-k I a h-O-m-a— - Oklahoma Digital Prairie

Climb to Inspiration Point and you get a beautiful panoramic view of Camp Classen in the Arbuckle Mountains six miles southwest of Davis Oklahoma

YMCA Photograph)

CL ct56en

less if the boy is a membet of the Oklahoma City YMCA) your son can enjoy two weeks at the camp Round-trip bus fare this year was $350 in addition from Oklahoma City

The boys go in groups of 144 at intervals of two weeks

throughout the summer Housed in groups of eight in homey

rock cabins each boy supplies his own linens and is given a

list of clothing and equipment to bring along A full crew

of counselors (12 group leaders) and specialists all of whom

are chosen for their character and skills in camping govern

the boys while in camp Besides these thete are the Camp

Director Boys Work Director Religious Directot and a

tfained nurse Professional cooks and dietitians are employed

in the modern kitchen and dining room

A lively ping-pong game in the recreational hall draws a group of lively spectators (Photo by Juanita Mahaf fey)

And of course that fine clean-cut sport Archery (YMCA Photo)

Fishing swimming boating handcraft hiking outshydoor and indoor gamesmdashall these make up the curricula of the boys who go to Camp Classen There is ample opporshytunity too to study wildlife trees reptiles geological formations and all natute in general The Arbuckle Mountains ate rich in flora fauna and geognosy variations

The freedom of the wide open spaces is his for two fun-packed thrill-filled weeks when your boy shakes the shackles of home and parents perhaps for the first time and goes to Boys Camp Give him this bit of all-American living next summer if you possibly can

Each of the 20 cabins is equipped with five double-decked beds wood-burning fireplaces lavatory and modern toilet facilities (Photo by Juanita Mahaf fey)

Page Five

October 1497 Oklahoma Game and Fish News

Andys Quarters BY BUD JACKSON

TODAY A S NEVER BEFORE in the history of Oklahoma there exists a pressing need for experienced well-educated wildlife observers For if outdoor privilege as we know it is to survive these are the men who must lead the way toward restoration of covers and the repopulation of game within those covers

Oklahoma A and M College at Stillwater is producing some of those trained technicians of which there have been so few in this section and for whom there is such demand One of the men responsible is a quiet almost shy Oklahoma City businessman whose attitude toward the outdoors is one of the most refreshing things we have encountered in more than seven years residence in Oklahoma

Name Synonymous With Hunting Fishing

His name is Andy Anderson and the Sooner outdoots-man who doesnt know him needs only to wait a minute if we may borrow from Will Rogers For Andy operates one of the largest sporting goods establishments in the southshywest and his name is synonymous with hunting and fishing in the minds of literally hundreds of sportsmen

We say that hes shy Probably when he sees this article hell go away and hide a few days for this 45-yeat-old Oklahoman is of a breed which considers virtue its own teward For example when this article was in the process of preparation and he was asked to pose for a pictute of himself befote his store the pix to accompany the piece he promptly declined

He didnt want any advertising for what he was trying to do he insisted

When I want advertising I buy it he says forth-nghtly

Quarters Pile Up

As a consequence the information contained herein was acquired either from other sources or by literally prying it out of the sporting goods dealer

What about Andys quarters

To get the full import of the story of Andy and an American twenty-five cent piece (or rather hundreds of them) suppose we go back to the year 1945

Andy Anderson sells a world of hunting and fishing licenses more than any other license-dealer in the state That year was no exception Me sold licenses until the world looked level Like all other license-dealers he is permitted by the State to retain twentv-five cents of each license-fee

J

collected this intended by the legislature to reimburse the dealer for his trouble And those quarters mounted up As license sales climbed into the hundteds and then into the thousands over his counters Andy wondered what to do with the quarters which he had kept separate from other income

Gives Em Away

For he didnt want them In a day and age when a take-all-you-can-get attitude was all too prevalent he wanted to give that money back to be used somehow to aid in the building of a better outdoors Looking around he decided that wild ducks could use the money so he gave it with no strings attached to Ducks Unlimited

Came 1946 More license-fee quarters piled up Again Andy looked for a place to spend them This time the Sportsmans Clinic a great gathering of outdoorsmen on the campus of the University of Oklahoma at Norman benefitted

In 1947 the quarters have come faster than ever License sales are climbing to new highs Casting about for a way of making those two-bit fees count Oklahoma A and M College caught Andys eye The college had 10 graduate students in wildlife but possessed fellowships for only six That meant that four potential technicians worth hundreds of dollars to the State might be lost That decided it

Permanent Home For Andys Quarters

Andy used his quarters to endow a fellowship in wildlife conservation at A and M Theyll continue to be used for that purpose whether they increase or decrease

Perhaps youre curious as we were to know the why behind such a splendid gesture as this one Andy Anderson makes it sound pretty simple

The State of Oklahoma and het sportsmen have made possible my success in business he says frankly Those

Andys Quarters have now found permanent lodging in the t ra in ing of wi ld l i fe technicians a t Oklahoma A and M College Here is a lab scene where four busy students a t the college are deep in wi ld l i fe research under the tu te lage of Prof R O Wh i ten ton (See Oklahoma Game and Fish News February 1947 W i l d l i f e Tra in ing a t Oklahoma A and M Co l lege )

Page Six

Oklahoma Game and Fish News October 1947

twenty-five cent fees are therefore rightfully theirs Im seeing to it that they get the benefit of them

Oddly enough Andy doesnt have much time for either hunting or fishing The press of business and the needs of

bull an immaculately manicured home and grounds demand much of his spare time

Maybe Other Quarters May Find Their Way Maybe thats why he has interested himself in seeing

to it that he does his share toward building an outdoors worth spending spare time upon

In any event hes done and is doing a fine thing and thats why this piece was writtenmdashto tell Oklahoma sportsshymen about it

We might add that with three fellowships still un-financed at Oklahoma A and M the precedent has been set for there must be dozens of license-dealers throughout the State who feel the way Andy Andetson does but who havent yet found the answer to how to do something about it

SQUIRREL HUNTERS C O M E A N D GET EM STATE GAME DIRECTOR KELLY DEBUSK was nonchalantshy

ly opening his mail September 16 when a neatly typed postcard from Pauls Valley caught his attention He started tubbed his eyes and read it again to make sure his eyes were not playing tticks on him But there it was in black and whitemdasha message of such rarity as to make any game conshyservation official exclaim

Dear Sir it read the writer has a farm on which are a bunch of pecan trees Our renter states there would be a lot of pecans provided the squirrels do not get them that there must be several thousand squirrels on the place and to send him some squitrel hunters We are wondering if in the face of such a situation there would be any provision to allow the killing of more than ten squirrels per day (Signed) Burns Brothers Hardware Pauls Valley

In a year when squirrels are scarce in most parts Burns Brothers will probably have no trouble getting hunters to accommodate them Director DeBusk believes and so inshyformed them He was sorry however that the State law will not petmit the taking of more than ten squirrels a day even though an emergency exists The firm has been the States authorized hunting and fishing license dealer in their town fot yeats They also sell ammunition though they made no stipulation that squirrel hunters invited to come and get em need buy their ammunition there

Hunting Regulations Available in Printed Form HUNTING REGULATIONS FOR 1947 are now available in

printed leaflet form at the offices of the State Game and Fish Department Individual leaflets have been prepared on quail hunting migratory bird hunting and furbearing anishymals A similar leaflet will be prepared soon on the deer hunting regulations the season for this species being Novemshyber 10-14

Complete syllabus of Oklahoma game fish and fur laws is in process of being printed in booklet form and will be ready for distribution within a month All publications are free

DUCK G O O S E HUNT O P E N THIS MONTH THOUGH OKLAHOMA DUCK and goose huntets are moanshy

ing low over the 1947 shooting dates for this state the picture above is printed to remind all huntets that the first half of the Sooner States split season will open October 7 at high noon and will run for 14 consecutive days thereafter or until October 20 Complete regulations for hunting of all migra-toty game birds this year are available upon request at the State Game and Fish Department Oklahoma City

igt

In what were perhaps better hunting days two years ago the picture was made by Bill Hand Ponca City sportsman We presume the boys ate his sons At any rate they make a fine sturdy picture with their bag of mallards and their trusty shooting irons

Though Octobers duck and goose hunting season is short Oklahoma hunters are reminded they have another 14-day season in store later running from December 23-January 5 Daily bag limits on ducks and geese are four of each species

FAWNS ARE DEVOID of any tell-tale scent but Mother Deer takes on additional odor in order to lure predators away

dden youngstets f rom tne rue

T H E IVORY GULL is found in the Polar Sea at 85 degrees North less than 350 miles from the Pole the most northerly record of any bird

A NEWLY BORN KANGAROO is only about one inch long and weighs approximately 1350 of a pound

Page Seven

October 1947 Oklahoma Game and Fish News

dWjfe BIRDS

L Wallace

T H E BLUEJAY (Cyanocitta cristata) is one of those birds that either has a host of friends or a throng of enemies This controversy is brought about by his habit of eating the eggs and nestling young of other birds

On the other hand the Bluejay is one of the handsomest of Oklahoma birds and a patch of woods without a gang of Jays is a dead place indeed The egg and young bird eating period is confined to the short time when the Jay is feeding its own young and in most cases is more or less local in character The remainder of the year the so-called rascal is busily engaged in eating large numbers of grasshoppers beetles many other insects caterpillars and vegetable matter such as acorns

Bluejay (Cyanocitta cristata)

The Bluejay is larger than the Robin measuring nearly twelve inches long The sexes ate colored alike with the male being perhaps a little brighter in color It has a crested head and its upper parts are grayish-blue-purple with bright blue wings and tail The wings and tail are barred with black and wing coverts are tipped with white A black band around the neck and across the breast complete the Jays handsome dress

The Jay is a permanent resident throughout the State Except during the nesting season which begins the last part of April it is usually found in flocks The nest is placed in a tree and is rather carelessly made of sticks rootlets strips of bark and leaves and is lined with fine grasses and rootlets rags paper string feathers or practically anything the bird

STATE HATCHERIES DISTRIBUTE NEAR 3 MILLION FISH

GAME FISH DISTRIBUTIONS totaling 2895571 fingerlings and 24675 forage minnows were made by the six hatcheries owned and operated by the Oklahoma Game and Fish Deshypartment in the year ending June 30 1947 A total of 1228 orders to streams lakes and ponds were filled in 73 of the States 77 counties

Eight species of game fish and two species of minnows were included in the hatchery production These included largemouth bass crappie bluegill channel catfish red ear perch goggle eye perch warmouth and rock bass and golden shiner and blunt nose minnows

The six hatcheries are located at or near Cherokee Durant Tahlequah Medicine Park Holdenv i l l e and Heavener

FORMER G A M E DIRECTOR N O W WITH ARMY ENGINEERS

H GORDON HANSON former game division director in the Oklahoma Game and Fish Department has accepted a position as game biologist with the U S Atmy Engineers at St Louis He has purchased a home there and will move his family to that city October 1 according to a recent comshymunication to Director Kelly DeBusk Oklahoma game and fish director

Hanson served in the Oklahoma Game and Fish Deshypartment first as a field game biologist and later as head of the division of game from August 1941 to March 1947 with a leave of absence granted for military service during World War II from October 1942 to January 1946

PORCUPINE KILLED BY ENID M A N

RARELY IS A PORCUPINE seen within the borders of Oklashyhoma and usually when one is found it is forthwith killed as a dangerous animal Glen Chapman of 2228 West Walnut Enid was no exception when his daughter Myrtle spied one of the prickly backed creatures in their backyard on August 29 Father and daughter rushed to the scene with flashlight and shotgun and bingomdashone dead porcupine The State Game and Fish Department still is seeking an Oklashyhoma specimen of the animal for its wildlife museum at the State Capitol

happens to pick up The eggs number from three to six and show considerable variance in color anywhere from olive-greenish to dull buffy but are always spotted with dark brown Only one brood is raised per season

The Bluejay is the small cousin of the wise old Crow and he is just as sly and mischievous as his latger black relashytive Though it is not generally known the Jay is a clever mimic and song composer His better known imitations are of the voices of the Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks

Page Eight

Oklahoma Game and Fish Ne October 1947

ILLINOIS CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT HOST TO NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY

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Twenty State Conservation Departments the U S Fish and Wildlife Service and other conservation agencies are reprcscn c) in the group picture above attendshyants at the 1947 National Association of Conservation Education and Publicity neld September 4-7 at the Illinois Conservation Training School at Foki Lake II I Juanita Mahaffey and Wallace Hughes represented the Oklahoma Game and Fish Department States represented at the Conference were California Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Louisiana Minnesota Michigan Mississippi Missouri Nebraska New York North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee and Wisconsin

M E E T I N G AT FOX LAKE ILLINOIS September 4-7 forty-

five representatives of twenty state conservation departments and other agencies engaged in conservation work comprised the 1947 attendance at the National Association (formerly Conference) on Conservation Education and Publicity T h e group were guests of the Illinois Conservation Department at its state training school

Officers elected for the coming year were James R Harshylan president superintendent of public relations for the Iowa Conservation Commission Mi l t Pittman vice-president sushypervisor of public relations for the Illinois Department of Conservation Juanita Mahaffey sectetaty-treasurer director of public relations for the Oklahoma Game and Fish Departshyment and Isaac D Chapman Louisiana W H Bostwick California Oliver Hartley Ohio and C A Paquin Michishygan directots

The National Association whose purposes are to facilishy

tate free exchange of ideas materials techniques experience and procedures and to promote public understanding of basic conservation principles was addressed by Dr Ira N Gabrielshyson president of the Wildlife Management Institute and former chief of the LI S Fish and Wildlife Service

In effect Dt Gabrielson said I t is time to quit kidding There will be game in the future but less game per hunter Wildlife is a product of its environment and with continuous and rapid human population growth and expansion the homes for wildlife are annually decreasing One of your major jobs is to teach the tremendously increasing numbers of hunters and fishermen how to enjoy the outdoors with a smaller take of fish and game The fish and game technicians and administratots will be and must continue to take every forward step in wildlife management but even if their progshyress is one-hundred percent never again will there be enough fish and game to fill the game pockets and creels of all Mote fun fewer fish must be your mot to

$250 Wildlife Poster Contest Sponsored By National Wildlife Federation $250 AND A TRIP to St Louis accompanied by a chaperone

is the fitst prize for the winner of this years CONSERVATION POSTER C O N T E S T conducted by the National Wildlife Federashytion of Washington D C which annually sponsors N a shytional Wildlife Restoration Wek during the first week of spring

T h e purpose of the contest is to develop a nationwide interest particularly among young people in the need for the restotation and conservation of our organic natural reshysources The contest is open to all students anywhere in the United States from the seventh grade through the last yeat in high school It will be judged by nationally known people in the fields of conservation and art

The award will be made at the Twelfth Nor th American

Wildlife Conference in St Louis Missouri on March 9

1948 Other prizes ranging from $100 to $25 will be awatded

Posters may be submitted in oil watercolor black and white

or other media and must be sent to the National Wildlife

Federation Washington 10 D O to be received not later

than February 1 1948

A copy of the tules and regulations regarding the contest

and further detailed infotmation may be secured by writing

the Setvicing Division of the Federation 20 Spruce Street

Boston Massachusetts

Page Nine

October 1497 Oklahoma Game and Fish News

WHATS NEW ^ in Wildlife

bu L G D U C K

w

it RECENTLY W E C A M E to the conclusion that our angling

ertorts wou Id yield more fish if we discarded our time-honored barometer and our dogeared fishing calendar and made room for a thermometer and a water sampler in our

g tackle box bulgin

is chatged with the responsi-ood fishing on some 15 or 20 of these

N o w this may sound of rank heresy to the dyed-in-the-wool angler but our faith in the old ways has been badly shaken

It all came about from reading a bulletin written by Dt Eschmeyer concerning the fisheries investigations on the huge multiple-use reservoits of the Tennessee Valley Authority Eschmeyer if you don t know bihty of maintaining projects and the efforts of himself Dt Wiebe and others of the staff have probably yielded more information regarding the management of large reservoirs than any other source in the country

Here is what Weibe Eschmeyer and their workers found out after a good many years of researchmdashfirst large reservoirs stratifymdashnot exactly like natural lakes but similarly in layers of warm and cold waters from top to bottom starting in the spting and continuing up to late October usually when the lake waters mix and temperatures become the same at all depths These layers are of course influenced by the volume of inflow and the nature of the discharge but in general through the summer and fall months the lake is separated into several distinct layers of water having different temperatures

Well from a fishs viewpoint this was found to be very important and by a good deal of nett ing and seining at different depths and by correlating this with the tempershyatures it was found that fishes of different species tended to seek out and live within certain temperature layers For example on one occasion the latter part of July 1943 sauger was most abundant at a depth where the temperature was about 65deg F Walleye wete concentrated at a depth where the temperature was about 11deg F and largemouth bass in the upper layer where the temperature was 80deg F or above

Having worked out these relationships for a reservoir it becomes a matter of making predictions of depths at which anglers may expect to catch the most fish even several days in advance A n d that is wha t the T V A experiment has resulted in Each week a graph of these data is published in a

D E P A R T M E N T T O EXHIBIT A T M U S K O G E E S T A T E F A I R

A FREE W I L D L I F E CONSERVATION exhibit will be arshy

ranged by the Oklahoma Game and Fish Department at the Muskogee State Fair the week of September 28-October 4 The public is invited One of the most popular displays at the fair in former years this years show is expected to be bigger and better than ever There will be many live wildlife species representative of Oklahoma on display including mishygratory game birds quail pheasants fish furbearers and repshytiles Conservation movies will be shown throughout the seven-day run Eastern Oklahoma rangers living in the M u s shykogee area will work in shifts to welcome state fair visitors and to answer questions relating to game and fish

T H O R O U G H B R E D S

W I T H THE O P E N I N G of quail season approaching next month fine bird dogs are claiming attention of Oklahoma huntets everywhere Though the two pictured here will probably not get into the real thing until the 1948 hunt theyll probably take their place with the best when they come of age in the hunt ing fields

The pups are two of a litter of seven out of Greenleaf Victoria sired by Hirshfields Mercurial Owned by Judge Dick Jones of the Oklahoma Criminal Court of Appeals the judges sons Joe (left) and Sterling proudly display their favorites out of the litter

local newspaper showing anglers how deep to fish in otder to dangle their baits where fish are the thickest

Howevet don t think that you can grab a thermometet and run to the nearest reservoir and start catching fish by this method But Bob Aldfich and his crew in the Oklahoma game and fish department are working on this program and as soon as basic data is available we can expect to use our thetmometers on Oklahomas larger impoundments

W e for one are going to give it a whirl From what we saw on T V A lakes it looks good to us

Page Ten

Oklahoma Game and Fish Net ews October 1947

For a Better Organized Ranger Force B Y FINIS C O X

Assistant Game and Fish Director

PRESENTED H E R E A R E A F E W suggestions which if

given some thought and consideration by you will help us to make a better organization of our law enforcement group N o organization can be better than the quality of its indishyvidual membership and the system under which it operates Our goal is the efficient management of the wildlife resources which involves (1) maximum production of game and fish consistent with available food and environment and (2) conshytrolled harvest on a sustained yield basis in perpeuity

Accomplishment of these aims depends upon various factots among which are (1) popular support by hunters and fishermen through organization and education (2) healthy relations with resident owners whose lands are productive of fish and wildlife (3) improvement of habitat wherever possible (4) restoration of appropriate species to depleted areas and (5) rigid enforcement of the laws and regulations without regard to society levels or the individual prestige of violators

The Ranger A Power For Good

The management of wildlife takes management of men mdashit then becomes a matter of getting the right kind of men first in the key positions and later in all subordinate jobs A situation in which there is cooperation from within as well as from without a group which has been molded into a smooth functioning team A ranger should be a power for good in his community One who takes pride in developing or helping to develop a greater knowledge of wildlife consershyvation within the area where he works One who is courteous considerate and has the ability to command the respect and confidence of those with whom he comes in contact A group of men who leave professional jealousy out of their work by helping to train those under them for better service taking ptide in the fact that they have helped someshyone to a level above their own in knowledge and ability resulting in the betterment of the force and helping the Department to build a bettet program throughout the State

Remember that it takes the close cooperation of every group within an organization before that organization can succeed Each group must learn from the other thus developing an appreciation of the needs of each so that the State as a whole is benefitted

Gaining Public Confidence Essential

Our Department is a public service organization conseshyquently public relations is one of its most important funcshytions M a n y times this is overlooked and we fail in not conshyducting our activities so that we gain the confidence and respect of the public whom we serve W e have read the material furnished by men who have studied ranger activities and enforcement throughout the 48 states and give you the result of their study M a y you gain something from these

suggestions that will help you to build a better and more efficient hunt ing and fishing program within your district

The field force wardens rangers or whatever their designation may be are not and should never be considered as policemen They are of course law enforcement officets but this function of duty should be carried out as inconspicushyously as is possible

They are servants of the entire public not of an indishyvidual or a group of individuals but as a function of governshyment they represent all of the citizens This phase of conduct cannot be overstressed

Entertaining Frowned Upon

The officers of any Game and Fish Department should not at tempt to entertain guests at fishing or hunt ing who might have sponsored their appointment or who might be in a position to aid them in holding the position This pracshytice leads to the severest of criticisms not only of the indishyvidual but of the Department as a whole

They should in the conduct of their work associate with the public in general and not alone with the sportsmen They should also include the farmers and stockmen Stockmen in general are conservationists and producers of wildlife forms Likewise farmers can through association be prevailed upon to leave cover prevent burning and other bad farming pracshytices that lead to the diminution of the wildlife species Learn something of their production problems and wherever and whenever possible perform acts that indicate interest in the welfare of the individual fanner or stockman These acts are money in the bank

Do Not Violate Farmers Trust

Above all do not procure permission to hunt ot fish on the holdings of a land owner and then at some future time take a number of friends along as guests In detecting violations if it is at all possible explain to the owner his superintendent or the foreman in charge the purpose of the investigation rather than ignore them T h e privilege of wearing a badge and the display of side arms should be treated with respect at all times As David Harum says D o unto others as you would be done by but do it first

Know the jobmdashnot only the laws but also a working knowledge of the life history and habits of all forms of wildshylife Transmit this knowledge whenever possible to groups of citizens interested in the conservation of the natural resources of the State and the Nat ion

Youth Training By Ranger Important

Sponsor and assist any agency whenever possible in the training of the youth in the conservation movement Teach the youth the practices followed by honest sportsmen in the

(Continued on Page 19)

Page Eleven

The Mallard male left rising from water and the female right is the most common Oklahoma duck The Black Duck center flying a close relative of the Mallard is retiring and wary The Black Duck averages several ounces heavier than the Mallard

SS

bull W bull -v --F

The Pintail is our most graceful duck Its neck is longer than most ducks almost swanlike Although not brilliantly colored the male is handsomely dressed in glistening white and soft brown

Know Ya

Teals are early arrivals appearing in this State in late August and early September The Greenwinged Teal (two upper figures) can be identified by the square green patch on their wings The Blue-winged Teal (two lower figures) is usually gone by November

ON THESE PAGES ARE PICTURED the ducks most commonly enshycountered by Oklahoma duck hunters The twenty-five varieties of ducks known to occur in the State are divided generally into two classes mdashthe surface feeding ducks and the diving ducks The surface-feeders also called river ducks are strong of wing and fly directly from the water when alarmed and tip their heads beneath the surface of the water when feeding

The diving ducks also called sea ducks patter along the top of the water for a considerable distance before gaining flight and habitually dive for their food or to hide when alarmed

The ducks on the Iefthand page and lower center are all represhysentative surface feeders and are generally the best table birds The divers are portrayed on the righthand page Their flesh is usually strongly flavored but depends a great deal on the type of food they have been eating

The Mallard is our most common duck and the one most favored by duck shooters The Greenhead as it is often called begins arshyriving from its northern nesting grounds during September reaching its peak of abundance sometime in November The Mallard is generally common throughout the winter

Second in importance to Oklahoma nimrods is the Pintail which makes its first entry from the north in scattered bands in September There are more Pintails in Oklahoma waters during the month of Feb-

The Gadwall left flying is an inconspicuous duck plain gray with a square white patch on the wings the best identifying mark They are often found in comoonv with Mallards The Baldpate or Widgeon (female center male r ight) averages two pounds in weight

|

f ^4r ^ Once on the brink of extinction the Wood Duck (fer still far from its former abundance I t is generally a Oklahomans may be proud to know that the species i State The Shoveller (male center and female right) fly

77

Figured at left are male and female Ruddy Ducks in winter small diving ducks that arrive in October and November but are not generally common The Bufflehead female in flight and male lower is also called Butterball

ir DUCKS ruary than at any two pounds fully a poun

other time The average drake weighs slightly over id less than the average Mallard

The Baldpate might possibly assume the rank of third in importance to Oklahoma wildfowlers The Widgeon as it is also called is an early arrival occasionally reaching Oklahoma waters in late August It is most common during October and November and averages about the same body weight as the Pintail

As has been brought to the attention of everyone by now the duck populations for various causes but mainly through mans ignorance have been reduced to another low figure As a result w e have this years controversial sharply-curtailed shooting season Now is the time for all duck hunters to pause and take stock of the situation and reshysolve to g ive the ducks a break or else the future of duck hunting as w e have known it in the past MAY INDEED BE IN THE PAST

Good sportsmen will reduce the number of their hunting trips and wherever possible select only the drakes for their duck dinner An over-abundance of drakes on the nesting grounds is often a serious influence on the number of successful hatches

Too carefully judge your shooting distances and make sure that birds are in range before pulling the trigger This practice will reduce the number of cripples that get a w a y and ultimately die Good shooting duck hunters but remember the future of the ducks lies in your hands

The Ring-necked Duck male and female on the left running across the water really should be named Ring-bill as the whi-c ring on its bill is much more prominent than the dull brown ring on its neck The Scaup Duck female stretching wings and male lower arrives in the State usually during October These two ducks are often called Blackjacks

The Redheads (upper figures male and female) are rather common diving ducks The Canvasback (two lower figures female left and male r ight) is a national duck favorite but is not abundant enough in Oklahoma to be of great importance

The Mergansers are best known as f ish ducks because they feed principally on aqua k animal life The American Merganser female and male left arrive in numbers in November and remain all winter The Red-breasted Merganser center flying is rare in Oklahoma The small pound and a half Hooded McgoLLi- (male and female right) inhabits wooded streams and lakes

lie and male on log) though recovering in numbers is reed to be the most beauiful of our naiive ducks and gtsts and raises its young in various localities about the g is popularly known as Spoonbill

October 1497 Oklahoma Game and Fish News

ipfpp

Ranger Sam Hal l FairSand

W H E N RANGER S A M H A L L of Ottawa county looks at

you with his honest blue eyes and speaks with his slow soft drawl you wonder if the school kids of northeast Oklahoma didn t lose the best friend they ever had in a classroom the day Sam gave up his teaching profession to become a state game tanger

Game rangers however have a great opportunity to get

around a m o n g the youngsters and get around he does and has during the six yeats he has served as a ranger

B o r n November 25 1907 near Fair-land his p r e s e n t home Sam received his education in local schools there later graduating (1931) f r o m Northeastern State Teachers Colshylege at Tahlequah During and after his c o l l e g e years he

taught for fifteen years in Ottawa county schools in Council Hollow Aurora Iron Post Lone Star Solid South and Lincolnville districts H e lived at various times during his teaching career at Miami Quapaw and Commerce

Married in 1929 to Miss Ethel Bryant a home town girl with whom he went to school Sam and his wife now have three children Doris 13 Wayne 11 and John 5 Sam is of one-eighth Cherokee Indian descent

A bit of fanning on his 40 acres south of Fairland intershyspersed with his other work kept Sam Hall close to the land and give him firsthand observations of wildlife which have served him in good stead these past six years as a ranger

Whi le Ranger Hall s original patrol district consisted of both Ottawa and Delaware counties most of his time is spent in Ottawa since other rangers have been appointed in Delaware However a good portion of his work is on and around Grand Lake which touches both counties and he often joins Rangers Lawford Browning of Grove and Jne Earp of Jay when teamwork can get the job done better

Ottawa county industries are varied and the Fairland ranger finds plenty to keep him busy in the hunt ing and fishing areas there Center of the worlds largest lead and zinc mining atea home of several large factories and proshyducer of corn wheat oats and livestock the northeast corner

county of Oklahoma is a thnving section Gatewav to the Ozarks from the southwest many vacationists fishermen and hunters pass that way and often stop to dip a hook into Grand Lake second largest impoundment in Oklahoma or to hunt quail coon or ducks which normally are plentiful there

One of the things Sam looked forward to doing when he quit teaching was going quail hunt ing Dur ing all those years he spent in the school room the Oklahoma law specified Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays only as legal hunt ing days during the annual season Saturday of course was the day most to be desired by the school teacher W h e n he took over his ranger job and found himself free occasionally to go quail hunting what happened is now a matter of record In 1941 about the time Sam made the change from the school room to the out-of-doors the State legislature ironically amended the quail law to permit hunt ing on Tuesdays Thursdays and Saturdays

Quail hunt ing is Hall s favorite sport by a wide matgin and he doesnt have to go far to indulge M y best hunt ing area is right around my farm near Fairland he declares This northeast Oklahoma ranger enjoys a bit of duck hunt ing each fall too on the prairie ponds of Ottawa county

Fishing is another of his favorite pastimes In fact Sams whole family enjoys this sport and he readily admits M y wife is the teal fisherman of the family she even taught me to fish Grand lake is their best liked fishing water where Sam once caught a 454-pounder his record largemouth bass to date

Of his years as a public school instructor Ranger Hall says Starvation wages drove me out of the teaching proshyfession I enjoyed it and got some wonderful experiences out of it but I like my present job much better A t any rate it has given him an entree into the schools and among the boys and girls of his district to promote the cause of wildlife conservation Sam believes that mote educational literature movies and contact by the district ranger into the schools will prove the biggest step forward that the State game and fish department can take H e hopes to see the day when every ranger will have access to movie projectors and a whole library of wildlife conservation films to take into the rural as well as town and city schools

Assignments outside his home district during his ranger years have taken Hall on occasion to the southeast part of the state H e served at the Stnngtown ranger station duting the 1945 deer season and that same fall helped with the Game Department s exhibit at the Muskogee state fair Recently he instructed a neighboring new ranger in getting acquainted with his job in Nowata and Rogers counties

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Oklahoma Gar id Fish News October 1947

Commercial fishing is a major industry in the district Sam wotks The Neosho and Spring rivers both upper ttibutanes of Grand lake teem with net-fishermen who

harvest the non-game species for the market Their operations ha1 il th- of th atea and sometimes the game ranger must bear the btunt of it All in all however Sam does a good job of enforcing the law among the commercial fishermen and keeping the home folks satisfied with sport fishing in his area as well

Perhaps no other district has as many coon-hunting enthusiasts as Sam Halls district The hunters of that northshyeast area really go for the sport of the chase in a big way and theyte working hard year in and year out to restote the ringtail in the woodlands In recent yeats they have organized a wolf hunters club too partially for sport but mote because the wolves have become a nuisance in the cattle-growing areas One group Hall says killed 135 wolves during a series of organized hunts last fall and winter

On many occasions the Ottawa county ranger has aided in recovering the bodies of drowning victims and once helped save a woman from drowning in Grand Lake

There are many opportunities to appear before civic and sportsmens groups with messages on wildlife conservashytion and Sam Hall responds willingly to such invitations from Lions Clubs Coon Hunters Associations and othets One of the newest organizations in his area the Northeast Oklahoma Lakes Association in which Hall is one of the directors is promoting the region as a public recreational area

Sam also belongs to the Izaak Walton League of America (Miami Chapter) and the Masonic Lodge In the latter he is a Past Master of Frisco Lodge 24 at Fairland He attends the Methodist Church when his work will permit

Important among the changes he would like to see brought about in Oklahomas state game and fish code are (1) the State game and fish commission empowered to regulate all hunting and fishing seasons bag limits methods of taking wild game etc (2) a retirement system ot privishylege of participating in national Social Security set up for staff membets of the game and fish department and (3) prohibition of mtetstate shipments of all game fish for the market In six years as a conservation officer Hall can see the gteat advantages these three recommendations would bring about

The Ottawa county ranger has made his share of arrests and convictions among the game law violatots but modestly asserts There has been no serious trouble and most of them have been handled with considerable satisfaction

As a matter of fact Sam handles his job as a whole with considerable satisfaction to the sportsmen of his district who he boasts ate the finest group in the whole state and a great help to me in my wotk in northeast Oklahoma

Indeed if every Oklahoman could meet Sam Hall of Fairland theyd probably agree with the Ottawa countians that Oklahomas wildlife consetvation program cant go wrong in the hands of men like this district ranger

GARFISH G R O W BIG

THAT GARFISH GROW BIG in Oklahoma waters is evishydenced by the snapshot below sent in by Burcham and Rees merchants at Bokoshe The gar weighed 125 pounds meas-used 7-feet-l-inch long and was caught out of the Arkansas River in LeFlore County August 21 The captors are (left) Lloyd Hutchinson Jr and R C Rees both 17 and seniors in Bokoshe High School this year

Two Eufaula youths in the neighboring county of Mcshyintosh outdid the Bokoshe youths on garfishing September 4 when they landed one weighing 147 pounds in the North Canadian River two miles east of Eufaula The boys Dennis Schaver 16 and Dewayne Schaver 14 shot their gat with a 22 rifle The 7-foot long monster succumbed after 10 bullets were fired into its tough hide though none of the 10 pene-ttated through the body Who knows what Oklahoma

watets may give up nextr

T H E IRIDESCENT COLOR of a ducks wing patches is not due to pigment but to submicroscopic prisms breaking the light on the surface of the feathets

T H E NORTHERN SEA OTTER cracks shell fish on a stone held against its chest

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October 1497 Oklahoma Game and Fish News

Know Ijoust OHlahoma

r SWEAS J Aldrich

Editors Note This is the twenty-ninth in a series of thumbnail sketches of individuals of the 151 forms including species and sub-species of fish known to exist in Oklahoma waters It is hoped that these authoritative descriptions will be the means of Oklahomans becoming better able to identify the fishes of their state

T H E SPOTTED SUCKER (Minytrema melanops) is one of thirteen species of the sucker family found in Oklahoma waters The group includes the buffalos quillbacks river carp redhorse and chubsuckers

Outstanding characteristic of the entire group is their similarity of habits All are bottom feeders they frequent the same general type of waters and for the most part live on the same kinds of food The larger members of the sucker group such as the buffalos prefer the larger rivers while the smaller species such as the chubsuckers and spotted suckers are most abundant in creeks

Spotted Sucker (Minytrema melanops)

Suckers migrate up the streams in early spring to spawn The spring run of redhorse which is known as shoaling is a well-known occurrence in many streams of eastern Oklahoma These fish are taken in great numbers during the spting but ate seldom seen after the tun is over

The flesh of the suckets is of very fine flavor but many people do not use them for food because of the enotmous numbets of fine bones throughout the flesh The most comshymon bait for angling is the earthworm or flesh of clams

Suckers are no doubt an important source of food for all

species of carnivorous fishes They prefer open waters and because of their defenseless nature are easy prey for predatots Thus they fill an important niche in the economy of our waters

CATFISH SECRETS AIRED

JUST WHERE AND W H E N D O CATFISH FEED Thats a question which has petplexed most fishermen since the beshyginning of pole and line angling A report received by the Oklahoma Game and Fish Department publishes the findings of a recent survey conducted by Harry Harrison Iowa fisheries biologist

Channel catfish were found to feed largely at night with the heaviest period coming at dusk At that time the fish hungry from a day spent in the seclusion of some old log or weed bed comes forth in search of food For the most part feeding during the twilight houts will be confined to the channel and deep water As darkness sets in the catfish tend to invade shallower water near the stream banks

Increased catfish movement goes hand in hand with stream rises the survey discloses Following the rise fishershymen usually experience more luck and land better catches

The temperature of the water affects feeding periods extensively From a study of more than 60 specimens taken from waters of less than 40 degrees only two were found to have eaten in a short time prior to being taken for investigashytion Catfish are known to feed more readily during the time when stream or pond waters are warming up

In hot weather sour mouth is a phrase often heard along a river bank and is a reason frequently blamed for poor fishing Actually the reddened mouth so often noticed in July and August is caused by catfish probing the rlver bottom and brush piles in an effort to get more food

Catfish have been found to be peculiar in that they seem to get into a habit of eating a single item despite the fact that the list of foods eaten would number into the thousands But they will eat a single item seemingly until they tire of that particular kind of food The angler faces the problem of selecting the bait which is being accepted by his prey at the time he attempts to hook them

In studies made up to this time the investigators claim they have been unable to find that such things as direction or force of wind clear or cloudy weather moonlight or dark nights have any bearing on the feeding activities

The information gained as a result of the study indicates that catfish feed at night unless otherwise influenced by tutbid waters and that they feed heaviest in warm waters These however are rules of nature and like any othet rule there are exceptions The records do show that for the most part the wheres and whens of catfish feeding will be as set out in the survey For every cat taken in open channels and shallow water during the daylight hours many more will be taken under shelter Most frequent success attends the fishshyermans efforts on a rise and water temperature above 60 deshygrees will be more productive than colder water

W H I L E THERE ARE 500 species of humming birds not a single member is found in any part of the Old World All are residents of the Western Hemisphere

T H E CUTTING TEETH of beavers continue to grow throughout their lives

JACK RABBITS in Ontario Canada grow to weigh as much as 25 pounds

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