Volume 9 JANUARY 15, 1950 Number 1 THE OlD ORDER CHANGES ----- THEY 'RE DEAD BEFORE OSAGE ORANGE HEDGES FOLLOWING PASSENGER PIGEON , DODO YOU FI RE A SHOT * * "' * * * "' * * '!' * By James R . Harlan By Wilford L . ~Iiller .\.sslstant Director Reprinte d from Outdoorsman Many quail hunters, returning "Cut down the bag limit this from trips to southern Iowa quail year." "Shorten the hunting sea­ territory the past season, were son five days and restrict shooting alarmed and surprised at the num­ hours." "Birds are getting scarce ber of Osage orange hedges being we must save them!" uprooted and burned. There is Hunters and conservationists reason for their concern over the across the nation discuss these loss of this fine quail cover. There problems year after year. And is general opinion among hunters unless some catastrophe occurs­ that "find an Osage orange hedge­ such as a blizzard which kills most row and there you will find quail." of the game birds most sports­ All wildlife must have suitable men will not look much farther homes, and Osage orange is ad­ ahead than the next hunting sea­ mirably suited to many needs of son. When the subject of con­ the bobwhite. There is little ques­ servation comes up, the hunting tion but that the introduction of regulations seem to be the all­ Osage played an important part in Important thing. increasing the bobwhite from limit­ Sportsmen are convinced that ed populations when the state was their guns determine the increase fi rst being settled to almost unbe­ or decrease of bird populations. lievable numbers by 1900. Second might be the foxes and More Osage hedge is being re­ those predators that supposedly moved than at any time for many are taking all the birds. years, and in the foreseeable fu­ Do you hunters want to know ture it will not be an important how important you are in affecting quail cover plant in our quail terri­ the ups and downs of some of our tory. A substitute must be found game species? Let's look at a if quail are to continue as an im­ few facts about the pheasant for portant game bird. example. For several years North The story of the Osage orange Dakota has gathered mass data hedge is an interesting one When from nesting studies, roadside sur­ Iowa became a state in 1846, it was veys, hunter kill records, winter The modern bulldozer has sounded the d eath knell for Osage ora nge hedges. not known whether hedge would mortality investigations, and other Jim Sherman Photo make a fence in the Middle West. sources to find out bow pheasants A Delaware contributor, writing in live and die. the W estent Ohio R egzster in 1839, Graphically the picture looks said, "I will merely tell you for like this- with the circle repre­ CHICKADEE, TITMOUSE, NUTHATCH your own information that all senting total eggs laid. (See circle kinds of thorn used here (Dela­ graph page 7.) By Roberts l\Iann tufted titmouse and the white- ware) for fences are fast going to Half of all eggs laid wlll never F ores t Pre"en e Distri c t of Cook breasted nuthatch. decay. I have seen no new fences hatch! Half of all young birds Count;-', Illinoll!t P eople who roam the woodlands for the last three or four years." that do come out of the eggs in wintertime, and particularly Henry W. Briggs, writing in the will be dead before fall. Winter Of the songbirds which remain those who live near a wooded area Davis County (Iowa) Agricultu.r­ will add its toll to the natural in the northern portions of the and maintain a bird-feeding board al Society Report 18 years later in mortality roughly 5 to 10 per central and eastern states all at home-whether in the country, 1857: "Hedging is attracting a cent. The spring breeding stock winter, there are three very close­ in the suburbs, or near a park or large share of attention. We have must be maintained. The surplus ly related yet entirely different in cemetery in the city-soon come now in the county about 11 miles in normal years the hunter can appearance: the chickadee, the tit­ to knov. these three. They are pri- of hedge from four years old down. take. His share may be 5 to 10 mouse and the nuthatch. Else­ marily insect eaters, valuable be- I believe the general opmwn per cent, approximately equal to where the species may be different. cause they search for and consume amongst hedge-growers here is the natural winter kill. Rather a but m the Chicago area we have great quantities of the eggs, lar- 1that it will do, however, not one {Continued on page 7) I the black-capped chickadee, the (Continued on page 6) (Continued on page 5) Page 2 I O WA CONSERVAT IONIST - Iowa Conservationist GAME VIOLATORS PAY Publlshed Monthly By $24,000 IN NOVEMBER THE IOWA STATE CONSERVATION COMMISSION l Seven hunched fourteen arrests 914 Grand Avenue-Des Moines, Iowa f]ii~:JIIIII..,_~ for hunting, fishing, and trapping (No R1ghts Reserved) violations during the month of No­ vember resulted in fines and sent­ WM S BEARDSLEY. Governor of Iowa ences totaling $24,188 50 in fines BRUCE F STILES. D1rector and 875 days m jatl. JAMES R HARLAN. Editor Seventy ca e~ resulting in fines LOIS RECKNOR. Associate Editor of 100 or 30 days or more in jail were beard in the courts, with il­ MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION legal fur being responsible for the bulk of heavier fines. Durmg the E G TRC r OII< ar dq - - period 12 hen pheasant shooters E. B. GAUNITZ .............................. Lansing - ARTHUR C. GINGERICH. .. .......Wellman - - were assessed fines of $100 or more. F. J. POYNEER... .... .... ... .. Codar Rapids Four illegal trappers or fur J. D. REYNOLDS .. .. ... ... ... .Creston buyers wcr e assessed fines of C. A DINGES. .. Emmetsburg ~·1.000. three .. fiOO, one $400, with MRS. DAVID S. KRUIDENIER . ·waukee other fines for fur infractions ranging up to "375 in penalties. CIRCULATION THIS ISSUE 39.000 Farm pond s are fi '!dlng a multitude of recreational uses, lnc:ludlng swimming , skating, In addition to illegal trapping ntere>d a: second cla: at r at the> fishing, and trapp1ng. Hund reds of new farm ponds are being c:ons t ruc:ted in Iowa and hen shootmg, maximum fines PostE Off1ce at Des Momu<>, Iowa, Sept..,mber eac: h year. Iowa City Dai ly Iowan Ph oto. were assessed for shooting protect­ A 22, 1947, undnr the Act C'f Hnp-h 24, 1912 I ed species, exceeding bag limits, I subscript 'n ~·ears tor st.o~ per year FARM FISH PONDS GROWING IN IMPORTANC E impersonating an officer, illegal • 3 sale of fish, and hunting during Subscr. ·~ce d ,.. rvahon -- G vl4 closed seasons. ComrniSS10lo 0 Grana Av ... nue, Des I Farm fish ponds provide in­ Moines, Iowa Send cash, chock or money creased opportunity for recrea- Farm fish ponds can be of almost Both number· of violations and ordE:'r. any srze for stocking purposes total of fines reached an all-time 1 lional fishmg, according to the from one acre to over five acres record. The highest previous U. S Fish and Wildhfe Service Ponds as small as 1 ~ acre can pro- month was November, 1948, with Thousands of fat m fish ponds are th duce fish if carefully managed and 494 arrests. '13,000 in fines. In being established throughout the oU treated v.ith commercial fertilizer~ November, 1947, 336 arrests were " CONSERVATIONIST" various states. but they barely B to keep up the level of plant and made and $9.000 in fines assessed. INDEX keep ahead of the demands made PI small animal life that the fish usc Commission officials attribute upon our fishing resources by the for food. Ponds that small, ho\v- the increase to greater cooperation Two years have passed increased activ1ty of sport fisher­ to ever, do not stay in natural bal- v.. ith conservation officers on the smce a n index has been com­ men. de ance as well as lhe larger ponds. part of the non violating bunting piled for the "I owa Conser­ Conservative estimates are that WI vationist" We are workmg fishing attracts more than 20 mil­ P onds are stocked with spec1es and fishing fra ler nity and farmers, ed on one now covermg 1948-49 of fish that will maintain a natural plus the fact that licensed bunters tu lion indiVIduals 01 mote than any and expect to have it com­ other single sport. Bes1des the balance between prey and predator and fishermen have reached an all­ :t pleted about March 1. Many $28,000,000 a year spent for fishing species. Bluegills, \\'bich utilize time high. "County attorneys, th of our readers are plannmg the insect and small animal life of ~henffs. and judges have been es­ licenses, the sport is a b1llion dol­ th to bind their "Conservation­ ponds, are the prey species, and pecially cooperative in repeat cases W( lar a year business in the way of ists", and an index will be largemouth black bass arc Lhe and in the prosecution of major fishing equipment and related ex­ valuable If you will mail us predator species violations." penses B1 a card requesting the new In sptte of the 1mportance of If Lhe proper balance in weight I All fines collected for infractions ne index, it will be sent to you hook and line fishi ng, the amount and number of these two species of the fish and game laws are ~ without cost when completed.