Impoitamt Fo

s. G53 V-\o;rur„9 IMPOITAMT FO PUBLISHED MONTHLY EXCEPT AUGUST BY Published Monthly Except August By The OKLAHOMA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT Room 118, State Capitol Oklahoma City, Oklahoma For Hunters, Fishermen, Trappers, Naturalists and Wildlife Conservationists. STATE Out-of-State subscriptions $1.50 per year. Free upon request to Oklahoma residents. OKLAHOMA Circulation, this issue 30,000 Entered as second-class matter September 19, 1947, at the post office at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, under the Act of August 24, 1912. JUANITA MAHAFFEY ALDEN KIMSEY Editor Staff Writer WALLACE HUGHES LARRY GAFFNEY MRS. DORIS STEWART PAGE Art 8 Photography Photography Circulation Migratory Game Bird Seasons 3 Doves 4 Fairview Regional Office 6 Oklahoma's State Bird 8 Snakes Alive! 10 t The Water Cycle and Pollution 1 2 @o*t&env4rtto*t 'THecutAi 'TfCaay 76iny& A Slush Pit that Will Stand 1 3 The Press Says 14 CONSERVATION through the years has taken on new meaning to many people. June Convictions 16 In the dictionary it is described as "the act of keeping from decay, loss, or injury; the July Convictions 18 official care and preservation, as of such natural resources as oil, coal, forests, or Important Notice to Oklahoma Game and Fish News Readers 20 fisheries". To professional workers in conservation the definition is summed up as Oklahoma Birds 22 "wise use" of resources. Letters to the Editor 23 To conserve is not to totally prohibit the use of soils, wildlife, waters, forests Buffalo (Back Cover) and minerals by man. But failure to conserve—to use wisely—will bring about its VOL. X No. 9 own prohibition to man. For the peoples of the earth have become too numerous, their COVER requirements too high, to pursue any course other than the practice of strict conservation. Egrets are increasing, thanks to federal laws pro To use unwisely will destroy the resource. tecting them. They will leave Oklahoma this month to return again next June. This beautiful Conservation, too, means an adapting of human needs to the earth, or vice versa. pair was photographed at Lake Overholser in August by Wallace Hughes. Man must sow in order to reap. His livelihood depends on the soil—be he factory worker, merchant, farmer, teacher, or professional. When people, farms, factories, cities, highways become numerous, something has to give way, as in the case of the buffalo. They were slaughtered, yes—too many, too fast. But they would have dis COMMISSIONERS appeared anyway. There wasn't room for 60 million of the big animals to live on and Maurice Finklea, Warner Chairman with the prairies as we now have converted the prairies to human needs. Louis Burtschi, Chickasha Vice Chairman A state or federal agency created for conservation of a natural resource—wildlife Raymond H. Lucas, Howe Secretary James W. McMahan, Okemah Member for instance—cannot work unto itself alone. It must link its aims and efforts to other Rev. C. C. Morgan, Fairfax Member agencies created for conservation of soils, forests, water. One is lost without the other. George F. Schultz, Medford Member Arthur Hall, Elk City Member Wildlife has a stake in all of these, and without them—no wildlife. Dan Tankersley, Oklahoma City Member Gov. Johnston Murray—.Ex-Officio Member Conservation to a school child in a rural community can mean beautifying the school yard, planting an ugly gully to green grass, the laying of walkways so his feet ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF do not get muddy in the rain. If the project is introduced as a group workplan for all E. W. Dahlgren Director the boys and girls in the school, its multiplies in meaning to each child and to all. A. D. (Bob) Aldrich Assistant Director O'Reilly Sandoz Game Such projects often snowball into community conservation—improving and using E. M. Leonard Fisheries wisely those things that are near at hand to work with. O. L. Curtis Federal-Aid Juanita Mahaffey Public Relations The human resource is most important. Too often, in our thinking, we fail Clay Boyd Enforcement Louis Nelson Accounting completely to include this as the sixth and greatest of natural resources. There are Permission to reprint is granted provided proper many men, for example, who are keen on wildlife conservation. They know what it credit is given. Oklahoma pictures and contribu tions are welcome and will be published when means to their hunting and fishing sports for which they spend hundreds of dollars. possible. Address communications to Oklahoma Game and Fish Department, Oklahoma City, Okla. Many of these same men have never given a thought (or a dollar) to provide a taste of these pleasures to an underprivileged boy. Conservation means many things. But it will take the combined meaning and a working together for conservation of the SIX natural resources—soil, water, forests, Member Society of Associated minerals, wildlife, and PEOPLE—to preserve America from "decay, loss or .ujury" Industrial Editors Affiliated with as Webster put it ... J. M. International Council of Industrial Editors Forty-Day Dove Season Opens September I; Ducks and Geese October 27-December 25 OKLAHOMANS WERE granted a 40-day shooting alongside of any type of stationary hunting blind: Pro season for doves, extending from September 1 to October vided that the taking of migratory game birds from or by 10, inclusive, this year. Federal regulations for this game means, aid, or use of any sinkbox (battery), motor-driven bird were announced in mid July. Although the season conveyance, motor vehicle, or aircraft of any kind is pro has been 30 days only for many years preceding 1954, hibited; also prohibited is the taking of waterfowl by the extra 10 days are not expected to extend the actual means, aid, or use of cattle, horses, mules or live duck or shooting, nor increase the number of doves taken in this goose decoys, the concentrating, driving, rallying, or stir state. The first cool days of September usually send most ring up of waterfowl and coots by means or aid of any of the doves south out of this state. motor-driven land, water, or air conveyance, or sailboat. BAG AND POSSESSION LIMITS for doves remain However, injured or dead waterfowl and coot may be at 10, and no person may possess doves or other migratory picked up by means of motorboat, sailboat, or other craft. game birds longer than 90 days after the close of the BAITING REGULATIONS have been clarified this season. year by federal regulations as follows: Migratory game SHOOTING HOURS are from one-half hour before birds may not be taken by the aid of salt, or shelled or sunrise to sunset daily for doves. Shotguns only (no rifles), shucked or unshucked corn, wheat, or other grains, or or bow-and-arrow, may be used for dove shooting. Shot other feed or means of feeding similarly used to lure, guns not larger than 10-gauge, must be incapable of shoot attract, or entice such birds to, on, or over the area where ing more than three consecutive shots and the plug in any hunters are attempting to take them. As used herein, the shotgun must be incapable of being removed without dis terms "shelled or shucked or unshucked corn, wheat, or assembling the gun. The state law forbids shooting from other grains" or "other feed or means of feeding similarly or across public roads, highways or railroad-right-of-ways. used", shall not be construed as including properly shocked An Oklahoma hunting license is required, except for certain grain, standing crops (including aquatics), flooded stand exemptions as specified by state law. The federal duck ing crops, flooded harvested crop lands, or grains found stamp is not required for dove shooting. scattered solely as a result of normal agricultural planting or harvesting. A SIXTY-DAY SEASON has also been prescribed COOT BAG LIMIT is 10 per day or in possession. for ducks and geese, coots and mergansers, starting October 27 and extending to December 25. Shooting on opening THERE IS NO OPEN SEASON on Swan, plover, day begins at 12:00 noon, and continues to sunset. On woodcock, rails and gallinules. the remaining 59 days, shooting hours are from one-half Given a choice by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service hour before sunrise to sunset. of any 60 consecutive days between October 1 and Janu ary 10, the Oklahoma Game and Fish Department selected BAG LIMITS for ducks allow five daily, 10 in pos the dates above prescribed after carefully evaluating all data session after the second day, but not more than one wood on waterfowl. Oklahoma, with other states of the central duck in the day's bag or in possession. This year American flyway (as this issue of Oklahoma Game and Fish News and Red-breasted Mergansers are to be considered as part of goes to press), is making an effort to secure a 75-day the daily bag limit on ducks. migratory waterfowl season, with duck bag limit of 4 daily JACKSNIPE or Wilson's Snipe will be legal game for and 8 in possession. Flyway managers were disappointed 15 days, December 1-15, in Oklahoma. Bag limit is 8 per that a season of this length was not listed in the selective day, 8 in possession. regulations granted the states by the U. S. Fish and Wild BAG LIMITS for geese will be five daily, including life Service. If the 1954 regulations should be thus liberal in such limit not more than (a) 2 Canada geese or its ized within the next month, announcement will be made subspecies, or (b) 2 white-fronted geese, or (c) 1 Canada through this magazine, the press, and radio and television.

Load more