BUFFALO BILL COUNTRY

Here's where rodeo was born, the home town of the Wild West and the man who created it, all yours for the enjoying by Jane Sprague

THIS IS RODEO. Raw, gusty, alb Bill's kind of rodeo, his * Old Glory Blowout. In North Platte, where rodeo was born. It's sweat and dust and hoorah and guts of man against animal and time and prize money. This is Bill's rodeo, 79 years later. And there's nothing that can match it on the face of the earth.

North Platte's "Buffalo Bill Blowout" lives again each year during the third week in June. And because it lives, Bill Cody lives. His town, his ranch, his show,   duded-up with all the trimmings that will ever lure the gentil to a date with their Wild West heritage.

BUFFALO BILL COUNTRY continued

The show's a little more refined than Bill would have it. There are chutes where a bronc buster can hunker down on a snorting, untamed cayuse. No longer does he have to ear the horse down and climb aboard in the open arena. And there aren't buffalo to ride. But even Bill would agree that a man-hating brahma is a real super-charged substitute. The chuckwagons are streamlined a bit, but they still produce the same kind of hair-raising action as they jam into the track and race for prize money. Nor do the cowboys necessarily ride the range. They're professionals now, and* would give even OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   the Wild West's famed Buck Taylor, "King of the Cowboys", a go for his money.

But Bill, Buck, Annie Oakley, Frank North, Sitting Bull, and all the rest that were a part of the fabulous Buffalo Bill's Wild West would put their stamp of approval on this year's version. The program's list of cowboy competitors reads like the Who's Who of the rodeo world. For three rip-roaring days, they give their best and take all that famed Beutler Brother's corral of maverick's has to offer, working against time and each other for the bundle of bills doled out to the lucky.

Bareback riding, saddle bronc and brahma bull riding. Bulldogging and calf roping. Chuckwagon races and a big fast-draw shoot down. That's the show, 1961 version, attracting dudes by the earful, out-of-staters willing to pay the price of admission to be a part of the authentic old West. And because they hunger for this kind of hoorah, Scouts Rest and all the other priceless mementos that Bill willed to North Platte will live again.

The Buffalo Bill Blowout Rodeo was the climax to an exciting week of real western-type excitement, as North Platte turned out in honor of the town's hero, Buffalo Bill Cody. Excitement was synonomous with Bill Cody, and the week dedicated to him did him proud.

Many men such as Bill, with raw courage, sights set to the future, cognizant of what the West would someday be, helped to build the West. Wherever Bill went, there was sure to be rip-snorting action. He brought about the birth of rodeo when he planned the "Old Glory Blowout" in 1882 to help North Platte celebrate the Fourth of July. That was one Fourth of July that will never be forgotten. Seventy-nine years later, North Platte was still following the pattern set by Bill Cody.

Though the events of the two shows were similar, the reasons for their presentation were different. The Old Glory Blowout came about because Bill felt it was "downright unpatriotic" not to have a real Fourth of July celebration. The Buffalo Bill JULY, 1961 5   Blowout was born because North Platte felt it was"downright unpatriotic" to let any memory of Buffalo Bill die. he returns from the week-long affair will assure that the great scout's memory will not die.

BUFFALO BILL COUNTRY continued

Bill was a history-making individual, and at his great ranch in North Platte he carried on his tradition of doing things up right. Anyone who saw Bill's ranch in its hey-day would never forget it. A huge 19-room house was the center of the 4,000-acre ranch with its blooded cattle and bountiful crops. The house was a masterpiece in its day with rich furnishings, wide veranda, and unexcelled hospitality. Visitors would be just as apt to find the scout sitting on the veranda trading tales with a duke as with a down-and-out cowpoke.

Beside the house stood the huge red barn, the words "Scout's Rest Ranch" painted on the side in white letters big enough to be seen from the Union Pacific a mile away. Here the Wild West troupe wintered and rehearsed their acts.

The barn was really something to see in those days, with each rafter carved like a gunstock, the walls covered with colorful posters proclaiming the show's many wonders. This barn was typical of Bill Cody, for when he did something, he did it big.

Fabulous Scout's Rest had seen some glorious days. Today the old barn stands deserted with only the gunstock rafters and the faded posters to remind you of the life and action it knew. The house, too, is deserted. High weeds cover the once-neat yard, and the once well-stocked wine cellar crumbles in the dust behind the house.

Buffalo Bill always had an open heart, and often an open pocketbook to most anyone. North Platte wants to follow this example. It's their turn to help their beloved scout, and they're setting out to do it. North Platte and the Game Commission plan to purchase some 25 acres of Scout's Rest Ranch containing the house and barn and turn it into a living memorial to Bill. Once North Platte has raised one half the $75,000 purchase price, the Game Commission will provide the remainder.

Big things are in store for Scout's Rest. In its renovation as a state historical park it will regain its old life and beauty. Once again people will be able to enjoy the hospitality of Scout's Rest. Picnickers will relax on the lush lawns by the big barn 6 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   with Scout's Creek and its cool waters flowing nearby. There'll even be something for the fishermen. Proposals have been made to stock trout for the angler in the creek's waters.

Buffalo Bill loved children, and when Scout's Rest is completed they'll have their playground, too. The house will be converted into a museum, taking the visitor back to the days when Bill made JULY, 1961 7   history. Period furniture and mementos of Bill's fascinating career will all be on display.

BUFFALO BILL COUNTRY continued

The barn will once again recall those days when one of the greatest showmen of them all put his troupe through its paces. The old stalls will be redone. The old posters will again blaze on the walls. For those who haven't any idea just what a Wild West Show was really like, an area will be set aside for the showing of the original film strips of the show in action. Bucking broncs, Rough Riders, the Deadwood Stage, all will come to life again on the screen.

Bill Cody means a lot to North Platte. During his lifetime, he managed to be there for the building of the enormous store of history which lies in the region. Pioneers in the lines of covered wagons paused here on their westward journey over the Oregon Trail, depending on scouts like Bill Cody to 8 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   protect them from Indians and dangers of the trail. Pony Express riders thundered through in the days of "fast mail". Bill got his start as a Pony Express rider at an age when today's boys are still in grammar school.

During the Indian wars, the area around North Platte smouldered. When Buffalo Bill first rode into nearby Fort McPherson, it was as a scout for the cavalry in their bloody battles with the Sioux. Bill knew this region, knew where Indians liked to camp, how they liked to fight. It was to Fort McPherson that Cody returned after the Battle of Summit Springs in 1869, when he acted as a scout for the Fifth Cavalry in their fated meeting with Tall Bull. And it was at McPherson that he met dime-novel writer Ned Buntline who was destined to make Bill known the world over. Fort McPherson could also be responsible for planting the seed which grew into the Wild West Show. For it was from the fort that Bill planned the Grand Duke Alexis hunt, a real Wild West show where the Russian duke from half-way around the world got his first taste of the frontier.

Today Fort McPherson, now a national cemetery with soldiers of both Indian and modern wars buried here, is much more tranquil. Vacationers can visit the cemetery and study the tombstones which read like a history book of the West. Famous Indian scouts lie here, soldiers who lost their lives fighting for what they knew would someday be a rich and incomparable land. And if they could tell what they've seen, Bill Cody would be mentioned, for these were men who knew and respected him.

There are many things which vacationers today are seeking that Bill Cody would remember well. He often rode beneath Sioux Lookout, under the watchful eye of an Indian atop the signal point overlooking the Platte Valley. Today an Indian still guards the point just south of North Platte, a heroic-sized statue by Nebraska sculptor Irvin Goeller. With hand to forehead, the brave searchingly JULY, 1961 9   watches the horizon, looking for new arrivals to his beloved valley.

BUFFALO BILL COUNTRY continued

And Bill would have probably included the story of Jack Morrow and his trading post in his collection of tall tales which people loved to hear. There's a marker at the site now, telling how Jack and his band of men preyed on the passing wagons, from their road ranch 15 miles west of Cottonwood Springs.

Cottonwood springs was the site of the McDonald Ranch where Bill McDonald, the first white baby born in Lincoln County, got his first glimpse of the frontier. Bill died in his home in North Platte June 14, 1961 on his 100th birthday. He remembered Bill Cody, his vitality, his open heart.

When Bill Cody first brought his family to North Platte from St. Louis, he brought with him a beautiful marble-topped sideboard, a proud addition to their home. The elegant piece, as well as many of the Cody mementos now stand in the D.A.R. Museum in Memorial Park. Relics of Custer's Last Stand, early utensils, all rest in the small cedar cabin which watched the West being built.

Bill often scouted along the Platte River. It flowed on the northwestern part of his ranch, and he loved it. If he were to ride south of town today, he wouldn't believe his eyes. For here is big Lake Maloney, one of the chain of Platte River reservoirs. Boating, golf, archery, a trap club, and water sports are within easy reach, as well as top walleye and bass fishing. Five boat-launching ramps are available to boaters, and resorts on the shores furnish lodging, bait, and tackle. Attractive camping and picnicking areas with delightful surroundings await today's vacationer.

If Bill pointed his horse, Brigham, to the north from North Platte he would ride to a peaceful green park bearing his name. Cody Park offers the tops in sports and relaxation. The Platte River runs on the edge of the park with camping and picnic areas available on its banks. Tennis, swimming in a modern pool, children's rides, and a game refuge are among the many attractions the park has to offer.

North Platte was once the bountiful hunting ground of the Indian who saw vast herds of buffalo clouding the horizon. Pioneers fought their way into a new frontier, Pony Express riders blazed their trail, and the "end o' track" moved across the nation to the Pacific. And with it all came many men who can't be forgotten. Bill Cody is one of them. When Bill first rode into Fort McPherson as a young scout, he started a career that would eventually bring the western frontier to people all over the world.

Bill Cody's ranch now sleeps quietly. But Scout's Rest is a place that can't remain sleeping. The ranch and the area it rests in are too packed with spectacular memories. North Platte, all of Nebraska cannot let it die.

THE END 10 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

THE BONE HUNTERS

by J. Greg Smith Time, 35 million years of it was trapped in flats and canyons of the Badlands for us to discover

THE GREAT BEAST could no longer keep up with the rest of the herd that stretched out like a gray wave to graze the vast flood-plain grasses of the White River. He was too old to feed, too weak, and the ponderous trunks that were his legs quivered in a final effort to support his massive barrel frame. A small pond reflected his ugliness—the spatula-like pair of bones that curved up and out from a pinched-off snout, the stupid, beady eyes shoved up beneath, and the huge, scaly jaws that stretched back and anchored on a short, bull neck. His legs shuddered, then gave way, and he crashed into the pool. Titanother was dead.

Carnivores gorged themselves on the mother lode of meat cached within his eight-foot-high frame, rending and tearing and spreading bones over the plains. But they were the only ones that noted his passing.

The vacuum that was time oozed on. Generation after generation of the great gray beasts fed around, then over the bleaching bones. Then they were gone, too. Dust blacked out the sky, dropping tons of soil over the skeleton. The river changed courses countless times, dumping sediment in the valley. Indian tribes hunted over the sediment that was now chalky, pine - studded bluffs, leaving delicately carved arrowheads as mementos of their passing. French trappers worked nearby streams for beaver, avoiding the eroding valley they called the Mauvrais JULY, 1961 11   Terres, the Badlands. And finally, 35 million years later, Bill Hudson and I came on the scene and found Titanother. He now was only a piece of jaw sporting three great molars, long fossilized and lying alone on a gray, powdery rise like so many others in the desolate valley beneath the Pine Ridge.

THE BONE HUNTERS continued

Stepping into this other world that is Nebraska's Badlands was a great adventure, the chance to read "The Book of Ten Thousand Chapters" that the Chinese called earth's bedded strata. Here, indeed, was the story of life. For within the soft green, gray, rust, and buff layers were imbedded the fossils of a tremendous variety of animals that once called Nebraska home. Bill and I, along with his wife, Lois, and two oldest boys, Mike and Jerry, could easily have discovered a mastodon, camel, saber-toothed tiger, or rhino in this same country. We settled happily for the titanother teeth, a fossil turtle, a hatful of oreodont teeth, and a couple of handfuls of prized arrowheads and scrapers. The five of us collected all this in just one afternoon of hunting.

A hot, June wind blew across Fort Robinson where I met Bill. The mayor of Crawford, he had long been a booster of the state park and the exciting area around his town. There couldn't have been a better man for this expedition. Bill knew the Badlands like the back of his hand.

We picked up Bill's troops and headed north on graveled Highway 2 for the Badlands. We could see the area from far out. It was couched below the Pine Ridge that stretched on into South Dakota. The eroded bluffs were beige and white and reflected the sun and looked hot. But by the time we reached their base, they had changed colors and the sun was hidden by threatening rain clouds.

We had hoped to pick up a turtle Bill had spotted earlier north of Toad Stool Park. I turned left off of the highway and drove first a rutted road, then cross-country to the very rim of the Badlands. An excuse for a road led on into the area, but we didn't want any part of it. If it rained, we would never get the car out. The ancient sediments were like lard when wet.

Bill led with the rest of us following Indian fashion. Erosion hadn't torn big gashes in the clay as it had in other parts of the Badlands, and the going was easy. We had walked about a half mile when Bill spotted Titanother. He looked more like a misplaced rock in a rolling sea of powdery soil. The fragment was on a small rise, freed from the ancient sediment after countless years of erosion. None of us, of course, knew that this was a titanother.

All five of us scoured the area for more fragments but found nothing. Bill wanted to show me the bones of what had to be another titanother that he had discovered earlier. He had covered the remains with burlap and rocks and contacted Lloyd Tanner who was completing the University's Trailside Museum that has just opened at Fort Robinson. Lloyd is the associate curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the school's museum in Lincoln.

On such significant finds, contacting a specialist is the only thing to do. Had we attempted to dig out 12 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   the bones, we might have destroyed what could be a real discovery. The Trailside Museum will be a real boon to amateurs like myself who explore the Badlands. Complete fossils of some of the animals that roamed in the weird area will be on display.

I had no sooner taken some pictures of the bones than the first ominous rolls of thunder echoed through the desolate void. We made a dash for the car but didn't beat the rain that turned the powdery soil into a slippery mess.

Lighting popped through the Badlands, but the storm's bark was bigger than its bite, for the rain was quickly over. We still wanted to find a turtle, so I rammed the gear in low and headed south, finally ending up near the backside of Toad Stool Park.

Here the terrain was completely different. Wind and flash flood had through the years torn the land asunder. Ridge after ridge broke away to the west, and myriad small canyons laced the barren ground in as many directions. Each of us took a different route, knowing that a yell would cut through the stillness like a telegraph.

The Hudsons were looking for fossils, but they were in search of other treasures, too. Bill is considered one of the best arrowhead collectors in the business, and in a short year has collected an enviable array of ancient points. Lloyd Tanner told me later that Bill has found more points in these 12 months than most professionals collect in a lifetime.

Bill walks casually along, bends over and picks up what appears to be an ordinary stone. He licks it, runs his hand along the edge, and nine times out of ten comes up with either a scraper or arrowhead. Lois, Mike, and Jerry are almost as sharp. When they found something on our sortie they made a beeline to Bill. He was their authority. I, naturally, came in a poor fifth when it came to taking heads, but I consoled myself by finding a couple of pieces of oreodont teeth.

Oreodonts must have been fascinating critters. They, too, lived 35 million years ago. Now extinct, they were both pig and sheep-like. Oreodonts got their name from their teeth. All 224 varieties boast a double set. In Latin, oreo means mountain, dont, teeth, and the name surely fits. The beasts ranged in size from that of a Mexican Chihuahua to a St. Bernard. They, too, fed on grasses and roamed in great herds and were prized morsels for the early carnivores.

I couldn't miss the first oreodont jawbone and its teeth. It glistened in the gray soil like a fluorescent green and purple gem. To me, it was a gem, and I proudly showed the fossil to the rest. But they had found plenty of teeth. Oreodont fossils were scattered throughout the area and were there for the taking. My broad-rimmed straw that I had been using to keep out the sun and rain had become a receptacle for titanothers, oreodonts, fossil snails, and anything else that looked promising.

Still no turtle. Veteran Bill was sure he could find one, but we worked the area until late in the afternoon without success. Quiet 12-year-old Mike had mentioned earlier that he knew where there was a bunch of turtles, but no one paid much attention to him. In fact, we were heading back to Crawford when Mike offered his guide services again, and even then, we almost turned him down. His dad was supposed to be the guide.

Out of sympathy though, we turned off Highway 2 below Toad Stool and drove west once again. This time Mike led the way into the Badlands. His trail twisted down through deep shoulder-wide canyons of clay. Bill kept looking up at the ridges far above, knowing that the ever-crumbling cliffs, once wet, could tumble down on us.

Mike eased around a corner, then pointed proudly to his find. He should have been proud. There, perched unceremoniously at different heights on the cliff, were five turtles. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought they were today's versions with their heads tucked in.

Without warning, it began to rain, and we were caught at the bottom of the treacherous ravine, far from the car. We tried to (continued on page 24)

JULY, 1961 13

WATER AVENUES

What s your style—wide placid rivers, pine-fringed streams, lakes just big enough for fishing, or real honest reservoirs with excess of room? Here's scoop on boating where-to by Wayne Tiller OUTDOOR NEBRASKA  

HOIST YOUR ANCHOR, start up your kicker or trim your mainsail, and head for boating pleasure on the vast Nebraska waterways. Your course, thousands of acres of lakes and countless miles of streams, just begging to be explored.

For the sailing or yachting enthusiast, the gentle breezes, enticing shore lines, clear blue water, and usually dependable weather of the larger reservoirs just can't be beat. The "Mighty Mo" has a special lure to the outboarder. And the canoer can test the many streams flowing out of the Sand Hills. If all these are too tame, the bolder boaters can shoot the white water of the Niobrara and Snake in a rubber raft.

The big waters of Lakes McConaughy, Lewis and Clark, Harlan County, Harry Strunk, Swanson, Enders, Sutherland, Jeffery, Johnson, Maloney, and many of the Sand Hills lakes offer practically, unlimited cruising, swimming, skiing, picnicking and camping opportunities.

Sprawling Lake McConaughy in the North Platte River Valley eight miles north of Ogallala offers boaters the biggest expanse of water in the state. Concessionaires spotted around the lake have supplies, food, and lodging. Boat ramps may be found at Otter Creek on the north shore and south of the dam near Sports Service Cafe.

Moving down the Tri-County irrigation system, Sutherland Reservoir, six miles south of the town of Sutherland, sports a gravel boat ramp on the north shore and a state picnic and camping area on the west. Maloney, farther down the system and six miles south of North Platte, boasts five boat ramps strategically spotted on the northeast, southwest, and south shores. Concessionaires on the east and west side of the popular lake offer lodging facilities, supplies, and food.

The next sizable lake is Jeffery Canyon, 10 miles south of Brady. Although there is a camping area and boat ramp on the northeast shore, other supplies and lodging must be obtained in Brady or other nearby towns.

Midway Reservoir, eight miles southwest of Cozad, doesn't have a state boat ramp but it does feature a resort on the northwest shore with boating supplies, lodging, food, and gear. The next reservoir in the system, Gallagher, eight miles southeast of Cozad, has a small state recreation area.

Skipping Plum Creek (it hasn't been developed) the next link in the chain is Johnson Reservoir, seven miles southwest of Lexington. The Game Commission has furnished camping and picnicking facilities on the west and east sides of this popular lake. A privately operated resort on the east shore also provides boating supplies, lodging, food, and gear.

The Platte River reservoirs have a lot to offer in the way of boating pleasure, but they don't hold a monopoly on good water. An area that really draws the boaters is the Republican River drainage system. It runs through the south-central and southwest parts of the state and boasts four big reservoirs—Enders on Frenchman River, Harry Strunk Lake on Medicine Creek, and Swanson and Harlan County reservoirs on the Republican.

Enders on the upstream end of the Republican system and eight miles southeast of Imperial, boasts a concrete boating ramp at the southeast end of the lake as well as two prime picnic and camping areas. It leaves little to be desired as far as the boater or skier is concerned.

Swanson Lake has a lot to offer the mariner. Three miles west of Trenton, it features Game Commission-built camping sites at Macklin on the north shore and Spring Canyon on the south. Rental boats, food, and supplies are available, but the nearest overnight facilities are at Trenton.

For a vacation of boating and camping wherever yoii wish along a peaceful shore, Harry Strunk Lake behind Medicine Creek Dam is unbeatable. Camping is permitted throughout the area although there JULY, 1961 15   are three state-maintained camp sites. The main recreation area on the southwest shore has a restaurant, rental boats, and a boat ramp. Rock launching ramps are also located on the northeast and north-west shores. The nearest overnight lodging facilities are in Cambridge.

WATER AVENUES continued

Harlan, on the lower extremities of the Republican drainage, offers five camping areas—two on the stilling basin below the dam and three on the lake proper. Concrete launching ramps have been constructed at Patterson Harbor, Gremlin Cove, Methodist Creek, and Alma. Concessionaires feature food, rental boats, and boating supplies at Patterson and Gremlin. Trailer facilities are available on both the north and south sides of the lake, with nearby Alma and Republican City offering lodging facilities.

Don't overlook some of the smaller, less-populated lakes scattered around the state. The Game Commission has established improved launching ramps at Fremont, Box Butte, Cottonmill, and Cottonwood lakes. One restriction regarding motor size has been applied to certain state-owned lakes. On Smith, Swan, Shell, Long, and Rat and Beaver lakes, motors may not be larger than six horsepower.

In the northeast corner of Nebraska, the tree-shaded beach and rugged cliffs of the Nebraska shore of Lewis and Clark Lake offer almost unlimited recreation. The Game Commission has constructed concrete boat-launching ramps at the South Shore, Weigand Creek, and Bloomfield recreation areas, and gravel ramps are located at the Santee and Niobrara areas and at the Corps of Engineers area below the dam. Camping grounds with picnic tables, fireplaces, drinking water, and rest rooms are located at South Shore, Weigand Creek, Bloomfield, Miller Creek, and at Niobrara State Park. Food, gear, supplies, storage facilities, and boats for rent are available at Weigand.

But the recreation potential of the Missouri River doesn't stop at Lewis and Clark. Boaters have put in at Gavins Point Dam and floated the Missouri the length of Nebraska for a vacation on water. Boat docks and launching ramps are located at Blair, Omaha, Peru, Nebraska City, Brownville, Rulo, South Sioux City, and Decatur.

Although the Missouri and the Platte river up stream to Fremont are the only sizeable rivers in the state that will consistently flow enough water to float motorboats, there are thousands of miles of picturesque streams and rivers open to the canoeing enthusiast.

Along the Niobrara River, for instance, you can canoe for hundreds of miles through scenic, pine-studded canyons or peaceful Sand Hills meadows. Every bend reveals a new scene and possibly the mouth of another ever-flowing Sand Hills stream.

The water level on the Niobrara doesn't fluctuate greatly from day to day, but there are times when a canoe or shallow-draft boat would have trouble. Generally, though, hundreds of miles downstream from the Gordon area are passable. The only exceptions are a few portages around rapids, falls, and Spencer Dam in Holt County. There is also a few miles of canoe water above Lake Felton.

Some of the Niobrara's tributaries are floatable. Scenic Gordon and Plum creeks wander out of the Sand Hills close to Valentine and are dependable but low during some seasons. The Snake River in the same area has some treacherous rapids and falls, and will give the adventurer a real challenge. Verdigre Creek in Knox County is also passable during wet seasons.

Offering a lot of boating pleasure to northeastern residents, the Elkhorn River system is seasonally good although there are occasional brush piles and snags. The Elkhorn itself is usually dependable up to the O'Neill area. The South Fork of the Elkhorn is sometimes passable a short distance above Ewing. Logan Creek can often be canoed during wet seasons up as far as the Lyons-Pender area although there is a lot of shallow water.

The Loup River system in central Nebraska is probably the most dependable water for canoeing. It features a constant supply of water, thanks to the continuous seepage from the Sand Hills. Fluctuation in most of the system is usually less than six inches throughout the year. Even the great drouth in the 1930's didn't keep these streams from flowing when the Platte River bottom was dry and overgrown by weeds.

The Calamus River head's at Moon Lake in Brown County and is considered canoeable to its meeting with the North Loup at Burwell. Threading its way through ranch country and the haunts of the prairie chicken, the Calamus is made to order for the floating fisherman. The North Loup may be passable throughout its length at times, but easy boating can't 16 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   be assured except on downstream from the Purdum area.

From Burwell, where the two streams join forces, the North Loup usually carries a lot of water. This portion is wide, shallow, and full of sand and silt and may get the boater in trouble when he takes his eyes off the stream to enjoy the scenery.

Moving further west, the Middle Loup is considered passable downstream from the Seneca-Norway area although there is some good water farther upstream. Many picturesque sites await the adventuring boater as his canoe floats along the northern border of the Bessey Division of the Nebraska National Forest. A tributary of the Middle Loup, the Dismal River is good floating water for about 50 miles upstream from Dunning where the two rivers meet.

Heading in the Stapleton area of Logan County, the South Loup River is the western-most stream of the Loup system. Although there are occasional sandy areas and brush piles, the river is considered floatable downstream from around the Arnold area.

The Platte should not be considered a good training or proving ground for novice boater's. It has death-dealing sand bars, shallows, debris, and unpredictable currents. Although there is often ample water in other parts of the Platte, from Columbus to its mouth on the Missouri is considered the most dependable. Every precaution should be taken when floating the big rivers.

The only dependable and passable canoe-creek on the North Platte is Blue Creek flowing out of Crescent Lake on the Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge. During the rainy season a trip could be made the full length of Blue Creek and into McConaughy Reservoir.

Moving farther south, the Frenchman River is seasonally low and a voyage from the Colorado-Nebraska border to Enders Reservoir would consist of several portages around dams and other obstructions. Water below Enders is not dependable, although as is the case with many streams not mentioned here, there may occasionally be adequate water seasonally for a canoe or other shallow-draft boat.

Also in the Republican River system, Red Willow Creek may occasionally have canoe-floating water, but it is not dependable. The majority of boating waters in this system is found in the Republican River itself from the McCook area through Harlan County Reservoir, and on to the Kansas-Nebraska border.

The Big and Little Blue rivers offer some boating, although they're drastically affected by changing weather conditions. The Little Blue below Deweese, and the Big Blue below Crete are passable, but there is usually a considerable amount of trash and brush that clogs both streams.

When starting on a boat journey, the novice should remember that in some lakes and many streams there are sand pockets that could bring a happy trip to a deadly end. Many streams have swift water that will easily suck the unsuspecting canoeist into their rapids.

When going into unknown boating water off the beaten path, ask the people of the area about your proposed trip, prepare for every emergency, and leave an itinerary indicating several check stops in case you run into trouble. Also, talk to the owners of the land adjoining the stream and get their permission to go through their land, especially if you plan to camp along the way. They can also give you first-hand information about the stream.

Nebraska has been blessed with thousands of miles of scenic streams, brooks, and lakes. If you're looking for smooth boating pleasure there are a number of large lakes and hundreds of smaller lakes to explore. If you are searching for new thrills and new frontiers, jump in a canoe and glide down one of the Sand Hills streams where every bend brings a greater knowledge of your home state.

With only a few precautions and restrictions, Nebraska has a boating potential that would make many other states look like barren wastelands. Shine your canoe paddle, or polish your outboard, and vacation Nebraska's water avenues.

THE END. JULY, 1961 17

THE LONG HUNT

by Ken Johnson Assistant Project Leader Game Division

NEBRASKANS HAVE YET to enjoy and utilize the tremendous sporting potential of the ringneck, the state's No. 1 game bird. Even with last year's 79-day season, designed to offer maximum sport without endangering the species, gunners failed to take all of the pheasants that were available to them.

In a normal year, Nebraska hunters shoot only 55 to 60 per cent of the cock pheasants which were present before the season opened. Since males are polygamous, this leaves more than enough cocks to carry on spring mating. Actually a much higher per cent of the cocks—over 90—could be shot without affecting reproduction. Therefore, even with the 79-day season, hunters not only did not overshoot the population but did not harvest as many cocks as could have been safely taken.

The highly polygamous nature of cocks is especially important. It, combined with the fact that males can readily be distinguished from hens, is the factor that permits long seasons without endangering the resource. Among the game birds in Nebraska, the pheasant is the only species presently being hunted in which the kill is restricted to the male.

If it followed that hunting was holding the cock population down, the ratio of hens to cocks should be much distorted in favor of hens each fall. This does not occur. What actually happens is that the number of cocks and hens going into the hunting season is nearly equal. Reproduction during the year takes care of returning the sexes to an even ratio.

This factor adds emphasis to the importance of reproduction in determining the availability of cocks in the fall. Pheasants, with their high reproductive potential, replace the losses that occur each year. If this did not take place and hunters were dependent on old birds to supply the hunting stock, the question wouldn't be about long or short seasons for the pheasant would have disappeared.

The majority of any ringneck kill occurs during the early part of the hunting season, regardless of length. In studies conducted in other states, from 70 to 75 per cent of the harvest occurred during the opening week of the season. In Nebraska, the kill in 18 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   the first 10 days amounts to about 60 to 65 per cent of the total harvest. In fact, probably no more than 150,000 cocks were killed during the entire last half of the 1960 season. This would represent less than 15 per cent of the total harvest. There were slightly over one million cocks bagged.

The 15 per cent may not seem very important, but it represents many enjoyable hours in the field for a good many Nebraskans, and more pounds of highly palatable meat for the table.

Another important consideration concerns the fate of the 150,000 cocks if the season would have been shorter and they had not come into gun range. Chances are that not all of the ringnecks would have still been around by spring, regardless. Annual turnover in a pheasant population is high—around 65-70 per cent. Mortality factors such as accidents, disease, predators, adverse weather conditions, and others continually reduce the number of birds throughout the year. These factors operate whether there is a hunting season or not. The birds taken by hunters tend to reduce the number that will be lost to other mortality factors, thus utilizing the resource instead of wasting it.

In states such as Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio, hunters take a much higher percentage of cocks—up to 85 and 90 per cent of available birds—during the hunting season. They have been doing so for a good many years. In these states, the human population is much higher than here. In a Michigan study, it was reported that hunting pressure on one area ranged from 96 gun hours per hundred acres when the study first started to 255 gun hours per hundred acres two years later. It was further found that despite the removal of 75 to 90 per cent of the cocks, no overshooting resulted. During a single year 5,024 hunters killed 90 per cent of the cocks in 16,720 hours of hunting. The gun pressure was equivalent to one man hunting 11 hours each day for 22 days on each hundred acres. If they did not overshoot the pheasant with that much pressure, Nebraskans certainly will not overharvest with the light hunting pressure that most pheasants are subjected to here.

Hunting is self regulating. This is borne out in the Michigan study. After the birds are shot down to a certain level, they become widely scattered and sportsmen conclude there are no cocks left. At this point, hunters either give up hunting for the season or concentrate on other game.

Maybe overharvest'ing does not occur when the population is high, but what happens when birds are scarce? The same rules governing harvest apply, whether the population is at an all-time high or at a very low ebb. There is even less chance for overshooting cocks when the population is low.

Another study showed that during years of poor pheasant production, the point of diminishing returns is reached with the removal of relatively few birds. Thus, the percentage of birds taken will be lower when the population is down than in years when the production of young is high.

Bear in mind that pheasant populations like other wildlife species will go through periods of highs and lows regardless of length of the hunting season. The numbers will vary with the years. When conditions are right and the necessary living requirements are plentiful, the birds will build up. When one or more of the necessary requirements are in short supply, the population will decline. Nothing short of altering the limiting factor will change the downward trend.

This is true not only for pheasants but for quail, grouse, and all other wildlife species. The environment exerts the controlling influence and it will continue to determine the number of pheasants that will remain in the state long after the gun has been placed on the rack.

Perhaps most important of the reasons for having a long hunting season is that it provides more people with the opportunity for participating in this enjoyable outdoor sport. More are taking to the field each year, and you can be sure that King Ringneck in Nebraska will provide them with sport and then some.

THE END JULY, 1961 19

PRAIRIE a BLOOM

by Mary Brashier Better know lege of roadsides gay palette of flora will add extra thrill to next outing

MORE PEOPLE than ever before will discover Nebraska's wild flowers this summer. More, because camping trailers and tents are springing up like weeds themselves at state parks and recreation areas. More, because the campers are families, and flowers and kids, being much of a size, are naturals for each other.

The mat of grass on which you pitch your tent, the gay palette of colors along the road are as much a part of your Nebraska vacation as the first deer or strange bird sighted. Knowing a few of the more common plants can add more color to your vacation, make it more enjoyable.

Ecologically, Nebraska is one of the most exciting states in the Union. Its great breadth intensifies the sweep of the seasons—the first spring beauties may be out in southeastern woods when northwestern yuccas are still drifted with snow. Its width and central location, too, allow eastern varieties to meet and mingle with more western species. The Sand Hills, river lowlands of the east, high plains of the west all have their characteristic flora.

Let's start with the flower acclaimed the showiest of them all, the Cardinal-flower.

It is that spark of flame on low moist soil on the southern and south-central parts of the state. The tall spires of velvety red flowers appear in August, and are the brilliance of a cardinal's robe. The individual flowers are long-tubed and two-lipped. As with other long-tubed flowers, the cardinal is adapted to pollination by hummingbirds.

Very closely related to the cardinal but with bright blue blossoms is the blue lobelia, found in low 20 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   prairies and meadows across the state. As the cardinal-flower, the blue lobelia flowers cluster on a spire which may be a foot or more in length. Each flower is about an inch long with a thick straight tube which is split into two lips, the upper of two lobes, the lower of three.

Blue is the favorite color of bees, just as red is preferred by hummingbirds. Thus, the blue flowers of this lobelia are especially adapted for pollination by bees in that the stamens, the pollen producers, are contained within the tube of the flower where they can deposit pollen on visiting bees crawling down to the flower's nectary. Red blossoms, like those of the cardinal-flower, often have their stamens hanging out from the flower to brush the head of the hummingbird. Stamens down in the tube of the flower wouldn't be very effective; the pollen wouldn't stick to the birds' smooth beaks.

Flowers early-summer vacationers will see include the filmy clusters of red-root, the patches of orange flame along the roadside that are dock; tall regal penstemons, and the lively yellow puccoon. Handsome purple early-summer blossoms are those of the legumes, members of the pea family and highly beneficial plants. Then, of course, there are the roses everybody knows, in all shades of pink.

The giant flower of the prairies is the blazing-star, in favorable localities shooting to six feet. Before it flowers, the blazingstar is an unattractive plant with hairy stems and rough leaves. The bluish-purple flowers are clustered in globular heads about one-half inch wide scattered along an open spike.

Remember, though, that flowers in state-owned areas such as recreation areas or state parks are the property of all Nebraskans.

A more densely-packed flower and consequently, more showy, is the tall gayfeather or prairie button-snakeroot, very closely related to the blazingstar. The gayfeather produces brilliant rose-colored or purple flowers in a tight spike which makes a handsome winter bouquet. The gayfeather blooms in August and September and is found mostly in eastern and central Nebraska.

Another plant which placed on the top 12 showy plants of the nation was butterflyweed, or pleurisy root. Fiery orange-red to deep red flowers are flaunted in large clusters on this gaudiest of the milkweeds. Look for it in dry open areas and along roadsides in eastern and central Nebraska. It transplants well to gardens.

Although the Sand Hills seems hardly the place to discover an orchid, you may run into two species of this aristocrat. Eastern Nebraska has another orchid, the much lovelier ladyslipper, but it blooms earlier in the spring in rich dank woods. What you will find in the Sand Hills are the prairie fringed-orchis and the lady's-tresses.

The prairie fringe-orchis is our state's common orchid, and is found in wet (continued on page 24)

JULY, 1961 21

WHAT PRICE PESTICIDES?

by C. Phillip Agee Federal Aid Co-ordinator

MAN'S PROGRESS has ever been measured by discoveries which helped him cope with the world he lived in. But none of his discoveries offered only a means of advancement. If used unwisely, each could backfire with deadly results. Thus, the caveman learned to use his discoveries through the process of trial and error. Today, fortunately, research can replace trial and error, assuring progress without disaster.

Consider the recent discovery of chemical pesticides. These would seem to be truly beneficial because they destroy insects, rodents, weeds, fungi, and other unwanted elements that interfere with progress and well-being.

But are pesticides beneficial? Of special concern is their effect on wildlife, fish and game that have long been considered important to man. If pesticides present a threat to these resources, man cannot afford to learn by trial and error.

Is wildlife threatened? And if so, to what extent? State and federal agencies and even private individuals and organizations are trying to find the answer. Research has and is being conducted. As yet, no clear-cut solution covering all situations and conditions has been given. But man must be patient. If he doesn't get the answer from research, if he broadcasts pesticides in the interim without conscience, he invites disaster.

Much has been written on pesticides and their effect on wildlife. Some of the information is basic and sound, much is not. Even research reports are seemingly inconsistent in their conclusions. Once analyzed, however, apparent contradictions prove to be evaluations of situations which are quite different.

Research has shown that a given chemical may produce very serious effects or insignificant effects, dependent upon many things. These include season of the year, the species of game or fish involved, age, weather, and whether immediate or long range results are sought.

Several studies have detected no significant losses of fish or game from chemicals being tested. These are important and need to be recognized as such. However, many of these studies deal with the early chlorinated hydrocarbons (primarily DDT) evaluated only in terms of direct mortality.

Direct mortality means death from exposure to the pesticide through application to the skin, ingestion with food or water, or breathing chemical-laden air. This is the most readily recognized.

The chemical may reach wildlife by an indirect route. For example, it may be taken by a bobwhite when the bird eats grasshoppers which have been killed. Or the pesticide may be taken by a woodcock which eats an earthworm which fed on leaf mold bearing the chemical. And the poison may be stored in the fat deposits in the body of a pheasant, harmless until seasonal stresses trigger its release.

What about the offspring of the animals that are exposed? Several studies using DDT have detected 22 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   no significant bobwhite kills during field tests. In recent pen studies quail were fed DDT at the rate of one ounce in 312 pounds of feed. Though the birds were not affected, 87 per cent of their chicks died before they were six weeks old. Another group was fed half the above level of DDT through periods of growth, maintenance, and reproduction. The number of eggs produced was normal, but egg fertility was reduced by 25 per cent and the young which hatched failed to survive even on an insecticide-free diet.

Stakes are high in game of chemical killers. We must move slowly until research unfolds answer

An indication of the impact which such losses may deal upon a population is the virtually complete kill of robins from the Michigan State University campus resulting from the use of DDT to combat Dutch elm disease. In New Brunswick, Canada, an application of one-half pound of DDT per acre for the control of spruce budworm produced kills of up to 91 per cent of the young salmon in the Miramichi River.

A study of the effect of endrin, recognized as one of the more lethal chlorinated hydrocarbons, is as significant. A test group of young pheasants was completely wiped out when they were given feed containing five parts per million of endrin. When this dosage was reduced to 2.5 parts per million, only 15 per cent died. This might suggest that low dosages are of little importance. However, further tests using young quail showed that small amounts were lethal when the treated ration was fed intermittently. At the extremely low dosage of 0.1 part per million, 26 per cent of the test flock died. This is equal to one ounce of endrin in 312 tons of feed. In further tests with endrin, it was found that a concentration of .0003 parts per million in water was lethal to 50 per cent of a test group of bass, bluegill, and goldfish.

The largest and best-known single program of insecticide application has been the big fire ant project in the South. Application of dieldrin and heptachlor reportedly killed from 50 to 98 per cent of the wild turkeys, quail, rabbits, mice, armadillos, opossums, and various songbirds and pets. Fish were also affected at varying degrees. Earthworms checked six to twelve months after treatment carried enough of the chemical to cause indirect mortalities.

Obviously, pesticides do possess the potential to do very serious damage to fish and game resources. But the question comes to mind, "If this is so, why haven't populations in Nebraska been depressed greatly by their use?" Wildlife has undoubtedly suffered losses over the past years here, but these losses have not been sufficiently high or over a large enough area to visibly lower populations.

There are two basic reasons for this. Both are biological: the harvest principle and the principle of inversity. In the first, virtually every population of wildlife exists for part of each year at a level higher than necessary to maintain the population. This excess is inevitably lost to natural forces if not taken by hunters or other mortality factors. If pesticides are used at a time when a surplus exists, the loss may come entirely from this surplus and the population be unchanged. However, the sportsman suffers since recreation from these resources comes from the surplus.

The second principle, inversity, is the capacity of a population, whenever altered, to snap back to the highest level the environment can support. It does this in one of two ways—improved survival of those remaining and a higher rate of reproduction. These are the built-in mechanisms which enable wildlife to respond to adversities and to repair damage done to their population. If repair is complete, the population will be secure. But again, there is one loser—the sportsman who finds a reduced surplus from which his harvest is to be taken.

What will occur as the use of pesticides continues to increase and as chemicals of greater inherent toxicity are used? If the situation is correctly analyzed, Nebraska will reach a threshold, a limit beyond which mortality will be too great to be drawn only from the surplus, and it will necessarily decimate the population by reducing the seed stock.

Just how near this threshold lies is unknown, but it does exist. The full effectiveness of pesticides for reaching this breaking point is brought to light by research which shows that the capacity to reproduce may be reduced or even destroyed. Improved reproduction, the key mechanism by which a population responds to increased mortality, may be impossible.

This analysis of the relationship of pesticides and wildlife necessarily is based on theory and opinion. Regardless of this, the research findings on which it is based give ample reason for concern as the use of pesticides increases. The potential for seriously damaging these resources is very real. Until research is able to present the full story, there is every reason for caution. To proceed without caution is to abandon scientific fact finding in favor of the cave man's trial and error.

THE END JULY, 1961 23

PRAIRIE A BLOOM

(continued from page 21)

meadows and low prairies across the entire state, most frequently in the Sand Hills. You'll find it blooming from July on. The robust plant grows to 15 inches, with smooth pointed leaves. The flowers are produced in a creamy-white to greenish terminal cluster up to six inches long.

The lady's-tresses is common in the low hay meadows of the Sand Hills from August to October, although it grows throughout the state in suitable places. It has two or three vertical rows of small irregular white flowers on a twisted spike. The whole plant is small, usually only about six inches in height. The flowers are waxy and slightly vanilla scented.

In the summer the greenest plant in the Sand Hills and western parts of the state is the sword-like yucca. This plant can be recognized by its stately candelabra of creamy flowers arising from a rosette of narrow, sharply pointed leaves.

Our state flower is only one of the goldenrods which has species varying from golden plumes to sprays of tiny stars. The official flower is the late goldenrod; its flower clusters are composed of arching shoots, which give a long plume-like effect to the cluster. This plant makes a fine winter bouquet.

The stiff goldenrod is a more coarse plant found in drier locations. The flower clusters are made up of branches that are long below, with gradually shorter branches above, so that the head is flatter in appearance than the late goldenrod, more plate-like. At least one more species of goldenrod is found in the state.

The drifting purple mist over some pastures across the state on closer examination becomes Verbena or vervain. These plants grow to three or four feet, with several to many flowering spikes of closely set purple flowers. The whole plant is rather bristly.

Another plant on the list of showiest flowers, this time No. 11, is the blackeyed-susan, native in our prairies but transplanted far and wide. The flower is a composite, meaning that each golden "petal" of the head is a complete flower in itself.

The listing is far from complete—Nebraska's wildflowers are so varied that it would take a good-sized book to describe them in any detail. These, however, will be among the more conspicuous flowers you will encounter on your vacation.

THE END.

THE BONE HUNTERS

(continued from page 13)

move fast up the twisting course, but that was impossible. Soaked, we finally made it to the car and town.

Bill, Jerry, and I got an early start the next morning, catching Toad Stool at its prettiest. The air was crisp, and all the hidden hues of shadow and sun blended in an exciting vignette of an ancient world. Giant earthen toadstools were everywhere and a host of somber faces stared down from their high perches as we moved through the fantastic creations. I had a field day with my camera, but all of us were skunked when it came to finding fossils. We called it quits and returned to Crawford. Bill had done an A-l job, and I thanked him for getting permission from landowners and showing me what fossils would be better left for the professionals.

My own boys were waiting when I finally got back to Lincoln late that evening. They wanted to see the "dinosaurs" I promised, and they weren't disappointed.

Lloyd Tanner later told me the story of the titan-others and oreodonts, showed me the full mounts of both. I marveled at the patience of the museum's technicians and the way they fit together the fragile pieces of tremendously complex puzzles.

My talk with Lloyd made the trip complete. Later, I went back to take a second look at the tit-another display. The old boy was quite an animal. He and the rest of the fossils that before had just been interesting exhibits were now really significant. I could almost understand how long 35 million years was—almost.

THE END

Outdoor Elsewhere

Crows Get Boot

WASHINGTON, D. C. . . . A leading mortuary of a southwestern city reported crows were disrupting life at a local cemetery. The birds were so noisy at grave-side services that mourners were complaining. Some persons had trouble distinguishing crows from vultures and the officials resented the implication. A crow trap is now in operation.

Nest Reveals Prey

PENNSYLVANIA ... An Erie County man had no trouble collecting a bounty claim for an adult and fledgling great-horned owl this spring. In the owl nest he found a freshly killed grouse, an adult and two young rabbits, and the remains of other birds and animals.

Works With Waters, Too

WASHINGTON, D. C. . . . Fertilized ponds will produce 150 to 200 pounds of edible fish per year per surface acre compared to about 35 pounds for unfertilized ponds, says the National Wildlife Federation. Fertilization should be initiated in March and continued until frost in the fall. Applications of 100 pounds of 8-8-2 per surface acre twice a month are recommended. A white disc held 18 inches below the surface of the water should not be visible if there is an adequate presence of microscopic plant and animal life.

Inside Look

TENNESSEE . . . Willingly or not, doe deer on the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area will parade past a portable X-ray machine this spring. Primary ojective of this "inside look" is to count the number of embryos each doe is carrying. This will be compared to the number of fawns observed with each doe in the summer to determine the loss before and immediately after birth. It will also give accurate information on breeding and fawning dates.

SPEAK UP

Send your questions to "Speak Up OUTDOOR NEBRASKA. Stale Capitol. Lincoln 9, Nebraska "Show Me" Paid Off

"Thanks for information the Game Commission gave us. Four members of the Burrough Nature Club of Kansas City, Mo., came to the Lexington area this spring during the migration of sand-hill cranes.

"We made a 400-mile trip to see the birds, and were received with great hospitality by Conservation Officer H. B. Guyer, who showed us just where to go to get the best views of the big birds. He also showed us some white-fronted geese. In Kansas City we are not on the flyway of either of these spectacular birds,, so you can appreciate the thrill we experienced.

"Mr. Maupin with his 16mm camera and 400mm telephoto lens had fine luck from the haymow of a farmer's barn. He also got good recordings with his portable recorder and parabolic receiver. The rest of us did well with our smaller cameras as we hid in roadside ditches waiting for the cranes to fly over.

"So, thanks again for your information which led to such a fine trip. Being from the 'show me' state, we were really shown."—Mr. and Mrs. F. H. MacElree, Mrs. Felicia Bart, and Ural Maupin, Kansas City, Mo.

What the Tribe Says, Goes

"I read somewhere that the Indians of Nebraska may hunt and fish without a permit at any time of the year. Is this true?"—Jim Slranik, Morse Bluff.

Civil and criminal jurisdiction in Nebraska generally holds true for Indian reservations with this important exception. No Indian or Indian tribe, band, or community shall be deprived of any right, privilege, or immunity afforded under federal treaty or statute with respect to hunting, trapping, or fishing.

The authority for the control of hunting and fishing by tribal members on tribal and trust lands is vested in the governing body of each tribe.—Editor.

Where Did Otters Go?

"The article on Nebraska's fur bearers in the March OUTDOOR NEBRASKA interested me very much. As I grew up on a Pierce County farm which had a stream running through it, I began trapping at an early age and have taken specimens of all the 10 you listed except the red fox. The latter was unknown in this locality until quite recently.

"However, I was sorry to find one of the most interesting and valuable native Nebraska fur bearers missing from the article, namely the otter. While never abundant, the otter was still fairly common along the Elkhorn River and its tributaries in the late 1880's and early 1890's. During that time quite a number were taken by trappers along the North Fork of the Elkhorn, including several by my brother and myself.

"After about 1895 they apparently disappeared entirely from this territory and, to my knowledge, none have been reported since. Are there now any of these animals left anywhere in Nebraska?"—A. F. Magdanz, Pierce.

The otter is presently listed as extinct in Nebraska. We have no knowledge of where or when the last animal was sighted or taken. Do our readers?—Editor.

Notes on Nebraska Fauna

BLUE CATFISH

by Orty Orr Fisheries Project Leader Heaviest, rarest of all cats in state, this species inhabits big, fast water. Dams, pollution and erosion spell his doom, and now he's found in only two rivers

OF ALL THE catfish in Nebraska waters, least is known about the grand-daddy of the clan, the blue "cat", Ictalurus furcatus. He is one of the three catfish found in fresh water in the United States that will grow to be larger than 10 pounds. The others are, of course, the channel and flathead, both of which populate Nebraska waters. The white cat and various species of bullheads seldom exceed three pounds. Blues probably grow to be the largest of the family, with the flathead in second. Specimens of both species have been taken that weighed over 100 pounds.

Before any would-be catfisherman starts planning a blue-cat barbecue with just one fish, he should remember that this fish is rare in Nebraska, and getting rarer. This big boy was more common in the days of explorers and early settlers, probably, than he is now.

Two of the reasons for the diminishing numbers are the construction of navigation dams and the acceleration of pollution in our bigger streams. At present the blue cat, never found naturally in small streams, occurs from the upper Missouri River in North Dakota, the Mississippi River in Minnesota, and the Ohio River in eastern Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico. In Nebraska the fish is found in the Missouri, and occasionally a distance into the Platte. In northern edges of his range this catfish is thought to be somewhat migratory, moving south in winter.

What is often called a blue cat isn't one, at all. Usually, it's a channel. And what is called a white cat, isn't, at least in Nebraska. It's a blue. Breeding channel males sometimes look blue. And blue cats are so pale as to be almost white.

The dorsal part, or back, of a blue is pale bluish with quite a bit of silvery sheen. The sides are 26 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   lighter, as is the belly which sometimes is milky white. Breeding adult blues become darker; the male may become blue-black over his head and upper half of the body. Normally there are no dark spots on the body at any time.

The white cat, which the blue superficially resembles in color and which he is often called, is not found in Nebraska, being native to the fresh and lightly brackish waters of the east coast. This fish has been introduced into some states, but none has been reported taken from Nebraska waters. A further distinction between the two is size—whites are small, usually 10 to 18 inches, and the maximum reported is 24. The tail is also quite different, the blue's being more deeply forked and more angular.

The breeding channel male may turn dark blue or slafe-gray in spring breeding season. This usually occurs on the top of the head and on the belly. An angler taking a cat at this time may think he has a blue. The two fish can be distinguished, however, by the number of rays in the anal fin. That of the blue is very long, about one-third of the standard length of the individual. This is the measurement of length from the tip of the snout to the base or beginning of the tail. The blue cat has from 30 to 35 rays in this fin, the channel only 24 to 29.

The eyes of the blue are somewhat smaller than those of the channel. Again, however, they may become enlarged during breeding season. The best thing to do is not rely on color alone but rays of anal fin and size, too.

Lewis and Clark fell into the easy error of calling a blue cat white. When they were making their pioneering voyage up the Missouri and across country in 1804, they caught a "white catfish" about 10 miles above the mouth of the Platte, and thereafter referred to this camp in their journals as "White Catfish Camp".

In the summer of 1857 some catches of very large cats were reported in the pages of the Nebraska Advertiser, Brownville. One was 120 pounds, the other a whopping 165 pounds. Because of their immensity these must have been blue cats.

Following the flood of 1880 on the Elkhorn River, 13 blue and flathead cats were taken from a puddle left when the river receded. The catfish weighed over 1,000 pounds.

In March of this year a 56-pound blue was taken by commercial fishermen from Rulo. These fishermen, who generally call the fish a white cat, report blues are scarce, and have been for more than 30 years. Several thousand pounds of blue cats are reported in the commercial catch each year here.

The state angling record for the blue, a fish not normally taken on hook and line, is 58 pounds, by O. P. Nielson, Bloomfield, from the Missouri River near Bloomfield in 1954.

Apparently, the take of blue catfish by sport fishermen has been practically nil since pioneer days. Anglers who still fish for the big boy use heavy trot line tackle for best success.

Fast water is the only place to look for a blue cat. He does most of his feeding in swift water, where chutes or rapids are common. He can also be found in pools where there is a good fresh current and a clean bottom of bedrock, gravel, or sand. When not feeding, he retreats to deeper waters.

The blue catfish will not inhabit the silted bottoms of sluggish pools. This is one of the reasons he has largely disappeared over time. The ponding and silting of many of our streams have made life unbearable for him.

The blue's diet is that of the majority of the catfish clan, for he feasts on a wide range of natural foods. Principal among these are fish, crayfish, frogs, small fresh-water mussels, insects and their larvae, and a host of other living and dead material.

The blue cat breeds in June and early July, when the water reaches a comfortable 70 to 75 °F. A nest is constructed quite similar to that of the channel, in an obscure location, perhaps under an overhanging rock ledge, a deeply undercut bank, in an underwater muskrat run, a hollow log, a tin can, or a sunken barrel.

The blue cat is one to be watched for along the Missouri or eastern Platte. Don't rely chiefly on color to tell you what you catch. Your "blue cat" has less chance of being one if he is blue-colored. Chances are he'll give you quite a tug when you do hook him, for he'll probably be a big one, the "grand-daddy of the clan".

THE END JULY, 1961 27

R for SNAKE BITE

Rattlers play for keeps. Heres how to beat their deadly game