- I SEP II 1961 I ' --
I• e 20 September, 1961 Number 9 .. ------tEAKDOWN AT THE DUCK FACTORY J im ieh \\ u Ct•rfun 1 IJiol ogl't 'A DEER OUTLOOK Amonfl t11c troubles of our -1961 time is a dt[ficulty overshad Eldie W. :\lu tard owed by rarious economic and G ame D lo l o~ l<.t political dct·olopmcmts. As in • deer, more permtts, more tlw utltirtics," our wate1 fowl Iowans- this is the thumb- may be in cw acute position 1 etch of the Iowa deer situa altholtrtll frillqe l>enefits could is year. In keeping with its help a ,,real deal : of allowing maximum recre- • opportunity wherever pos CtiSIS to the w1ld duck means ne Conservation Commission drought-scorched prairies. In the d that 8,000 shotgun per Canadian pothole country of south ould be issued for a three ern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and er season commencmg De- Manitoba, late summer water lev 16. This is an increase of els have been at an extreme low. permits over 1960 and is Th1s area IS called the "duck fac tory" of North America by water C reater than the 6 000 issued fowl experts because most of the 1. In essence, more' Iowans • allowed to participate in Central and Mississippi Fly,vay me hunting in their home ducks are hatched there. In ''let .,. his year. years the Fish and Wildlife Serv forgotten were the Iowa ice tallies about five million water 1ters, a group which makes a reas in this region by aerial sur .. 1t recreational use of one of veys. This summet the number , ..·as reduced to 900,000 and part s most splendid game spe Jim Sllerman Photo. l le white-tailed deer. Bow Amon!J our most beaut if ul wat erfowl, wood d ucks are ma king a tre me ndous come·back. of these were outside the pothole Though found mainly a lon!J the Mississippi, t his one was banded on a centra l Iowa lake. country. l 1 gained a few days exten er last year's season for a With their nesting grounds period running from Octo 1961 HUNTING AND TRAPPING SEASON turned to dust, ducks have had to to November 30. PHEA ANT- Open season: No Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, range mto the fringe areas to sat P.l onger bow season can easily vember 11-December 15, 1961, both Wapello, Warren, Washington, isfy the nesting urge. These al i ified if one considers the dates inclusive. Shooting hours Wayne, Winneshiek, Woodbury. ternate nesting sites extend north umber of hunting hours re 9:00 a.m. to 4 :30 p.m . Bag limit H UNGARIAN PARTRIDGE ward in to bush and tundra and for each deer bagged, the three cock birds, possession limit Open season: November 11-De south to a belt oC glacially-built lUmber of deer harvested, six cock birds. All counties open ccmber 15, 1961, both dates in ponds m the Nebraska sand hills "' low hunter success ratio EXCEPT: Davis, Des Moines, clusive. Shooting hours 9 :00 a.m. through northwest I owa, southeast at ed to that of the gun hunt- Henry, J efferson, Lee, Van Buren, to 4:30 p.m. Bag limit two birds, South Dakola, southern Minnesota and Wapello. possession limit four birds. Open and parts of Wisconsin and Michi run>: nore detailed summary of QUA.ll..--Open Season: Novem counties: Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, gan. During normal times the pro ~ ~ rt~lations applying to deer ber 4-December 15, 1Ml, both Hancock, Kossuth, Lyon, O'Brien, duction in frmge areas is very ea nt: ~ are found elsewhere in dates inclusive. Shooting hours Osceola, P alo Alto, Plymouth, small compared to the potholes, ue and m leaflets available 9:00 a.m . to 4:30 p.m. Bag limit Sioux, Winnebago. but with ducks driven from the at llJ:i ounty recorders, Conserva- five birds, possession limit ten SQUIRRE L - Open season for primary sites the fringes can help to 11 .I 'leers, and license depositors birds. Open counties: Adair, gray and fox squirrels: September the situation help, but not cure. ;l them.) Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, 16-December 15, 1961, both dates Fortunately, Iowa's first state l r Popula tion E <>timat.e., Audubon, Black Hawk, Benton, inclusive. Bag limit six per day, wide duck banding attempt coin n population estimates were Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Carroll, possession limit twelve. cided with the extensive nesting in ' lSt winter after most of the Cass, Cedar, Chickasaw, Clarke, RABBIT- Open season for cot the fringe areas. Never before - due to hunting, accidents, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dal tontail and jack: September 16, could we assay the value of out e 1unting, and other decimat las, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des 1961 to F ebruary 18, 1962, both wellands to duck production. And cel'l' g ' nts had reduced the Iowa Moines, Dubuque, Fayette, Fre dates inclusive. Shooting hours though total numbers of ducks are ere· ~ the lowest point of its an mont, Greene, Guthrie, Harrison, 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Bag limit always estimates, our guesses will ere >pulation cycle. They indi- Henry, Howard, Iowa, J ackson, len per day, no possession limit. be much more accurate this year. 00t. ·t~ hat about 14,155 deer were Jasper, J efferson, J ohnson, Jones, RACCOON- Open season (hunt Up and down every creek suit ell. Data from our deer Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, ing only): 12:00 noon, October 21, able for nesllng, and in Iowa's ·ee ~le e- g stations indicate that Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Mar 1961 to midnight, February 28, limited marshes and potholes, blue ,b, ~ ~E r, 3 fawns are produced for shall, Mills, Monona, Monroe, 1962. No daily bag limit or pos winged teal were nesting this l stotl' ~ r ' 00 adult deer, which means Montgomery, Muscatine, Page, session limit. summer. From a few thousand 1J] >wa 11 leer hunters will have at P olk, P ottawattamie, Poweshtek, WliJA E L, RE D FOX, GRAY blue-wings in our poorest years to 31'S tc (Continued on l!Bite lGG) Ringgold, Scott, Shelby, Story, (Continued on page 166) (Continued on page 164) Page 162 IOWA CONSERVATIONIST
Iowa Conservationist COMMISSION MINUTES ug1..rr ( nt Agreement with the city I DO ANIMALS TALK of \Vest Dt>.!'l Moines was tcrmi- Publish ho Roh£>rls '\fa llll and August 2, 1961 J d STATE CONSERVATION COMMISSION I> cL~id H Thomp,on <• <'lH' r a l Standard h•t'l" lot' US<' of equip- . East 7th and Court, Dos Moines, Iowa Tt'H\'l'l '' !l!-. aut horiZl'
Ji '11 SIH.:ru 'In l'h >t at six pounds this largemouth bass is just one of many a t Allerton Reservoir • 7MOUTH GALORE brief spell in the hands of man. In a little over an hour we cov Jim Sberman Photo. :\lalcolm K. J olm.,on The gas powered genera tor In the middle of the boat provides eurrent for the bars ered a mile and a half weaving ha nging from the bow. Th e long handled d ip net he lps catch those only lightly stunned. J •rton Reservoir has the back and forth around stumps and 1t big bass I 've ever seen trees and always close to the bank. one place, ct en tltougll it SlXty largemouth bass were ac •iologically a s1ck lake counted for that ranged between )J he sight of five pound bass three and six pounds. Those big . rour heart to thumping, puts ones must have averaged four on your brow, tightens the and-a-half pounds. Many more re Ot ch, and dries out your mouth sponded to the shocking; blucgills. • t wind on the Sahara, you crappies and some carp so btg they l . just be interested in what nearly sprained my wrist lifting l 'S. the dip net into the boat. In all ::r. ·r since a midnight frog gig these fish there was one point ¢) l <> xpedition last year the word that belied the appearance of a in 0 'lg" makes me think of one healthy population. There were anY l\1 · - big bass at Allerton a very few young fish. The crappies :ese n:1 state lake in south central were small and stunted, blucgills s. '· Finally got an opportunity undersized also. Less than a dozen le back in the light of day and bass in the pound class were spot !IJ f • te spot where a jumping bass ted when they should have out ed !'E! ically scared me out of the numbered the lunkers by a great lckS · ~ The occasion was a bwlogy deal. These conditions plus the 11't 1lU y of the fish in the lake. enormous carp were what made ll ll ,\'as about two in the after- the biologist remark that it IS a r)IS.= 1 when the survey boat set sick lake. t omplete with a high-powered Allerton is one of the turbid b5 tiel er 'Within a few minutes water bodies that is best suited
P' 10 were rolling. Working not for catfish and bullheads. The oth Jim Sherman Photo. / P1 than 20 feet away from the er game fish were stocked as a Not the least bit eager to coope ra t e, a bass gives his t all a f rantle w ag. of: ~oj line, the stunning force of the means of supplying varied sport tl J,..e ic current raised fish after for the fishermen. Something that will be one of the areas experi Local anglers may scratch their ~~ ·1 Some would belly up on the might change this opinion is the mentally stocked. In other states heads in doubt, but Allerton really lJ!lch Ill ·e and offer no resistance to recent acquisition of some Ken to the south and east they do bet needs to be fished. The numbers r,D\'f b~1 netted. Checked and weighed, tucky Bass, a species whose char ter than largemouth in silty water. of fishermen using the lake are in ~· llte would allow themselves to be acteristics lie somewhere between Ranking all of the game fish by significant compared to those using ecr nll.:l ed without the slightest flop. the smallmouth and largemouth weight, bullheads come first, bass, the lake for picnicking and swim faT \ I returned to water a few mo bass. When sufficient numbers are crappies, and catfish follow in that ming. Those big bass and carp dfl't m:e 3 of inactivity would be fol hatched and reared from the 200 order. Carp account for about need a little thining out. (And bOS1 Io ~ by a violent splash and away young Kentucky Bass now in Com one-half of the total weight of the where was my fly rod? Horne • oil tho. went-none the worse for a mission rearing ponds, Allerton fish there. where else? ) Pago 164 IO WA CO N S ERVATIONIST
llKI•~ R OUTLOOI<- (Conhn ted r,.om page 1111) perhaps 100,000 this year repre sents the range of fringe area pro- 1 duction. Overall, just a drop in the bucket. but a big drop in a small bucket during crisis years. The reco\'eries of these Iown banded birds will be a gn•at h('lp in determining our contribution to the waterfowl production effort in time of emergency. Drive trapping wns the method used to capture flightless young and moulting adults which have shed their pri mary wing feathers and are also temporarily incapable of flight. The ducks and coots nrc slowly herded into V -shaped enclosures constructed of chicken wire net ting staked into the marsh. At the point of the Y, a hoop or trap net is attached and the birds arc driven into it. These flightless I waterfowl are then aged, sexed, I banded and released in the area from which they came. Reports of these birds killed or captured on down the fiyv.·ays provide mforma tion to determine migratory routes ;berman efforts of hunting pressure on the Chlck~ n wlr~ "ll!ads" are st rung out to guid e the ducks Into traps Th e driving Is d on e while the maJority of birds are fllghtlc han·est, and may indicate nestin~ areas used during succeeding years. Some 1,450 waterfowl were band- ed in the statewide program, most from the western counties because the topography p<'rmitted easier· driving and trapping. Present in high numbers and easiest to trap were the blue-winged teal, who ac counted for 80 percent of the ducks. Woodies, mallards and red heads ranked in that order. Coot too are abundant 1nd made up a
quarter of all birds banded. Both 1 wood ducks and pm tails h~tve s~own a great mcrease from prc-1 ··.... ~-, vtous years. All waterfowl banding records in North America are housed at the. Bird Banding Office at the Patuxent Research Center, Laurel, l Maryland. Recently, all waterfowl banding and recovery data ha~ e been coded and placed upon I .B M cards and upon magnetic tape fot· :r m ~be r-' rapid data analysis. Waterfowl The banding cre w slowly works the ir way across the marsh unable to see the birds swimming and walking In weeds f ar .thea< banding in Iowa is a part of a l 0\'1. a and the other Misstsstppt continental banding effor t. Any Fl}'\vay states m cooperation with one seriously engaged in the study the Fish and Wildlife Service are of birds may usc the bandmg rec gathet·ing this mformalion on a ords at P atuxent. cooperative basis vi.l the Missis Recent emphasts has been placed sippi Fl)"\Vay Counctl upon the banding of wood ducks The old mallard is still king and within the 14 Mississippi Flyway the most important duck to the stales Iowa produces many of hunter 0\ et .)0 per cent of all these birds, and harvests a con ducks taken in Iowa are mallards. siderable number of them, espe This spectes has been hit hard by cially along the Mississippi Rivet the drought and this fall the fly Recent band reco\'eries indtcate a way population is expected to be considerable kill of this species in somewhat below the 1959 level. Texas from the Mississippi Flyway Population wtse mallards made a .itli banding. slight comeback during the 1960 • • ' Recoveries of blue-winged teal breeding season, but not nearly - I l - banded in Iowa some day may lead enough to bring them back to the \ to justification of a special season peak numbers of the mid-fifties. ,I on blue wings during years of peak \Vaterfowl e perts tdl us the sit abundance. Framework dates al uation is senous, but not critical. located to the slates do not allow However. we strongly advise that tor such special seasons at the all duck hunters beat the drum I present ttme but as we progress for snow and rain in the prairies toward species management in wa of Canada and apply pressure for
terfowl banding and recovery data the purchase of what's left of our Jl become more and more important. wetlands. A Woodle and his mate arrive at the lead and are soon trapped, banded IOWA CO NSERVA T I O NIST Page 165
- lltT TI G SEA 0 S- of them. (Continued from pap:e 161l COOT or i'\ll DHEX Bag limit :FO , GROVND HOG, \VOLF SIX, possession hmtt s1x COl: OTf~ Continuous open sea \ 11- SO~'S SNIPE or JACK son. entire state SNJPI<; Bag and possession hmit DEER JICXTING eight Open season October 15- Df~ ER- Open season for bow ::\ovember 19. 1961, both dates in and arrow only from October 14- clusive. Shootmg allowed from November 30, 1961, both dates in sunrise to sunset except opening clusi\'e Entire state open day when the shooting hours v.ill Open season fot shotgun only be from 12 00 noon to sunset from December 16-December 18, ROSS' G I<~ T.; SE , GRE B E , 1961, both dates inclusive. En R \IL, ( E '-<'<'I>t Coot) a nd GAL tire state open LI ' PL:J<~ S , i'\10\ RNING DOVE , Daily bag limit one deer. posses WOOI>C'O('J{, S \\ A No open sion limit one deer, season limit season. one deer THAPPING Shootmg hours each open day OJ>J<; ~ TRAPPING , EASONS for bow and arrow 6 30 a m. to Special regulations shall be en 5 30 p.m. forced on all Game Management Shooting hours for shotgun sea Areas in the state. Trapping on son, 8 00 a m. to 4 00 p m all Game 1\lanagenH'nt Areas \\ill Ll C'E~ S I<~ APPLICATIOXS be by permit only including a har All applications for deer huntmg vest quota on fur species to be de licenses fot the 1961 deer hunting termined by the Commission. Per season must be made on forms mits nrc :waiiable from the Com provided by the State Conserva mission. On Game ~tanagement tion Commission and returned to Areas and that portion of the Mis the State Conservation Commis Sisstppi River east of Chicago sion office in Des Moines. Iowa Milwaukee and St Paul Railroad accompanied by check or money tt ncks from ~lmnesota state line order in the amount of ten to south city limits of Davenport dollars. Applications fot shotgun will open at noon day following deer hunting licenses must be close ot duck season or noon No made not later than October 1 1, \'ember 11 , 1961, \\'hichever is the 1961 There IS no deadline for later and extendmg to midnight, bO\\ and arrow deer hunting ap December 31, 1961. plications. No more than 8.000 1\linlc-l'\fu..,lcra.t Entire state shotgun deer hunting licenses will open from noon November 11, be Issued These will be issued to 1961, to midnight, December 15, the first 8,000 persons making ap 1961 pli<'ation B N t-\ <' r Open entire state from There is no limit on the number noon, No\ ember 11, 1961. until of bow and arrow deer licenses midnight. Februat} 28, 1962 thn t will be issued. Badgt>r, "' lcunlc, Opo..,.,wn, Ci\·et WATE RFO\VL ('at Open entire state from noon, Dl C'K, COOT or l\IUDHEN - :November 11. 1961, until midnight, Open season October 21-N ovem February 28. 1962 bet 19, 1961. both dates mclustve. Raccoon Open entire state from Entire state open Shooting is al noon, No\•cmbet 11, 1961, until lo\\ ed each day from sunrise to midnight, February 28, 1~62. Water sunset except opening day when sets permitted only during the t he s hootmg hours will be from open season on mink and muskrat. Jim Shcrm:on l'hoto 12:00 noon to sunset. All limes \\'ea.,el, R Nl Fo~. Gray Fo'-, "' !J a llv¢ mallard g¢ntly takes time to learn, but these men handl¢ mor¢ ducks Central Standard Time. Ground Hog, Wolf-Coyote· Con ri job than many hunters ever see In y¢ars of hunting the Intelligent birds. DUCK . Bag limit two in the tmuous open season, entire state. aggregate of all k inds except not OttC'r Continuous closed season, more t han one Hooded Merganser entire state an d one Wood Duck sh all be in cluded in such limit. Possession limit four afler first day. PEAR PARABLE --- Five American and Red-breasl The beaver, as most anyone \\ill cd Mergansers may be taken daily agree. IS an engineering genius. w1th ten m possesston singly or m A lady from near McCausland on aggregate of both kinds. This is the lower Wapsi River in eastern in addit ion to the bag limit and Iowa reports that beavers use their possessiOn ltmits of other ducks. skill for other than dam building-. Season is closed on Canvasback It seE'ms the beavers in her vi and Red H ead ducks. cinity de\'elopcd a taste for the GI<; Jl~ SE Open season· Octo bet pears that fell from her tree in 7-December 5, 1961, both dates m the backyard On e evening as she clusive Shooting allowed from watched from her window, a big sunrise to sun set except opening old beaver smffed around for fallen day when shooting will commence fnut and findmg none turned his at 12:00 noon , Cen tral Standard attention upward to the pears in Time. Bag limit and possession the tree. After a quick survey he limit five. Not more than two of solved the problem in typically t he limit may be Canada geese or beaver fashion by gnawing around s ubspecies, or White-fron ted Geese. the trunk until the laden tree • On ly two of any of t he above may crashed to the ground. P robably Jim llhermon I'hot.o. be included in the lim it. The entire ten bushels of pears were strev.rn a ll sur¢ that h¢ llk¢s It, a mallard Is su¢d , band¢d and th¢ d¢talls rec:orded so much as a " by your leave." Data will be used to ddermlne Iowa 's c:ontrl· bag m ay be m ade up of eith er Blue across the lawn and in no time the to the waterfowl population. This 11 Important In drought years suc:h as this. or Snow Geese or any combina tion yard was alive w ith other b eavers. IOWA CONSERVATIONIS'l Page 166 ~~------~------~~------~~-- Stnte Conservation Commt PRAIRIE LANDS has it been possible to preserv H R c.,ult<; of P ast eason.., deer moving, and a long enough G ,... 1 (} As staled prevwusly, Iowa hunt season to assute reasona hie suc Exploring Cheeder Prairie near Guthrie Cente r, st udents a t the Teaeher's Con\c7• 1 ers have harvested a known 25,436 cess Only severe weathe1 condi eamp fi nd many wildflowers blooming tha t they never kn ew exist ed In this t t deer during the eight open seasons twns will keep this from being one for an average of about 3,180 per of IO\\ a's best seasons, and maybe YOU CAN'T G ET ALONG WITHOUT INSECT season. The best season Iowa we can talk the weatherman into hunters have enjoyed was the 1!?60 gtvmg us some weather ideally One of the popular myths about The science of ecology • season when 1 ,269 deer were taken suited for deer hunting. nature ts that mankind inherits study of the relationships of p!J l During the 1960 season, gun hunt A map is mcluded in this article the earth, and that unless man can and ammals to each other nod ers had a hunter success ratio of to advise our hunters as lo the produce a conslan t supply of n ew thetr environment bas compJel \ 45.9 per cent. Bowhunters had a relattve deer population ptclure in and more deadly chemicals, traps exploded the man vs. iO~e 1 hunter success rat10 of 16 per cent each county. I'm advismg, as I and swatters he is doomed 1 The theory, according to the 'l''ltto and, while this may not seem high, did last year, that hunters take a next age on earth, so goes this theory. it is far above the national hunlt•r long look at their home county theory, will be the "Age of I nsects." Without the six-legged ill$e l success ratto for bow hunting of before deciding to go elsewhere to and r elated small fry of the ani." E kingdom, many farm and orch { five to ten per cent. During the hunt. Check along streams or in these counties simply haYen't been 1 crops could not be grown. ~ I 1960 season gunhunters spent 37.9 cornfields near timber for deer hunted heavily enough and should 0 hours for each deer bagged, w1th s1gns most hunten; who travel be producing more deer. birds and m a ny kinds of fish '' ;t disappear Some whole industt l bow hunters taking 311 hours for several hundred mill•s to hunt will \Vhere\·cr you may decide to 11 each deer they harvested. probably be surprised at what they hunt, conduct yourself as a good would ha~e to shut down for • of raw materials produced on1Y € The number of deer harvested in find in their own hack yards. sportsman. Secure permission be 1 1960 was well above the number Hunters in the southern Iowa fore you hunt on anothe1 man's insects. These include the she £?" taken in the several preceding counties, espec1ally, should do property and your hunt will be industry and its by-products, ~ seasons. The total kill was 56 their hunting at home. Some of many more times enjoyable. silk industry, and others. I' IOWA CONSERVATIONIST Page 167 long before the white men pene SEEDS LAKE trated this country Evidence that A Wl1ere to Go and W llat to Do Indian tribes used the lake site for Feature l'CCI'<'U tiona! purposes was found by tan "' idn <'~ the early settlers who held their Beeds Lake. just north of Hamp own picnics and reunions there. They found a perfect paradise in ton. in Franklin County. has C\' this basin surrounded by dense erything anyone could wish for in a growth of trees of every variety a state park, and then some. The nathc to this part of the conti "then some" is a wonderful dike nent Nuts, berries and fmit were that bisects the lake from south there in abundance. cast to northwest w1th 650 yards of the best bank fishmg any In 1837, T K Hansbury built where. In fact, the distance can the first dam and grist mill, but By ' tan W idney Goo11 o To"~Y Photo be doubled because it's possible to William Beed put in the long dike 1 find the cotton t all amon!J the and made many improvements Th ey look like this In early fall. fish both s1des at once without JACKSON COUNTY DEER leavmg a lme untended. Bridges when he bought the property in t 1864. We ran across a deer story ~BBITS BACK TO at either end allow eas} boating access to the west end of the lake. Mr Bced always gave visitors from Jackson County recently NORMAL Another extra is the dam's un free access to his picnic ground that will bear repeating in th1s Paul D . Kline usual spillway, so beautiful with and to the lake where he encour- column Not that Jackson or any Game Dlologht its vari-colored stone in horizontal aged fishing and trapping. He also other county on the Mississippi provided sand for a bathing beach need any unusual stories to be : 1y hunters, who outnumber layers that slope abruptly for 40 and built docks at his own expense. come a part of Iowa's history. 1 other type of gun-toting feet to the rock foundation. The After being drained in 1917 to Places like St Donatus, Bellevue, t nen except pheasant follow- spillway is 170 feet long. n look forward to an avcr The bathing beach is on the west provide rich land for wartime Green Valley and Sabula on the ason 1961-62. July roadside side of the tree-covered dike. It is farming, the new dam was built river, Spt mgbrook, where the , just completed, indicate well sanded and supervised and in 1936 by CCC Labor to form the state's first governor is buried, >ttontail population on a the bathhouse is one of the finest. present 130 acre lake. and Maquoketa Caves are rich in ide basis is near or just Concessionaires rent boats and Fishing is a year round sport at legend and folklore. if below the a vcrage of the motors, and sell refreshments and Bccds Lake where bass \\.alleyes., Right now we are concerned le\'en years. This is an in- fishing supplies to the thousands ~at, bullheads, northerns and pan- , with a herd of deer that led to the ~>'er last year's population. v.. ·ho come by car or plane to en hs~ arc abundant and hungry. The discovery of what is Maquoketa res1dents on the n?rth shor.e, and Caves Slate Park. Early Jackson : hunting should be found in joy this most rewarding of slate m~ny other~, own 1ce shanlles for county history labels David Scott 1thern two or three tiers of parks. A pair of concrete boat •s, providmg we leave out ramps lead down to a sheltered wmtcr anghng. and Joshua Bear as the discoverers .The trees are mostly. second of the caves. Here is, in part, counties bordering the Mls bay w1th adequate docking at its gt owth now,. b~t are plentiful and Bear's accotmt of th\1 incident that i River. Of course, every entrance. o~ many. vanet1es. Flora of every took place 120 years ago: ottontail hunter has his fa There are several clean, level picnic areas, shady and provided kmd nat1ve lo the area flourishes, "In the hunting season we would "hot spots." These may be providing excellent cover for birds v,ith adequate parking, tables, fire get together for a ten day hunt. in all parts of the state and wildlife. There is a refuge at places and wood. There is a rustic This lime we started from the tlly speaking, it is normal the west end of the lake where shelter for family reunions that heavy t1mber on the forks of the e higher cottontail popula many species of waterfowl and offers a splendid view of the lake. Maquoketa RIVer (about a mile ~ southern counties; and our shore birds may be studied. Two camping areas are pro below\\ here the City of Maquoketa s indicate this coming sea- \Vhether you come for a day's vided, both near the park officer's is now located) knowing that deer 11 be no exception. Lowest outmg or two weeks of camping, home and are well stocked with would take shelter there from the lions occur in the northeast your stay at Beeds Lake State fireplaces and tables. heavy snow storm prevailing at ·s. And the further north Park will be \\ell worth-while, any Spring Creek that feeds the lake that lime \Ve hunted until sun ne goes, the poorer it gets. time. tlations of cottontails are 1s from 12 to 14 miles long and is down, having hung up five or six to fluctuate. Most of us fed by numerous cold water springs deer during the day. that have continued to flow regu Fish with forked tails are the ) compare rabbit abundance "Concluding to select a camping larly, summer and winter, since fastest swimmers. e present season w1th the ground, we started up a ravine ·e remember Back m 1957, • and had not proceeded very far d '59 we had very high popu- • when we struck the trail of ten or ' in much of southern I owa a dozen deer. We were able to ' have dropped, but are still take two of the herd, the bluffs >ur research efforts are bent on either side being so steep the I explaining why these ftuc deer could not ascend them. We ts occur So far we have pursued them up the gorge as pretty definite indications rapidly as poss1ble is~ ·esult from differences in 1 "Looking up ahead we saw that ,...... ' tivity no conclusive proof the ravine termmated in what ap s' tst clues. In other words, 1 peared to be a bridge of rock, and N• i are more apt to be numer- the1·c seemed to be no chance of 1 1llowing a breeding season their escaping other than turning ho litters are large and abund- around and running past us \Ve t · 1d when weather, disease and were congratulating ourselves on ) '• factors permit h1gh survival 1 securing them when to our sur • ng. Just how to insure such prise, they all disappeared as if ~ n' ons every season is a little the ground had opened up and l.Z 1et. swallowed them. Upon investiga luctlVity for the past two 1 tion \>\'e found that our prey had •· 1g seasons has been below taken refuge in a cave. e :e. Consequently, our cotton tl . pulations are down from the "\Ve made our campfire in the hllll " of three and four years mouth of the cave m order to pre arlicularly in the best rabbit vent the deer from escaping. ole of southern Iowa. These When daylight came, our hopes of (of te, however, will provide hunt capturing the deer were blasted by jtl mg 1ort of average quality when Geol'lte Tovey Phot• the discovery that there was an 1 Seeds Lake Is one of our most versatile st ate parks. Tree shaded camp!Jrounds adjoin outlet to the cave through which le ~ '~·I from the standpoint of long the water where a double ramp provides easy access for boats. Shore fishing Is also ·P~ 1!\'tl': mnting experience. exc:ellent from a dike that bisect s the 130·acre lake near Hampton• the deer had escaped." .Jler Pogo 169 IOWA CONSERVATIONIST • nose snake, common in Jowa . lOWA TREE FARMER • Although lncking tangs, poison .. .. or a constricting capacity, when its SELL MANAGEMEN • privacy is infringed upon, the hog Certified tree farms m 21 I • nose can tlattPn its head and neck, counties are part of a silent and hissing, appear as ferocious us dramatic sales force for g the dreaded cobm. Then with tail woodland management in the s \. . coiled nncl head raised, it takes a The Iowa Tree Farm Comm rleep breath and spi'PIHIS its hoocl of private and government t to almost thn~ t' times normal size. esters recently approved four r • Hissing loudly, it strikes at the in tree farms ranging in size from • • truder even though unable to bite. to 157 acres. Additional acre If this act doesn't ward ofl dnn was added to two existing tr • gez it resorts to another course . farms. ' With mouth open, it goes into con Iowa now has 112 tree fat . vulsions until exhausted. To climax with 8,405 acres of well-mana the act, the hog-nose rolls over on woodlands. ~ me 20 • • ·' . its back, hangs its tongue out and Latest county to add a prival plays dead. If picked up, he is owned, taxpaying tree farm to • .. • limp and lifclel"s . Iowa program is DelawarC' But there's one flaw in the act cording to the chairman of which shows him up as a faker. Iowa committee. If rolled o\'er on his stomach, he "The forest industry-spons promptly rolls on his back again tree farm program objecbv clear," Chairman Robert G HAR ' as though this were the only po • • sition .suitable to the act of play said. "It is to have better fore practiced on all forest land ~; ing dead. .. much of the future supplic - .. Lea\'e the hog-nose alone for wood raw materials must r • awhile and it tires of being an from the lands of 4.5 million v. ..., r o actor, rolls right-side-up and slides Th e ha rm less, ham acting hog-nosed snake with its stubby body a nd flat head Is often land ownez s in the nation." confused with the cobra of the old world It s t otal length seldom exceeds 3 9 In ches. away. These antics have given Recent Iowa figures indicate tr him the pen-names of spreading 1t reJoms 1ls l\\ o parts and scur farmers are selling other own or puff addet, blo\\.' s nake and SNAKES- SOURCE OF ries ott . People once believed that on tree farming. Lee County I blO\\ ing viper. MANY FABLES hairs from the mane or tail of a with 50 tree farms; Des ~Iotn Carol Buckmann horse placed in stagnant water Another non-potsonous fellow has 13; Van Buren and Clnyt much misunderstood ts the gentle have 10 each; and Jefferson Tensing its muscles, the hoop would turn into slender snakes. It was once believed, and is yet to though easily in itatecl bull snake, Henry have nine each. - Tr d snake rolled into a tight circle and also common in Iowa. sailed down the hill. day, that a certain snake would Make News. steal milk from cows 01l from Even though the bull snake has The snake stopped abruptly, its the fat of snakes was supposed a mild "Ferdinand the Bull" dispo tail thrust into a large oak tree. to be good for rheumatism. This sition, it puts up a good front when BIRDS AND BU GS Within three minutes, the leaves is still believed by some people first approached When angered, I n any reckoning of antm. ' had withered and the mighty oak and other unfounded superstitions this six fool reptile rhythmically ues, songbirds score high for tl' was dead. Then the hoop snake re about animals live on. swings its tail, opens its mouth tireless warfare on insects. B leased its tail-hold and rolled off in game birds desen·e a little cr The truth about snakes is often wide and whips its head forward. another direction. too far more interesting than the fie Then it produces a hiss that alarms Sound fantastic? It is. The titious stories. the intruder and can be heard :\fost game species feed larg myth of the hoop snake is one of more than 50 feet. on "egetative matter in adult l many stories reported by "reliable" In reality there is no "hoop" When approached, the bull's But during the first few months Wllnes!:es.. snake in the snake family. There switching tail movement in the existence their diet is almost Another tale involves the snow is, however, a southern boa snake leaves often makes it mistaken for elusively insects. snake which. as the story goes, so timid that when approached, 1t a rattler. If this display doesn't Up to the age of 10 or 12 ,.ee comes out only in the winter when rolls into a rigid ball and can be send the enemy scurrying, the bull the young of quail, pheasanb an 11 the snow is on the ground making rolled or tossed into the air. strikes boldly disregarding the grouse spend most of their \ akill. ~ the snake almost impossible to see The glass snake 1s not a real consequences. hours in pursuit of bugs It roul t At In order to get a glimpse of this snake, but rather is a member of Its constricting capacity makes be more than acctdental that son! 'r anll-soc1al introvert, he must be the lizard family It can lose its it possible lo do away with larger of the dem;est pheasant popula ~ }{ e ~ tricked into revealing himself, ac- la1l when in danger; but the sev forms of food than most Iowa lions occur in areas offermg bO ~the~~ cordmg to the informant. ered tail does not grow back on snakes. It lakes squirrels, rabbits nanza supplies of grasshoppet Hat To do this, buy some black the body A new and somewhat and other similar stze rodents. Mormon crickets or some othe •t t r Pia: cough drops and lay them in a smaller appendage grows agam m Despite the tales of horror re equally available insect. 1 ~Ill likely place. Then plant yourself a short lime garding snakes, they all play their Ducks also start life as inscctt t IQ inconspicuously and wait. When The mythical shallered "glass" part in the balance of nature vores and continue to feed hearil) a hungry snow snake, searching snake reacts like Humpty Dumpty An example of this is the king if not exclusively, on insects an for hard-to-find winter food, takes in that all the king's horses and all snake. It's not a sworn enemy related materials until they ~ the cough drop, move like a flash the king's men can't put him to of poisonous or non-poisonous half grown. Rapid growth requirt and grab where the cough drop gelher again. snakes, but when hunger besets a high level of protein which ani isn't. Result- you have an elusive Larger enemies, such as the king it, it becomes the terror of the mal tissues provide. It is doubtf~ snow snake. .snake, eat the less agile glass reptile world. P refening neither that our common game birds coH And so another snake story, snake. This is where the tail, com poisonous not non po1sonous, it survive and multiply in the 'lh~cnc along with many others, is passed prising two-thn·ds of the body, fea1·s and respects no snake. It of insects.-Remmgton Net~ s. from generation to generation as comes in handy When overtaken, will attack any of them regardless the "complete and absolute truth." the reptile struggles violently so of size. horror of snakes" that is prt•Stll- Just as true is the s tory of the I the tail occupies all of the as Being Immune to snake potson, from birth. These natural horro rabbit hunter who caught his rab- sailant's attention. At a crucial are not found in children and c!\1 venom injected from a bile only 1 b1ls alive by sitting behind a rock moment the lizard abandons its irritates the king, mal