ednesday, September 24, 1975
daily nebraskan
page 19
nebroskon s
Doves prove elusive; pheasant season shortened
By Jim Hunt
With the close of mourning dove season
Sept. 30, hunters in Nebraska will focus
attention on duck, goose and pheasant
season.
This is the first year since 1953, when
the state classified the mourning dove as a
song bird, that it has been legal to hunt
doves.
Because the dove is a migratory bird,
the season is regulated by the Fish and
Wildlife Service.
The service permits a 60-day season on
doves, but Nebraska adopted a 30-day
season, from Sept. 1 to 30, when most of
the birds are in the state.
Light hunting
"Dove hunting appears to be rather light
across the state," said Kenneth Johnson,
chief of Nebraska Games and Parks Wildlife
Division. "Success has varied, but we have
received good reports from all areas of the
state."
"What most people don't realize is that
the mourning dove is a very tricky bird,"
he said. "There are more shells shot at
doves and missed than at almost any other
bird. The national average is about four
shells a bird, and ! don't think our hunters
have done much to change it."
The bag limit on doves is 10 daily and
20 in possession.
" Duck season will run from Oct. 4 to 12
and from Oct. 25 to Dec. 14 in the Low
Plains district, in the eastern half of
Nebraska.
in the High Plains district, in the
western end of the state, duck season will
run from Oct. 11 to Jan. 1.
Goose hunting season will run from Oct.
4 to 24 and Nov. 1 to Dec. 21.
A special federal water fowl stamp is
needed for duck and goose hunting.
This year's pheasant hunting season will
be shortened to 44 days and the Panhandle
region of Nebraska will be closed to
pheasant hunting.
The season was shortened from 72 days
last year because of a reduction in the
pheasant population because of poor
habitat.
General decline
"Conservationalists are concerned about
the dwindling pheasant population across
the state," Johnson said. "This decline is
general across the state and is due to poor
habitat, not hunters."
There was a 40 per cent decrease in the
pheasant population in the Panhandle,
partly because of two blizzards that hit the
area last spring, he said.
Southwestern Nebraska "probably will
be the best area for pheasants, but there
should be other areas of the state that are
good," he said.
Bag limits on pheasants are three daily
and nine in possession. The season runs
from Nov. 1 to Dec. 14.
Quail season
There will be a 72-day quail season
again this year from Nov. 1 to Jan. 1 1. Bag
limits on quail are six daily and 18 in
possession.
Oct. 28 to April 2, no limit. Grouse, Sept.
20 to Oct. 26, three daily and six in
possession."
Merganser, same as duck, point system.
Rail, Sept. 1 to Nov. 9, 25 daily and 25 in
possession. Squirrel, Sept. 1 to Jan. 31,
seven daily and 21 in possession. Common
Snipe, Sept. 15 to Nov. 18, eight daily and
16 in possession-. Raccoon and opossum,
Nov. 1 to Feb. 15, no limit.
Special permits are required for:
Antelope (archery), Aug. 20 to Sept. 26
and Oct. 6 to Oct. 31. Antelope (firearm),
Sept. 27 to Oct. 5. Deer (archery), Sept. 20
to Nov. 7 and Nov. 17 to Dec. 31. Deer
(firearm), Nov. 8 to Nov. 16. Wild Turkey
(archery) Oct. 11 to Oct. 24. Wild Turkey
(shotgun), Oct. 25 to Nov. 7.
UNL gymnast eyes slot
on Pan-American team
for
An upland game stamp is required
hunting upland game birds.
Other species, dates and bag limits:
Coot, same as duck, 15 daily and 30 in
possession. Cottontail, Sept. 1 to Feb. 29,
seven daily and 15 in possession. Crow,
Any women interested in trying out for
the UNL intercollegiate women's swim
team are asked to attend an organizational
meeting, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at Women's P.E.
BWg. at the pool. Coach Pat Sullivan said
last year's team members should attend.
The two major wire-service football
polls both have the UNL football team
ranked fourth this week.
The lluskcrs move up in both the
Associated Press (AP) and United Press
International (UPI) polls after a 45 0 win
over Indiana Saturday. Big 8 rivals Okla
homa and Missouri are ranked first and
fifth respectively in both polls. Oklahoma
State is ranked 17th in the APand 13th in
the UPI, Colorado is ranked 17th with
Arizona in the UPI.
Missouri dropped a notch in the ratings
after defeating Illinois 30-20 Saturday.
By Scott Jones
Nebraska gymnast Larry Gerard is too
old to stack building blocks.
But as an architecture major, he says he
appreciates how his participation in the
approaching Pan-American Games Trials
will reinforce the foundation of his
gymnastics career.
Gerard will be one of 20 gymnasts com
peting in the trials in Chicago Friday and
Saturday for seven berths on the Pan
American team bound for Mexico City
Oct. 13.
"A good performance in the Trials
could serve as a building block for future
success in international competition next
summer and Olympic qualifying meets in
1976," said Francis Allen, UNL's
gymnastics coach.
He's impressive
"It's all Roing to help him in the long
run," he said. "If he gets in the top 10,
they'll know he's a good gymnast. Every
body's impressed with him."
Gerard, a sophomore and Lincoln
Southeast graduate, said the experience
and prestige gained by competing in the
trials and, if successful, the Pan American
Games, will benefit him.
"I will try out for the Olympic Games,"
he said. "This is sort of my middle meet."
Prestige in international meets is "pretty
important," Gerard said, because if a small
error is made "and if they know you they
won't deduct as much."
The trials are foremost in Gerard's mind
now, however, he said. He was fourth in
the Big 8 in the all-around last year and
14th at the NCAA meet. An all-arounder
performs all six gymnastic events.
Gerard said his chances of making the
team are "real good," although most of the
13 who beat him at the NCAA meet will be
in Chicago.
Confident
"I'm just confident. If I hit all my sets
(routines) I probably could win the meet,
but everybody is probably saying the same
thing," he said. "It's all consistency and
just how bad you want it."
Gerard said his preparation for the meet
has gone well.
"I'm ready. Yesterday 1 did a set on
every event anl hit every one," he said.
"I've had real good workouts."
Gerard qualified for the Trials by finish
ing seventh in the U.S. Gymnastics Federa
tion meet this summer. By maintaining
that position, he would qualify for the
games.
Because he finished in the top 10, he
also will have the opportunity to represent
the United States in international compe
tition next summer.
Gerard contributed to UNL's fifth-place
finish in the NCAA meet last year and he
said the competition at the Trials will be at
t about the same level.
Not pressured
He said he isn't affected much by the
pressure of a big meet.
"I'm going to go into the meet and do
my routines and that's it. You just do one
event at a time and don't worry about if
you're ahead or behind of anybody," he
said.
Gerard's chances of making the team
may be aided by the absence ' of two
notable competitors. Allen said Iowa
State's Mark Graham, defending Big 8
all-around champion, and Wayne Young
from Brigham Young, last year's NCAA
champion, are injured.
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