are equally trouble free. The open-faced reel is probably the hardest to use, but because of two features is preferred by many fishermen. It is more versatile in handling different weights of line and gives the caster an advantage on distance, especially on the lighter lures under 1/4 ounce.

In discussing the three types, reels and rods to handle them, we should clarify the "whys".

The open and closed-faced reels are both mounted underneath on a straight-handled rod.

An open-faced reel needs a rod with a large first guide to take the swirl out of the line, grouping it into the progressively smaller guides toward the tip. The leg of this reel is held between the second and third fingers with the control or thumbing of the line by the index finger.

The closed-face reel is mounted behind the hand and the index finger controls the line.

The spin-bait casting-type reel with the push button thumbing is mounted on top the offset handle of a regular casting rod. Casting is primarily the same as with the level-wind casting reel.

To answer the question of which type reel to buy, let's take this approach. First what type rod do you now own? If you are a recent convert to spinning, you probably have a casting rod. If it is a good one and had medium to light action, I would suggest buying the push button, spin-bait casting reel.

If you are buying the complete rig and do an average amount of fishing, my suggestion would be the closed faced spin reel and rod or the spin-bait cast outfit. Either will perform well with a minimum of trouble.

Should you consider yourself in the category of an expert and want a good all-around outfit then I would recommend the open-faced unit over the others.

10 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA  

There's one thing to say on price: "The best is none too good". It is unwise (if you want years of fishing pleasure) to invest in cheap, off-name tackle which generally brings grief instead of pleasure. Any company that does not put their name on a piece of tackle can't be very proud of it.

In selecting a reel (this will cover all types) you must buy for the type of fishing you prefer. Most reels made today come loaded with six-pound-test line, the maximum they will handle with ease. The small compact closed-faced reels are not made to handle heavy monofilament or braided line. Several manufacturers are marketing a larger unit loaded with 10-pound-test line. These units are gathering a larger following of anglers who consistently need heavy tackle for their choice of fishing.

Applying these facts to Nebraska fishing, I would say the 10-pound-test line is a must for catfishing, trolling for walleye, and fishing heavy weed beds for northern and bass. On most species, six-pound-test line is sufficient.

Properly mounted the spinning reels will do justice to the angler's efforts. There are, however, a few tips I would like to pass on. First, make sure you buy the reel to fit the rod. This may seem secondary but I have seen some fishermen using a closed-faced spin reel mounted on top of the rod, their left hand behind the unit and cranking it backward with the right hand. Their tendency was to use the unit the same as a level-wind reel. They did not learn to mount and use the reel correctly so would have been better off with the spin-bait cast type.

Learning to use the left hand to crank seems to stop some fishermen from the underslung type reels. Actually, it takes only a few trips to become accustomed to the southpaw retrieve. One of the best things about the open-faced and the closed-faced spin reels is the fact that you don't have to change hands to retrieve.

To get a smooth-working unit the angler must have the rod, reel and line matched. The vital thing in choosing a rod is of course the action. Generally speaking there are three types of rod action—fast tip, progressive, and parabolic. The latter is the most versatile and its action is carried down through the stick into the handle. The working area of the fast-tip action is confined more or less to the tip section.

The progressive is a new action on the market that is still relatively unknown. The manufacturers claim that the one-piece sticks will handle l/6th to one-ounce lures. The rod flexes progressively from tip to handle, depending on the weight of the lure. In other words, a l/8th-ounce lure would find power in the tip, whereas a one-ounce lure would bring the power of the entire stick into action.

At present, the parabolic in the medium action is the most widely accepted. Although spin rods are made in many different lengths, 6V2 feet is considered the happy medium.

Action in a rod is hard to define. The method by which a rod bends is only part of its action. A good rod has "backbone", which does not mean either strength or rigidity. An extremely strong rod such as a solid glass does not APRIL, 1959 11   necessarily have backbone. Backbone is a combination of flexibility and elasticity. The rod must flex but yet through its elasticity recover with speed and snap.

One way to test a rod for backbone is to lay it across a counter top. Hold the handle down firmly and flex the rod strongly. The rod with good backbone will recover and become motionless quickly, whereas the poor rod will continue to wiggle for some time.

Although the preceding deals with straight-handled spinning rods, the same holds true with the off-set gripped spin-bait casting units. Length in these bait casting rods is quite a bit shorter with 5% feet being my choice in a medium action.

I should perhaps make the term action clear. Action of a spinning or bait casting rod does not necessarily mean how easy the rod bends but the weight of the lures it will handle with ease. For example, a spinning rod with a light action will handle lures from l/16th to V4 ounce; medium, from 1/4 to 1/2', 3/8 to 1 ounce.

Line for spinning should be in balance with the reel and the rod. Let's set up a good all around unit so we can bring to light some of the things we know to be a fact. My selection of a rod would be a parabolic stick, 6 1/2 feet long with a medium action. A six-pound-test line would work nicely on a closed-faced spinning reel. Lures in the 1/4-ounce class cast well with this setup. Should I decide to use lighter lures it would be advantageous to drop down to a three or four-pound-test line.

If I wanted a heavy duty outfit, I would buy a heavy action 6 1/2-foot parabolic rod, and either an open-faced or closed-faced reel, large line capacity, loaded with 10-pound-test line. This outfit will handle lures ranging from a minimum of 1/4 to a maximum of 1 ounce, with a 1/2 -ounce lure being the happy medium. This outfit is gaining more popularity because it's the workhorse in the spinning field.

Now, to touch on lures. The selection of spinning lures on the market today is awe-inspiring. I prefer to touch lightly on them as most anglers know which lures produce. My top preference in spinning lures are spoons, followed closely by spinners. Plugs of all types are a must and I try to keep a variety of actions, colors, and types in my box. Surface, shallow, medium, and deep-running lures should be included in the tackle box. Often your sporting-goods dealer knows the most productive lures for your area so ask him for advice.

If you have used your spinning outfit, you know which lures cast best. When buying new ones, buy the correct weight for your outfit. Sure you can cast a 1/2 -ounce lure with a light outfit but you will probably spend considerable time climbing trees to retrieve the bait.

Casting with a spin or spin-bait cast reel is far and away the easiest means of heaving a lure. You can buy a new outfit and start casting any old way without getting into much trouble, but there is a right way to handle the units. I previously mentioned the proper place to hold your hand on the two spinning units. The index finger is used to thumb the line. Thumbing on the spin-bait cast unit is done with the button, resembling closely thumb action on a level wind reel.

In casting with the spin-bait cast unit grip the rod with your thumb on the thumbing button and index finger on the finger grip, allowing the rod to settle comfortably into your hand. Rather than cast with the reel in an upright position turn your hand inward until the thumb and index finger are more or less horizontal with the ground. This position gives the wrist maximum arc for power and snap on the delivery.

The casting should be done mostly with the wrist—the forearm helping some with little or no movement of the elbow. Aim the rod tip at your mark. With a smooth, sharp snap bring it straight up until you think it's pointing directly overhead, and without stopping, snap the rod forward to deliver the lure. In this cast, which is called the "vertical", your lure should fly directly toward your mark no matter when you release the lure. Otherwise, you do not have a true vertical cast.

When on the forward cast should you release pressure? No one can answer that for you. It's a matter of timing and only through practice will you get the answers. Aim at a point over and above your target and then set it down on the right spot by thumbing.

Casting with either the open or closed-faced spinning reels is a little different than with the spin-bait cast unit. The reel is mounted under the rod and in my opinion these units are better balanced and more fishable than the spinbait casting types. The actual delivery of the lure is accomplished with the same backward and forward snap of the wrist and forearm. Thumbing the line with the index finger will take practice, but once mastered you can control casts with satisfying regularity.

When putting new line on your reel make sure you follow the directions of the line maker. If fishing spoons or spinners, where they revolve at a fast rate, make sure you use good snap swivels and check your line for twisting. If you find the line is badly twisted, there are several ways to correct the trouble. If on shore, have your fishing partner take the line (no lure or leader) and walk out about 100 yards. A field is ideal as the grass holds the line off the ground and permits it to spin as you retrieve, getting rid of the twists and kinks.

When you find this trouble afloat, remove all terminal gear and play out 100 yards of line behind a slow-moving boat. The friction of the water on the line will take the twist out as you retrieve.

The use, handling, and other information on spinning is infinite, and many capable authors have written volumes on it. Here is hoping that in these few minutes of your time, I have given you some basic information on the sport of spin fishing.

THE END 12 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

TACKLE REPAIR

MANY Nebraska fishermen will be making their annual trek to the basement this month to see if their fishing gear is in tiptop shape.

Spring breezes are blowing and winter's icy hold on the lakes and streams is broken. It is time to start angling. Spring is one of the best times to hit the angling trail, as the fish are starting to move into the shallows to feed and spawn.

One evening's work can put your fishing equipment in top shape for the banner season ahead. Now is the time to look the gear over and make the necessary repairs.

A fresh coat of varnish will put a new look on your favorite rod. Windings on the rod should be checked while loose tips and ferrules should be reset.

Sharpen the hooks so the big ones won't get away this year. If the cork handle on your rod looks dirty and rundown from wear, clean it up with sandpaper. Plugs and flies can be touched up and repaired to give another year of service.

Fishing gear shouldn't be neglected. Have quality equipment and your fishing trips will result in more full stringers.

THE END APRIL, 1959 13

SPRING RUN

Spawning fish are key to fast action greeting early anglers

ALEXANDER POPE, in his "Essay on Man", referred to the fisherman when he said, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast". Perhaps it would have been closer to home for the angler if it had read, "Spring brings hope eternal to the human breast."

Izaak Walton knew of what he talked when he said, "In the spring seek ye the inlets", for as the waters warm with spring rains, the annual urge to spawn awakens in fish.

The movement from winter habitat to spawning areas, such as the inlets described by the noted English angler, creates quite a lot of hope in the breast of every fisherman. This movement of fish gets under way in Nebraska in mid-March. First to move into the shallow areas to spawn is the northern pike, followed by the walleye and sauger. Crappie begin their move in early April. Then come the white bass.

These spawning activities usually last almost a month, with a peak reached about midway in the period.

Success at spring fishing isn't hard to come by. Typical is that at Medicine Creek Reservoir last spring. Crappies were hauled out by the thousands. A rough estimate for the peak of spring fishing there, which lasted over a month, shows that some 50 tons of crappie were caught by hook-and-line fishermen.

To take a good catch of spring-run fish, there are a few things to remember. First is that fishing for most species is best in early morning and late evening. The two-hour periods after dawn and before dark are the most productive, with a fall-off during midday. This holds true not only on the spring run, but also the year around.

Spring fishing is one of the more exciting times of year for the angler. Getting out with the fishing tackle for the first time in months is reward enough for a lot of anglers. Add to this the fact that spring angling is nothing short of terrific and it is little wonder that fishermen flock to the lakes and streams by the thousands.

In addition to the major waters that receive heavy fishing pressure, there are many lakes and streams that offer a lot of angling potential but are seldom fished. Streams such as the Dismal, Loup, and Calamus offer good fishing possibilities, and any fisherman yearning for remote fishing should try these streams in the solitude of the Sand Hills.

Lake or pond fishing is generally best in the shallow bays and pockets that offer a suitable spawning area for the species in question.

The spring movement of fish depends on the accessibility of the spawning areas. Typical is the white-bass run from Harlan County Reservoir. These fish move out of the reservoir and up the Republican River for miles. Last June a fisherman checked at the diversion canal spillway near Holbrook, had a string of big whites that make anyone drool. These fish apparently had moved almost 40 miles upriver from Harlan on the spawning run.

Many of the check dams along the Platte River from Lexington to Sutherland offer good spring fishing for the man who puts forth a little extra effort to find the spots that are accessible to spawning fish.

Live bait is the big producer in spring fishing, with minnows tops, followed closely by worms. Other such bait as frogs, salamanders, and crayfish are very good, but few fishermen utilize them.

Artificals are fish-getters for those who learn to work them slow and deep. The fly-rod enthusiast finds the spring run of fish eager to smack a streamer or bucktail.

Fishing technique for spring includes maneuvering bait or lure slowly. The river fisherman should look for the deep, well protected holes—safe resting places for fish on move in spring.

Spring business isn't limited to the mentioned species. Trout, catfish, bass, and others will be busy in early April. Bass and catfish, though, don't hit their peak until mid-May or early June, but a respectable number are taken in the early spring. Trout, of course, hit the year around, but there's a good movement of rainbows in early spring.

To guide you to better spring fishing, the following compilation of last year's reports from field personnel is prepared. These covered the period through June 15. All of the lakes and streams given here were rated good for the mentioned species. Those fish appearing in bold-face type, though, provided excellent fishing consistently in the waters indicated.

14 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA  

LINCOLN: Maloney Lake (white bass); Sutherland Reservoir (crappie, catfish); Jeffrey Reservoir (walleye); Tri County reservoirs (white bass, catfish, walleye, perch).

HARLAN, FRANKLIN, PHELPS, KEARNEY: Harlan Reservoir (black bass, northern pike, walleye, catfish, carp, bullhead, crappie, and white bass); Methodist Creek (crappie).

DUNDY, CHASE, HAYES, HITCHCOCK: Rock Creek (trout); Swanson's Lake (crappie, bullhead, walleye, bass)

valley, Mcpherson, logan, arthur, loup, north half CUSTER: Pits in Taylor vicinity (catfish, redhorse, sunfish, black bass).

DODGE, WASHINGTON, BURT, CUMING: Sand Pits (black bass, crappie, catfish, carp); Fremont Lake No- 1 (trout); Fremont Lake No. 5 (trout, crappie, black bass, catfish, carp); Victory Lake (crappie); Platte (catfish, carp); Elkhorn (catfish, carp); Missouri River, (catfish, carp); Dead Timber (carp).

DIXON, DAKOTA, THURSTON, WAYNE: Crystal Lake (crappie, drum); Missouri River (drum, crappie, sauger, catfish, walleye).

DOUGLAS, SARPY, SAUNDERS: Missouri River (catfish); Elkhorn River (catfish, carp); Sand-pit lakes (black bass, bullhead, crappie); Platte River (catfish, carp).

ADAMS, CLAY, WEBSTER: Elm Creek (trout); Republican River (catfish).

RICHARDSON, GAGE, PAWNEE, NEMAHA, JOHNSON: Big Nemaha, Little Nemaha, Blue Rivers (catfish); Missouri River (catfish, crappie); Auburn Lake (bullhead); Johnson, Pawnee City, Tecumseh, Humboldt (carp); Verdon Lake (bass, bluegill).

SCOTTS BLUFF, KIMBALL: Lake Minatare (perch); Nine Mile (trout) Winter Creek (trout); Spotted Tail Creek (trout); Tub Springs (trout); Sheep creeks (trout); West Kimball Reservoir (crappie).

BROWN, ROCK, KEYA PAHA: Pine Creek (trout); Plum Creek (trout); Fairfield Creek (trout); Long Lake (bluegill); Willow Lake (bass, bluegill); Enders Lake (perch, crappie, bluegill).

GAGE, JEFFERSON, THAYER, FILLMORE, SALINE: Blue rivers (catfish) ; Alexandria Lake (bluegill); Turkey Creek (catfish, bullhead).

CASS, OTOE: Louisville lakes (trout, black bass, bluegill, bullhead, perch, carp); Weeping Water Lake (bullhead, carp).

CHERRY, THOMAS, GRANT, HOOKER: Schlagel Creek (trout); Schoolhouse Lake (black bass, perch); North Loup River (trout); Boardmans Creek (trout); Niobrara River (catfish); Medicine Lake (black bass, crappie); Big Alkali (perch); Frye Lake (bass, perch, crappie); Rat Lake (bullhead); Pelican Lake (bass, bullhead); Flowing Well Lake (perch).

CHASE: Enders Reservoir (bass).

BOYD, HOLT, GARFIELD: Loup River (carp, sucker); Elkhorn (carp); Steele Creek (trout).

SHERIDAN, CHERRY: Walgren Lake (bullhead); White Clay Creek (trout); Smith Lake (black bass).

CEDAR, KNOX: Below Gavins Point Dam (sturgeon, walleye, crappie, catfish, bullhead, carp, sauger); Gavins Point Reservoir (bullhead, carp, crappie, catfish).

KEITH: Ogallala Lake (trout); McConaughy (white bass, catfish, yellow perch.)

SIOUX, DAWES: Whitney Reservoir (catfish, walleye, crappie); Hat Creek (trout); Soldier Creek (trout); White River (trout); Big Bordeaux, Little Bordeaux (trout); Chadron Creek (trout); Niobrara River (trout).

FRONTIER: Medicine Creek Reservoir (black bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie); McCook pits (trout); Republican River, catfish, bullhead).

BOONE, ANTELOPE, WHEELER: Beaver Creek (catfish, bullhead); Pibel Lake (crappie); Lake Ericson (carp, black bass, catfish).

Tiny bait for Fly and Spin Casting!

APRIL, 1959 15

DOG shopping

by Pete Czura Associate Editor Make sure the dog of your choice has the "makings" to do what you expect of him. Here are some tips to follow so not to flub the dub

HOW many sportsmen realize that a good hunting dog is an outdoorsman's most precious possession? Actually, only a few people can boast of having a dog for precisely the type of hunting they practice.

What type of hunting do you like? Is it upland game, waterfowl, small game, or what? If upland birds are your meat, you should wind up with a big-going pointer —long or short-hair is purely a matter of choice—providing you hunt in wide-open country where the dog can freewheel. Pointers are considered by sporting authorities the best for open-country work. However, if your hunts take you into dense cover, loaded with brush and bramble, a setter or one of the flusher types will do. Each type of dog has been bred specifically to meet certain requirements.

If it's waterfowl you're after, you'll be absolutely right in selecting one of the retrievers. Among the top breeds are the golden, Chesapeake Bay, and Labrador. Lately some sportsmen have had some good results with Weimaraners, using them as dual-purpose dogs on upland game and waterfowl. If you frequent the cold regions you'll want a reliable and tough retriever like the Lab, a dog with lots of heart and stamina.

For rabbits or other ground animals, try a beagle or the slow-moving and humorous-appearing bassett. Perhaps you'd like taking a flyer with a new breed such as the Hungarian vizsla, the German longhair, wachtelhund, Rhodesian ridgeback, or German wire-haired pointers, also known as German drahthaar pointers. The last one has just been acknowledged as a breed in American Kennel Club.

A new strain may mean a bit of risk, since his quality of work afield is still an unknown factor. However, all have a definite place afield and in the home and heart of sportsmen.

Why don't you make the fun of buying a dog a family affair? Perhaps your wife won't know the difference between an Afghan hound and a Chihuahua. So what? You'll be extremely fortunate if you manage to use your dog for a couple of months each year, unless you ship him out to be handled and trained by a professional handler for the field-trial events. The rest of the time your dog will be in your back-yard kennel or become a member of the family. Whether you know it or not, your wife and children will play a vital role in the care and training of your dog.

If you are in the mood to buy a sporting dog, there are several important things a prospective buyer should have clearly settled in his mind, before he'begins the exciting task of buying a dog.

16 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA  

There is just one safe place to buy your sporting pup, and that's from a reputable breeder. If you're lucky you may find a breeder nearby. Avoid any dealing with a middleman. You'll fare better by dealing direct with the source of the breed you're interested in. Select about a dozen breeders and write to them. Tell them the age of dog you want, the preferred breed, sex, type of hunting you plan to use the dog for, and how much you can pay.

A reply from a reputable breeder should contain such information as exact price of dogs, age of dogs he has available, types of immunization given to the dogs, and pedigree of dog. If the sale is consummated, he should tell you the exact date and time of your dog's arrival.

Don't be too hasty in making the purchase. If you explore near-by breeders and kennels, take along a person whose judgment about sporting dogs you respect. Try to spread your search to at least half a dozen local breeders. Along with your letter queries, this will give you a foundation to work from. Screen these carefully.

When visiting the kennels in the area, watch for filthy facilities. This is a bad sign, and buying a dog from such a kennel is risky. The kennel should be in a healthful condition—clean, dry, and uncrowded, with plenty of country air and sunshine. Reputable breeders are very meticulous and guard their reputations zealously. Fly-by-night operators are the opposite and are interested only in the fast buck. Shun them.

Any dog you purchase should be on a money-back-basis if you are not satisfied. If any breeder or kennel operator refuses to enter into such an agreement—and make sure it's in writing, too—stop negotiations at once.

The dedicated breeder is usually more concerned in what you will do with his pup. He wants to know how you'll treat it, too.

What about a dog's registration? I feel that it is absolutely essential that the dog you purchase has been registered in one of the following organizations. The American Field, which is acknowledged as the gun-dog authority. Its Field Dog Stud Book contains records of all great field-trial pointers and setters. Another is the American Kennel Club, the largest organization which registers more breeds than any other in the world. Others are the United Kennel Club, which registers most of the coonhound, bearhound, and mountain-lion hounds, and the Chase Studbook, which registers foxhounds and other breeds.

The time required to train your dog is an important factor to consider. Recently, the Irish setters have been making a spectacular renaissance with astounding and brilliant victories in many open all-age stakes. If you decide to buy an Irishman, be sure you select one from the field-trial stock, not bench-show stock. The gearing of a field-trial Irishman and a bench-show type is as different as day and night. The marvelous mahogany-colored dog has a keen nose scent and is gifted with exceptional birdfinding instinct. He lives longer than most dogs, is easy to train, and is fun to be with. There isn't a prettier sight afield than the sun shining on this red-coated fun-lover as he locks up on a rock-steady point.

VIZSLAS Pointer retriever. An exclusive artistocraiic all-purpose hunter, devoted companion and protector. Sired by champions. WEEDY CREEK KENNELS Route 3, Seward, Nebr.

Mrs. M. E. Hollister of Lincoln has some sound advice for people who may be inclined to purchase a springer spaniel. She says, "When I look for a pup I try to select a healthy one, of course. The pup must also possess proper physical conformation, according to AKC standards.

"On further inspection, the pup must have sound teeth and most of all, an even bite. His muzzle should be deep, with plenty of upper lip and flews. The jaws should be of good length, straight and fairly square, neither undershot or overshot. And speaking of jaw structure, all sporting dogs should possess this sound physical trait and particularly the retriever breeds who handle birds."

Mrs. Holister's advice is worth considering, for her springer-spaniel bitch, Gypsy's Black Magic, received national recognition last year as "Best of Opposite Sex" to springer spaniel of the year. This award came from the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association, parent club of the Spaniel Club.

Now that you are about ready to make your buy, which is it going to be, male or female? Only you can decide. Both sexes have a lot in their favor, but some sportsmen have a phobia against bitches. A female will cost less but she will be more loyal, faithful, and will hunt with as much ardor as any male.

Choose the pup of your interested breed with caution. Blessed with a healthy and sound dog you'll never regret his sharing your life.

Rudyard Kipling had right words when he said: "Buy a pup and your money will buy love unflinching that cannot lie."

Next month I will discuss how much to pay for a sporting dog. Prices range from nothing to $5,000. What could be more elastic?—THE END.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

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ALEXANDRIA

by Jim Tische Associate Editor Don't let its size fool you. In 1958, this southeast area hosted thousands of visitors

WITHIN easy reach of some of eastern Nebraska's heavily populated towns and cities is Alexandria Recreation Grounds, a scenic wooded land with three lakes that teem with warm-water fish. Located northwest of Fairbury, this fun area caters to picnickers, campers, fishermen, and hunters.

Although not situated on a main highway, the area is easy to reach. It is accessible on a graveled county road coming out of the town of Alexandria. It is situated three miles east and one mile south of town.

Development of the area started in 1930, when the Game Commission purchased 40 acres of land. In 1949, an additional 55 acres were purchased, bringing Alexandria up to its present size of 95 acres.

The three recreation-grounds lakes are man-made and are fed by numerous springs. Lake No. 1 is located on the north side of the area near the main gate, and covers seven acres. No. 2 is directly south of No. 1 and is a 13acre body of water. Lake No. 3 is on the west side of the area and spreads over 22 acres.

Adding beauty to the area is a heavy cover of silver maple. Cottonwood trees, too, abound. These grow along the edges of the lakes and line the dikes which form and divide the three impoundments.

Although a small area, Alexandria's popularity is reflected in the fact that last year's estimated attendance was 33,063. There are two picnic grounds with a concession stand located on the major area. The main picnic grounds, just inside the gate, stretches from a multiflorarose hedge, which separates the area from the county road, to the edge of lake No. 1.

A new picnic area was cleared and put into use last spring. It is just west of the main picnic grounds and borders on lakes Nos. 1 and 3. Before it was cleared, it was a wilderness of silver maple and brush. Now it provides a comfortably shaded area for the visitors.

Additional picnicking and recreational facilities will be added as time progresses. A children's swing set is located near the main gate and a merry-go-round will be added early this spring. Camping is permitted on the grounds, where recreationists will find a well for water 18 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   and sanitary facilities. Also, the only parking areas available in the area are at the two picnic grounds.

Alexandria is a bright attraction to both hunters and anglers. The area is heavily fished in the spring and summer and is open to hunting from October 1 to March 31.

Some bass catches were reported at Alexandria last year. Lake No. 1 abounds with bass, bluegill, and channel catfish. Lake No. 2 has bullhead, channel catfish, and crappies. Since No. 2 is an overflow from No. 1, it probably also includes bass and bluegill.

No. 3 is the lake many anglers will be watching, for almost 10,000 fingerling walleyes were released in the pond last spring. Also, plantings of trout, totaling 3,000 fish, were made. The lake previously had been stocked with crappie, bass, and bluegill.

In order to improve the fishing area for bank anglers, the Game Commission, using a dragline, excavated a trench, averaging 70 feet wide and five feet deep, in lake No. 1 last year. The trench parallels the north shoreline. This will provide deep water within easy reach of the bank anglers. Waste material from the lake was leveled on the north shore and seeded in bluegrass.

The area also has heavy use during the waterfowl season. Permanent duck blinds can not be erected on the area, but hunters can put up portable blinds. These must be taken down when the hunter leaves the area.

Alexandria has a bright future for this area. The west end of the grounds, now in brush and wild grass, will be developed in the near future. This spring the hill area west of lake No. 3 will be cleared, trees trimmed, and more trees planted. Shrubs will be planted on the hilltop to add to the beauty of the area. Picnic tables and fireplaces will be added to the west end as the area develops.

Improvements are also being planned for the new picnic area on the north side. Brush, bordering the county road, will be cleaned out and a multiflora-rose hedge planted.

There are 2.2 miles of road within the grounds, and most of the drives are located on the dikes.

The $1 Recreation Use Stamp is required on all vehicles entering Alexandria and the other major recreation grounds. The stamp automatically admits all passengers without further charge. These stamps may be purchased from the 1,200 permit vendors in the state and from all conservation officers.

For the person who wants to fish, camp, or picnic in solitude, Alexandria would be ideal during the week days. There is more company though on weekends and holidays, when outdoorsmen flock to this beautiful spot. But regardless of the day of week, Alexandria Recreation Grounds welcomes you to enjoy its facilities and beauty. Put it on your travel list this spring and summer.

THE END

MIGRATION

(Continued from page 7)

theory which suggests that birds use the position of the sun and a sense of time in locating direction and finding their way to the nesting territory. On the other hand, Griffin of Harvard University has shown that some species of birds employ random searching—"trial and error"—in finding their way back to the nest. This brings us to the basic consideration that perhaps there are many different methods which are utilized by different species in the process of orientation. For that matter, the migratory habit in general has undoubtedly developed as a result of a number of dissimilar factors in the various bird groups. What may have been the original basis for migration in one species was not necessarily the stimulus which led to the establishment of the migratory habit in another.

This much we do know—that whenever any population of birds could gain an advantage by moving from an area of unfavorable environment to a region offering better conditions for survival, the species developed a migratory type of behavior which today has a firm genetic basis. So expensive a procedure, reckoned in energy output and great loss of life, could only be maintained if it brought some advantage in the struggle for existence, more than repaying the cost.

Observation of the effects of spring weather on migration can be an interesting and informative pastime for Nebraskans, situated as they are in a strategic position to observe one of nature's grandest pageants. And of course the opportunity always exists to add more to the evergrowing store of knowledge about a subject that has always intrigued the imagination of man.

THE END APRIL, 1959 19

NEBRASKA RECORDS

LARGEMOUTH BASS: 9 pounds, 3 ounces, by Wentworth Clarke, Omaha, in Fremont State Lake No. 4, 1943. (World record: 22 pounds, 4 ounces).

SMALLMOUTH BASS: 2 pounds, 3 ounces, by Robin Oswaldt, Garden City, Kansas, in Sportsmen's Service Bay in McConaughy Reservoir, 1958. (World record: 11 pounds, 15 ounces).

WHITE BASS: 4 pounds, 4 ounces, by Barbara Mombach, Grand Island, in McConaughy Reservoir, 1952. (No authentic world record, but catches up to 5 pounds reported).

BLUEGILL: 2 pounds, 8 ounces, by party of Walter Beckman, Carl Buck, Bill Adams, and Ervin Krueger, all of Garland, in Monroe power canal, 1949. (World record: 4 pounds, 12 ounces).

BUFFALO: 32 pounds, by L. Ashbaugh, Wilber, in Blue River near Wilber dam, 1944. (No world record available).

BULLHEAD: 3 pounds, 3 ounces, by Mrs. Garnet Fanning, Alliance, in Spade Ranch Lake, 1958. (World record: 8 pounds).

BLUE CATFISH: 58 pounds, by O. P. Nielson, Bloomfield, in Missouri River near Bloomfield, 1954. (World record: 94 pounds, 8 ounces).

BROOK TROUT: 4 pounds, 8 ounces, by Vernon Zimmerman, Ovid, Colorado, in McConaughy Reservoir, 1953. (World record: 14 pounds, 4 ounces).

BROWN TROUT: 11 pounds, 4 ounces, by L. B. Eby, Sidney, in Otter Creek, 1950. (World record: 39 pounds, 8 ounces).

CHANNEL CATFISH: 31 pounds, 12 ounces, by Bob Nuquist, Broken Bow, in Lake Ericson, 1944. (World record: 55 pounds).

YELLOW CATFISH: 56 pounds, 8 ounces by Herbert Meyer, Grand Island, and Ivan Drewer, Hampton in Loup River power canal, 1958.

CRAPPIE: 3 pounds, 4 ounces, by A. E. Hueppelheuster, Lincoln, in McConaughy Reservior across from Otter Creek, 1957. (No world record available).

FRESH-WATER DRUM: 17 pounds, 1 ounce, by Edward Woolsey, Omaha, in Carter Lake, 1952. (No world record available).

NORTHERN PIKE: 25 pounds, by R. O. DeFord, Ogallala, in McConaughy Reservoir, 1951. Record tied by O. D. Moon, Sterling, Colorado, in McConaughy Reservoir, 1952. (World record: 46 pounds, 2 ounces).

YELLOW PERCH: 1 pound, 10 ounces, by Mrs. Ethel Engle, North Platte, in McConaughy Reservoir, 1957. (World record: 4 pounds-, 3V2 ounces).

RAINBOW TROUT: 12 pounds, 4 ounces, by J. C. Wickard, Brule, in Sportsmen's Service Bay in McConaughy Reservoir. (World record: 37 pounds).

SAUGER: 7 pounds, 14 ounces, by Archie Prather, Wausa, in tailwaters of Gavins Point Reservoir, 1958. (No world record available).

CARP: 25 pounds, 2 ounces, by Bernard Carter, Lincoln, in East Oak Creek Lake, 1957. (World record: 55 pounds, 5 ounces).

STURGEON: 18 pounds, 8 ounces, by Ernest Petsche, Hartington, in Gavins Point Reservoir, 1958. (No world record available).

To claim a record a person must submit name and address, along with two witnesses to the catch by hook and line. Other information includes: weight, length (from lip of snout to tip of tail), and girth; tackle and bait used; place and date taken, and species. Pictures are also desirable.

ANGLING RECORD HOP

Fishermen flail waters to tune of five marks

FIVE new marks were added to the list of Nebraska fish records last year as the state enjoyed some of its finest fishing in history. A sixth record regarding a carp caught in 1957, was also allowed.

It was a banner year of angling for Nebraska fishermen. Conservation officers reported that spring fishing was the best it has been in years. Top catches were reported from Harlan, Medicine Creek, Whitney, Johnson, McConaughy, and Maloney reservoirs. Top-notch trout angling was experienced in Big and Little Bordeaux, and Chadron creeks. Other trout hot spots were the Niobrara and White Rivers, Grove Lake, Ogallala Lake, and Schlagel Creek.

With the coming of summer, catfishing was especially good in the Platte, Missouri, Elkhorn, and Blue rivers. Other productive waters were Fremont lakes, Logan and Turkey creeks, South Fork of Nemaha River, and Maloney, Sutherland, and Jeffery reservoirs.

The tremendous spring fishing is shown in the record book. Three of the new records were set in May. Ernest Petsche of Hartington started the record string with an 18 1/2-pound sturgeon on May 20. The sturgeon was taken below the dam at Gavins Point. This is the first year the sturgeon has appeared on the state fishing records.

The new hook-and-line record for bullhead was also a May mark. Mrs Garnet Fanning of 616 Hudson, Alliance, took a 3-pound, 3-ounce bullhead at the Spade Ranch Lake. The previous record was a 2-pound 10-ounce catch by Glen Helbeg of North Platte in Eagan's Lake, 1957.

A Garden City, Kansas angler established the third record in May. Fishing in Sportsmen's Service Bay at McConaughy Reservoir, the visitor pulled in a 2-pound, 20 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   13-ounce smallmouth bass. This is also a new record on the Nebraska books.

The fourth record was set in September when Archie Prather of Wausa hooked a 7-pound, 14-ounce sauger in the tailwaters of Gavins Point Reservoir. Previous record was a 6-pound, 1/2 -ounce fish by Roy E. Peterson of Wausa, taken from the same tailwaters.

Biggest catch reported in the state last year was the record 56 1/2-pound yellow catfish hauled from the Loup Power Canal, by Herbert Meyer of Grand Island and Ivan Drewer of Hampton. The old record was a 52-pound 7-ounce lunker taken by Lloyd Hagenbuck of Monroe in the same power canal.

A 25-pound, 2-ounce carp caught in July, 1957 has been recognized as the record catch for the state. Bernard Carter, Lincoln, took the big fish in East Oak Creek in Lincoln. Some of the top catches in the state last year included:

BLACK BASS 6-pounds by Sanford Wolkow, Omaha (sand pit near Valley); 6-pounds by Ted Schlange, Albion (sand pit south of St. Edward); 5-pound 12 ounces by Don Lytle, McCook (Medicine Creek Reservoir); 5-pounds, 12-ounces by L. Landkamer, Alexandria (Alexandria state lake). BLUE CATFISH 24-pounds by Alfred Sauers, Ogallala (McConaughy); 16-pounds by E. H. Meyer, Lincoln (Harlan Reservoir); 16-pounds by Emil Kroutil, Republican City. BROWN TROUT 2 1/2-pounds by Bill Tracy, Lexington (Ringgold drain). BUFFALO 14-pounds by Alvin Vergith, Crete. CHANNEL CATFISH 10-pounds by R. O. Watkins, Curtis (Medicine Creek Reservoir); 9V2-pounds by Don Sower, McCook. CRAPPIE 2-pounds, 14-ounces by Jesse Shields (Methodist Creek); 2-pounds, 1-ounce by Dr. Les Hyland, North Platte (Maloney). FRESH-WATER DRUM 13-pounds, 2-ounces by Floyd Wicken, North Platte (Maloney Lake); 13-pounds by Denver McQuestion, North Platte (Maloney Lake). NORTHERN PIKE 18-pounds by Delmar Mead, Champion (Enders Lake); 15-pounds by Ralph Kock, Omaha (Maloney Lake); 15-pounds by Barney Doris, Dighton, Kansas (Harlan). RAINBOW TROUT 4-pounds by Leonard Kimes, Nenzel (North Loup River); 3-pounds, 8-ounces by Lowell Seegrist, Bayard (North Platte River). SAUGER 4-pounds by Lloyd Spangenberg, Hartington (Gavins Point). SMALLMOUTH BASS 2-pounds, 11-ounces by Harold W. Jones, North Platte (McConaughy Lake). WALLEYES 10-pounds by L. H. and W. S. Bradley (Johnson Lake); 9-pounds, 9-ounces by Lester Snyder, North Platte (Maloney Lake); 9-pounds by Archie Campbell, Cambridge (Medicine Creek Reservoir). WHITE BASS 2-pounds, 8-ounces by M. W. Harris, North Platte (Maloney Lake); 2-pounds, 8-ounces by Dr. Robert Takenaga, North Platte. YELLOW CATFISH 46-pounds by Warren Hagenbuck, Monroe (Loup Power canal); 40-pounds by Herbert Meyer and Ben Schoenrock, Grand Island (Genoa Canal). APRIL, 1959 21

HOME IMPROVEMENT PLAN

by Clarence Newton Land Management Project Leader Green thumbs, 800 strong, turn to in housing project for game

SPRING has its annual grasp on Nebraskans this month, and many a person, with or without a green thumb, will follow the urge to plant trees or bushes. Among these people will be 800 or more co-operators of the Game Commission's Upland Game Restoration Project. They will be planting in developments that are designed to improve habitat for game.

Many of these developments will in addition improve the land. The primary objective, though, is to provide a better home for pheasants, quail, grouse, and even cottontails.

These ambitious people will remember the time that a Game Commission technician visited the farm and inspected the proposed development site. They will remember, too, some of the suggestions and recommendations which were offered at the time. In their planting work they will follow a detailed plan as prepared by the technician. As the work progresses some of the perspiring "green thumbs" may regret that they undertook such a large project all for one planting season. With their ultimate goal in mind, they may but hesitate and then continue in their labor.

Project technicians visit the farm or ranch, upon request of the landowner, and discuss development possibilities. They prepare development plans which are agreeable to all parties concerned. Certain materials are allocated, at no cost to the landowner, and the nursery stock is distributed for the spring planting season. This planning activity continues through the year. The planning phase for any development, however, should be completed by the fall prior to planting season to allow for ordinary ground preparation work on the development site.

The type of habitat to be established may be a winter shelter area consisting of several rows of trees and shrubs. The site may range from one-half to two or more acres in size. This type is designed to offer game birds adequate protection against blizzard conditions. Such a planting may fit into an unused area on the farm and may be designed to heal an erosion scar.

Another type of habitat development is the travel lane or runway which provides escape cover for the game. Such is used when the game is forced to move through open country between two frequently used areas of cover or food. This travel lane may consist of but a single row of 22 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   trees or rose bushes located conveniently on a field division or farm boundary. It may also be located to serve as a permanent snow fence to keep farm lanes open in the winter. The planting may range from 200 or 300 feet in length to a mile or more.

A co-operator interested in improving game cover doesn't have to commit himself to the task of establishing a tree planting. He may have a site that would grow to excellent game cover if it were only fenced off for permanent protection against grazing. A small corner of a pastured wood lot, a weedy draw in the corn field, or a sand blow in the pasture all might offer an acre or two of unproductive land that can become productive in terms of wildlife. The fencing material can be provided, in limited quantities, by the restoration project, again at no cost to tne lanuowner.

If the landowner so desires, a permanent sign will be issued to designate his property as a "GAME MANAGEMENT AREA." The sign is intended to designate the whole ownership. It also indicates that the landowner is a cooperator of the restoration project.

You may wonder about the term "P-R PROJECT" on the sign. This indicates that the federal government is financing a portion of the restoration work through money provided by the Pittman-Robertson Act. This is an act of Congress that established an excise tax on firearms and ammunition and offers the money in matching funds to assist state departments in wildlife restoration work.

What does the sign mean in terms of hunting opportunities? Simply that the landowner has control of the hunting on the property as does any other landowner. No refuge has been established to prohibit hunting. However, you are expected to obtain permission before entering for any reason. The landowner is co-operating to make better hunting in Nebraska.

THE END

SPEAK UP

Send your questions to "Speak Up" OUTDOOR NEBRASKA, Slate Capitol, Lincoln 9, Nebraska Questions Terminology

"I think your magazine is really nice, and I have recommended it to high school biology students as well as student teachers. To 'Speak Up,' I should like to address this question: I would agree that crows are 'noisy' and maybe 'quarrelsome,' but how can they be 'mean or cowards'? I believe these terms can only be applied to a creature of intelligence such as man."—Doris Gates, Chadron.

Technically it is wrong to give human connotations to an animal or bird. These terms were used in February's "Hunting Black Bandits" story to describe the behavior of a crow with a minimum of words as the average layman sees him. Mainly, it is the difference between popular and technical writing. How many times do we see a single crow attack another creature? He will circle, create a disturbance which attracts more crows, and then attack. When the average layman sees this happen, he will more than likely say, "crows are cowards." Our language has become one of many colloquials: we say one thing and mean another.—Editor

What About Tularemia

"I've heard many things about tularemia or 'rabbit disease' and I am wondering if some could possibly be 'witches tales.' Is the disease common to both jack rabbits and cottontails? Is it true that you can tell an infected animal by feeling lumps in its stomach? And how does the disease effect humans?"—Eugene H. Wiemers, North Platte.

Studies show that practically all warm-blooded species, including jacks, cottontails, dogs, birds, rodents, and man, are susceptible to the disease. Answer No. 2—Not true. Answer No. 3—Symptoms in man are pain, tenderness and swelling of lymph glands draining the region infected (i.e., arm pit if hand is infected). Such symptoms are likely to appear two. to five days after infection. However, antibiotics are very effective in treating the disease. One attack in man gives life-long immunity. December 1959's OUTDOOR NEBRASKA will carry a tularemia story.—Editor.

Striped Bass for Nebraska

"I've had the good fortune of fishing striped bass in California, and much to my surprise there is a fresh-water type that should make a go of it in Nebraska. This fish is found in northwest Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi, hundreds of miles from the ocean. I'd like to see some one try to transplant some of these fish in Nebraska lakes and rivers."—Ed Nelson, Omaha.

"Nebraska already has introduced white bass, redear sunfish, and kokanee salmon and is trying for chain pickerel from Maine. Land-locked stripers, too, have been sought for the state, but the fish are difficult to obtain. All information available from biolgists in the states trying to introduce stripers indicates doubt as to whether the fish can take hold when completely separated from salt water. Nevertheless, if Nebraska can obtain some stripers, attempts will be made to introduce them here.—Editor.

Pro and Con

"For several months I've read of people telling about snakes swallowing their young. Don't they know that this is impossible? If a snake can digest mice and rabbits, how come they don't digest their young when they crawl into the parent's mouth? If all these so-called experts can answer this and still think that snakes swallow their young, then they oueht to rewrite some of the zoology books new in the schools."—Ole Engelson, Kearney.

"I do not want to bore you but I am interested in having this controversy settled for posterity, and I think you have enough evidence to convince you that the experts are wrong in this instance. If I am unable to convince you, what would be your reaction to a friendly court procedure, bringing in evidence from both sides? A judge and jury could settle the matter. Because you and the rest of the experts have never seen a snake swallow its young doesn't make it untrue. I believe every female of reptiles, birds, and animals has such a maternal instinct. I can send four affidavits from people who have seen this happen. With these and the letters in February's magazine, won't you please retract your untrue belief."—G. J. Owen, Benkelman.

OUTDOOR NEBRASKA stands its ground, but we would like to see the affidavits nevertheless.—Editor.

More License Collections

"I have 48 permits in all, the first one being issued to me on April 24, 1911. It had 907 on it."—Frank Berka, Omaha.

"I found among my late husband's papers a 1911 hunting license, also one for 1912 and 1913. They lapse until 1926, but from then on they are complete through 1956, along with migratory stamps."—Mrs. Dorothy Cole, Crete.

APRIL, 1959 23

DREAM COME TRUE

by John Orr Assistant State Leader of 4-H and Y.M.W. Extension Service The erection of this camp is like a promissory note; each dollar invested will produce lasting dividends

IN the heart of the Sand Hills, west of Halsey, lies a tract of land set aside as the Nebraska National Forest. Almost 30,000 acres of this land is a densely man-planted forest comparing with no other in the Midwest. This forest, called "The Miracle on The Prairie", was the result of a life-long dream of Dr. Charles E. Bessey, former professor of botany at the University of Nebraska.

Fifty years later, another man envisioned a dream of a different sort. This man, Guy Davis, then an assistant 4-H club leader who had tremendous interest in club conservation programs and camping, visualized a youth camp within the Nebraska National Forest. He and other individuals interested in youth studied the forest and saw its tremendous potential.

In 1955, committees were organized to probe into the possibilities of building a state 4-H camp in this area. Progress on this ambitious program was slowed down though, when Mr. Davis lost his life in a tragic car accident, as he was returning from the State 4-H Conservation Camp.

A memorial to Mr. Davis was the spark which kept the dream alive, and in 1957 committees were renamed. Last year a definite site was selected within the forest and negotiations with the Forestry Service for seven acres of land for a building site were completed. This site is two miles west of Halsey.

Why the need for a state camp?

It has been the dream for at least five years to develop a state 4-H club camp that 4-H members from all over Nebraska could be proud of and could call their own. It would be a camp similar to that which Boy Scouts, YMCA, Church, and other youth groups attend.

Committees are struggling for financial aid. This camp will provide only the simple and minimum needs of campers. It will not be an elaborate or deluxe establishment, but it will compare favorably with 4-H camps in neighboring South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado.

There is a crying need for this camp, since there is not one 4-H camp in Nebraska at this time. Because of this, 3,000 4-H members attend district camps in county fairgrounds, tent camps, college campuses, or other facilities operated by different groups. It is the dream and hope of all interested people to provide better camping for older youth, and it is hoped that a long-term planning will improve local camping.

Various types of activities under capable leadership will be provided at this camp. Supervised recreation, social crafts, nature and conservation studies, along with a schedule of competitive sports for all campers will be available. Also, this camp would provide an educational plant located in a setting where closely supervised forest, range, soil, and water conservation will provide ideal teaching conditions.

This 4-H camp will enable our youth to gain experience in simple living, to appreciate our natural resources, to be with one's age group, and to enjoy adventures which will last a lifetime. It will afford new insights of living in small compact groups, sharing and making adjustments in human relationships.

The camp will be available to youth and adult groups for all types of camping, training conferences, and other meetings. All groups, such as church, school, scouts, homemakers, and family campers will be encouraged to make use of the camping facilities the year around.

Your aid and the help of others is needed to raise $150,000 for this state 4-H camp. This can be done if you and others believe that the future welfare of our youth warrants a small financial investment; that 4-H club work provides opportunities for young people to grow into responsible citizens, and that this state camp will contribute to the future development of our youth.

What will this money buy? It will purchase: (1) A Main Lodge, 50' x 100', which will include kitchen and dining facilities; (2) bathhouse and sanitary facilities; (3) sleeping quarters for 150 campers, and (4) recreation area.

Send your contributions to the County Campaign Chairman or to the Treasurer, Nebraska Association for 4-H development, 108 Ag. Hall, College of Agriculture, Lincoln.

Think tall—and give for the future of Nebraska's youth!

THE END 24 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

OUTDOOR ELSEWHERE

You Cant Win

CALIFORNIA ... A rancher and his son and daughter stopped to help two deer that had run into a fence and knocked themselves unconscious. They pulled a buck and a doe away from the fence, and the latter came to and ran back into the fence and knocked herself out again. This time the two men lifted the doe over the fence, and she eventually came to and went bounding off. The buck came to and ran into the fence again and got his head caught. The rancher petted him and gradually worked his head free. Thereupon the buck gave his liberator a swift kick and ran back into the woods.

* * * Bounty Hunting Danger

SOUTH DAKOTA . . . Dead wild animals along the roadside or in fields may bring tragedy instead of a chance for easy bounty money. Mark Worcester, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Predator and Rodent Control Branch, warns that such animals could have died from rabies. "The likelihood of contracting rabies is greatest from skinning animals or handling them, particularly around the mouth, if the animal hasn't been dead too long," Worcester said. He added that people whomake a practice of picking up dead animals in order to collect the bounty "should particularly leave those alone that show no visible sign of the cause of death."

* * * Patient Deer

COLORADO ... At least a couple of wildlife conservation officers will swear by this hunting yarn: It happened last season, when a hunter left his car to go down into a meadow to see if he could see any deer sign. There he spotted a big buck behind some willows. His heart almost stopped. His gun was in his car. As silently as possible, he stole back to the car, grabbed his gun, and sneaked back down into the meadow. The buck was still there. Taking careful aim, in spite of his pounding circulatory system, he squeezed the trigger only to hear a sickening click. He forgot to load the gun. The buck was patient ... he had not moved. Slipping back to the car again, the hunter frantically loaded his gun and tiptoed back to the meadow. Opportunity had ceased knocking—the buck had left.

* * * Follow The Leader

WEST VIRGINIA . . . The conflicts of nature recently invaded a Barbour County home via a double-strength picture window. Hartzell Marteney, of near Volga, was rocking in a chair when a ruffed grouse plunged through the living-room window, past the dining room, and on into the kitchen. In hot pursuit came a Cooper's hawk, which hit a wall and scampered into a bedroom. Marteney, cut by flying glass, subdued the hawk but the grouse died in the crash.

* * * It Had to Happen

NEW YORK ... A release from UPI in The New York Times reported that vending machines for dispensing live fishworms are already in use in this state. The machines, illuminated and refrigerated, sell the worms for 50 cents a dozen. One of the "wormatics" sold 3,000 night crawlers over a recent weekend.

Gunner Bags Fish

MISSOURI . . . B. J. Mitchell swears he went duck hunting and came up with a fish. Mitchell said he was in a blind high on a bank at the Lake of the Ozarks and shot at a mallard just as it was alighting among his decoys. He rowed out to collect the duck and heard a splashing among the decoys. "And there was a \xk-pound white bass flopping around that had been hit with one of the pellets," he said.

* * * Alligator Blues

TEXAS . . . What would you do if you found an alligator blocking your driveway? One lady in this predicament called the game warden to move it. Since the alligators are protected in that particular county, the warden had a time getting all 12 feet of this wandering visitor back to the nearest lake.

APRIL. 1959 25

Notes on Nebraska Fauna

Franklin GROUND SQUIRREL

by Jim Tische Associate Editor This squirrel is different from others. He spends 90 per cent of his time asleep. His size belies his vicious streak. He can kill ducks as swiftly and as cleanly as a deadly weasel

THE bushy-tailed Citellus Franklini is one of the world's champion whistlers. The voice of the Franklin ground squirrel was first described by Robert Kennicott (1957) as "a remarkably clear whistle, more musical than the voice of any mammal I have ever listened to, and as clear as that of any bird."

Most of the whistling is done by the males, but the females, although not in voice so often, call just as clearly.

Very little study has been made of the Franklin, only unstriped member of the ground squirrel group. As late as 1938, a survey of literature by Lyle K. Sowls, now an authority on the rodent, showed it was apparent that the ground squirrel was among those American mammals of which little was known.

A native of Nebraska, his range is the eastern part of the state, west along the Platte River valley at least to Morrill County. Western limits of distribution in Nebraska are unknown. While common in the eastern portion, there are local areas where he is scarce or even absent. Continental range is east-central Alberta to northwestern Indiana, westward to south-central Kansas and western North Dakota.

The Franklin population is not as dense as that of his cousins. This rodent requires plenty of water, and water supplies may limit his distribution. In some cases, wild, succulent plants may suffice as a water supply.

"Gray gopher" and "whistling ground squirrel" are several of the nicknames given to the rodent. These names distingush him from his close relatives the Richardson ground squirrel or "flickertail" and the 13-striped ground squirrel. The Richardson is not a native of Nebraska.

The Franklin looks somewhat like the gray tree squirrel but his tail is shorter and not so bushy. General color is brownish-gray, the somewhat bluish head contrasting with the buffy body, and he is indistinctly spotted or barred, particularly on the hind quarters. Length of a mature animal is approximately 14 inches, of which 4% inches are tail. His tail is bushier than that of the striped species.

This ground squirrel prefers to be nearer to underbrush than its striped cousin, otherwise they have much in common, such as inside cheek pouches and the hibernating habit. The Franklin is a frequenter of brushy fields, rocks, and brush at the edge of woods.

26 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA  

These rodents have a tendency to live in loose communities. According to Kennicott the squirrels are usually found "living alone or in pairs . . . this perhaps owing to their small numbers; for the species appears to be naturally gregarious, and at times, larger companies live together, burrowing within a few feet of each other, several pairs even entering the same hole."

The ground squirrel is known as a good climber and swimmer. Although the Franklin lacks the tree squirrel's ability to jump from bough to bough, he traverses limbs with ease and speed. While he is a good swimmer, most authorities do not believe the creature will voluntarily cross water in his travels.

Apparently, the species hibernates in groups. On the first few days after the spring emergence, many squirrels may be seen near a few dens. The Franklin usually comes out of hibernation in early April.

A long sleeper, this ground squirrel goes into hibernation in September or October and stays there until April. Even in terms of active hours per year, the Franklin is very inactive. Both his days and seasons are short and his total time above ground is probably approximately 10 per cent of his lifetime. The other 90 per cent is spent in his burrow, most of it in hibernation.

This paucity of active periods greatly curtails the role of the ground squirrel both as a prey species and as a predator upon other forms. Also, it conditions his relationship with the entire plant and animal environment. During hibernation, he is available prey only to strong diggers and to predators like the weasel which is small enough to follow his tunnels. His enemies include hawks, weasels, minks, skunks, foxes, and coyotes.

Nature's control on the Franklin is disease and parasites. When populations become dense enough, these two factors cause a sharp decline in numbers.

During the summer, this squirrel's time below ground is controlled primarily by weather and light. A sun-loving animal, he is strictly diurnal and is seldom seen after sundown, usually retiring a few hours before. Low temperatures, rain, and wind will keep him underground. A strong wind is particularly annoying to them; on windy days, although the weather may be clear and warm, the Franklin will remain out but a short time.

The breeding season is over by June and no second litter is raised. The exact length of the gestation period is not known. A second litter of young would not have time to store up fat for the long sleep.

In preparation for birth of the young, the female will carry much grass into her burrow to build a nest. Litters average from five to eight young. At birth, the youngsters are about an inch long, naked, and reddish pink. From a condition of helplessness, the young develop rapidly. Short hair covers the youngsters at the end of nine days and they are fully haired by the 16th day.

Young squirrels in captivity started to explore the brood chamber and gave shrill whistles at 30 days. After the first month, the young undertook short excursions out of the brood chamber and whistled constantly. By fall, the young were almost as large as the parent.

During the mating season, there is general warfare among the mates. They bite each other around the rump and nearly every male has a cut or bare spot on its back about two inches ahead of the tail base. In captivity, Sowls reported the strongest squirrel soon established his dominance and fighting was less severe.

The Franklin has been regarded by most writers as an omnivorous feeder. Animal food makes up about one-third of its diet. This diet includes mice, young rabbits, toads, frogs, insects, and occasionally young birds.

High on his list of food is succulent roots, new shoots, and grasses. When he comes in contact with agriculture, the Franklin may become an economic problem. The squirrel's predation upon gardens is common. Vegetable preferences are peas, beans, lettuce, cabbage, newly planted corn, carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes.

Cannibalism has been observed among the creatures. Vernon Bailey (1926) wrote "when caught in traps or found dead, they are even eaten by their own kind."

As a predator upon game birds, the rodent has some black marks against it. Logan J. Bennet in Iowa studies, Walter Breckenridge in Minnesota, and Sowls in Canada obtained records of the Franklin destroying duck nests.

Albert Hochbaum and Edward Ward in releasing penreared mallards on a lake shore, observed the Franklin in rare form.

Hochbaum said: "Most of the ducks were released along the open beach, but one group was given its freedom in the beach peas 40 yards from the water. The moment the crates were opened a Franklin ground squirrel darted from the weeds and immediately attacked one of the mallards at our very feet. The squirrel savagely bit at the base of the skull. Even before the duck had stopped kicking, the squirrel was tearing at the feathers and skin of the breast, the eating the flesh. In his action, the squirrel reminded us of a weasel at the kill. The job was done quickly and surely, not appearing to be the work of a novice."

Studies have shown the Franklin is able to kill almost fully grown ducks. But seldom will the rodent attack a large number of ducks. A brood making an overland excursion is fairly safe from the Franklin so long as it remains together.

Curiosity of the squirrel makes him easy to capture by snaring. When chased into his burrow, he does not remain down long, usually less than a minute, before curiosity overcomes his wariness. At this moment, a quick jerk of the snare captures the animal.

But Sowls has another version of this method of catching: "Many times, however, I have placed a snare where the squirrel entered only to find him watching me from another entrance to the same burrow."

The Franklin seldom is far from his burrow and runs for it immediately upon the approach of danger. He is completely unprotected in this state and may be taken in any manner.

THE END APRIL, 1959 27

MATCH THEM UP

THE accompanying photographs are of eight sporting dog breeds. All questions give a clue to the idenity of each. As a reward, the first five persons to send in the correct answers will receive a one-year subscription to OUTDOOR NEBRASKA. Mail answers to OUTDOOR NEBRASKA, State Capitol, Lincoln.

1. Considered by the field-trial devotees as a "big-going" dog, he has copped the national title more than any other breed.

2. This handsome lad's rich-mahogany coat is thoroughly distinctive and has made him a bench-show favorite.

3. His dynasty as complete ruler of all field-trial events was ended by dog in question No. 1.

4. We'll make this one easy. This is the only one of the spaniel breed that points game.

5. For many years he reigned as lop dog in the American Kennel Club registration. The beagle look his crown away in 1954.

6. His adaptability has earned him the reputation of being an all-purpose dog. He is also used by a few to trail and point deer.

7. As a retriever this breed leaves little to be desired. He can, and often has, watched four or five birds dropped and retrieved every one.

8. This might be a ioughie. This breed is particularly adept at batlue hunting. A slow worker, he is a sure finder and splendid retriever.

9. This one is a specialist and looks the part. He acquires hunting instinct at a tender age, and pups of two months frequently point and even back.

10. His hunting ability was nearly destroyed by indiscriminate bench-show breeder. He is making a remarkable comeback in field trials.

11. This spaniel gained most of his early fame, as an all-round shooting dog, on the lakes of the middle west.

12. Only a handful of this breed can be found in this country. His name doubtless arose from Clumber Park.

13. A German export, he is the result of a double cross of approximately 50 per cent old Spanish pointer, 25 per cent English foxhound, and 25 per cent bloodhound.

14. Many years ago this breed was divided into two groups; the land and water type. In 1892 he was given breed status in England's Kennel Club stud book.

15. Possessing keen scenting ability, this dog has a coat of orange and white. His first time afield in America he carried off a prize against stiff competition. Postmaster: If undeliverable FOR ANY REASON, notify sender, stating reason, on FORM 3547, postage for which is guaranteed.

16. Major credit for the development of this breed should go lo Edward Laverack. Purcell Llewellin added new "blcod" to this breed to give it additional prestige.

ANSWERS MARCH MATCH UP 1. (f) long-nosed gar; 2. (d) flathead catfish; 3. (a) largemouth bass; 4. (h) blue catfish; 5. (b) walleye; 6. (c) fresh-water drum; 7. (e) rainbow trout; 8. (g) channel catfish; 9. (b) walleye; 10. (f) long-nosed gar; 11. (d) flathead catfish; (12) (g) channel catfish; 13. (a) largemouth bass; 14. (e) rainbow trout; 15. (h) blue catfish; 16. (c) freshwater drum. FORWARDING POSTAGE GUARANTEED OUTDOOR NEBRASKA STATE HOUSE Lincoln, Nebraska