THE BETTER LIFE

Nebraska stands at the threshold of a booming era. One step and we're in by M.O. Steen Director, Nebraska Game Commission

THE OBJECTIVE of the 10-year .35-mill program is to bring better living conditions and greater income to Nebraska. This is why we call it, "Mission—The Better Life".

The need is great for development of our recreational resources for both social and economic purposes. We must make our state recreationally attractive, not only to bring new industry to Nebraska, but to increase income, provide more job opportunity, and to keep our own citizens at home as well. The latter is particularly important. Most of us are aware that we are falling far behind most of the nation in population growth, but do we fully realize how serious a situation we face? We are slowly bleeding to death. In 1890 we had nearly 1,100,000 citizens; in 1960 we had about 1,400,000. During that JANUARY, 1961 3   70-year period, births exceeded deaths by some 1,300,000; we lost 1,000,000 of our citizens. These were primarily young men and women with natural ability and good educations. Have you ever wondered why so many leading Americans are former Nebraskans?

THE BETTER LIFE continued

It is self-evident, too, that if we hope to attract manufacturing plants and other industrial development to Nebraska, we must enhance our living conditions as much as possible. One important element in attracting new industry is the recreational opportunities that are available to the personnel who direct and operate those industries. One of the first questions the industrialist asks is, "What are your recreational facilities and living conditions?"

While social benefits alone justify the 10-year improvement program, we can also reap a big profit through this development. In a state which needs new business as badly as Nebraska does, a 500,000,000 dollar-a-year industry is a Godsend, especially when it can be developed through a capital-improvement expenditure of no more than 5 per cent of the annual gross we will realize.

Half a billion dollars sounds like a lot of money, but it is really not much as the tourist-trade industry goes. Outdoor recreation and tourism expenditures are approaching 20 billion dollars a year now, and will top 30 billion 10 years hence according to the best available authority. To develop a 500,000,000-dollar-a-year business in Nebraska, then, we need only get one-sixtieth of the 1970 tourist trade.

When the Interstate is completed, it will complete and tie together a great system of superhighways that will feed directly into Nebraska. This will be the nation's principal transcontinental highway. One-half of the American people live in the area east of Omaha that will be served by this system of superhighways. In short, we will have a customer-potential of one-half the people who spend 30 billion dollars, and a target of only one-sixtieth of their annual expenditures.

We have some good guideposts in the experience of other states that have entered this field. In 1948, Kentucky decided to do what we now propose to do in Nebraska. They launched a 10-year development program designed to develop an outdoor-recreation tourist-trade industry. By 1956, just eight years later, Kentucky had such a business that was grossing 500 million dollars a year.

But that was down East, you may say, hence it can not be compared to Nebraska conditions. We believe the opposite is true. With greater leisure, higher pay, better roads and more people, the West is America's future playground. In fact, it is the only part of this nation which still has plenty of space, low-cost lands, unspoiled areas, and the other necessary "makings" of tomorrow's vacation-land.

The truth is that we already have the accomplished fact at our very doorstep. Last year, Missouri grossed a total of $533,000,000 in this field. In other words, Missouri has already reached the goal we say Nebraska can attain 10 years hence. I know Missouri well, and it is my honest opinion that of the two, Nebraska has the greater potential. In all honesty, however, I must also add that Missouri has done much with her potential; Nebraska very little.

This truth we must face and accept, because our potential will do us little good if it remains undeveloped, or largely so. If we are to draw and hold tourist trade, then we must get our attractions and facilities in shape to do that job. We are not blessed with a wealth of ready-made natural attractions as are some states. We are blessed, however, with a great wealth of raw material—more than enough material to attract and hold a big tourist trade if adequately developed.

The Platte Valley Parkway and developments along the Interstate have been much in the news in recent months. This is a key location, because it is on the Interstate, and also because it has a world of potential. The lakes that can be created by pumping fills for the new road grade, and the parks that can be developed where good lakes are created, are only a small part of Platte Valley possibilities. This valley will have water, developments in irrigation 4 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   and hydroelectric reservoirs that will overshadow the roadside lakes. It also has a wealth of western history and historical sites that will make major tourist attractions.

Beginning with Lake McConaughy and continuing eastward down the Platte Valley, the Tri-County irrigation system is already in place. The proposed Mid-State project will pick up the water Tri-County returns to the Platte, near Lexington, and continue on down the valley to the vicinity of Grand Island. Barring the unforeseen, Mid-State will be built within the next decade. Ten years hence, then, TriCounty and Mid-State reservoirs will provide a 200-mile chain of 50 lakes, extending down the Platte Valley from Ogallala to Grand Island. These will have a total surface area of 65,000 water-acres.

But this is not all. Other projects scheduled for construction in the next 10 years include Red Willow, Angus, Sherman, Merritt, and Norden reservoirs. In fact, Nebraska is well on her way to becoming one of the major water areas of the Midwest. This has great significance, because recreational water is important to tourism and recreation.

Western Americana of the Platte Valley includes the Pony Express, the Mormon Trail, the Oregon Trail, famous old Fort Kearny, Scout's Rest Ranch at North Platte, Ash Hollow with its famous Windlass Hill, and many more items of pioneer fame. The 10-year plan includes the restoration of Fort Kearny, which was a major outpost on the Oregon Trail. It is also the plan to acquire and restore Scout's Rest Ranch, long-time home of Buffalo Bill. Famous Ash Hollow and Windlass Hill should be preserved for posterity. Among possible developments with international significance, is the restoration of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and Congress of Rough Riders, "live", as a summer tourist attraction.

Although the Platte Valley is overflowing, with potential, it must not be assumed that this is the only area in proposals for Mission—The Better Life. The entire state has potential, and there is both need and justification for developments in every section of Nebraska.

As stated, water is all-important in outdoor recreation and tourist trade. The only big water we have in eastern Nebraska, and probably the only big water we can expect to have, is the Missouri River. This water is becoming increasingly important in a recreational sense with each passing year. Upstream dams are taking the silt out of the river, and pollution-control measures are cleaning JANUARY, 1961 5   it up. The Missouri River urgently needs recreational developments, and this work is a part of our 10-year plan. As a matter of fact, the ultimate objective is to develop the Missouri River as a national playground — an Interstate Park.

THE BETTER LIFE continued

In southeastern Nebraska, we urgently need a major park, and such a development is a part of the 10-year plan. As we go westward, the Salt-Wahoo project is the next development of major importance. This works will ultimately provide several thousand acres of recreational water in an area where recreational water is sorely needed. The 10-year plan envisions the full development of the recreational possibilities inherent in the Salt-Wahoo project. Other areas in the eastern section of the state include Burchard Lake, Louisville, Memphis Lake, Two Rivers, Fremont, Dead Timber, Crystal Lake, Lewis and Clark Lake (Gavins Point), and Ponca State Park. In the region north of the Platte River and east of the Sand Hills, recreational water is scarce and no major development is assured in the near future, although projects have been proposed on the Elkhorn River. Consequently, the 10-year plan contemplates the construction and development of state lakes in this area, if flood control projects are not forthcoming.

Work is already under way at Grove Lake to develop trout-rearing ponds, and Niobrara State Park is scheduled for further improvement. In addition to many recreational areas in the central part of the state, new reservoirs that will be valuable include Sherman, which is already under construction, and Angus, which will probably be built in the next decade.

To the west of Alexandria, in southern Nebraska, Harlan Reservoir is of major importance. Its proximity to centers of population and the large acreage of land and water that is available for public use make this publicly-owned area one we can not afford to lose by default. Still farther west we have the three present "southwestern" reservoirs, plus a new one building in the Red Willow irrigation project. All of these waters need public-service facilities and improvements.

Going back north to the great Sand Hill country, we find many outstanding opportunities for development. This region includes a host of natural lakes, as well as pending irrigation reservoirs. In the long run, the Sand Hills have dude ranch possibilities, backed by high potential for increased game crops. The wild turkey, the scaled quail, and the antelope are currently being stocked in that country, and we have good reason to believe all three species will succeed. Here, too, Merritt Reservoir, south of Valentine, and Norden Reservoir, east of Valentine, are scheduled for construction.

The latter is especially significant in that it will be the fifth largest lake in Nebraska. The pine-clad hills of this Niobrara Valley site is one of the beauty spots of Nebraska. Immediately above the Norden Reservoir site is 68-foot Smith Falls, the highest waterfall in Nebraska.

Traveling westward, we leave the Sand Hills and enter the Pine Ridge country, another beautiful piece of Nebraska's outdoors. The Pine Ridge is potentially one of the great playgrounds of the Midwest. There are many possibilities here, including some which are already under development, such as Chadron State Park and the Fort Robinson Park Facility. In this area, also, lies Toadstool Park, a fantastic badlands area, already publicly owned and awaiting only adequate roads and proper development to become a major tourist attraction. Traveling southward we encounter great fossil beds of prehistoric mammals, Box Butte and Minatare reservoirs, famed Scotts Bluff National Monument, Chimney Rock, Wildcat Hills, and a host of lesser attractions.

Still farther south, in extreme southwestern Nebraska, is another area that urgently needs recreational water but has dim prospects for major irrigation reservoirs. Consequently, the 10-year plan contemplates lake construction in this part of the state. In short, Mission—The Better Life seeks the adequate development of recreational facilities on all major lakes as well as on smaller areas, plus state lakes in areas where natural waters or federal reservoirs are lacking. This is necessary, because water and water facilities for recreation is the foundation on which outdoor recreation and tourist trade must be built.

Along with the necessary physical developments, the plan includes greatly increased supplies of fish and game, and better use of these resources. In fisheries, our greatest potential lies in new waters, and in game in the introduction of new species.

This is but a brief review of some of the potentials that exist in Nebraska. There are many more that amply justify development. Since development will create a highly profitable industry, there should be no question whatever about the desirability of getting this job done. The question is not whether we can afford to do this; the truth is we can not afford to do otherwise.

May I warn here that we must not make the mistake of believing that this job can be set aside for "a better day". This undertaking is already overdue, and further delay will be costly, indeed. Moreover, for good results, this development must be carried along with the construction of the Interstate and with the promotion of other industry in Nebraska. Each of these three projects complement the others. Nebraska cannot possibly take full advantage of her potential if she neglects any one of these three undertakings.

You stand today on the threshold of a new and swiftly-moving era in the life of this nation, and a new frontier for your state, with golden opportunity that will soon be history. This is YOUR LIFE, and your life will be whatever you make it. That is why it is so important that every one of you understand and join up wholeheartedly with Mission — The Better Life.

THE END 6 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

SELLING NEBRASKAland

We've plenty to blow our horn about, but pittance budget pays only for a toot by Dick H. Schaffer Chief, Information and Education Division

A CENTURY AGO, news of "gold in them there hills" echoed throughout the West. And today it is still reverberating, particularly for the far-sighted Nebraskan and his "where the West begins" state. There's gold in the water, on the land, and throughout the historic sites of Nebraska.

Tourists and sportsmen are ready to provide the gold; they have it to spend. Only we must let the over 50 million tourist families know of the boundless recreational potential Nebraska possesses, and their dollars will flood the state.

"Tourist families" applies to native Nebraskans and out-of-state guests alike. Our own people need to be sold on NEBRASKAland. To most of them Nebraska is a so-so state when it comes to tourist attractions, largely because they don't know what exists. Most of them haven't been told what there is here, and few have taken the opportunity to go see for themselves. And to the out-of-staters, Nebraska is nothing but a barren rolling prairie, again because no one has bothered to tell them, and because few have had a look-see themselves. While much remains to be developed in the state in the way of attractions and facilities, there is plenty to blow our horn about now. The job is to tell everyone about Nebraska, to pass the word far and near. Attracting JANUARY, 1961 7   tourists is rapidly becoming a major competitive business in America today. It's no wonder. The nation is filled with outdoor-hungry throngs looking for vacation spots. And countless sportsmen are more than eager to lay hard cash on the line to quench their appetites for hunting and fishing opportunities. Nebraska can offer both what they are looking for. Game is plentiful, and there are ample waterways that are chock-full of fish. Relaxation facilities that rate high in comfort and convenience wait only to be tried. Old West historic areas stand ready to be inspected.

SELLING NEBRASKAland continued

Location-wise, Nebraska is ideal. In the center of the nation between the crowded East and the play lands of the West, it is easily accessible. As the first "western" state on the road West, Nebraska has its share of play facilities, too. All that is needed now is for someone to put out the welcome mat. The Game Commission is prepared to do just that.

Word of mouth is not enough to advertise the recreation bounty Nebraska can provide. People are impressed when they discover a Nebraska altogether different from their conception of a prairie land. This was shown last year when displays were presented at several sports and travel shows in nearby states to an estimated one million people. Viewers were surprised to learn of the many hunting and fishing meccas, historic sites, and recreation areas, particularly those for camping. After exhibiting Nebraska's attractions to amazed throngs in Kansas City, Wichita, St. Louis, Chicago, and Des Moines, and engaging in a limited national advertising campaign, tourist mail inquiries to the Game Commission mushroomed in quantity, necessitating additional personnel to keep pace with the volume.

Fact is, the demand for Nebraska materials soon exhausted Game Commission supplies. The original order of 50,000 copies of the "NEBRASKAland. . . . where the West begins" brochure was exhausted within one month of publication date. Two subsequent orders of 50,000 copies each likewise were exhausted in short order. A supply of 50,000 copies of the "NEBRASKA HIGHWAYS 1960" map, prepared jointly by the Game Commission and Department of Roads, was short-lived. The demand far exceeded the supply. Today there is virtually nothing to mail in answer to inquiries about the state, for there is no money with which to print materials of any kind.

Advertising Nebraska to the American tourist and sportsman is the surest way to attract them to our state. Needless to say, the powerful advertising campaign, employing most media needed to do the job, costs money. But it has been proven in neighboring states that there is truth in the saying it takes money to make money. Missouri invested $192,621 in promotion in 1959 and reaped $553 million in tourist trade. With enough money behind it, Nebraska could parallel this. Nebraska's biennial budget for tourist promotion in 1959-61 was $30,000. A total of $184,500 had been requested by the Game Commission. Using three sports magazines and five major newspapers, Nebraska set out to advertise its fabulous hunting—a resource that was immediately available and one that would benefit more participants. Nebraska enjoyed a tremendous pheasant population, and state hunters would not be able to harvest all the surplus cocks. Nonresident hunting would take a few thousand roosters that might otherwise have perished during the winter. The brief and limited advertising almost doubled the sale of nonresident permits over the previous year.

As far as hunting promotion is concerned, the objective here is to try to recover nonresident business enjoyed in the past. Our hunting pressure is substantially less than in past years even though we have improved game crops. Even though the 9,700 8 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   out-of-state guests of 1959 represent twice those of 1958, the total falls far short of permit sales in the 1940's. More than 12,800 nonresidents hunted Nebraska in 1946.

Nonresidents constitute but a fraction of Nebraska's hunting population. When we had 9,700 out-of-staters in 1959, resident permits totaled 170,000. And in 1948, when 2,774 nonresident permits were sold, 216,023 residents bought permits. The fluctuation in the number of resident hunters has been as great as 32,000 from one year to another, reflecting the relative insignificance of nonresident hunting pressure.

The $30,000 appropriated for tourist and recreation promotion for the entire state for the two-year period was hardly a drop in the bucket for the job at hand. It was like sending a boy to do a man's job. In contrast, Pioneer Village in Minden budgeted $45,000 for promotion and advertising of that attraction alone during the year. Nevertheless, the state's $30,000 appropriation was a beginning.

Given the proper backing, money spent on tourism can bolster the economy of the state. Also letting people know we have the recreation facilities will help bring new industry, and in turn, keep Nebraskans here who would otherwise move where there are job opportunities. It has been proven that areas with plentiful recreational facilities attract industry, and industry holds people. Too long Nebraska has been an agricultural state with a large gross and little profit. This does not need to continue. Missouri has proven that in its "tourist" counties the income has steadily risen over the past 10 years, while in the agricultural counties, just the opposite has happened. Nebraska could benefit from tourism in the same way.

Tourism is a $21 billion business in the United States, and that figure will continue to soar each year. With Nebraska's present attractions and its potential, there is no reason why tourists shouldn't flock here and the state reap its share. America's increasing population is accompanied by growing income and a diminishing work week. With expenditures in the right places, Nebraska could become the Midwest's week-end play and vacation state. Situated at the crossroads of the nation, with Interstate 80 construction under way, the tourist has easy access either to or through the state. But without telling and selling him on NEBRASKAland, he'll bypass the state or keep a heavy foot on the accelerator when he passes through. All things point to a bigger and better future for the state, if we tell the nation.

The past two years have shown what even limited national advertising can do. The 1959 advertising campaign inviting nonresident guests to come JANUARY, 1961 9   to Nebraska to help harvest the state's surplus game included advertisements in Field and Stream, Sports Afield, and Outdoor Life magazines, and in several leading newspapers in what was considered Nebraska's market area for hunters. The total cost was approximately $11,000. Based on detailed questionnaires sent to all 9,700 nonresident permit buyers, Nebraska realized about $1,000,000 in new money from out-of-state guests during the relatively short period hunting was permitted. Nebraska's economy enjoyed a welcome boost and thousands of surplus cock pheasants were saved from waste. The monetary return represents a return of about 100 to 1. Think what it could possibly have been if more had been spent on the campaign.

SELLING NEBRASKAland continued

Compared to the many national and regional magazines and the 25 metropolitan newspapers used by neighboring Colorado, Nebraska's advertising effort is dwarfed. Colorado spends $15,000 yearly for creation and production of printed promotional pieces alone. This is the total Nebraska is allocated per year for its promotion of the entire state. And while Colorado spends considerably more to sell its tourist attractions than does Nebraska, it also reaps many times the return. In 1959, Colorado collected $300 million from tourism, or four times the $75 million received by Nebraska.

Kansas allocates $51,371 yearly for tourist promotion, and in comparison to our other neighbors even this is a small figure. Colorado receives a yearly allocation of $118,041, South Dakota, $236,000, and Missouri, $192,621. Wyoming has a biennial allocation of $373,200. Iowa, which restricts its tourist promotion to the mailing of four-color brochures, comes under the Iowa Development Commission which has a yearly allocation of $40,780. Nebraska is the little boy in the big boy's league, and it isn't able to get the job done with its present biennial allocation.

The Game Commission is requesting $282,440 for Nebraska's tourist promotion for the 1961-63 biennium. This is more than the $184,500 requested for the last biennium, and considerably more than the $30,000 actually appropriated. Not one of the nation's 10 top states in tourist-travel promotion has an appropriation of less than $200,000 per year. By giving Nebraska enough money to engage in an active program of advertising and promotion, the entire state would benefit. The new money introduced would be spent again until it had reached everyone's pockets.

A realistic budget would permit preparation and distribution of more and better tourist promotional pieces; production of color slides and movies; more participation in sports and travel shows and in public meetings and programs; accelerated news and photo service for the press, including radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, tourist agencies, and travel writers; an accelerated advertising program, both state and national, utilizing the most productive media. With forceful entrance into the tourist travel field, Nebraska could match her neighbors in money earned.

Movies, slides, TV news clips, and still photos could be used effectively under an expanded program. This involves added personnel and equipment. Such a program has been carried on within the state on a very limited scale, and with more funds, it could be intensified here, and carried on into neighboring states. Movies and slides are vivid proof of what Nebraska actually possesses. This is one of the most urgently needed programs for the immediate future. TV news clips alone can do much to advertise the state.

For those tourists who haven't been exposed to Nebraska promotional materials, the job of telling the Nebraska story will be largely up to the tourist stations, one of which is already in operation during the vacation season at Blair. Additional stations are necessary, particularly on the Interstate in or near Omaha to welcome tourists entering from the east. Other stations would be advantageous in western Nebraska where east-bound traffic enters the state on both the southern and northern routes of the Interstate. The new stations could be patterned after the western lines of the Blair unit on U.S. Highway 30, but on a larger scale. These official greeting centers are vital to the success of the entire program. Blair has shown that free informational materials given there have been the tourists' guide to the state. The chance to greet and distribute such materials to people traveling the Interstate, even in its infancy, is vitally important, for we must lure travelers off the road and on to our attractions.

Florida uses this program to big advantage. Anyone who has been there will tell you that the temptation to investigate the many areas adjacent and even well off the highway, as displayed in the multitude of attractive brochures prepared by both civic and private interests, prompts many a person to change his plans so that he might see them. This the tourist likes, for he's eager to see as much as possible.

Blair under Game Commission sponsorship has enjoyed tremendous success. Many visitors there have said that they would like to see others spotted elsewhere in Nebraska. In 1959, over 9,000 stopped at Blair; this figure was almost doubled last year, including visitors from 47 other states and 25 foreign countries. The station directed many tourists to areas that they didn't know existed, extending their stay here. This means more money for Nebraska.

Even all this isn't a complete picture of the many things that could be done to put Nebraska into real competition for the tourist dollar. With the location, western history, recreation and camping facilities, and bountiful game and fish populations, Nebraska has all the raw materials necessary to become a top tourist state. Yet, because America doesn't know what Nebraska can offer, tourists race through the state on their wav farther west. With a forceful advertising program, tourists wouldn't be racing through Nebraska; they would be racing to Nebraska.

THE END 10 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

THE 10-YEAR LOOK

by Jack D. Strain Chief, Parks Division

NEBRASKA'S state park system, long on a "catch-as-catch-can" basis, began to take on a sense of direction and purpose with the passage of L.B. 408 in the 1959 Legislature. The law, in essence, established the state park system consisting of four types of parks: state parks, state recreation areas, state historical parks, and state wayside areas. Further, it set forth basic administrative procedures, and provided a .13 mill levy over a 10-year period for the development and maintenance of the system.

Already behind, Nebraska loses out if park plan folds

The mill levy, definitely a step in the right direction, is inadequate to do the job that needs to be done. But before discussing this, the reasons behind the proposals to beef up the park system should be explored as well as an evaluation of what the state holds.

To fully understand current and future outdoor recreational requirements, one must first examine the past.

Nebraska's park system, like Topsy, "just growed" over the years since first established. Parks came into being not necessarily as a part of any over-all JANUARY, 1961 11   plan, but rather because the opportunity arose as a result of some fortuitous circumstance or another.

Thus, one park was given the state by a town, another by an individual, and yet another by a veterans group. This, of course, is no reflection on the administrators of those days or of the fine, public-spirited individuals and groups concerned efforts resulted in the nucleus of our present system. It does, however, point out that the location and size of many parks were fixed by opportunity—not by planned acquisition. This was an impossibility under the financing system that prevailed at the time.

Areas which were purchased, and there were many, were painfully acquired in times of extremely small budgets. The net result of these acquisition procedures is obvious—a preponderance of those areas purchased were acquired in areas of comparatively low land values where the potential looked good and where the dollar would go the farthest. The remainder were located by the whim of fortune through the generosity of donors.

Today, because of these and other reasons, only a dozen or so relatively small areas are located within the 20 per cent of the state's area that contains approximately half of the population. This problem is accentuated by the fact that, in general, population is growing in eastern Nebraska and declining over the vast remainder where much of the recreational potential lies and where most of our park areas are located. This presents a serious problem to the administrator: he can either try to bring recreation to the people, or induce the people to "go to the recreation". Under Nebraska's economy, the latter is nearly an impossibility, except for vacation purposes, since much of the potential and many of the more attractive areas are beyond weekend range, based on the five-day work week.

True, roads and means of transportation are improving all the time, but the day is far away, indeed, when the average family, living in the eastern one-fourth of Nebraska, can "week end" at Chadron State Park.

The only solution, then, to the day-use outdoor recreational needs of a majority of Nebraska's citizens is the development of appropriate facilities within the portion of the state in which they reside. "Day use" means the activities in which people participate on short duration visits. These activities run the gamut from sight-seeing through fishing, picnicking, boating, etc.; in fact, everything short of extended, overnight trips involving camping, cabins, trailers, or commercial overnight facilities.

At present, the demand for day-use facilities far exceeds other forms of outdoor recreation in all portions of the state and by all participants. This condition will unquestionably extend far into the future 12 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   since most people perform most of their outdoor recreation on their "day off" which generally coincides with the week ends and holidays.

Peak-use surveys in Nebraska park areas, for instance, indicate that we receive about 80 per cent of our total annual attendance on week ends and holidays, such as the Fourth of July. This use pattern will not change as long as the vast majority of people are employed as at present.

The trend to outdoor family recreation is not new, and it is not peculiar to Nebraska. The most noticeable gains in these many activities, perhaps, were experienced in the decade following World War II. During this period, attendance at the seven park areas in Nebraska where records were maintained show that annual visitation jumped from 122,310 in 1946 to 511,128 in 1956. We now have more people annually in each of several major areas than the total annual visitation at all parks together before World War II.

There are several known economical-sociological reasons for this: more leisure time resulting from shorter working hours and increased longevity; larger personal incomes; better means of transportation; and greater populations. There is every reason to believe these factors will continue to exert a mounting influence in the future.

Nebraska, as well as other states, has not kept pace with its outdoor recreational needs, and is faced now with the urgent necessity of bringing its system up to today's requirements as well as providing for the future.

In addition to the requirements of all residents, which are first and foremost, Nebraskans are awakening to the economics of a sound outdoor recreational program as represented by income from tourists and the highly significant relation of recreation to industry. Fortunately, this is a happy marriage, since well-planned and designed facilities can equally serve the needs of both resident and traveling populations and, at the same time, serve to enhance industrial potential.

In view of the foregoing, it is evident that an over-all plan for development of the state park system is more important now than ever.

A preliminary outline of such a plan was devised in 1958, based on the income from a one-quarter mill levy which was recommended to finance the program proposed to the 1959 Legislature. As already indicated, the program was financed with a .13 mill levy, approximately one-half of the amount considered a minimum to finance the necessary capital developments to bring Nebraska's park system up to par over a 10-year period. This plan was implemented in so far as practicable with the proceeds of the .13 mill levy which raises about $412,000 annually. It is apparent that neither this amount, nor even the quarter mill levy, is adequate to do the job.

A new 10-year plan has been devised on a .35 mill levy, which would raise about $1,100,000 per year, which is essentially as originally proposed: a quarter mill for capital development, and a .10 mill for operation and maintenance to replace such funds previously appropriated on a biennial basis. The plan essentially involves two major endeavors: (1) Upgrading and updating existing areas to meet existing and anticipated needs, and (2) the acquisition of strategically located areas in the four basic categories to meet the needs as outlined here.

Extensive improvements of basic facilities are planned at appropriate existing areas. Initially, this will include such things as roads, parking areas, modern rest rooms and other sanitation facilities, adequate drinking water, picnic sites, camping areas, etc. Secondarily will come beaches, change houses, trail improvements, interpretative programs for variour areas, etc.

While a definite effort will be made to improve the present inequitable distribution of areas, extensive developments are planned for areas located all across the state, particularly in the Platte Valley, on the reservoir areas, and in the panhandle, for Nebraskans must look to the future as well as the present.

Ten years is a long time to look ahead, and the amount suggested as an investment in the state recreational program seems a great deal. The Game Commission believes it to be a sound investment, and one that cannot be delayed if the state is to progress.

THE END JANUARY, 1961 13

PINE RIDGE WINDFALL

by Pete Czura

WHEN I WAS handed the assignment of butte climbing in the Pine Ridge, I couldn't have been happier, for I had long nursed a desire to try this kind of adventure. This outing would give me a sampling of the sport, but without all of climbing's attendant dangers.

A group of butte climbers was to meet me at Crawford in Nebraska's northwestern corner. In setting up the jaunt I knew that weather might be a problem, but never in the proportions that greeted me as I highwayed past Alliance toward Crawford. A gray sky that had threatened all day cut loose with a howling, blinding blizzard, and I had to feel my way some 50 miles.

Once checked into a Crawford motel, I tracked down my climbers via the telephone. We would have to "wait and see" was the consensus of opinion. Through the night the blizzard roared, burying any thought of making a climb. A quick call to Lincoln the next morning changed my assignment to tracking game. I was to use snowshoes to plow around.

Blizzard was blessing in disguise, turning a flop into a mixed bag bonanza

There was only one hitch, though. I couldn't locate a pair of "webs". But I got lucky. Bill Hudson, the mayor of Crawford, heard of my plight and volunteered his four-wheel-drive Jeep that, according to John Kurtz, Fort Robinson Park superintendent, "could tackle any kind of terrain."

The morning dawned bright and clear, a direct opposite to the day before when 60-mile-an-hour winds shot through Pine Ridge canyons, and dumped snow into four to six-foot drifts everywhere. Not a whisper of wind rippled across the gleamingrwhite countryside. If Hudson's Jeep was as good as it had been touted, it would have its work cut out to get us around.

We headed south of Crawford. About two miles out we hit a patch of heavy cover. John and Bill dropped off at one end, and I drove the Jeep to the other where I would act as a blocker. Before I took position, John and Bill hit hip-deep snow.

The silence of the Pine Ridge was suddenly shattered by the wing beats of 10 pheasants busting out 14 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   ahead of John and Bill. Next came the roar of Bill's gun. His load of chilled No. 6's spilled one rooster. John followed suit, smoking a cock with his 12-gauge scatter-gun.

But the fun wasn't over. About 35 feet from me was a mass of tangled tree branches which had been piled high for game cover by Harold McDowell, our rancher host. When Bill kicked one of the dead branches 11 birds scurried out my way. My first shot missed, but the second tumbled a cackling rooster. I tried a third shot but only flicked tail feathers.

When I turned to fetch the first, it was nowhere in sight. But its tracks were as plain as any blueprint. A bit of blood made following the rooster even simpler. Getting him, though, was something else.

People talk about house cats having nine lives, but for my money pheasants have it all over them. With John and Bill egging me on, I lumbered along the wounded bird's path. The sly old cock had hidden in a small clump of weeds before heading for deeper cover. By the time I found his resting spot, he was gone. The chase lasted about 10 minutes. Finally, I spotted him making tracks for a new hideout. Rather than let him escape and become easy prey for some predator, I "arkansawed" him on the ground.

Tired but happy, I returned to the truck and my waiting friends. Our first foray had netted us three birds. Thanks to the snow, I was able to retrieve the third. We should have had more, but we blamed that on the cold.

We took off for another area, with the Jeep's four-wheel drive eating up the snow like a hungry, whining monster. It plowed (continued on page 24)

JANUARY, 1961 15

IT WAS IN THE CARDS

by Bill Bailey Stacked deck? You would think so, the way 1960 deer hunt followed suit

JUST HOW good or bad was the 1960 deer rifle season? If you are one of the 12,596 permit holders, you probably already have an answer, basing your opinion on your own particular success afield. If you were like Dick Wolkow of Waterloo you would agree that it couldn't have been better, backing up your claim with a 202-pound hog-dressed whitetail with a trophy rack large enough to be entered in Boone and Crockett records. But if you were like some hunters who saw nothing but doe deer it would be another story.

Game technicians, unlike the individual hunter, have to evaluate the season on all returns, good and bad. And in doing this, they must consider the Game Commission's big-game management objectives, to: (1) maintain populations within the economic tolerance of land operators, and (2) to provide the maximum amount of recreation and opportunity to hunt within bounds of the available resource.

Contrary to many opinions, the deer season was not geared to controlling populations except in one local area. It was based on the latter management objective, providing an opportunity to hunt and harvest deer within bounds of the resource. This becomes obvious when you examine the type of season held in the various management units. In all but two, hunters were restricted in the harvest of 16 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   antlered deer. In the Pine Ridge, where the Commission is attempting to increase the herd slightly, hunters were limited to antlered deer for the first four days but were allowed to harvest either sex on the fifth day of the season. Control was not the objective since hunting pressure was placed almost entirely on bucks with little legal removal of females, the producers of the deer herd. Only in the Omaha unit was control of numbers an objective.

State-wide hunting success in 1960 was the lowest since 1949. Over-all success was 42.8 per cent, with 5,399 of 12,596 permittees bagging deer. The average success of units in which hunters were restricted to antlered deer was 41.1 per cent. This is a respectable success figure when compared to many other states.

Hunting success was highest in the general region of the Sand Hills and lowest in the extreme eastern and southeastern part of the state, varying from 24.3 per cent in the Eastern Platte Management Unit to 62.3 per cent in the Western Sand Hills.

Most of the central and western units maintained a relatively high success ratio. The number of deer taken in the newly opened units in eastern Nebraska was below average. In these areas, whitetails are predominant. Generally whitetails are more difficult to hunt because of their greater wariness and the heavy stream-course cover which they inhabit. Too, populations are relatively lower, and there may have been some access problems in some individual cases.

Lower average success was due primarily to the type of season this year and the opening of new units in the east. Only 250 permits were issued for taking either sex in 1960 as compared to 4,404 in 1959 and 4,493 in 1958. Hunters were allowed to harvest either sex on the last day in the Pine Ridge, but relatively few hunters took advantage of the opportunity. Therefore, the harvest there was not so great as would have been realized by an either-sex season for the full five days.

Obviously, it is much easier to bag a deer under an either-sex season than when restricted to adult bucks. Only about 30 per cent of a population, and less in harvested herds, is legal game under an antlered-deer season. The number of targets is reduced considerably when compared to an either-sex season. Not only are there less targets but the hunter has to make positive indentification before shooting. Yearling bucks often have relatively small antlers which may be hidden by the ears or obscured by brush. A hunter may actually identify a legal buck as a doe. It all adds up to more difficult hunting to which the hunter might not be accustomed. Thus lower hunting success in 1960 was fully expected.

Some people are genuinely concerned about many dry does in our mule-deer population or the possibility of dry does. There is no question that many mule-deer does which they observed in the field did not produce fawns. However, this is a completely normal occurrence and not the result of an excessive harvest of bucks. Normally mule deer breed for the first time when about IV2 years old and produce their first fawn when two. In Nebraska, there is only one positive record of a mule-deer doe being bred as a fawn and producing as a yearling. With the exception of the fawn class, yearlings are the greatest single age class in a population, and it's quite natural that a large number of does are observed without fawns. Most of these are yearlings.

1960 DEER HARVEST Number of Deer Harvested *er cent of Hunters Suc- Spe Un- 1 ;cies Composition Management Permits White- Mule identified Total Unit Issued tails Deer Species cessful whitetails:mule deer Pine Ridge 2,988 88 1,389 1 1,478 49.4 6.3:100 Plains 454 6 240 246 54.1 2.5:100 Upper Platte 717 14 263 277 38.6 5.3:100 Western Sandhills 851 58 473 531 62,3 12:100 South Platte 731 41 239 280 38.3 17:100 Southwest 622 21 228 1 250 40.1 9:100 Keya Paha 732 82 314 3 399 54.5 26:100 Central Sandhills 537 46 231 277 51.5 20:100 Central 1,244 177 247 1 425 34.2 72:100 Central Platte 998 127 208 1 336 33.6 61:100 South Central 228 29 40 69 30.3 72:100 Upper Missouri 750 228 96 324 43.2 237:100 East Central 747 185 52 237 31.7 356:100 Eastern Platte 497 108 13 121 24.3 832:100 Omaha 250 72 72 28.8 100 per cent whitetails Lower Missouri 250 68 68 27.2 100 per cent whitetails Unknown Unit 5 4 9 Totals 12,596 1,355 4,033 11 5,399 42.8 33:100

This is not always the case with whitetails since they are basically more prolific. On good range with quality foods, a significant proportion of does will breed as fawns and produce as yearlings. This characteristic adds considerably to the productivity of a herd.

Practically all the animals checked were in excellent condition. Many hunters collected prized trophies, some of which could be entered in the record books. Generally, those after venison came home satisfied.

Was the 1960 deer season a success? Judge for yourself. An opportunity to hunt deer was provided for 12,596 hunters and 5,399 brought home their deer, all without endangering next year's crop or the hunting season.

THE END JANUARY, 1961 17

FORT KEARNY

Famed Frontier post shakes off slumber of a century, inviting all to relive its vibrant past by J. Greg Smith

THE PAST lingers over the small 40-acre clearing like a blanket, remembering all those yesterdays when the site resounded to the pulse beat of a young nation that hungered to swallow up the rich vastness couched within its borders.

You can hear the emphatic crack of a bull-whacker whip as lumbering Conestogas groan by. Out on the deserted parade grounds a miniature twister circles aimlessly to the sky, perhaps kicked up by the rhythmic crunch of cavalrymen passing in review. Off in the distance a small speck becomes a lone rider driving his lathered steed home with mochila loosened and ready to be passed on in the mail's quick dash to the Pacific. Over there, under the gnarled old Cottonwood, a meadowlark whistles his friendly song. Or was that the tinkling laughter of emigrant children at play?

Mountain man and miner, dance-hall girl and drover, they all passed this way, pausing briefly before stepping off into the unknown ahead. This, 18 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   then, was and is famed Fort Kearny, asleep today under a grassy park, but ever mindful of the past when the post played a key role in the migration.

Only with imagination can you conjure up those exciting moments of the past. Today it is nothing more than a small island in a rolling sea of corn. But take a second look. Spread out like a spider's web are archeologists' exploratory trenches, the first step in lifting the blanket of soil that has long hidden this priceless heirloom. Soon you will be able to see where the various buildings were spotted and where the parade grounds once rambled. In time you'll also find an exact replica of the old stockade that was built to protect the garrison from Indian attack in 1864. It should be completed this year. Later the blacksmith-carpenter shop building and the powder magazine will be restored and each will contain appropriate artifacts.

Well-marked footpaths will lead to each building site, and a sign will relate its significance. Three three-dimensional models of Fort Kearney will show you how the post looked in its earliest years, with subsequent improvements and additions, and finally, how Kearny looked before it was restored. In short, the fort will become a giant outdoor museum where one can comfortably stroll back through time to a date with a young and vibrant West.

But this isn't all. The Commission hopes to secure an authentic Overland stagecoach as well as a giant Conestoga and Mormon handcart. Children will have the chance to see and feel the real thing instead of the replica on television.

To display the myriad smaller items uncovered at the fort, a combination museum-visitor's center will be erected. Present plans call for the construction of a rustic building similar to the others that will be restored.

Camping is now and will be prohibited. Fortunately, the Game Commission has acquired a lake site on the Platte River only a mile and a quarter from the Park. It will meet the needs of campers.

Countless Nebraskans have patiently waited for this day, especially the residents in the Kearney area. Long ago they saw the value of acquiring the property as a historical site. After raising funds, they purchased 40 acres and donated the land to the state in 1929. Fortunately, the tract had never been cultivated, so the remains of the fort were intact. Surrounding acreage has been heavily farmed since the area was opened to homesteading in 1876.

Lack of funds prohibited development of the area as a historic area, and Fort Kearny was nothing more than a park for picnickers. The big break came in 1959 when the Unicameral passed L. B. 408, legislation which allowed the Game Commission to take a giant step in park development. Though initial appropriations were low considering the magnitude of the job to be done, the department was able to launch the Fort Kearny restoration project as well as many other needed park and recreation-area development programs. The Warp Foundation also pledged help, giving impetus to the restoration.

Last April, the Commission got the program under way by classifying Fort Kearny as a state historical park, and in the summer, the Historical Society moved into the area to conduct investigation work under Commission sponsorship. This phase of the operation is tedious and time-consuming, but is vital to the success of the restoration.

A fascinating story unfolds as the old fort is uncovered. The first buildings constructed in 1848 were of adobe and sod. William Kelly, an Englishman on his way to the California gold fields, was not too impressed by the fort that was to protect him from marauding Indians. He reported:

"The states have stationed a garrison of soldiers in a string of log huts for the protection of emigrants, and a most unsoldierly lot they were, unshaven, unshorn, with patched uniforms and a lounging gait."

In 1849, a 10-mile-square military reservation was established through treaty (continued on page 25)

JANUARY, 1961 19

STATE RECORD ROUNDUP

Anglers lead top-mark onslaught, but national marks go to shooters

DURING THE PAST few years, Nebraska sportsmen have given the game-record keepers a real workout. Records have shifted from season to season, and sometimes a rash of angling marks altered the books several times in one year. Occasionally, only one ounce spelled the difference.

Anglers have led the onslaught. During the past three years they wiped out or tied 15 previous highs with three being logged last year. But records aren't restricted to anglers only. The Game Commission has kept some mighty interesting and revealing records on big-game animals, too.

Two of the stated deer records rate high on the Boone and Crockett list—the state's white-tailed deer record is No. 13 in the world, while the nontypical mule deer is No. 85. (Antlers that deviate from the normal are described as non-typical.) The whitetail was taken on the Dismal River prior to 1909, and held the top Boone and Crockett spot for years. Its antlers scored 178% points. Elmer McClung of Stuart brought in the mule deer. Under Boone and Crockett scoring, it totaled 209% points.

Doran Jesse of Benkelman holds the typical mule-deer record. This handsome buck, killed in Chase County in 1958, garnered 185 2/8 points. Record for the most recent whitetail taken by a rifle hunter is 159 4/8 points. It was bagged by Richard Van Owen of Norfolk. However, a 1960 kill may alter this. Richard Wolkow of Waterloo brought in a whitetail which will be officially entered in the Boone and Crockett competition as soon as minimum time of 60 days has elapsed for antler shrinkage. After 30 days the rack counted 159 6/8 points.

The heaviest mule deer taken in recent seasons was a 310-pound hog-dressed giant bagged in Garden County in 1957. Live weight was estimated at 380 pounds. The record whitetail, killed near Valentine in Cherry County in 1957, weighed 287 pounds, hog dressed, or about 355 live weight.

One of Nebraska's antelope ranks high in the Boone and Crockett scoring, too. This magnificent specimen is tied for No. 29, and has a score of 82 6/8 20 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   points. It was taken near Angora by Harold C. Rusk in 1954. The top weight for a Nebraska antelope is 118 pounds, hog dressed.

Angling records are ever changing. Last May, for instance, two tumbled within a few days. Jim Haggard of Ogallala came up with a 3-pound, 9-ounce smallmouth bass out of Lake McConaughy. It topped Harry L. Oswalt's catch by only one ounce.

Little did Charles "Pat" Reed of Kearney dream his name would grace the state record books when he tossed out his bait into a sand pit south of Kearney. But that's fishing. Pat tied into a 3-pound, 5-ounce crappie measuring 17% inches. Again a single ounce broke the old record held by A. E. Hueppelheuster of Lincoln.

This year the gar was added to the state record list. Ron Meyers of Lincoln, an avid archer, now holds the record. While hunting for fish at Linoma Beach near Ashland he bagged a 15y2-pound gar. A record niche will be provided for paddlefish this year. If you catch one, turn in the necessary specifications; it could be a state record.

An unusual record will soon be entered—the longest pheasant tail feather. If you're interested, measure the feather from the end of the stem to the tip. Obtain two witnesses to verify the measurement, have them sign your entry, then send it to the OUTDOOR Nebraska, State Capitol, Lincoln 9.

As far as is known, the records listed here are the lastest and are correct. Unfortunately, some of the names of people who hold current records were not turned in. If you know of someone who belongs here, or can top any one of the current records, tell them to send full particulars.

THE END

NEBRASKA RECORDS

BIG GAME Rifle WHITE-TAILED DEER Typical antlers: Boone and Crockett score, 1781/s points. Taken by unknown hunter on the Dismal River prior to 1909. Nontypical antlers: no record available. Heaviest: 287 pounds, hog dressed. Taken by unknown hunter near Valentine in 1957 MULE DEER Typical antlers: Boone and Crockett score, 185 2/8 points. Taken by Doran Jesse of Benkelman in 1958. Nontypical antlers: Boone and Crockett score, 209% points. Taken by Elmer McClung of Stuart in 1956. Heaviest: 310 pounds, hog dressed. Taken by on unknown hunter in Garden County in 1957. ANTELOPE Horns: Boone and Crockett score, 82 6/8 points. Taken by Harold C. Rusk of Angora in 1954. Heaviest: 118 pounds, hog dressed. Hunter unknown. Bow and Arrow WHITE-TAILED DEER Heaviest: 220 pounds, hog dressed. Taken by W. Zimmer in 1 960 FISH Hook and Line LARGEMOUTH BASS: 9 pounds, 14 ounces by W. H. Latta, Lincoln, in sand pit near Louisville, 1959. (World record: 22 pounds, 4 ounces) SMALLMOUTH BASS: 3 pounds, 9 ounces by Jim Haggard, Ogallala, in McConaughy Reservoir, 1960. (World record: 11 pounds, 15 ounces) WHITE BASS: 41/4 pounds by Barbara Hombach, Grand Island, in McConaughy Reservoir, 1952. (No authentic world record but catches up to 5 pounds reported) BLUEGILL: 2]/2 pounds by party of Walter Beckman, Carf Buck, Bill Adams, and Ervin Krueger, all of Garland, in Monroe power canal, 1949. (World record: AVa pounds) BULLHEAD: 3 pounds, 3 ounces, by Mrs. Garnet Fanning, Alliance, in Spade Ranch Lake, 1958. (World record: 8 pounds) BLUE CATFISH: 58 pounds by O. P. Nielson, Bloomfield, in Missouri River near Bloomfield, 1954. (World record: 94]/2 pounds) BROOK TROUT: 4>i pounds by Vernon Zimmerman, Ovid, Colorado, in McConaughy Reservoir, 1953. (World Record: 141/* pounds) BROWN TROUT: 1 1 V* pounds by L. B. Eby, Sidney, at Otter Creek, 1950. (World record: 39V^ pounds) CHANNEL CATFISH: 313A pounds by Bob Nuquist, Broken Bow, in Lake Ericson, 1944. (World record: 57 pounds) YELLOW CATFISH: 56]/2 pounds by Herbert Meyer, Grand Island, and Ivan Drewer, Hampton, in Loup River power canal, 1958. (No world record available) CRAPPIE: 3 pounds, 5 ounces by Charles "Pat" Reed, Kearney-, in sand pits south of Kearney, 1960. (World record: Black crappie, 5 pounds; white crappie, 5 pounds, 3 ounces) FRESH-WATER DRUM: 19 pounds by Barton L. Andrews, Omaha, in Carter Lake, 1959. (No worfd record available) NORTHERN PIKE: 253/& pounds by Tom Kinder and Larry Reid, Goodland, Kansas, in Enders Reservoir, 1959. (World record: 46 pounds, 2 ounces) WALLEYE: 16 pounds, 1 ounce, by Don Hein, McCook, between Martin and Arthur bays in McConaughy Reservoir, 1959. (World record, 22!/4 pounds) BUFFALO: 32 pounds by L. Ashbaugh, Wilber, in Blue River near Wilber dam, 1944. Record tied by Morris Sweet of Crete in Blue River, 1959. (No world record available) YELLOW PERCH: 1 pound, 10 ounces by Mrs. Ethel Engle, North Platte, in McConaughy Reservoir, 1957. (World record: 4 pounds, 3]/2 ounces) RAINBOW TROUT: 12!4 pounds by J. D, Wickard, Brule, in Sportsmen's Service Bay, McConaughy Reservoir, 1953. (World record: 37 pounds) SAUGER: 7 pounds, 14 ounces by Archie Prather, Wausa, in tailwaters of Gavins Point Reservoir, 1958. (World record: 8 pounds, 3 ounces) CARP: 25 pounds, 2 ounces by Bernard Carter, Lincoln, in East Oak Creek Lake, 1957. (World record: 55 pounds, 5 ounces) STURGEON: I8V2 pounds by Ernest Petsche, Hartington, in Gavins Point Reservoir, 1958. (World record: 360 pounds) Bow and Arrow GAR: }5V2 pounds, by Ron Meyers, Lincoln, pierced with arrow at Linoma Beach near Ashland, 1960. (No world record available) THE END JANUARY, 1961 21

HATFUL OF PHEASANTS

Put on your old gray bonnet with ringneck feathers on it by Helen Farrel

ANYONE CAN GO out and buy a hat decorated with pheasant feathers, but that's just a hat. When you make your own, it's more, much more. The price tag of the finished product in all likelihood will be higher, and there will be hours of tedious snipping and sewing before anything takes shape. Still, it's an honest-to-goodness pheasant hat made from honest-to-goodness pheasants that you yourself may have killed. That's nothing you can buy over a counter.

We all know the pheasant's a beautiful bird, but you don't really know how beautiful until you start assembling the feathers for a hat. Almost any color can be found—from pale-blue to gold and bronzy-brown. That's why a pheasant hat goes so well with almost any dress or suit. That's why, too, you'll want a basic well-shaped hat that won't be outmoded in a few years.

If you want to make a feather hat, it pays to give your husband some pointers on field care of the birds he shoots. You'll want as clean and unsoiled birds as possible. To take the skin off, you cut off the wings, the feet, and the head above the white collar. Then slit the front of the bird, from neck down over the breast to the tail. The intact skin then slips off like a sweater and you're ready for the next step.

There's just a little trick to curing the skin. Stretch it out, feather side down on a board, pull taut, and tack. Now pour salt generously over the flesh side.

Let the treated skin stay at least 48 hours. If possible, cure it a week. Then treat the feathers with a moth-proofing spray, for this hat will be stylish for years to come. While you're waiting, scrounge up some scraps of wool, and cut into petal-shaped pieces about 1% by 1 inch at the widest and longest points. When the skin is ready, cut off the feathers and glue them on the pads.

You'll want to do this as you go along, cutting off only enough feathers to fill a pad at a time. Some milliners snip off all the feathers at once, but this requires unnecessary sorting later. And a sudden gust of wind could be disastrous.

For the smaller feathers, mount about two overlapping rows on the larger end of each petal pad, 22 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   about four or five feathers per row. Gluing is easier than tacking with thread. Are you surprised at this extra step? You just can't slap hunks of skin and feathers on a hat. You might start shedding at a tea or church social.

From now on, it's up to your individual taste and your skill in hat making. If you're a novice, you'll probably do best with a felt hat in a basic shape upon which you can sew the pads directly. You could just glue the feathers right onto the felt hat, but you'll find it's much easier to make a design by using the pads.

Try covering a hat band for yourself, or making a band for your favorite hunter's hat. They're conversation-starters.

If you've had some experience covering hats, or have access to a covered frame, glue the feathers on it. With a frame you have a wide choice of styles, and the finished product will look more custom-made.

The design is up to you. I started one hat with a bucket-shaped frame. On the top I arranged a star-burst design made from the glisteny little white feathers from the bird's collar. For the rest of the hat I chose the warmer-toned brown back feathers. A green velvet lining and band gave me a very chic hat. My favorite hat, however, has a wide soft brim which I outlined with the pale-blue soft feathers from the pheasant's upper tail coverts. This is the hat that took first prize at the 1960 State Fair.

You'll find you won't have much use for the long tail streamers. Though a little hard to handle, they can be used for ornament. For example, I tacked some feather pads over a small piece of cotton for the body of a miniature bird, found a colored toothpick for the bill, and used one long tail feather for the much exaggerated tail.

It takes me less than 10 hours, after curing, to complete a hat, and I've had the experience of many hats behind me. So keep cheerful. About halfway through the making, you'll wonder why you ever got this crazy notion. But, if you had the courage to start, you'll have the perseverance to finish. When you're done, you'll have an eye-catching hat that will have just your style and flair for years to come.

THE END JANUARY, 1961 23

SPEAK UP

Send your questions to "Speak Up," OUTDOOR NEBRASKA, State Capitol, Lincoln 9, Nebraska Bird Feeder Liked

After reading the latest OUTDOOR NEBRASKA, I will say that your staff is certainly presenting the best in outdoor topics to subscribers. The bird feeder, for example, is from one of your how-to articles printed in the January 1959 issue. I followed the instructions to the letter and you can judge for yourselves. I think it is the best feeder I have seen, and the birds like it immensely." —William M. Haggen, Omaha.

Buck too Big

"The graph on the back page of the November issue was greatly appreciated but a little too small. I had the good fortune of shooting a whitetail buck that dressed out at 216 pounds. Extending the data on your graph, I figured the live weight at 273 pounds.

"The buck was shot on the Platte River near Kearney. My only regret is a bigger one got away. There was a lot of hunting pressure in this area. I counted 18 hunters on a square mile of land on opening day. Has Director Steen considered the possibility of issuing less permits? He has done a good job in upgrading the deer hunting in Nebraska, and I want him to know he has one satisfied deer hunter here."—Jack L. Swanson, Kearney.

You're on the nose in estimating your buck's weight. We wonder if all those 18 hunters per square mile were actualy hunters. If each permittee were out with the landowner, a guide, or a friend to help drive the deer, that would reduce the number of guns. Certainly, 18 guns per mile is pretty thick. This is an isolated case, however, even along the Platte bottoms where both deer and hunters are bound to concentrate. Issuing less permits would not help.—Editor.

PINE RIDGE WINDFALL

(continued from page 15)

roughshod over roads and trails where none had existed. This type of mobility was made to order, a lot better than being on snowshoes.

We gouged our way all over the countryside, our tracks like a giant's game of "Cut the Pie". Pheasants, jack rabbits, and cottontails all fell to our guns.

We were a couple birds shy of having our limit by 1 p.m. Bill had an official function to attend, so we headed back to town. He offered us his Jeep for the afternoon.

"We could run up to Smiley Canyon and see if the two cats I tried to trap last year are still there," John said. "Like to try it?"

"You know I would," I replied.

After dropping Bill off at his home, we headed for a late lunch. Around 3:30, we drove to Smiley Canyon, about three miles west of Fort Robinson on U.S. Highway 20. Parking the Jeep at a wayside area, we took to the hills. About an hour later, and just when we were ready to call it quits, John pointed to a pair of tracks leading into one of the canyons.

"We're in luck," he said, squatting down for a better look. "These are fresh tracks. Maybe we'll score yet."

I had time for a couple of pictures. But before we were able to do much tracking, a curtain of dusk enveloped the Pine Ridge ending the hunt.

"We'll come here the first thing in the morning," John told me as we high-tailed it out of the canyon. "If we're lucky, we might flush him out of his hole."

The events of the next morning proved to be a delicious frosting to an adventure which initially had threatened to be a dud.

I paced and fretted. Around 9: 30, John tired of my pacing, so we took off. Within 20 minutes we were at the spot we'd last seen the cat's track. We advanced cautiously, but the crunching snow under our feet heralded our approach to all who listened.

As we neared the center of a steep-walled canyon, John whispered, "Stay here. I'll circle around and see if I can pick up his tracks at the other end. If I do, I'll wave for you to come ahead."

It took John 30 minutes to make the swing. Occasionally I could see him struggling through the pines and snow. Then he popped into full view at the far end and motioned me to come ahead.

I started toward him and he toward me. This puzzled me. If the cat tracks continued away, why was John moving in?

"He's holed up somewhere between us," came the answer.

There I was, armed with only a camera. "Anyway," I thought, "if he comes at me I'll get a picture of him head on."

Just as I lowered my head to check the lens opening, John shouted excitedly, "He's coming toward you."

And there the cat was, too far out to photograph, but recognizable. He was skimming along the ground gracefully. Then the cat spotted me and made a swift right-angle leap along some yucca draping the hillside. With me out of the shooting line, and only 30 yards away, John peppered a load of No. 6's at the fleeing cat. The first shot dusted his rear end. The cat made two more quick jumps before John's second shot dropped him in his tracks.

With his gun on the ready, John advanced upon the fallen quarry and poked him with a questioning shoe.. He was a goner. The cat was about average size, probably about 20 pounds.

This madcap ending to an outdoor adventure that almost didn't come off was tops in my book. We tracked game with a rig that offered new avenues of hunting. Without it, we would never have gotten near game. I regretted leaving the Pine Ridge, but I'll be back, ready to take on that date with the buttes.

THE END 24 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

Outdoor Elsewhere

Muskie Fever

ONTARIO . . . After much effort and time consumed and amusement given bystanders, a fisherman trolling in one of the Kawartha Lakes finally hooked a fine large muskie and succeeded in bringing it alongside his boat. Apparently, however, the sight of the huge head and gaping jaws was overpowering. To the amazement of the on-lookers the distraut fisherman threw rod and reel into the water and retired to the shore.

Cause for Alarm?

WASHINGTON, D.C. . . . Analysis of the tissues of animals found dead in southeastern states following control operations for the imported fire ant has revealed the presence of insecticidal residues in 98 per cent of the specimens. The scientists are reluctant to charge directly that the animals were killed by the poisons, but the concentrations of them in the tissues equalled those found in laboratory animals fed them in their food. Birds and other animals shot on the treated areas six months and more after the spraying also contained traces of the poisons.

Two for One

MISSOURI . . . Some hunters kill two birds with one shot. But a Missouri sportsman got a mallard and a white bass with one shotgun blast. The mallard was banged at as it came into the hunter's decoys. On retrieving the duck, he found a prime bass flopping wildly around in the water. It had been hit by one of the pellets.

41/2-Million Food Value

KENTUCKY . . . What is the value of food harvested by state hunters in one season? Around $4,500,000. Figures projected from conservation-officer surveys showed that during the 1960 season 300,000 hunters will have bagged 9,412,000 animals or birds. This means that each hunter will take 30 head of legal game. Total poundage of dressed meat would near the five-million mark. At 85 cents a pound, the equivalent of a good steak and which anyone would admit is cheap for a smothered pheasant or a stuffed and roasted goose, the food bill comes to $4,500,000.

FORT KEARNY

(continued from page 19)

with the Pawnee Indians of Nebraska. Almost two years later the now-blossoming post was threatened with abandonment due to lack of funds. An Indian uprising proved that such action would be folly.

Fort Kearny began to look like a true military post in 1861. During the next two years many of the crumbling sod buildings were replaced by more permanent buildings. Officers occupied "substantial and quite cozy frame homes neatly painted." The parade grounds was enclosed with buildings and trees were planted. Officers even boasted a club and scratched their names on its white chimney breast. Among the names enrolled was Lieutenant Robert E. Lee. Southerners deserted the post when the Civil War erupted. Too soon, they would slaughter their Fort Kearny comrades.

The post was thrown into confusion by the Civil War. Troops moved to the East to take sides in the bloody conflict. Fort Kearny was almost deserted and early-day settlers feared the worst from the hostile tribes. Ultimately, they raised a volunteer unit to garrison the fort.

Sioux and Cheyenne, realizing the vulnerability of those who remained on the Frontier, took the warpath to revenge past injustices. Stage station, wagon trains, and troopers felt the sting of their hate. Taking the road West or living along it invited suicide as well as a sheared pate. Even the post was threatened. General Robert R. Livingston and his First Nebraska Volunteers hastily threw up an earthworks in 1864 and hurried the stockade to completion. "Galvanized Yankees", captured Confederates who chose to fight with the Union on the Frontier instead of returning to the East's bloody fields, played a key role in the stockade's completion.

Fort Kearny troopers provided protection for the Irish track-laying crews who pushed the rails to the Pacific. Once this job was done, the fort had outlived its usefulness. The Indian wars had moved on west. No longer was this portion of the Platte unsafe to travel. Regulars left the post in 1871, and four years later the buildings were torn down and the materials shipped to North Platte and Sidney. A move was made that year to relocate the nation's capitol on the reservation, but easterners frowned on the grandiose scheme. In 1876, the Department of the Interior relinquished the reservation for disposal under the Homestead Act.

Progress had crushed Fort Kearny in its wake, progress that the post helped to assure. But Kearny has not been forgotten. Cavalryman and emigrant child will soon be replaced by countless fathers and sons who will, thanks to the restoration, share an intimate glimpse with their priceless pioneer heritage, a glimpse that can never be matched by book or TV set.

THE END JANUARY, 1961 25

Notes on Nebraska Fauna

MAGPIE

by Mary Brashier Highwayman of the high plains, magpie adds dash of piracy to western Nebraska scene. By his standards, he's just trying to make a living

THE KING of thievery, the piebald bandit of the plains, is the black-billed magpie, a common resident of western Nebraska.

Satan in a bold black-and-white costume, but Satan full of humor and mischief, the magpie is as cursed and reviled in the literature as any other bird. "Murderous," screamed an 1866 publication. "A wretch, a miscreant, a cunning thief, a heartless marauder," agreed Dawson, in uThe Birds of California". Other writers were equally opinionated.

Undaunted, the magpie screams right back, even in man's own language, if trained properly. These ill manners in the bird must taunt his critics further.

A magpie is a crow with short wings and a long tail and with the depraved habits of a jay.

He is said by ornithologists to form a connecting link between the two species. A good specimen is 17 to 22 inches long, with a short wing spread of 8 or more inches, prohibiting him from long-distance flights. His sweeping, brassily iridescent tail may go up to 12 inches, and is in the way on a windy day. An adult is black, with bronze blue or green metallic gloss, except for white on the belly, white scapular patches, and on the inner webs of the primaries on the wing tips, and a grayish strip across the rump.

The range of Pica pica hudsonia extends from the eastern Aleutians and the middle Yukon southward between the eastern slope of the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada and central and western South Dakota and Nebraska to New Mexico and Arizona. In the northern part of his range the magpie is a wanderer after the breeding season, but is a permanent resident in other parts. The yellow-billed magpie, alike in almost every other respect, is resident 26 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   only to the valleys of central California. Other races occupy nearly the whole of Europe, a small area in northwestern Africa, and parts of Asia.

A magpie spends much of his time on the ground, walking, hopping, and dodging after insects which form up to 75 per cent of his diet. Road-killed rabbits and other small mammals are picked over thoroughly. Grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, ground beetles, alfalfa weevils, coddling moth larvae, and waste grain are taken in season. Observers grudgingly admit the magpie will destroy certain numbers of noxious rodents.

Despite popular belief that the bird is an inveterate nest robber, he probably does not do this habitually. Nests of other birds are robbed of eggs and young chiefly at the time the magpie is feeding his own brood. The nesting period is in April, generally. Thus, many birds, most of which nest later, escape. A flock of magpies will easily find a poultry yard, and utilize it, however.

The nest is a remarkable mess of thorns, mud, rootlets, and what-have-you. A veritable skyscraper of a nest, seven feet high, was reported in 1909. Two and three-feet high structures are regularly reported.

Nests are usually in colonies and may be used year after year. They are from 5 to 40 feet high in willows, aspens, pines, or brush. The inside cup, 8 to 10 inches across, is made of twigs, rootlets, and dry grasses. Cemented with mud, this wall becomes one to two inches thick. It is lined with grass, hair, and sometimes pine needles. The whole is more or less completely enclosed by an open latticework of coarse sticks, making a mass about the size of a bushel basket or larger. An entrance is in the side; there is usually also an exit in the opposite wall.

Seven eggs are the average and are incubated from 16 to 18 days. No young creatures are more repulsive than just-hatched naked magpies. At four weeks the young cling to branches outside the nest where they have a characteristic habit of incessantly bobbing and bowing. At five weeks they try their wings.

At any time the young birds are threatened, the parents fall into a paroxysm of rage. According to Dawson, they "denounce, upbraid, anathematize, and vilify the intruder and decry his lineage from Adam down." And if this fails "they fall to tearing at the leaves, the twigs, the branches, or even light on the ground, and rip up the soil with their beaks, in the mad extremity of their rage."

In quieter moments, the magpie nevertheless continues a running commentary. Henshaw (1875) found the bird's everyday voice "singularly flexible, ranging from a gutteral chuckle to the softest whistle." Chattering like a magpie is not accurate, says Taverner (1919), for "the talk is deliberate. They unite the gravity of judges with the talkativeness of a debating society."

The magpie's boldness and audacity is accentuated by his joining into fall and winter flocks. Since, however, it exists in only moderate numbers over much of its range, little economic loss is realized from the scavenger.

But the old-timers saw him in different lights. The party of Lewis and Clark, first to add the bird to American fauna, found the birds taking over their tents, snatching even the meat from their dishes. Lord, in 1866, characterized the magpie as murderous, because of its habit of picking out the galls of pack mules. Mule skinners hated them.

Colonel Pike, exploring New Mexico in the early 1800's, wrote in his journal: "The storm still continuing with violence, we remained encamped, the snow by night was one foot deep. Our horses were obliged to scrape it away to obtain their miserable pittance, and to increase their misfortunes the poor animals were attacked by the magpies, which, attracted by the scent of their sore backs, alighted on them, and in defiance of their wincing and kicking, picked many places quite raw. The difficulty of procuring food rendered these birds so bold as to alight on our men's arms and eat meat out of their hands."

Dawson denounced the practice of branding cattle. Magpies attracted by the scars from the hot irons sometimes prevent them from healing, occasionally to the death of the animal. "When the inhumane custom of branding shall have been discontinued, we shall hear no more complaints of the magpie on the score of cruelty to animals."

A thief and a blackheart he may be, but the magpie enlivens the western landscape of Nebraska by his loquacity and devil-may-care tricks. He would be missed.

THE END JANUARY, 1961 27