OUTDOOR Nebraska

OUTDOOR NEBRASKA of the Air

WHISPERING WINGS

AN OCTOBER sunrise on a lonely Nebraska marsh—the prelude to a long-awaited adventure to the hunter waiting impatiently as the blood-red rays wipe away dawn's misty veil from the countryside. Tension has coiled up in a tight bundle in the pit of his stomach, threatening to explode when the gentle sound of whispering wings lets him know that this is the moment he's been waiting for. Ducks—a good half-dozen greenheads—come sideslipping into his blocks.

This fall, countless hunters will take to Nebraska's marshes, sloughs, and potholes in search of new duck hunting adventures. It will be the first outing for some. For the old timers, it will be the reliving of past hunts that never dull no matter how many times they go afield.

What will the forthcoming season offer the anxious nimrodder? For one thing, our local ducks will provide plenty of early shooting opportunities. And later, if conditions improve, the northern flights will offer additional thrills. Perhaps we won't bag as many as we did last year, but there isn't a hunter alive who is not eternally optimistic when duck hunting season rolls around. In fact, the modern sportsman is a guy who simply enjoys the opportunity to go afield; "filling-out" is a secondary item.

In this section of this special issue, you will find find a vast array of expert information on the state and Flyway picture, what to wear afield, the retriever's place in the blind, guns and ammunition, hunting techniques, how to clean and prepare ducks for the table and Bud Pritchard's outstanding color illustrations to help you identify the many ducks you'll see afield. We feel certain that this issue will become a valuable and lasting addition to your library outdoor material.

1. Pintail: Adult male, left; adult female, right; adult male in autumn molt, bottom. An abundant migrant throughout the state, this duck is named for its peculiar tail. The tail's two middle feathers are much longer than the others. Weight ranges from 1 to 23A pounds. No duck is more readily recognized in flight than the trim drake.

2. Mallard; Adult male, top; adult male in autumn molt, bottom left; adult female, bottom right. This duck is abundant in the state and nests wherever there is suitable habitat. Frequently called the "greenhead", the mailard is among the heaviest of wild ducks, weighing from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds. Flight speed of this bird is 45 to 60 miles per hour, but he appears much slower because of his large size.

3. American Widgeon: Adult male, left; adult female, right; adult male in autumn molt, bottom. This bird is better known to the hunter as the baldpate. The latter comes from the creamy top of the duck's head which presents a bald appearance when in spring plumage. He is of medium size, weighing from 1 1/2. to 2 1/2 pounds. A common migrant throughout the state.

4. Black Duck: Adult female, top, and adult male, bottom. A rare migrant, occasionally appearing in the eastern part of the state. This is the heaviest of all surface feeding ducks, reaching weights of 4 pounds.

5. Shoveller: Adult male, left; adult male in autumn molt, top right; adult female, bottom right. This species is more commonly known as the "spoonbill", "shovelbill", or "broadbill". The shoveller is a very common migrant in the state. Not a heavy duck, this bird weighs from I to 134 pounds.

6. Gadwall: Adult male, top, and adult female, bottom. He's known to many as the "gray duck" or "gray widgeon". A common migrant, it nests in Nebraska. The weight of this bird is from 1 Vi to 2 pounds.

the Flyway Picture

WHEN early surveys began to dribble in, the waterfowl picture appeared very grim. Later reports, however, gave a more optimistic outlook on the overall situation and has assumed a somewhat more favorable picture.

This year the snow and ice disappeared slowly in Canada and was absorbed by the thirsty soil. Consequently the sloughs and potholes which had dried up the summer before remained dry. The natural waters and other man-made impoundments harbored many ducks, but the large numbers of migratory ducks passed on North to the better watered park lands only to be thwarted by the slowly retreating "ice line".

What promised to be an early nesting season for mallards, pintails, and canvasbacks blew up when May dished up a succession of severe frosts, snowstorms, and general hellery. The result — no early hatch of any significance.

Gloomy as the picture may have been, the late nesters such as the gadwalls, baldpates, blue-winged teal, and lesser scaup had more time to adapt themselves to drought conditions, and hatches appeared to be close to normal.

In early July Ducks Unlimited reported that late broods were appearing in growing numbers. Drought over most of the southern prairies had broken. Copious rains during the preceding 10 days checked evaporation temporarily, and in some districts of southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba flooding occurred. Ducks Unlimited began receiving reports that broods of average size or better were showing up daily in increasing numbers.

Overall, the picture had changed and as a result we were able to predict a good—but not sensational 1959 duck hunting season. I didn't want to raise false hopes then, nor do I now. Our experience has been that these northern areas never compensate for the prolific production on the prairies when there are favorable weather and water conditions.

Last July, the Central Flyway Council recommended a 75-day duck season for the Flyway, with the same duck limits we had last year—daily four, possession, eight. The Council also recommended a closed season on canvasbacks and redheads in view of their low numbers. Ultimately, a 60-day season was approved, opening at noon, October 10 and continuing through December 8. (See page 36 for complete details on season length, bag limits, etc.)

Bad hatches and adverse weather conditions affecting duck nesting success depends on some factors we cannot control. But like true sportsmen, we should make the best of the situation and enjoy whatever duck shooting opportunities that come our way.

The author—a nationally recognized duck authority—is the chief naturalist of Ducks Unlimited.

The State Picture

WATERFOWLERS in Nebraska have enjoyed marvelous hunting success during the past few years. Sometimes, however—through circumstances beyond anyone's control—a good thing must end. In our case, the outlook isn't bad but duck hunting won't be as good as it has been.

Painting rosy pictures with fancy words won't change the situation. And since fencing with words is not my forte, I'll lay the cards right on the table. Flights from the North will be smaller than in past years, the result of atrocious weather conditions, namely ice and drought, that brought duck production almost to a standstill.

What can our state duck hunter expect this fall? Nebraska lies on the southern fringe of the Central Flyway production area and, generally speaking, our water levels and conditions for duck production have been good. This is the bright spot in our duck picture.

Local production is important to Nebraskans during a year such as 1959. Game Commission surveys revealed a decline of breeding waterfowl as compared to 1958. But remember that 1958 was one of our top years. A minimum of 100,000 breeding ducks are in the Sand Hills. Many more are in the rain basin area of south-central Nebraska.

With good late summer rains water levels in the Sand Hills and the rain-basin area should be in good shape when the season opens. These areas were lifesavers, providing good nesting conditions for our ducks.

Blue-winged teal made up the largest part of the state's breeding population, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the ducks hatched this year. Pintails, mallards, and shovellers have helped swell the duck population with gadwalls, baldpates, redheads, and green-winged teal contributing in lesser numbers.

The blue-winged teal, the most abundant species here, will provide much of the early shooting opportunities. We should have some tremendous teal shooting during October, but the populations will dwindle during the later part of the month. Most of them will high-tail it out of the state by November. Although small, the bluewing is one of our best birds for sport shooting. Don't overlook this bird when you go out this fall. Each year the little fellow comprises a large proportion of our waterfowl harvest. Last year it ranked third with 48,087. Mallards, of course, led the parade with 247,115.

It's difficult to say exactly what success hunters can expect this fall. It can be darn good, or just fair. To be frank, it's in the lap of the gods.—THE END

The author, formerly district game supervisor, is now assistant project leader in charge of waterfowl and fur hearers.

"FIT" for Ducks

IT ISN'T necessary to feature sartorial splendor in a duck blind, but neither is it necessary to have the ducks mistake you for a neglected orphan. Clothes may not make the hunter, yet if a man is comfortably dressed he is inclined to have more patience and a surer aim.

A duck shooter's clothing must be dull in tone, to blend with the landscape, and made of materials that will buck the wind and the dampness. The heaviest garments are not always the warmest.

A fellow who is planning his initial trip will need woolen underwear, woolen socks, a flannel shirt, a substantially lined jacket (preferably a parka), breeches of similar weight and construction, split palm mitts, and suitable boots. A sweater is always a wise addition, and a cap to wear when the parka hood is lowered. The articles can be secured in a variety of weights and prices.

If a customer is to be outfitted from top to toe, let's first consider the underwear. Being dealers in quality merchandise, Abercrombie and Fitch recommends Jaeger's all-wool garments in a heavier weight. The fine texture will not irritate the more sensitive skins. Long-sleeved shirt and ankle-length drawers, in natural color or fireman's red, retail at $25 a set. For the man who can afford the luxury of cashmere, such underwear is available at $115 a suit. Also in stock is the rather bulky but lightweight weather-all insulated underwear of quilted nylon at $15 a garment.

For his flannel shirt we prefer a lightweight and washable English Viyella flannel in forestry color. The price is $1*5.95. Also available are Pendleton all wool and somewhat heavier flannel shirts at various advertised prices. These should be dry cleaned.

The standard all-wool Wigwam socks are $3.50 a pair. In our shoe department is the so-called Thermo sock for men and women. These are insulated and are constructed of a foam-like material called 'Ensolite'. They are thick and pliable, completely waterproof, and are $3.75 a pair.

Most duck hunters prefer a parka-style jacket. They are made of many materials and vary in price. Suggested is a weather-proofed cotton Grenfell cloth with a thick alpaca pile lining. It is styled in two lengths and can be bought for $72 and $85. Breeches to match are $49.50. A knee-length parka of green waterproof material is $58.

Split palm buckskin mitts for the right or lefthanded shooter have knitted wristbands and are priced at $6.50. Grenfell cloth mitts in gauntlet style and lined in alpaca pile are $10.

Boots of various heights are used, including the hip-length rubber one for really swampy areas. The latter are worn over the shoes and are $22.95. For added foot comfort, a Thermo-pac boot, lined with the unique cellular 'Ensolite' from sole to ankle, is carried in stock. This boot, proved by the army under sub-zero conditions, has a cushion insole and created sole and heel. The price is $21.

A duck call is another rather essential item. It will amuse the user as well as attract the prey. Available is a hand-operated one that works by pressure, on the order of a small accordion. It is labeled a Scotch call and can be bought for $7.50.

This may look like an imposing list and in some cases the prices may seem out of reason, but less expensive items can always be substituted. If the weather should happen to turn mild, a shooter may drop as many while attired in a soiled sweat shirt and an old pair of slacks.

But what would the ducks think?

The author is associated with Abercrombie and Fitch, a firm internationally known for outfitting the sportsman in all types of outdoor activities.

tips to SUCCESSFUL SHOTGUNNING

WHAT IS the best gun and load for ducks? Ignoring the critics, let me give you what I consider the best all-around guns for duck hunting and the ideal loads to use.

The first thing—and often this can either wreck or make you a crack shot—is to get a gun that fits you. Guns aren't like clothes, but when the stock flies up to your shoulder and cheek, it had better fit, or else you'll be in for some cussed-hard shooting. Make sure you don't have to cock your head when your eyes are lined up along the barrel or your head forced into an unnatural position when the gun is up to your shoulder. Some drastic changes are in order if this is the case.

Stock dimensions rule the roost when it comes to accurate gunning. Some lanky chaps may need 14 1/2 or even 15-inch stocks (this is measured from the center of the gun butt to the trigger). On the other hand a stout, chunky fellow with short arms often has parts of his stock cut to get a 13-inch "pull", including a recoil pad.

The heel of the stock and drop at the comb is of vital importance in having a gun that will be effective in providing good shooting. Men with short necks may be able to use a stock with a U^-inch drop at the comb and 3 1/2 inches at the heel of the butt. For the average man, however, less drop will do better. The long-necked chap will need even less drop at the heel so he can plant the comb of his stock up against his cheek as if it grew there.

For the newcomer I would recommend a 12 gauge, full or modified choke, with a 28 or 30-inch barrel. This does not mean that gunners with ,410's or 20 gauge shotguns cannot bag ducks. I prefer 28-inch 8 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   barrels, but that's a matter of personal choice. Regardless of what type of gun you buy—single, double, pump, or autoloading—pick the one that gives you confidence when you heft it in your hands.

All modern guns offer good shooting patterns. The 20 gauge is often plenty of gun for the moderate to good shot. The 12 gauge—with a modified choke and Magnum loads of 4 drams, 1 1/2 ounces of No. 6, 4, or 2 shot—gives the average hunter a wonderful pattern at 50 to 55 yards. Using a 20 gauge shotgun with Magnum loads will provide a 6 to 7-inch pattern. This is smaller than the 12 gauge shotgun pattern.

The best bet for the guy who likes to hit them way out would be with a full-choke, 12 gauge Magnum shotgun. This is a real killer when he "chucks" a 3-inch, lYs-ounce load into the gun. Birds at 65 yards will fall from this barrage, if he's a good shot. Of course, his lead must be perfect to get the duck into shot pattern.

Here's a bit of interesting information to remember when you fling your chilled shot at the birds coming into range of your gun. It takes five No. 7 shot to make a clean kill of a bird or duck at 40 yards; four No. 6 shot; three No. 5 shot; two or three No. 4 shot and two No. 2 shot. Keep this in mind the next time you go out. Do not shoot at ducks beyond 55 to 60 yard ranges, because you will cripple—and usually lose—five birds to every one you kill cleanly.

A word about leading: to compensate for shot flight time alone, the lead has to be—on a 60-yard duck high-tailing it under full steam—about 15 feet. That's seven to eight duck lengths. If we add the human reaction and gun-lock time, you'll need additional lead. Once you start to track that fast-moving bird, get on him fast, swing that barrel past him, and then let go. If your lead is right, you've added another bird to your bag.

Don't aim your gun at flying game. Point the gun and shoot with both eyes open, swinging your gun smoothly in motion with the bird in flight. If he is flying straight away, swing gun up to him and as your gun passes over his head fire. Don't stop the swing of your gun when you fire. You will continually shoot behind the bird, getting nothing but a few tail feathers at most.

For the average gunner, I would recommend the following ammunition for duck hunting: use a load with 3 1/2 drams of powder and ls ounces of No. 7 6, or 5 shot, whichever you prefer, but above all stick with one load throughout the season. Changing from high-speed to a low-speed load every day you go afield will throw you off form. Using Magnum loads is fine to get the birds that are out of reach of the ordinary loads, but you're in for a mighty painful shoulder if you use them all day. And if the added wallop is going to give you the flinching jitters, you'd better stick to regular loads.

A duck can fly an eighth of a mile with one pellet in its heart. So it isn't penetration that kills the birds—it's the number of shot pellets that hit it. If you want to bring down birds within retrievable range, cut down your shot sizes and get patterns.

Last of all, make it a habit to either make your shots clean kills or clean misses. Don't be like the guy who was asked, "Had any luck shooting, today?"

"I should say I did," replied the newcomer to this game. "I bagged 13 ducks today!"

"Were they wild?"

"Well, — no — not exactly; but the farmer who owned them was."

The author is a conservation officer from Crete. He has compiled a remarkable shooting record and has held the Nebraska trap-shooting title. Mr. Owen spends considerable time in teaching youths how to handle and use firearms in a safe manner.

Retriever TIPS to TYROS

THERE'S no doubt about it—a good retriever is one of the best bets to successful hunting. In fact, a competent retriever becomes your best ally in practicing good conservation by fetching cripples you would otherwise have lost.

Good dogs recover thousands of game birds each year. It has been estimated that waterfowlers cripple 30 per cent of their birds. This means that a whopping six to eight-million ducks are lost each year that could have been recovered by competent dogs.

Let's assume that this article will be read by many tyros. For you old-timers, bear with me and just consider the items that follow as a refresher course.

The most popular of the six retriever breeds used by waterfowlers in this country are Labradors, goldens, and Chesapeake Bays. However, the Irish water spaniel, curly-coat, and flat-coat breeds are by no means extinct. Though they are seldom seen in the blinds, they are excellent water dogs and in some cases can out-perform the popular breeds.

Any of the mentioned breeds will lend themselves admirably to training methods which will insure a well-mannered dog. Choice of breed is purely a matter of personal opinion. It should hinge on a person's ability to train that breed and the tractibility of dog to the person who shall use and handle him.

A word of caution to sportsmen who think retrievers are self-trained thinking machines. They're not. An untrained retriever in the duck blind is absolutely useless. Such a dog compares to a shotgun without shells, or a boat without oars. About the only place an untrained retriever should be during hunting season is at home.

If you plan to buy a retriever, you might heed the following suggestions:

(1) Buy a puppy with proven bloodlines. Make sure the pup's dam and sire are from good hunting stock. Stay away from bloodlines that indicate ancestors that were used only as bench-show dogs.

(2) Buy from an honest and reliable breeder. A dedicated breeder stands 100 per cent behind his product and would rather take a financial beating than jeopardize his reputation.

(3) Make certain that the pup has some natural retrieving ability. Most definitely, do not select a shy or timid dog. If you are familiar with bloodlines, get a pup with 80 per cent "Shed" bloodlines for the brains, and 20 per cent of "Highwood Mike" for the go, drive, power, and stamina. This is an ideal combination which should provide you with an outstanding retriever.

(4) If your wallet can stand a good belt, select a pup that is nearly one year old. Such a dog will be past his health-danger periods and be of a size and appearance that will indicate what he will eventually shape into. Many times this can be the best and wisest choice you could make.

Let's suppose you have decided to purchase your dog from a distant breeder. Learn the exact time of of the dog's arrival and method of shipment, and then be on hand to greet him when he arrives. Remember, he didn't ask to come to you; you asked for him. Be his friend. Show some affection and kindness in your first meeting, for he is a stranger to you and you must win his confidence. If you do this, you'll step out in the right direction in forming a splendid hunting combination that'll be hard to beat.

Be patient and understanding when you begin teaching the pup the basics of retrieving. Often an 10   owner becomes impatient with a young dog if he is slow to respond. If you try to advance the dog's training too hard and fast, you can destroy his natural enthusiasm. The ideal way to get your pup started on the right track—unless you've had considerable experience handling dogs—is to obtain advice and tips from experienced owners, or better yet, from a professional trainer.

Once you have determined that your pup has the aptitude to retrieve., use the method in teaching a retriever not to be gun-shy in "Boot Training for Dogs" in July's OUTDOOR NEBRASKA. The article describes the yard training system of teaching a retriever to heel, sit, stay, and come when called.

Basic training sessions in retrieving should be started as soon as your dog is yard broken. These should include retrieving dummies, dead birds, and live birds.

The last lesson on retrieving live birds will teach your dog to be a capable retriever of cripples. These sessions will steady him to shot; teach him to retrieve singles, doubles, or any number of birds; teach him to deliver to hand, never dropping a bird on land, or water; and teach him how to work from shore, or boat, and go through decoys without bothering them.

To illustrate the above points, I'll elaborate a bit:

On water your dog should be accustomed to working out of a blind and going through any amount of decoys in fetching the fallen bird without molesting the decoys. He should be able to make long single retrieves, and doubles, one after another, up to 100 yards. He should be able to go in any direction, upon a line signal given by the handler. He must be steady as a rock, to shot and wing, and must not drop a bird he is retrieving to pick up another shot in front of him. Your dog must be able to find a bird, even if he didn't see it fall, sitting steadily on the line until ordered to fetch.

Assuming that you have taught your dog to take a line into water from shore or boat, lessons should begin for the dog to respond to dog whistle commands when he is around 15 months old. A single blast should stop your dog in his tracks. Then he should look toward you for the right line to retrieve game. Using this technique is an ideal way of getting your dog to seek game he does not see falling.

After your dog has absorbed the training lessons with some degree of ability, it might pay you to run him at a local trial to see how he stacks up against other dogs and to note how he performs under competitive fire. By all means, attend a few trials if you doubt your dog's readiness. Later, try to have your dog emulate the manners of the perfect shooting dog of your choice. Using a good dog as an example helps you to improve your dog's ability and style and will result in a more polished dog.

The competition seen at these trials will show the beginner the difference between good, bad, and indifferent dogs. If you're a careful observer, you'll note the relish with which some of the dogs hit the water to make a perfect retrieve. You'll see the lack of fiery determination in some dogs when it comes to hitting icy-cold waters, too. You'll learn how good dog handlers, using whistle and hand signals, guide their dogs to make letter-perfect retrieves of game they never see fall.

Not every retriever makes a good shooting dog. Make certain that your dog possesses the natural qualities which will make him invaluable afield. At best, training retrievers is a long drawn-out process. Sometimes it ends in bitter disappointment.

I wish the readers would take to heart this next remark, and mark it well. Among the gun-dog fraternity, there is an old saying: "The better the fieldtrial dog, the better shooting dog."

Let me explain what I mean. One of the greatest thrills during my 24 years of handling and training retrievers came in the fall of 1951. I hunted ducks with a wonderful dog named "Ready Always". Through rough and miserable weather he retrieved in a flawless manner. Two weeks later, Ready Always and I teamed up to win the National Retriever Championship title at Carnation, Washington. Now you can see why I say that a good field-trial dog makes a good shooting dog.

A fatal mistake made by many amateur handlers comes when they proudly boast: "I have a natural retriever, and he needs no training." This is bad. Most retrievers are natural retrievers, but to obtain a polished and dependable dog, many tedious hours and days must be spent with him. And once a dog is trained, he won't disappoint or let you down. In the end you will enjoy his work more, and I'll wager that he'll recover 90 per cent of the birds you knock down. If you take my advice you'll never go hunting again without a good retriever.

With our migratory waterfowl population down from previous years, it is essential that every hunter gather up every bird he downs. A fully trained retriever is the answer.

The author—an internationally known retriever authority has trained and handled retrievers for 24 years. During this span he compiled an astounding record with many "firsts".

Duck Hunting Laws

MIGRATORY birds, which move across state and national borders, are recognized as an international resource requiring conservation on a continental basis. Protection in the United States is provided by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of July 3, 1918, as amended (40 Statute etc., 755; 16 U.S.C. 703).

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it unlawful to hunt, kill, sell, purchase, or possess migratory birds except as permitted by regulations adopted by the Secretary of the Interior.

The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp must be in possession of any hunter who goes after waterfowl. Persons under 16 do not need a stamp. The duck stamp costs $3 and can be purchased at your local post office. Sporting-goods dealers are allowed to purchase extra stamps, as an accommodation for their customers.

The duck stamp provides that no person who has attained the age of 16 shall take any migratory waterfowl (brant, wild ducks, geese, and swans) unless at the time of taking he has on his person an unexpired duck stamp which must be validated by his signature written across the face of the stamp in ink, and attached to his regular hunting permit. The Act defines "take" to mean pursue, hunt, shoot, capture, collect, kill, or attempt any of the taking methods.

Legal hunting methods: These apply only when the season is open on waterfowl.

Migratory waterfowl may be taken:

(1) by the aid of a dog, bow and arrow, or with a shotgun (not larger than 10 gauge and incapable of holding more than three shells) fired from the shoulder.

(2) In the open or from a blind or other place of concealment (except a sink box) on land or water ("sink box" refers to a raft or any type of low floating device having a depression which affords a hunter a means of concealing himself below the surface of the water).

(3) From a floating craft, excluding a sink box but including a sailboat or a boat or other craft having a motor attached when such used sailboat, boat, or other craft with motor attached is beached, resting at anchor, or fastened within or tied immediately alongside of any type of fixed hunting blind.

(4) On or over standing crops (including aquatics), flooded standing crops, flooded harvested crop lands, grain crops properly shocked on the field where grown, or grains found scattered solely as a result of normal agricultural harvesting.

(5) By the aid of a motorboat, sailboat, or other craft when used solely as a means of picking up dead or injured birds.

Among prohibited hunting methods that should be mentioned, the hunter cannot use live birds as decoys; use an amplified recorded bird call; or hunt over bait (placing grain to lure ducks to the hunter).

Migratory game birds may be taken from sunrise to sunset during the open duck-hunting.seasons.

Possession limit is the total number that may be possessed at any limit at any given time. This includes not only game in personal possession, but also held in any method of storage. THE END

1. Blue-winged Teal: Adult male, left; adult female, right; adult male in autumn molt, center; juvenile male, bottom. This duck is always high in the bag list for state hunters. Large numbers of bluewings stay in the spring, nesting in the Sand Hills. It tends to shun cold weather, arriving late in the spring and leaving early in the fall. The speedy bird, weighing 10 ounces to 1 pound, furnishes good, early fall shooting.

2. Green-winged Teal: Adult female, top left; adult male, top right; juvenile male, bottom left; adult male in autumn molt, bottom right. An abundant migrant throughout the state and a common winter resident in suitable habitat. This is the smallest of our ducks, weighing from 10 to 14 ounces. It likes small ponds, puddles, and creeks.

3. Cinnamon Teal: Adult male in autumn molt, top; adult male, center; adult female, bottom. The cinnamon teal is confined in its range to the western portion of the continent. This colorful bird is most abundant west of the Rocky Mountains and is rarely encountered east of the Divide. A rare migrant in the eastem third ond an uncommon migrant to the western two-thirds of the state.

4. Wood Duck: Adult female, top; adult male, center; adult male in autumn molt, bottom. Without any doubt, the drake of this species is the most beautiful of all our waterfowl. This medium-sized duck — 1 to 1 3/4 pounds—generally nests in trees. The wood duck is an uncommon migrant but there are some cases where it has nested here.

5. Ruddy Duck: Adult male in winter plummage, top; adult female, bottom left; adult male, bottom right. This is a chunky bird with a short heavy neck, short upturned tail, and short rounded tail with narrow stiff feathers. Sometimes called the "butterball", the ruddy duck weighs 1 to 1 Yi pounds. It is a common migrant and breeder in the state. Being an excellent diver, it will frequently try to escape enemies by diving rather than flying.

ABC's of Hunting

THERE are a lot of factors which enter into a successful duck-hunting season. In any hunt, the most important thing is your gun. You can build blinds, set decoys, and talk ducks in with a call, but the difference between a mallard in the pot or eating yesterday's leftovers is your gun and your ability to use it.

The quickest way to start an argument is to ask what is the best gun and load for duck hunting. Most hunters already own a gun and have definite ideas. Many hunters can and do use a 20 gauge or a .410 to drop ducks. My advice to the beginner is to buy a gun that fits.

Calling, leading, and setting decoys can be picked up with practice. So every hunter going afield should develop the ability to use the gun, even if it means shooting targets, such as trap rocks, or skeet, during the off season.

There are three recognized techniques of shooting ducks—pass, jump, and decoy shooting. Sneaking on ducks can be included in the jump category. Hunters sometimes have to make a sneak on ducks which are in a small pond of open water or in a cornfield.

Decoy shooting is the most popular and most effective for bagging birds. The number of decoys you use will depend on the size of the body of water. The first thing I do with a set of decoys is paint them black. They show up much better this way. How decoys are set out depends on the wind. I always set upwind so the birds have to pass between my blind and the blocks.

For river shooting, I use 12 to 18 decoys. If the river is wide, I set the decoys in a fishhook pattern. On a narrow stretch of river, the decoys are set in small clusters. In both sets, the decoys are placed close to the blind. These patterns bring the ducks in close for shots—15 to 35 yards. I use a 7% trap load (3 drams of powder and lVs ounces of shot) or a pigeon load (3Y4 drams and 114 ounces). Late in the season when the birds are wild, I switch to a No. 6 shot in a regular or light Magnum.

On small ponds and lakes, three dozen decoys can do the job. Set the decoys in small clusters with a hole in the middle. The ducks will usually come into this spot. On reservoir waters, 70 to 80 decoys are used and set in two bunches, one on each side of the blind. This leaves a hole in the middle for the incoming ducks. If the birds don't decoy to the hole, they wil usually swing over the blind. On big water, No. 6 shot in regular or light Magnum loads works fine.

Late in the season, ducks can become decoy-wise. They will light upriver from the decoys and then head for the bank. When this happens, I place a small cluster of decoys in the middle of the river. Then I scatter the rest of the decoys close to shore and near the blind. This will sometimes fool the wise birds. If the ducks light and swim in among the decoys, you can flush them out and have some fine jump shooting.

Pass shooting is the most difficult and therefore not as popular as decoy shooting. Leading is difficult and the shots may be from 50 to 75 yards. This type of shooting is done in the Sand Hills where the ducks trade between lakes. Find a natural pass between two waters, say a hill or a meadow. Try to find some natural cover and you are in business. I would recommend copperized shot in a No. 4 load. This shot has good penetrating power, and you stand a better chance of breaking wings on the birds.

Jump shooting is favored on the smaller lakes and sloughs. It requires no decoys, just a good pair of waders. The hunter can trudge the edge of the sloughs and kick out a number of birds. Here a full or modified choke works well. I prefer a No. 6 load because of the better pattern it will throw.

In sneaking on ducks in a field or open water, stay low and try to keep some natural cover between you and the flock. Making a sneak can be lots of work. It is best to make the sneak downwind if possible. When the ducks fly they will come back over you since they generally take off against the wind.

When it comes to blinds, perhaps the best is what nature provides. It may be trees, weeds, brush, or reeds. Take a knife or hatchet and hollow out a place to hide. Make sure you have a good opening in front to shoot. The main thing is to stay concealed and keep your face down. Ducks can see your face for long distances. I have hunted waterfowl at McConaughy Reservoir, for example, and with good results, using willows for a blind.

If the blind is not natural, I prefer a low structure. On a lake, a pit blind is fine if you can find high ground. It must be high enough so it does not fill with water. The top is covered with brush or canvas. On rivers, the blinds can be well concealed in vines, brush, or on the side of the bank. Make it big enough to hold two men comfortably. Mine is a wooden framework and covered with tree branches, reeds, and weeds. Wooden stools can be placed in the blind for comfort, or you can build the seats right in the framework of the blind. A wooden floor can be put in for comfort.

Here again is another point to argue. I have found that birds are easier to decoy during the middle of the morning than in the early morning or late evening. In the morning and evening, the ducks are heading on a straight line to the fields to eat. Many times they will not decoy. By the middle of the morning ducks are filled with food and heading back for water and rest. This is especially true if a storm is brewing. In such cases, they will decoy easily.

Some people will disagree with my method of calling ducks. I use only the squawk or "come-in" call, controlling the call with my throat. Many hunters quit calling when the ducks turn toward the blocks and others use the chuckle call. I continue to use the squawk, cutting down the volume, until the ducks are coming right into the blocks. When I am ready to shoot, I quit calling. I have nothing against the chuckle but have always had fine results with the squawk.

Warm fall days are opportune times to catch such species as teal, gadwall, pintails, etc. from the ponds and sloughs. When cold weather hits, go to the bigger waters and rivers for the mallards.

If you prepare for the upcoming duck season, the results may amaze you. Your hunting score will go up and you will have many pleasant moments to remember.

Jim McCole, conservation officer from Gering, is a nationally known trapshooter. In 1958, he won the Allaround and Over-all titles in the state trapshooting championship at Doniphan and then won the All-around title at the 59th annual Grand American Shotgun Tourney at Vandalia, Ohio. The latter is the world series of trapshooting.

1. Convasback: Adult female, top; adult male, center; adult male in outumn molt, bottom. This duck belongs exclusively to the Americas. He is a challenge to the hunter because of his great speed. "Can" pass shooting is one of the greatest sports of waterfowling. An uncommon migrant in the state, this bird weighs from 2 to 3 1/2 pounds.

2. Lesser Scaup: Adult male, top; adult male in autumn molt, center; adult female, bottom. This bird is fast, providing excellent sport for gunners. A common migrant throughout the state, he is known as the "little blue-bill". The,scaup likes smaller lakes, ponds, and marshes. The lesser scaup will weigh from 1 to 2 pounds.

3. Greater Scaup: Adult male. A very rare migrant to the state, it is one of the larger divers. The greater scaup attains a weight of 2 to 23A pounds. In flight these birds proceed at a rapid pace in somewhat compact formation and the sound produced by their wings is loud and rustling.

4. Redhead: Adult male, top; adult male in autumn molt, lower left; adult female, lower right. A speedy flyer, weighing from 2 to 3 pounds. He can be readily distinguished from the canvasback by his high forehead. A common migrant to the state, the redhead fall migration usually occurs between the middle of October and forepart of November. A vegetable feeder, this duck has fine flavor.

5. Goldeneye: Adult male, top; and adult female, bottom. An uncommon visitor to Nebraska which may show up on the Platte and Missouri Rivers. The bird is known as the "whistler" because of the penetrating, vibrant, whistling sound made by the wings when in flight. He weighs 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds.

6. Ring-necked Duck: Adult male in autumn molt, left; adult female, centeradult male, right. This duck closely resembles the lesser scaup and weighs 1 1/2 to 2 pounds. The bird will almost equal the scaup in speed of flight.

the EIGHT-STEP Method

WHEN I FIRST began cleaning and preparing ducks for sportsmen friends who hunted near Ogallala, I did it as an accommodation. Little did I dream then that I was embarking on a career which would find me handling thousands of ducks.

A big day in those early times would have been 10 ducks per day. Last fall I cleaned—with help, of course—as many as 158 ducks in one night, and the next evening tackled 125 more. From 1954 to 1958,1 cleaned exactly 11,760 ducks, along with hundreds of pheasants and geese. Several years ago when duck limits were 10 per day, I cleaned over 5,000 per season. Many nights ducks were stacked door high on our back porch.

My method of cleaning ducks is quick and simple and one that you might use this season. Here's what I do:

Keep the ducks in a cool place. This is important. It makes cleaning far easier if you allow the bird to become properly chilled.

When chilled, follow these steps:

(1) Hand pick all of the body feathers first. Set a cardboard box alongside of you so your feathers will fall into it as you pluck downward.

(2) Cut or chop off the wings, leaving the head and feet on. (You'll see later why we leave these on.)

(3) With the bird's feathers plucked, apply wax to the bird's 17   body, painting it on with a clean brush. Be sure and cover the body liberally. A small pan of wax should be placed over a tiny gas flame just before you begin to pluck your first duck. This will enable the wax to be in a molten state and ready to brush it on.

(4) By the time you finish waxing the last duck (if you are waxing three or four ducks), the first bird should be ready for the next step—removing the down. Using a small paring knife, tilted at a slight angle, begin to scrape off the hardened wax from the duck's body. Do it gently. Don't dig into the flesh. You'll cut the bird. If pinfeathers are stubborn, don't fret, simply pluck them out with the knife point. Here is where the bird's body temperature is important. Never apply wax to a warm bird. This simply makes your job of removing the wax difficult and messy.

(5) Now singe the bird's skin. This removes any minute hairs and down that were missed in the waxscraping process. A word of caution: use ordinary rubbing alcohol, not the 90 per cent kind. Use 70 per cent; it's safer and gives off less smoke. Put two teaspoons of alcohol in a dish or coffee lid and light it. Hold the duck by its head and feet and rotate the body slowly over the flame, never allowing the bird to remain too long in one spot to avoid burning.

(6) Now chop off the head and feet after singeing.

(7) Make a horizontal cut across the duck's rear vent, reach in and draw out the entrails.

(8) Wash the bird thoroughly. Scrub the body in a pan of cool water or place it under a faucet of running cold water. Scrub the bird's body briskly. Using a long handled dairy brush with stiff bristles, clean the inside of the duck's body while cool water is running into it. This brush system cleans a duck far better than any hand method you could use.

Place each bird in a separate plastic bag after it is washed. Before you store the ducks in the deep freeze, tag each plastic bag with the following useful information: hen or drake, and date bagged, and whether the bird is a diver or puddler. Since divers are a bit strong in taste, you can adjust your cooking preparations to suit each duck.

Don't howl in protest if you're the one that has to clean the ducks. Using my method, you can clean five birds in less than half an hour; no pain, no strain.

The author has cleaned thousands of ducks for sportsmen in and around Ogallala.

DUCKS a la Rebensdorf

LADIES, if I were to pick five words which would help you prepare ducks properly they would be: "Make it tender, not gamy."

Many of you understand what I mean when I say far more serious game-cookery crimes are committed in the kitchen each year than ever occur in the hunting fields. Improperly prepared meat, cooked or roasted without imagination or understanding, is responsible for that old dining-room cliche: "No, thanks. I never eat wild ducks because they taste too gamy."

Game meat does not need to be gamy, tough, or dry. It does need careful handling, however, the same as good meat that comes from your best butcher. Birds should be drawn soon after they are killed (immediately, if badly gut-shot) and cooled. Then, after plucking, the game should season for a few days in the meat (not the freezer) compartment of your refrigerator.

As chef of Lincoln's Cornhusker Hotel I have had the pleasure of preparing wild-duck dinners for local and state sportsmen groups for many years. Knowing that you'll want to cook your husband's ducks properly, I've prepared two special recipes that you'll want to try as a delicious change from the usual fare:

The first step in removing the gamy taste is to soak your duck overnight (12 hours is sufficient) in salt water. A cup of salt to a gallon of water is a good mixture. After soaking, place the bird in an open pan and roast until slightly brown (if it's an old duck, cover the pan with a lid), placing bay leaves, onions, carrots, and celery, sliced to suit your fancy, with the duck.

Set your oven temperature between 350° to 400° F; this should roast the bird within 1 1/2 hours. You can tell after 30 minutes how long it will take to roast the bird if you check the skin of the duck; if it's an old duck, it will take a maximum time; if it's loose and pliant, it's a young bird and will require less oven time. You might try this trick to speed up the roasting process: if you have an aged bird place it in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Much of the bird's delicate flavor and juices are lost by evaporation in this system, so unless you're in a hurry, take the full cooking time.

For basting and adding the delicious flavor to a finished duck make this mixture: Take one cup of jelly (any kind will do, grape, apple, etc.), three tablespoons of mustard, one cup of port wine, season to suit self with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. When ready, baste the duck with this liquid. Keep basting with the mixture and the duck's juices until the bird is done. Do this every 15 minutes.

Next split the duck in half, bone it (remove the rib bones) and stuff Vz cup of prepared wild rice within each duck half.

Now, let's make a succulent sauce:

Take liver of the duck, chop or cut it, saute it in butter with 1/2 green pepper and 14 onion diced in 1/2-inch squares, saute for five minutes until half done, then dust with one tablespoon of flour. Now take one cup of drippings of roasted duck, add to the above, and allow to simmer • for five minutes. Add Vz cup of sherry and sliced and pitted stuffed green and black olives and season to taste.

Prepare the duck in the coldwater brine as directed above and allow it to stand overnight.

Remove the duck from the brine and dry it thoroughly, inside and out. Salt and pepper the cavity. Add some celery salt, if available. Prepare quartered chunks of apples, onions, and celery in equal portions and fill the bird. Sew it up and take thin strips of salt pork and tie around the breast of the bird. Put in a closed roaster, breastside down. Then pour about two inches of water, or consomme, into the pan so the breast of the bird is in water. Place in an oven, set at 350° F., and bake for about 31/2 hours or until the bird is tender.

Take the roaster from the oven and remove half the remaining liquid. Turn the duck over so that it is now breast-side up and put into a 400° F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the breast is nearly browned. Continue to keep salt pork on the breast. Baste occasionally while browning.

That's it ladies don't wreck the ducks your sportsman husband brings home. It's more fun to fix them the right way. THE END.

1. Bufflehead: Adult male, top adult female, middle; adult male In autumn molt, bottom. This duck is also known as the "dipper" or "butter duck" and weighs from Vz to 1 Vz pounds the bufflehead is not a common migrant to the state and when present is found on the larger lakes in western Nebraska. Flight is exceedingly swift and direct, just above the water.

2. Old Squaw: Adult female, left; adult male, n'ght; adult male in summer plumage, bottom. This oddly named bird is another uncommon winter visitor. The old squaw is found chiefly along both coasts and in the Great Lakes where it dives for mussels and other water animals.

3. White-winged Scoter: Adult male, top; and adult female, bottom. A diving duck which weighs from 2/2 to 4/2 pounds. Uncommon in the state, the scoter is a winter duck of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

4. Hooded Merganser: Adult male in autumn molt, top left; adult female, bottom left; adult male, right. Occasional migrant and winter visitor to the state. This duck is easily recognized by the fullcrested head and small size. Weights attained by this species are 1 to 1 1/2 pounds. This merganser nests in trees in timberland country surrounding lakes and ponds.

5. American Merganser: Adult male, top; adult male in autumn molt, lower left; adult female, lower right. The handsome American merganser is the largest of its tribe and well-known in the state. Many hunters pass up this duck because of the "fish duck" label. The predominately fish diet imparts a strong flavor to the flesh. A tough bird and hard to kill, he will dive if wounded and is almost impossible to retrieve. Weighs 3 to 4 1/2 pounds.

6. Red-breasted Merganser: Adult male in autumn molt, top; adult male, center; adult female, bottom. Because this bird prefers salt water, it is a rare migrant to the state. This duck weighs from 2 to 2/2 pounds.

PRAIRIE DANCERS

THE DUSTY-LEAVED sunflowers had shaded out the pitiful volunteer corn seedlings . . . the barbed-wire fences were rusting and no longer kept out the cattle from the neighboring ranch . . . the wheel of the windmill circled aimlessly in the vagrant Nebraska wind. The grass soon would come creeping back over the fields.

The first sharptails appeared in the autumn. No one knew where they came from, but the other ranches and farms around the deserted farmstead had not kept them out. From some other open grass country a flock came in, winging its way over the lumpy hills and alighting on the weedy corn patch.

The weedy cover had made good growth by autumn. Seeds were abundant, and the sharptails stayed, although it would be many years before the native grasses—the turkeyfoot, little bluestem, and sand love—came back to sod the blowouts that were deepening with each gust of wind.

Just before sunrise on a frosty morning a group of sharptail cocks started gobbling and cooing near one of the blowouts, calling other males to the meeting place. Suddenly one cock spread his wings, blew up his lavender air sacs, and started to dance. For the first time since the homesteaders had come to the Niobrara, a sharptail was dancing on this particular spot. His feathered legs buzzing like a mechanical toy and his feet beating a rapid tattoo, he danced and cooed. Immediately the others joined him, some circling to the right, some to the left, bowing and squatting. Faster and faster went the dance, more and more madly whirled the giddy birds until they began jumping over the backs of their companions to challenge and fight.

In spring the sharptails returned to dance near the blowout. So far no hen had appeared; early mornings and evenings the cocks gathered and fought and danced and cooed until each had his own territory.

On they danced, day after day, at sunrise and sunset. Then on a morning that promised a thunderstorm before noon, a new excitement came upon the dancing ground. It was still so early that the white parts of the cocks' tails gleamed in the half-light.

Demurely the first hen walked onto the dancing ground. Seemingly unaware of the dancing cocks, she sauntered from weed patch to weed patch, daintily picking up a few seeds, nipping off a lush bud or two.

More hens came, and the cocks danced more intensely. After several days, the mating season tapered off, and the dancing ground became less populated.

The nests the hens built usually were shaded by the grasses and weeds and not very carefully concealed. If she were on the nest, the hen's colors and markings blended so perfectly with the surroundings 22 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   that she was nearly impossible to find. When the young hatched she led them to buds and grasshoppers. They had only to squat to become invisible.

The sharp-tailed grouse (Pedioecetes phasianellus) is commonly confused with the prairie chicken, but it can be recognized at once by its pointed tail and V-markings on the breast.

In mature plummage a sharptail appears a pale speckled brown. He has no tufts on the side of the neck, and his head is slightly crested. The legs are feathered to the base of the toes. The tail is graduated and much shorter than the wings, with the feathers square at the tips and the middle pair extending some distance beyond the others. His mate appears much like him on cursory inspection. His kind is distinguished by the pointed tail feathers.

The greater prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido americanus) once inhabited all parts of the state and was so abundant that early settlers in Nebraska depended upon the bird for a staple in their diets. In the years of exploration, the prairie chickens were an important factor in controlling the grasshopper plague of 1865-75.

In 1874, 300,000 grouse were shipped out of Nebraska by market hunters. Wagonloads of birds rolled in from the prairies daily, and settlers found the flesh of the chicken to be tender and juicy. Perhaps the prairie chicken might have been able to withstand the enormous slaughters until help in the form of protective laws arrived, had hunting been the only decimating factor. But all over the range of the prairie chicken in the United States, birds continued to vanish after shooting had been prohibited. Clearly there was another cause for the disappearance of this magnificent wild bird.

Imagine Nebraska before the white man came. Prairies stretched to the sky line unbroken except for an occasional ravine or buffalo wallow. No plow cut a raw line over the hills, no soddy house broke the monotony of the swells of grass rising to the thunderheads in the northwest.

The prairie chickens loved the native grasses. They hid in them from their enemies, nested at their bases, and bit off the seeds in the fall for food. In the draws they found the prairie roses, and relished the rose hips.

When the wheat farmers came they plowed out the prairie grasses, the wild roses, the sunflowers, and many other food plants on which the chickens depended. A remnant of the once-tremendous flock survived in the southern and eastern Sand Hills. When homesteaders first attempted to crop these hills, the chickens found even more favorable environment in the patchwork fields scattered through the grassy area. Later, when crop failures forced the farmers out of the region and the grasses recaptured the sod, the prairie chickens missed the grain foods to which they had become accustomed. The flock decreased a little.

The prairie chicken is the one grouse utilizing agricultural crops. Situated as he was in the fringe of the Sand Hills, neighboring wheat fields were easily accessible. The stubble provided food during the hard winters. In time, the booming of the chickens echoed over the hills and down through the hay flats of the Sand Hills.

From March to early May the cocks gather much as do the sharptails to dance and court. With tails raised and spread and the feather-tufts on either part of the neck erected like horns, the males prepare for the dance. With wings dropped, the first bird rushes forward a few steps, pauses, inflates its orange air sacs, and with violent and jerking efforts, produces the startling three-syllabled call, boom-ah-b-o-o-m. The other cocks join the dance. At times during the frenzied melee a cock may spring into the air. Clashing wings, two cocks may stage mock battles.

The prairie chicken is most clearly distinguished by his short, rounded black tail and heavy transverse barrings on the breast. A tuft of narrow, stiff feathers about three inches long on each side of the neck cover the air-sacs. The head is crested. The male prairie chicken has transverse barrings on two or three middle tail feathers, or may lack these, in which case the entire tail is a solid brown. The hen has transverse barrings on all tail feathers. The short, rounded tail and the strong barred markings on the breast are the identifying characters of the prairie chicken.

Next spring the sharptails will return to their dancing ground near the blowout. There among the frost-laden grasses and the dry rattling pods of the vetch they will again display and strut, choosing territories and courting as sharptails have from the times of the buffalo. They will dance their age-old ceremonials until the shadows run from the rising sun and the sound of their booming will roll over the prairie grasses. Then they will move on again, their cycle completed for another year.

Boomers' BIG Year

MOST grouse in years" is the optimistic report from ranchers in the Sand Hills country who last year saw one of the greatest seasons on both sharptails and prairie chickens in recent years.

Game Commission surveys verify the ranchers' report. During the past year there has been a combined species increase of 35 per cent over 1958. And you'll remember that grouse populations were 110 per cent above 1957 figures then. All of this, of course, points to a top hunting season.

Here's a more complete breakdown of the 1959 population surveys:

Prairie chickens are up 15.5 per cent within that portion of the grouse range in which all or parts of Rock, Garfield, Loup, Holt, Boyd and eastern Keya Pah& Counties lie.

Sharp-tailed grouse populations are up a whopping 68 per cent from 1958 and 209 per cent above the 1957 figure. Sharptails may be found throughout the prairie-grouse range but they occur in increasing numbers in the central and western areas. Prairie chickens are most predominant in the eastern one-half of the open area.

From the chart above you'll note population trends within and without the area open to prairiegrouse hunting. It is evident that the 1959 breeding population is at its highest peak in several years. The inference cannot be made that "hunting has an adverse effect on grouse populations". Most of the surveys completed outside our open area were made in ideal prairie chicken habitat. The Game Commission has designated this area closed to hunting as a further safeguard to preserve the colorful prairie chicken for the whole nation to enjoy.

After surveying the grouse last winter when they had gathered in flocks, it was evident that a good population had survived the hunting season. Through the winter many were lost to the elements, a few to their natural enemies, and some to the inevitable advance of civilization—in this case the automobile. But by spring, all indications pointed toward another banner year.

Prairie chickens and sharptails began to assemble on traditional display grounds for the nuptial performances about the middle of March. Prairie chickens use "booming grounds", while sharptails use "dancing grounds". On a calm early morning the mating sounds of both species carry for more than a mile. We depend on these sounds to locate grounds along established 20-mile transects both within and along the periphery of the grouse open area. Each transect is a sample of 40 square miles of grouse habitat. The results obtained from this sample of some 760 square miles is used as an index of breeding grouse and serves as an indication of population trends from one year to another.

In June and July we evaluated nesting success in terms of broods seen. Brood sizes were also recorded as an indication of nesting success. The importance of this reproductive period is best recognized when it becomes apparent that over 80 per cent of the birds harvested during the last hunting season were birds produced that year. Game Commission personnel located within the grouse area keep track of the number of broods seen, exact size, and approximate age (useful in determining peak hatching date).

Before the Commission meets to determine season lengths and bag limits, the game biologists assemble all data relative to each species considered, and present the information, giving a comprehensive review of events as they have occurred, including harvest, survival, breeding and nesting success. The seasons are then set, recognizing that game management is a process of utilizing game resources without detriment to a sustained crop for the future.

HUNT the Sand Hills

WORD from the Sand Hills country, the heart land of Nebraska's grouse-hunting territory, indicates that sportsmen should enjoy one of the finest seasons in recent years. Hunter harvest could well top last year's great season, with populations up throughout the area—35 per cent over last year.

You'll find prairie grouse scattered throughout the Sand Hills region, the area open to hunting. Prairie chickens will generally be found around the borders of the area near farm country.

Nebraska has more prairie chickens than most states. Our open areas for the chicken, however, usually lie in country not generally suited to this bird, being north and west of top prairie-chicken range. The reason for this is fairly obvious. Listed as a diminishing species over the nation, it must be protected from decimation where it does occur. Open areas in range where only a few chickens live but where sharptails are abundant put more hunting pressure on the sharptails and gives the prairie chickens some protection.

Holt County, in which Atkinson and O'Neill are located, probably has more prairie chickens than any other county in the state. The proportion of sharptails increases steadily as one goes west until seldom is a prairie chicken found in Cherry County. In total, we probably have the largest population of grouse in 30 years.

Hunting grouse, though great sport, can at times become quite frustrating, especially if you aren't prepared for the wily bird. A good dog adds immeasurably to the pleasure of the hunt. Experience and an acquaintance with the personality of the grouse also are great aids in locating the birds.

Grouse appear to be very unpredictable to the inexperienced hunter, and trial-and-error methods have their place in determining where they are. A knowledge of the daily habits is always helpful in hunting any kind of bird.

During early morning, cornfields and stubblefield edges should be hunted for prairie chickens. It might pay off to hunt meadows or other areas probably used for roosting. When the weather is cool, these areas may be good any time during the day. Clover, or other legumes, is a favorable food, so look for such spots. There should be grouse nearby.

As with most gallinaceous birds, grouse tend to feed early in the morning and later in the afternoon. They'll loaf during midday, usually in the shade of shrub cover.

Many times grouse tend to flush wild, and they may be difficult to get within range. This is especially true on windy days if they are scattered through the grassland areas in the hills.

When none of these areas pays off—cornfields, loafing areas, or meadows—trial-and-error is the best way to find the birds. You might try walking through high, open grasslands as one way to flush the birds. This type of hunting, of course, is where a dog is almost indispensable.

Sharp-tailed grouse and prairie chickens are top sporting birds—birds that will offer you plenty of fun and excitement. Take to the Sand Hills country for what promises to be a great season.

What to Wear

TOO MUCH clothing and needless protection can be as bad as too little for the grouse hunter. Take the extremes, for example. There's the guy who figures he's going to the Arctic instead of the Sand Hills, puts on everything he can find, looks like a Notre Dame tackle, and moves like Frankenstein's monster—and then sweats up a steam bath over hill and brush pile before opening-day sun is half-way up. Then there's the guy who brags about how hot-blooded he is, and ends up shivering in the nearest hotel. One is just as poorly dressed and equipped as the other.

Common sense, realistic planning for each trip, and a wise choice of clothing make all the difference between a miserable outing and a comfortable, invigorating day afield. It's as simple as that.

Get the clothing you'll need for your hunting trip now—before grouse season opens. Keep in mind your particular "Achilles heel", such as especially cold feet or hands, trouble with ears, game leg, etc.; the type of terrain you'll be covering; the length of time you'll be out and the distance from shelter; and the allimportant weather, chilly and wet in the morning, hot by noon.

Let's start with the epidermis. Lightweight underclothing is best for early fall hunting. If the weather really turns bad you can haul the "long johns" out of the closet. There's no need for fancy insulated underwear; in Nebraska it just doesn't get that cold.

After this "firm foundation" comes a variety of outer garments and accessories. A light wool shirt is probably your best bet. Because it is porous, it provides warmth in the morning and is comfortable during the noon hours.

For early fall hunting you may be content with a vest, with roomy game pockets. On warm days it gives you protection yet allows your body warmth to keep at a comfortable level.

Or, if you think you'll really be running after those grouse morning and night, you may want to check into unlined, non-insulated—but water resistant—coats. Some "Duxbak" coats feature the popular "Pakbak" carrying straps (a trick we borrowed from the lumber camps), permitting the coat to be slipped off and carried easily like a pack-basket, and also a rubber flap that drops down for a waterproof seat or zips up for a blood-proof game pocket.

For pants I suggest you look over the new lines of trousers lined with rubber in front. During early morning tramping through the tall Sand Hills' grasses these are essential for keeping the frost and dew from sinking into your bones. Experience in the field has proved the durability of all smooth-finish materials to stand up in rough going and to resist snagging or ripping on barbs and bush.

I can't begin to advise you on your choice of boots, socks, and gloves or mittens. By now you have your own ideas on the subject. A wardrobe of sportswear chosen wisely for your individual needs is the guarantee of long, happy, and comfortable action afield.

Pointers' HAYFIELD SHAKEDOWN

DON'T believe the notion that pheasants will spoil your dog for grouse. I've been handling dogs since I was 14 and have never restricted them to either bird. I'll admit, however, that it takes a dog with wider capabilities to work both species, and that's where sound training comes in.

Getting your dog ready for grouse season is a demanding but enjoyable year-round chore but one that will pay off when you take to the field this year.

The prairie chicken is best for training a young dog. "Squaretails" love the flatlands, especially the hayfields around Bassett and O'Neill. During the summer months when we can work our dogs on them, they are scattered out among the haystacks. They don't tend to covey up as do the sharptails. When a dog points and flushes a prairie chicken and tracks him as far as he can, he can still come back and pick up the scent of other chickens in the same spot. They'll wait for him while the one bird breaks.

Sharp-tailed grouse, on the other hand, inhabit really hilly country in the Sand Hills. To my notion, they're pretty silly birds. The young covey up and tend to flush all at once, a pretty nerve racking experience for a young dog. The young birds take off in a bunch, fly in a bunch, and light in a bunch. That's all right for an older, more experienced dog, but a new pointer will start breaking and flushing the birds.

I use only English setters and pointers and love them both. They have temperaments as different as prairie chickens and sharptails. If forced, you can bring a pointer around to your way of thinking with a 2x4, figuratively speaking, but you must use love and gentle persuasion with a setter. Hard words don't bother a pointer, he'll come wagging back for more. But you must never mistreat any grouse dog so that he loses his aggressiveness and pride. A fine dog is eager, proud and alert. His pose is a thrilling sight when he's on point.

Obedience to your command is the last lesson a pointing dog learns. Independence, rather than schooled manners, is most important in a wide-ranging dog. Retrieving dogs get their basic "boot" camp training before they're released in the field. But a pointing dog should be given his freedom in the field until he is a year-and-a-half old. In this time he will acquire that aggressiveness so vital to a good field dog. He will be poised and eager, and already halftrained on bird scent before you begin lessons. The only obedience you really need to teach him is to come on command.

Actually, 98 per cent of pointing ability is already bred into a good dog. The trainer merely brings out 28 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   this natural ability. An inexperienced dog will instinctively point a bird, maybe only for a second, before he rushes in and flushes it. Later, as he grows steadier, he will hold till you come up to him, alive with eagerness, but dead still on the point. Praise him for this. He'll learn this is what you expect of him and will respond if he respects you. Give him time. With maturity he will come into a practiced point. He probably won't be rock steady until he's about three years old.

It's best to use a horse when you're training a young dog on grouse. You'll be able to see if the pup is getting into mischief, and you can run him down if he gets too far away from you.

Put a 40 to 50-foot rope on your dog when he's ready for serious training and turn him loose in grouse country. The rope is used only when you're finishing up a dog's training. A firm grip on it teaches him to back another dog's point, and instructs him not to break and flush the bird. A few somersaults take care of that. Later he will hold his point until you walk ahead of him, flush the bird, and bring it down. He will continue on point through all this until you tap him on the head, releasing him from his duty.

Pointing dogs need special schooling to learn to retrieve the downed grouse for you. The biggest share of pointing dogs are not natural retrievers, and often lose interest looking for dead birds. However, since grouse are so hard to find, I see no reason why the dogs should not be required to bring them back.

Given time and a free rein, I believe most pointing dogs may range as far as they like. It is true that dogs out of sight are out of your control. Over good dogs, however, you actually do not desire any control. They may travel a mile away, but if they have found a scent, they will be waiting for you when you come up to them. The grouse will be there. A good dog can hold him for a long time, especially during training season.

It's different story when the hunting season opens. Grouse band together as winter approaches and flush at longer ranges than in the summer months. The birds definitely become owly as the year progresses, and by luck, our shooting seasons come late in the year.

Now to the statement that pheasants will not spoil your dog for grouse. Some people say that the strong scent and the running retreats of the ringnecks prohibit a dog from pointing grouse. I do not believe this. As I stated earlier, it just takes a dog with wider capabilities.

Good hunting dogs are a joy to see performing. More than that even, for grouse they are as essential as the gun.

Regulation Reminders

THOSE going into the field after prairie chickens and sharptails this fall are doing so under the agreement that they will abide by the laws of Nebraska governing upland game hunting. These laws are necessary for the protection of hunters and for better gunning success now and in the future. Here, for your information, are some of the regulations you will need to know in order to legally hunt your birds this fall

Listed on page 36 are the season length, bag limit, open area, and shooting hours for grouse. Regulations were set too late in the summer to be included here. Remember that our area is limited to the Sand Hills range to protect the prairie chicken. Laws which apply generally to your hunting are as follows:

The law determining the use of the upland gamebird siamp has been extended to include prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse. Formerly you needed the stamp only to hunt pheasants or quail. Now it is required for all upland game birds on which Nebraska holds seasons, and you must buy the stamp before you can take to the hay flats or shelter-belts for grouse this fall. Your signature must be written in ink across the face of the stamp, and it must be attached to your regular hunting permit.

Your possession limit is the total number of birds that you may have at any given time. All birds must be counted, those freshly killed and those cleaned and stored in the freezer at home.

As a service to the Game Commission, please report the band numbers and county where taken of all banded birds in your bag. This information helps the Commission determine the movement and longevity of the birds. This information more accurately helps the department in setting next year's seasons and bag limits.

Remember that it is unlawful for you to hunt upon any private lands without the permission of the owner. If you don't know it already, good hunter-farmer relations are vital if we are to continue to enjoy grouse hunting.

SAND HILLS SHOOTING SAVVY

THE sharp-tailed grouse has undoubtedly made sharp-tempered grouches out of more shotgunners than any other game bird. An artful dodger, he's a tough target, and hunting him with an ill-adapted smoothbore can be a frustrating business.

Staggering over all too many hills and scrambling through too many sloughs has convinced me that the ideal upland grouse gun has three important characteristics: light weight, balance and fit for top handling speed, and for sharptails a full choke. The choice of gauge seems to me less important than those three considerations. Any old smoothbore will kill grouse, but few make good grouse guns.

Handling speed is of the essence for a really good grouse gun, and I doubt that any shotgun has the compactness and quickness of a really fine double. The fellow who anticipates a pleasurable sort of nervous breakdown by becoming a grouse hunter and wants to shoot a semiautomatic or trombone action might well also pick his piece according to weight, or so it seems from here. Remember, grouse hunting is much more walking than shooting.

The gauge of a shotgun primarily intended for grouse is much less important, in my humble opinion, than its fit or swing speed, carrying weight, and boring. The grouse does not seem to have that ability for which "John Pheasant" is noted—the gumption to carry away a handful of shot. Once hit, he comes down rather easily—indeed I should think a good many are lost every year by walk-up grouse gunners who consider that a quick dip or sharp course change by a bird is merely a dodge, when it may indicate that he has been clipped fatally by the charge tossed at him.

So the proper choke for the general upland gun is either improved-cylinder or modified, and for a double gun a combination of the two. That's right, but like every other flat statement, it can't always be right.

While the classical upland gun for Eastern operations is still open-bored and properly so, there are a number of long-shot situations in Western upland gunning where a full choke is the only answer. In some areas, grouse and chickens become neurotic and flush wild, especially when you're walking them up or the dog work isn't up to snuff. Some quail call for long ones. Sharptails, depending 30 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   on how hard they've been pushed, will either sit around waiting to get knocked in the head or will flush halfway to the Montana border. And if you're walking Midwestern cornfields with only half enough guns in the party to stop up the far end, those guns had better be shooting close chokes if they're going to knock down all the wavy-tailed pheasant roosters they should. Here are places, right enough, for the full-choke gun in what we generally call upland shooting.

Of course, there are a lot of vague ideas around as to what constitutes a full-choked gun. Go to the corner store and the cracker-barrel experts will tell you it's one, in 12 gauge at least, that won't accept a worn dime through the muzzle. Theoretically, a full choke has 40 points or thousandths of squeeze-down from the theoretical standard 12-bore diameter of .730, would hence be about .690 at its highest point. This theoretical barrel should therefore refuse all dimes—a sadly unreliable test.

When you consider the gun builders today ream shotgun tubes to very loose tolerances (as much as plus or minus .005 either way of that theoretical .729-.730), and when you further consider that with contemporary hulls, with new styles of crimp or wad over the shot, and better obturating wads under the shot, gun makers have found that somewhat less than "40 points" is needed to give full-choke patterns, you can see that the old-dime test isn't worth the dime itself. And frankly, I consider that the taper-gauge scheme used by some gunsmiths and at least one high-priced gun dealer isn't worth much more.

A full-choked barrel is a full-choked barrel when and only when it delivers consistently between 65 and 75 per cent of its shot pellets into a 30-inch circle at 40 yards. That's it. Markings be darned, only the repeated pattern counts have meaning. Whether it's swaged choke, or "chuck" choke like the Poly, or an integral choke bored with parallel flats beyond the squeeze makes no difference—only the pattern count counts. And with all due respect to the long list of muzzle attachments the only way to be sure a nozzle is throwing full choke patterns through the "full choke" setting or tube is to pattern the device with the loads you shoot.

In point of fact, of course, it must be said that the muzzle gadget is a prime answer for the gent who occasionally runs into, when equipped with his fastswinging and portable upland gun, the long-shooting situations we mentioned earlier. It's handy, then, especially if you've actually burned a few boxes of shells learning just what each nozzle setting means.

Another common delusion about full-choked guns is that the 12-bore throws a wider spread of shot—a spread easier to hit with—than the 16 or 20. This seems reasonable on the face of it, but the fact is that it's only type and degree of choke constriction, not gauge, that affects the spread rate of shot pellets. The circle enclosing 90 to 95 per cent of the charge is the same for both 12 and 20-bore shooters. The difference lies in the density of the pattern, the number of shot into the hitting area, where of course the heavier gauges excel. So once again, full choke is exactly as full choke does on the sheet, no more and no less.

Assuming you have a tight-bored gun that is your waterfowling ace and is portable enough to double on upland game where long shots are de rigeur which they tell me is a French phrase meaning to bring rigor mortis to the birds—what can you do with it in the normal upland situation where a wider and looser slather of shot is desired to hit but not make hamburger of—a 25 to 30-yard target? The best answer, of course, is either to buy another barrel or have a choke-changing device installed. But a temporary answer is to be found in the "brush loads" offered in low-based shells.

These are put up with l 1/8s ounces of shot for the 12 gauge in sizes No's 6 and 8, with No. 8's only ordinarily available for the 16 and 20 gauge guns. To date, no loading plant has devised a better scheme for insuring the spread of brush load pellets than the use of a quatrefoil of cardboard, embedded in the charge to cut it into four quadrants. These separators, when the shot mass comes out of a tight-bored gun, have the effect of breaking it up. The result at 20 to 25-yard distances is usually something like a straight cylinder bore pattern. It isn't a good, even pattern, any more than is any cylinder-bore pattern, but it offers about all the spread you can get over brush ranges, and with No. 8's there's enough density to kill well on quail and grouse in cover.

The greatest blooper that can be pulled by the upland shooter who must use a full choke or 70 per cent gun on close-flushing targets—birds pointed by a dog—is speed, shooting too fast. The toughest old cock that ever crowed will be disintegrated into mush by the mass of a normal full-choked charge if you center him at 15 or 20 yards. Wait a while. Ride him out until that tight pattern has opened up to give you a speed to hit with easily and with a reasonable number of pellets.

I will figure that at least eight times out of 10 the full-choked gun is wrong for upland work, but there are still those other occasions when the tight bore is the ticket. It's about the only answer for those wide-flushing sharp-tailed grouse and prairie chickens.

Prairie Hunting How-to

WHEN asked how he found a run-away horse so quickly, the village half-wit stuttered, "Well, I just sat down and figured out where I'd go if I had jumped the fence."

Horses or grouse, the same applies—ifk you think like they do, you'll know where to find them. And acquainting yourself with the habits of grouse is about the closest you can come to thinking like them.

All game, sharp-tailed grouse and prairie chickens OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   included, have three driving urges which the serious hunter should well consider — food, shelter, and safety. For example, if you were hunting Nebraska prairie chickens this fall you would ordinarily expect to find them feeding in grain fields in the early morning. But suppose freezing winds whipped out of the north on opening day.

If you were a prairie chicken you wouldn't fill your crop at the expense of freezing your toes. You'd most likely go hungry and run for cover, probably a shelter belt or grove of trees.

Here in the Sand Hills, you may not see another hunting party all day. You'll want to stalk your game with the craftiness of an Indian. Even then the owly grouse may fly out far beyond range. But you'll have better chances of bringing down a bird if you can find greater concentrations of grouse. And that's where a knowledge of the wily birds' habits comes in.

Sharp-tailed grouse generally do not range as far as do prairie chickens. They feed in the meadows in early morning, and move into plum brush, shelter belts, or scattered trees as the day warms up. They may go to the shady side of a hill for coolness durin a hot day, but they generally stay in the hills, eating native vegetation, mostly berries and rose hips, and some grasshoppers. At midday they can generally be found on the tops of the choppy hills in a cooling breeze. Feeding in grain fields, they range as much as 10 to 15 miles, flying the same routes every day, at about the same times each day.

On fall mornings prairie chickens feed in the valleys. As the day warms up, they go into the Sand Hills where they spend the major part of the day loafing. At about three or four o'clock in the afternoon they migrate back to the valleys for evening feeding. In the valleys they may be most readily found in red clover and stubble fields or alfalfa.

Prairie chickens tend to be wild early in the morning and in the evening. In the heat of the day they are very tame and lie very close to the ground in heavy cover from which they are almost impossible to flush without a dog's help. On hot days in October, they almost have to be walked on before they can be prodded out. But as the days lengthen on into hunting season, a change comes over the grouse.

On opening day of grouse hunting, prairie chickens will usually lie well to a dog in the early morning. If there is much shooting they may be wild by nightfall. On the second day they will not allow the close approach of even the best of stalkers.

They get away swiftly, always giving themselves away by cackling. When they flush into the open, they have no set pattern or running and jumping up as do pheasants. Grouse typically "explode", if there is a pack of them in one place, in all directions. The most experienced hunter understanding all the habits of grouse will miss his shots if he is not prepared for this barrage of feathers at the least expected moment.

Prairie chickens congregate in the fall into flocks of 50 to 100 birds. When flushed they disperse into smaller groups, flying from one-half to two or three miles before alighting. When they hit the ground they stick to it. But although they remain where they land, they can hide with extreme cunning. They can disappear into the background six feet from you, requiring the sensitive nose of a good bird dog to ferret them out.

Some people would rather hunt without a dog. They say a wide-ranging pointer often puts the jittery birds out of the grass beyond range. But I find that half of the pleasure I receive from grouse hunting is watching my dog work and freeze on a point. He is essential for retrieving downed birds.

I have one final suggestion to grouse hunters. Many gunners mark a swift change of direction in flight or a sudden dip as just an artful dodge. In truth, the bird may have been hit mortally, and is limping to cover to die. It takes little shot to kill a grouse.

A grouse presents a large target, with a straight and constant, though fairly swift line of flight. Any deviation may mean a wounded bird. Check out all of your shots. It may be there's a dead grouse down somewhere.

Grouse hunting is a thrilling sport, and Nebraskans are indeed fortunate that the state still has a reserve of this gamy bird to gun. I can't emphasize too strongly the need to know the grouse and their habits before you take to the field. It comes right down to outsmarting these wily birds, and you can do that only if you know their own peculiar tricks. Good hunting.

CLEAN CROUSE The Easy Way

IF YOU CAN clean the chicken coop's prized Leghorn pullet, you'll have no trouble cleaning prairie chickens and sharptails you bag this fall. The only special problem you have to worry about is keeping your game from spoiling.

The taste of meat not gutted soon after it is shot is probably one reason many people do not like to eat grouse. Any meat, whether it is prairie chicken, rabbit, or deer, should be cared for as soon as possible. Bleed it, remove the entrails, and cool it.

I skin a prairie chicken unless I'm asked to pluck the bird. It is easier and quicker. I don't have to worry about stubborn pin feathers, or messy wet feathers sticking to everything.

In skinning, start first at the feet. Cut them off and cut out the skin from the front and back of the legs. Then continue the knife cut up over the front of the bird, up the breast to the head. A couple of good firm yanks will then separate the skin from the bird. If necessary, you may have to cut up the back of the bird in this same manner, then cut the head off when you have the skin free from the bird's body.

This method is the quickest way I know of cleaning a grouse. If it has been shot up or chewed by a dog, it becomes a little more difficult. I have had legs come off in my hands when pulling the skin free because the bird was so mangled. In such cases I generally cut the grouse into pieces and skin.

After the bird is skinned, gut it and clean it as you would a chicken. The gizzards are particularly easy; they peel like an orange. Clean out the insides thoroughly, and put the bird down in fresh cold water immediately to keep it from spoiling. Next, rinse and scrub the meat well under a cold faucet and place it in the cooler.

Hunters who go any distance into the field to bag their grouse would probably find it worth-while to return to town and give their chickens to someone to be dressed right after they get their quota of birds. Many hunters, especially those in parties, stay out until every member of the group has his birds. Birds shot early in the morning and carried around the entire day will be much the worse for wear.

Hunters should learn to field dress grouse. Although this is not as good as getting the birds cleaned and washed and into cold storage right away, it serves to keep the meat in better shape than if the bird is left intact. Field dressing simply means removing the intestines and other organs shortly after bagging the bird. Field care can be messy, but it is the only sure-fire method of keeping your meat tasty and free from unpleasant flavors. It's a good idea to stuff the body cavity with clean, fresh hay to prevent spoilage. Don't stack the carcasses closely together. This will also cause spoilage.

Don't spoil your hunting trip with spoiled birds. Properly handled, they'll give you that added pleasure of a mighty good meal.

for Game-Bird GOURMETS

SHARPTAILS and prairie chickens can be slapped in the frying pan and prepared deliciously like the chicken of southern-fried fame. Or they can be fussed over and treated like the true kings of game birds they are by following these recipes:

The old faithful chicken recipe applied to sharptails or prairie chickens follows:

Wash and dry frying-size pieces. Melt four tablespoons choice fat (not butter) in a heavy frying pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. When fat is hot, lay pieces side by side into pan and fry over a moderate heat to a light brown on all sides. Be sure to give this your undivided attention so they won't burn.

Turn heat low, cover the pan with a close-fitting lid, and cook until tender—30 to 45 minutes longer. Do not add water; by covering, sufficient steam is created to finish cooking the grouse. Turn several times. It should be a beautiful medium brown on all sides when done. If it gets too brown, heat is too strong; place an asbestos mat under pan if necessary.

A little more tantalizing for the epicures is the following stewed bird with dumplings recipe:

Cook the day before using. The fat will form a cake on top, and can be removed when fowl is to be reheated. The fat makes a delicious shortening for the dumplings. Put the uncooked pieces into a boiler. Cover with two or more quarts cold water, add a handful of celery greens, cloves, salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, until tender, but not until meat falls from bones—usually three to four hours. Add more water from time to time as necessary. Lift bird carefully from boiler, and keep hot over boiling water. Remove meat from the backbone. For the dressing, pour broth through a wire strainer into a second boiler. Bring broth to a boil, and stir in six tablespoons flour, which has been dissolved with cold water. Stir until broth has boiled again and thickened. Then use your favorite dumpling recipe to make biscuits to stew in the broth.

The above two recipes were taken from Louise Gross' book, "Meats, Poultry and Game," published by Funk and Wagnalls Company, N. Y. The following recipes are taken from the revised edition of Arthur Carhart's "The Outdoorsman's Cookbook," published by the MacMillan Company, N. Y.

For roast grouse (this recipe will work equally well with pheasant), clean the birds and wipe dry. Stuff with sauerkraut soaked in a dry wine. Lay strips of bacon over the birds and roast until tender. Serve with a tart jelly on the side.

For the casserole, cut the grouse into serving portions. Coat each piece with a mixture of 1/2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Brown in hot bacon grease. Lay in a casserole and cover with slices of bacon. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a separate pan. Stir in 6 tablespoons flour, add 4 cups milk, bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Pour this over contents of casserole and bake in a moderate oven for 2 hours.

With the luscious odors wafting from your stove when you use these recipes, you should have the neighborhood panting at your doorstep. Keep them away, your own appetite will be so whetted that you will be ready to dig into the pot when the grouse is half done. When you do lick that last bone clean, sit back and remember those sun-drenched prairies of the Sand Hills where you bagged your prairie chickens and sharptails.

UPLAND GAME BIRD SEASONS

WATERFOWL SEASONS

SMALL GAME SEASONS