1 - Michael Furtman

The world doesn't need any more crippled ducks.
The Western Super-X Shotshell Story.
This is an advertisement for the clean
miss. Lopsided pellets that stray out
of the pattern and fill the sky with flak
are not what duck hunting is all about.
The idea is to hitor miss what you
aim at.
But lopsided pellets aren't made in
the factory. They're made in the gun...,..
when their sides are flattened out on
that bruising trip down the barrel,
Super-X Mark 5's won't let shot out
of the barrel without an escort; a polyethylene collar that holds the shot until
it clears the muzzle.
The collar takes the beating. The
collar keeps the shot together.
10% denser patterns. Clean kills or
clean misses.
Super-X cases.are tough, compression-formed plastic with solid brass
heads. (There is no substitute fer a
good brass head.)
These cases won't sweat, scuff, swell
or rust. You can reload them and reload them and reload them.
We suppose to the layman, the proposition sounds strange.
"You'll miss with Super;.X':,
But hunters know what ••••
we're talking about.
~
Super-X
!I~e!!~
State Committee
Officers
Alabama
John E. Mandeville, P. O. Box 298, Mobile
Arizona
Patrick D. Nolan, 2200 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
Arkansas
Roland R. Remmel, P. O. Box 2219, little Rock
California (Northl
Joe G. Sweet, II, DDS, 360 29th St., Oakland
California (Southl
Bert McKee, 2360 Huntington Dr., San Marino
Colorado
Chris Crosby, 26 Martin
UNLIMITED
Lane, Denver
Connecticut
Cherles Brainard, Jr., 2867 Albany, W. Hartford
D.laware
Harry Lynch, Jr., 3426 Nemours Bldg., Wilmington
District of Columbia
florence Walker, 4516 Wetherill, Washington
Florida
Frank P. Hooper, Jr., Rt. 1, Box 19-8, Summerfield
Georgia
Henry H. Claussen, 1394 Gwinnett St., Augusta
Idaho
H. T. Nelsen, P. O. Box 8008, Boise
Illinois
Jay Neubauer, 3158 Des Plaines Ave., De. Plain ••
Indiana
Walter C. Hiser, 7267 N. Penn, Indianapolis
Iowa
Gary S. Stoples, P. O. Box 1721, Des Moin ••
Kansas
George Armstrong, 15 Douglas. Wichita
Kentucky
J. E. Hardy, Jr., 340 E. Main St., louisville
Louisiana
Tex Kilpatrick. P. O. Box 217, West Monroe
Maine
William Macleod, 396 Congress, Portland
C. R. Johnson, falmouth Foreside
Maryland
Donnell M. Smith, 11 V2 W. Chase St., Baltimore
Massachusetts
Colin Cunningham, Strawberry Hill Rd., Dover
Michigan
Jack Cudlip, 300 S. Livernois, Detroit
David H. Rathbun, 131 E. Columbia, Battle Creek
Minnesota
E. J. Pennig, 5 S. 8th St., Minneapolis
Mississippi
Sherwood Wise, P. O. Box 157, Jackson
Missouri
Stan field, 315 Westport Road, Kansas City
Frank S. Hager, 139 Victor St., St. Louis
Montana
.
Michael V. foley. 1120 Ccrlos, Great Fall.
Nebraska
John Desmond, Jr., 1000 N. 22nd St., Lincoln
Nevada
Wm. H. Robinson, P. O. Box 10100, Reno
New Hampshire
Or. Eric Simmons, North Hampton
New Jersey
John Dorrance, Jr., 375 Memorial Ave., Camden
New Mexico
Wm. Oldaker, 4100 A.pen, N.E., Albuquerque
New York
Frank E. Conant. #IU3, 60 E. 42nd St., N. Y. C.
North Carolina
Hermon Moore, P. O. Box 2665, Charlotte
North Dakota
L. A. Emerson, Jr., 1st Not. 8k. Bldg., Forgo
Ohio
Lee C. ttcwlev, P. O. Box 5000. Cleveland
Oklahoma
Larry D. Smillie, 5129 E. 27th PI., Tulsa
Oregon
Robert L. Karr, ,(330 S. W. Charming, Portland
PennsylvanIa
F. R. Etchen, Jr., Oliver Bldg., Pittsburgh
Rhode 1.land
Or. Wm. Lum, 1257 Narragansett,
Providence
South Carolina
Wm. W. Pate, Jr., Box 5426, Stn. B, Greenville
South Dakota
Les Scherschligt, Box 986, Sioux falls
Tennessee
J. O. Conale, 60.4 Tennessee St., Memphis
Texas
J. O. Winston, III, Humble Bldg., Houston
(North Region)
Michaux Ncsh, Jr.. P. O. Box 2249, Dalla.
IGuif Reglonl
Arch A. Smith. II. Box 2180. Houston
IValley Reglonl
Ben F. Vaughan, Jr., Box 1579, Corpus Christi
Utah
Ben Slothower, 5019 Cottonwood, Salt lake
Vermont
John M. Shuell, Peru
Virginia
Alexander Wellford, 1200 Mutual Bldg., Richmond
Wa.hlngton
Terry A. Brooks, Box 1746, Yakima
WI.consin
Norman H. Oil, 912 E. Well. St.• Milwaukee
Wyoming
Ralph H. Knode, Jr., Route 1, Sheridan
VOLUME
XXXIII,
NUMBER
1, WINTER
1970
in this issue
Letters
1969-DU's
Greatest Year! ! !
The '69 Report
Lead Poisoning Problem Solved?, by Gene Flanegan
DU Newscope
The Duck Year of the Decade, by William G. Leitch
Greater Scaup-Species
Sketch, by Angus Shortt
"Quoting" The Columnists
The Waterfowler's Bookshelf
Project Spotlight
State Committee Digest
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
9
10
10
11
On The Cover
"SOUTHWARD HO"-that's
the title of this bone-chilling winter scene, as the
bluebills wing low over the snow-swept shoreline of the Lac Vieux Desert of
Upper Michigan. Our highly talented cover artist is Lee LeBlanc, a native resident
of Iron River. Although relatively new to the realm of waterfowl painting, Lee
has a distinguished record, which includes six years as Director of Special Effects
for M-G-M studios, and a wealth of landscape art.
National
Officers
William P. Elser, President, La Jolla, Calif.
Charles B. Allen, Board Chairman, Baltimore, Md.
Randolph F. Cunningham, Vice President, Yakima, Wash.
R. W. Cool, Acting Vice President, Colorado Springs
Chester F. Dolley, Vice President, Los Angeles, Calif.
Eugene duPont, III, Vice President, Lobeco, S. C.
William K. duPont, Vice President, Wilmington, Del.
Lee C. Howley, Vice President, Cleveland, O.
Robert D. Marcotte, Vice President, Omaha, Neb.
Norman H. Ott, Vice President, Milwaukee, Wisc.
Hermon Toylor, Jr., Vice President, Natchitoches, La.
Archie D. Walker, Jr., Vice President, Minneapolis
Henry E. Coe, III, Secretary, New York, N. Y.
Wyndham Hasler, Treasurer, Chicago, Illinois
Harold C. Harvey, Asst. Treasurer, Park Ridge, Illinois
Jay Neubauer, Asst. Treasurer, Des Plaines, Illinois
Staff
Dale E. Whitesell, Executive Vice President
Kenneth V. McCreary, Executive Secretary
Eugene Flanegan, Publications Editor
Ben H. Anderson, Pacific Regional Director
Lawrence J. Durkin, Atlantic Regional Director
Jack F. Kamman, Central Regional Director
E. J. Ruffing, North Mississippi Regional Director
Donald Thompson, South Mississippi Regional Director
Arthur M. Bartley, Consultant
Ducks Unlimited, Inc., is a private, non-profit membership organization dedicated to the conservation and propagation of North America's waterfowl as a valuable natural resource. The organization
was founded by a group of
far-sighted sportsmen and incorporated by them on January 29, 1937 in Washington, D. C. The National Headquarters of Ducks Unlimited are located at Chicago, Illinois. National Headquarters'
moiling address is P. O. Box
66300, Chicago 60666. Offices are at 3158 Des Plaines Avenue, 60018. Telephone 312·299-3334.
Duck. Unlimited
maintains Atlantic Regional Offices at 60 East 42nd Street, New York, New York, 10017. Telephone 212·6B2·5950.
Pacific Regional Offices are located at 625 Market Street in San Francisco, 94105. Telephone 415-986-5885.
Ducks Unlimited Magazine is the official quarterly publication of Ducks Unlimited, Inc., reaching over 38,000 devoted sportsmen and others concerned with waterfowl conservation.
Membership in the organization
carries with
it subscription to this magazine. To assure prompt delivery, members who move are urged to forward their new
address immediately to National Headquarters
on POD Form #3578. Letters and contributed
manuscripts and
photos should be addressed to the Editor, at National Headquarters.
All material appearing in this publication;
may be quoted, providing proper credit is given. Views expressed by contributors are their own and do not
necessarily constitute those of Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
1
LETTERS
lation and re--examine it in the light of
truth and experience.
D. H. PAPPAS
Niles, Illinois
ANOTHER VIEW ON SEASONS
FEEDBACK
Dear Editor:
I would like to thank you for printing
Mr. Jim Scheer's opinion in the "Letters"
section of your fall issue. Waterfowl management is definitely a topic which concerns every person who picks up his fowling piece each fall.
Mr. Scheer evidently feels that our present waterfowl regulations based upon
"species management" are a near total loss.
Gentlemen, I find myself in full agreement.
The average sportsman does not see
enough ducks each year to even differentiate between the species he has already
brough~ to bag, much less those that wing
over his stand or check his blocks at 40
yards.
Recently I picked up the 1969-70 regulations when I purchased my duck stamp.
My lawyer would have spent 10 days
trying to interpret the rules, and even then
h~ would have not given me the complete
picture. I wonder just how many sportsmen actually get beyond the footnote that
tells us that the daily 'basic' bag limit in
North Carolina is three? How many actually
try to understand the "you may kill ... if
... but you can only ... if you .. :' and
proceed to say "to hell with it" and toss
the pamphlet into file 13?
. The honest mistake should not be punished, but the fellow who kills and leaves
l~y without an all-out effort to bring the
bird to bag should never be permitted to
hunt again.
M. E. WHITFIELD
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Dear Sir:
We would like to reply to Mr. Scheer's
letter concerning Species Management and
waterfowl harvest methods. We believe
that much of his pessimism is unwarranted
particularly in regard to the Point-System.'
The Point-System is an experimental
harvest method that has been tested for
several years in Colorado. Point values are
assigned to different species and sexes of
ducks on the basis of their relative scarcity
or abundance. A daily point limit is established and the hunter must stop hunting
when the last duck he kills reaches or
exceeds this point limit.
Note that the Point-System, unlike the
situation with "bonus ducks" and "special
teal seasons," does not result in violations
because of misidentification of ducks on
the wing. The indiscriminate hunter can
shoot any duck he wants, bring it to hand
identify .it, add up his points, and kee;
on shooting and adding up his points until
he reaches his point limit.
As yet inconclusive studies of the PointSystem in Colorado indicate that (1) the
2
Point-System is popular with most hunters
due to chances for higher bag limits and
added challenges and aesthetics gained
from waterfowl identification, (2) very
few violations occur, and (3) it is effective in reducing the kill of the least abundant ducks and increasing the kill of the
more abundant ducks.
These preliminary indicatious of the
success of the Point-System conform with
our belief in the basic honesty of the vast
majority of hunters and their ability and
desire to learn a more aesthetic form of
hunting--one that puts a premium on duck
identification, both in the hand and on the
wing.
Whether the Point-System will prove to
be the answer to Species Management is
unknown at present. As is often the case
in instigating programs in Wildlife Management, success or failure is dependent
upon the public. May we suggest to Mr.
Scheer that he remain a conscientious concerned sportsman and join in the endeavor
to enact Species Management through successful harvest methods?
LEWIS NELSON JR.
C. HOLDEN BRINK
Graduate Researchers
Dept. of Wildlife Resources
Utah State University
Logan, Utah
Gentlemen:
The letter containing observations concerning the waterfowl hunting regulations
based on species identification has great
merit. The intent of the regulations is
noble, but its penalty if honestly violated is
unreasonable. It creates a sort of "hunt at
your own risk" situation.
There have been times in the early dawn
when in the excitement of the hunt I have
had difficulty distinguishing a mud hen
from a duck. We should explore this regu-
"Can your mother swim
a mile with a duck in her mouth?"
Reprinted from "Nebraska land Magazine"
Dear Sir:
I have enjoyed duck hunting in western
Nevada for over 40 years and have some
thoughts on waterfowl conservation, not
only for Nevada, but for wherever ducks
may fly.
Observing hunters over the years I find
there is the avid hunter who hunts frequently during the season. This hunter
puts extreme pressure on the duck population by what I consider an "overkill" on
his part. Several hunters have 'told me
that they have taken over 100 birds in a
season. . . . I can't help but believe that
the hunter who fills his limit every time
and at season's end has taken over 50
birds has enough, plus the fact that he is
depriving a less fortunate hunter from
getting a few birds.
Therefore, this letter is an appeal to
authorities or Ducks Unlimited to somehow establish a season limit on the number
of ducks a hunter may take. I realize that
enforcing this limit would be difficult but
so is the present daily bag and possession
limit. I suggest a 50 bird limit for the
season.
GEORGE L. GOTTSCHALK
Carson City, Nevada
SHORT SHOTS
Dear Editor:
As you can see from my address I
won't be doing much hunting this fall.
However, I'm sure this small investment
will be returned many times over in the
years to come. Keep up the good work.
MAJOR D. S. NORTON
H & MS-17-MWSG-17
Saigon, South Viet Nam
Dear Sir:
I recently fractured my left leg while
hunting pheasants in Iowa. The fine people
at my office sent to me (here at the hospital) a box of good duck hunting cigars
and the enclosed check for $72.20. They
must know me well enough to know that
it will end up going for what I believe in
and live for-the
sport of hunting and
wildlife conservation.
Breaking a leg 'to retrieve a pheasant
may just be worthwhile, if it will help lease
up a little more nesting marsh in Canada.
JOHN O. CARTER
New Orleans, Louisiana
Gentlemen:
Our biology class has enclosed our check
for $22.10, hoping this will help in this
worthwhile cause of preserving the wildfowl of this nation.
26 BIOLOGY STUDENTS
Bobby Myers, Teacher
Wilson Hall School
Sumter, South Carolina
Letters to the Editor should be addressed to'
Editor, Ducks Unlimited Magazine, P.O. Bo~
66300, Chicago 60666.
1969 -
OU's GREATEST
The final year of the Sixties went into
the record books as the greatest by far
in the history of Ducks Unlimited! '69
brought DU an unparalleled success
story. Hope has now become reality.
The "master plan" has indeed begun
to successfully unfold.
1969 was the year in which unmatched support came to Ducks Unlimited. It came from the length and
breadth of the continent-from
sportsmen,
conservationists,
foundations,
state conservation departments. Every
segment of conservation-concerned
America was well represented.
Total contributions for 1969 reached
an unprecedented record total of over
$2,000,000! This, of course, was away
and beyond any previous fiscal year.
(Naturally, this total and others for
1969 are subject to final confirmation
by our auditors.)
The top seven committees from
around the country which led DU in
its quest for funds are: First, Pennsylvania, $263,000; second, California,
$210,000; third,
Illinois,
$114,000;
fourth, Delaware, $106,700; fifth, New
York, $100,300; sixth, Louisiana, $99,-
YEAR
I•••I I
900; seventh, Minnesota, $96,000.
Complete totals for memberships
covering 1969 were still being tabulated at press time, and are not yet
available. However, preliminary figures
show our active membership lists rising to an all-time record of over 40,000.
Ducks Unlimited, on behalf of President William P. Elser, and the Board of
Trustees, together with the staff, wishes
to convey its sincere gratitude to all
who made this unique success story
possible. Many thanks indeed!!
THE USUAL AND
UNUSUAL AT KERR'S
~.~
~"l~
\\[1\
Il~
I
Compact case of bird calls-dllck
call, goose call and sprig whistle
call-all are made from genuine rose
wood. The kit also has a metal
wedgen whistle. All calls are set
in rubber for safe carrying. $25.00
!
We have a fabulous
assortment of gifts!!
~ DELUXE DUCK STRAP
I
Made of .top grade soft cowi 'I hide. It IS hand tooled and
is sponge rubber lined. It
i 1 hangs ova the shoulder and
, has an across chest strap
i that prevents sliding when
picking up ducks, etc. Ten
rawhide loops hold the
ducks securely.
$10.00
\
I I
.
DUAL PURPOSE
SHELL CASE
~.
~.
'\
/
I.
f
Made of heavy top-grain skirting
I
leather. Holds four boxes of shells
with room for other articles, overshoulder detachable carry strap.
It also has detachable hanger hooks
that fit over edge of duck blilld.
$39.50
ITALIAN DUCK
DECOYS
These beautifully
made decoys
are life size and are faithful
reproductions of Mallard, Pintail
and Teal. Packed 6 hens and 6
drakes.
$33.00 dozen
Dealers and gun clubs inquiries • I h
Ie ep one
also invited.
J
all
mail orders accepted
~!~R~!~T~~~~
9584 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD·
BEVERLY HILLS· BR 2-·,1,30,1.
- CR 5-6103
3
-
-------~~--
THE
'69
REPORT
A drag line drives steel piling for the new dam at DU's Hay Lakes Project, in Alberta.
While '69 will long be remembered as
a great year for the ducks in Canada,
the very factors which made it a banner production year also made it a
year of frustration and problems in the
"duck factory" building business. High
water levels resulting from spring
flooding forced curtailed construction
schedules and resultant increases in
costs-all
reflecting on our DU project programs.
Overcoming these adversities, Ducks
Unlimited (Canada) crews completed
scheduled 1969 programs on a commendable total of 40 projects, with
another six slated for completion early
this year. The forty areas account for
almost 120,000 acres of prime habitat,
with another 5,000 in the six now being finished.
Manitoba
'69's early months saw DU efforts
concentrated in the important Del-Mar
-Mawdesley
area near the town of
The Pas, where an aggressive winter
program completed scheduled work,
stabilizing another 37,000 acres of the
vital half-million
acre complex. Also
marked "complete"
was the nearby
Meredith Memorial Project, encompassing 1,400 acres at Gunner's Marsh.
Elsewhere in Manitoba, a trio of
smaller projects-the
Kirbyson, Honeyman and the C.P.R. were finished.
High water levels on Lake Winnipeg
forced rescheduling of construction on
the Curwain Project.
1970 plans call for continued development of the Mawdesley-DelMar complex, plus special attention
to several high potential areas in the
Interlake region.
Saskatchewan
The Wheat Province ended 1969
with 12 of 18 scheduled projects completed and operating. Construction
problems resulting from a wet year
are nothing new in Saskatchewan;
further delays were caused by the accidental death of a key area manager
in September.
A high capacity production area4
the Eugene E. DuPont Project at Beaver River South, 180 miles northwest
of Prince Albert-took
top billing. Designs proved on the nearby Lake
Greater Kansas City and Western
Pennsylvania Projects were implemented to control the waters of the
Beaver River, protecting against floods
while assuring the 700-acre marsh of
reliable water supply.
Other important completions in this
province include the 670-acre Wisconsin Project (Danbury Lake); the
1,100-acre Rockwell Project (Klogei
Lake, 170 miles northeast of Regina);
290-acre Moccasin Lake (125 miles
northwest of North Battleford), and
the 410-acre Baldwin unit of the Mellon-Pennsylvania
Project (23 miles
southeast of Saskatoon). Unexpended
funds were diverted to Alberta for
completion of additional projects.
Alberta
All told, 17 projects were wrapped
up by the end of '69 in the Foothills
Province. The major achievement was
the Hay Lakes area, a huge waterfowl
production
region 670 miles northwest of Edmonton.
Here the construction of a new
water control dam, to replace the original timber structure built almost two
decades ago, was completed in October-this
dam, together with
the
Habay control, stabilizes levels on well
over 90,000 acres of the half-millionacre complex, and assures permanent
reservation of the Hay Lakes basin.
Other Alberta wetlands programs
for '69 include the 200-acre-plus Lehman and Storch Projects in the Hanna
area, the 490-acre Sterling Lake and
the 245-acre Conrad Flats in southern
portions of the province. As the year
ended major construction on the Wier
Project
was still
awaiting
better
weather.
British Columbia
In this far western province DU programs are just moving toward high
gear, on the heels of initial planning
phases and the frustrating delays which
accompany launching of new efforts.
Following extensive groundwork with
provincial agencies and officials, the
necessary clearances and permits are
expected to be granted much more
quickly for future projects.
As December began, crews began
clearing the site of the dikes for the
Creston Marshes Project; the possibility is strong that a concentrated winter
program will see the completion of
the second phase on this project before spring and the ducks arrive.
At the request of the Canadian
Wildlife Service, DU participated in
the construction of retaining levees on
an important SOO-acre wetland adjacent to Creston Marshes; this area,
leased by the federal government, is
utilized for experimentation on benefits of controlled grazing and managed
water levels, applied jointly to dense
stands of bulrush-cattail
vegetation.
The techniques, when established, are
expected to be valuable to other
marshes in the Creston Valley.
Also in British Columbia, the 1969
program saw completion of interior
developments on the Reifel Refuge,
Serpentine and Elizabeth Lake areas,
where DU is cooperating with other
agencies toward total development.
Eastern Canada
The year marked completion
of
three valuable project areas benefiting
black ducks in the Maritime Provinces
-the
350-acre Massachusetts Project
at Paunchy Lake, near Moncton; the
210-acre Rhode Island Project on Maccan Marsh, near Amherst, and the 162acre Sand Ponds near Yarmouth. The
former two were built in full cooperation with the Canadian Wildlife Service.
All told, 1969 went into the record
books as a wet and sometimes trying
year for the men of Ducks Unlimited
(Canada)-but
in the final analysis it
was an extremely productive and gratifying 12 months. The 40 completed
programs and the 120,000 acres of
stabilized habitat will play an important role in the 1970 production picture
and the years of the future.
Lead Poisoning Problem Solved?
By
Gene
Flanegan
Each year countless thousands
of ducks
and geese fall victim to deadly leadpoisoning,
caused by spent shot spread
across prime feeding areas in the normal process
of waterfowl
hunting.
Dabbling ducks, such as mallards and
pintails, swallow spent shot picked up
from the bottoms of marshes and feeding grounds.
Lead pellets in waterfowl
gizzards
generate
toxic
fluids
that
cause extreme
weakness
and poisoning, often resulting in eventual starvation or loss through predation.
To graphically illustrate the problem,
Frank C. Bellrose, [r., an authority
on
lead poisoning,
writing
in the book
"Waterfowl
Tomorrow"
stated:
"The
average hunter fires five shots for
every duck he bags. A 12-gauge shell
contains about 280 pellets of number-6
shot. Accordingly, as many as 1,400
pellets may be deposited on the hunting grounds for every duck killed."
In late 1965, the Director
of the
U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and
Wildlife informed American and Canadian makers of sporting firearms and
ammunition
that
waterfowl
losses
caused by lead-poisoning
might shorten
duck hunting seasons, or force reductions in bag limits on certain flyways.
Now, lead has been universally
recognized as the ideal element
for shot
in sporting
ammunition.
No other
metal or compound
offers matching
physical or ballistic characteristics,
with
the exception
of gold, silver and certain precious metals. Nothing has come
close to lead in terms of economy,
availability
and production
simplicity.
Yet lead's extreme
harmfulness
when
swallowed by waterfowl could threaten
to limit wildfowling
as a favorite recreational
pursuit, enjoyed
by millions
of American and Canadian sportsmen.
ATTACKING THE PROBLEM
Responding
to the situation, the ammunition
and
firearms
producers,
through
their trade
association,
the
Sporting Arms and Ammunition
Manufacturers'
Institute,
began a crash re-
search program to identify a non-poisonous substitute
for lead in shotshells
for waterfowl
hunting.
After careful review of proposals
by
three organizations
known for expertise in the fields of metallurgy, physical
ballistics
and chemistry,
the Illinois
Institute of Technology-Research
Institute (lIT-RI), was selected to conduct
a two-year research project. The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center at Laurel,
Maryland,
with staff of the Bureau of
Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, were program cooperators.
They furnished
biological test facilities and consultation
on ecological
problems.
IIT-RI explored
four general areas:
1) bio-chemical
additives for lead that
might render
the metal harmless
in
waterfowl systems; 2) lead/iron/plastic
composites;
3) plated or coated shot;
and, 4) iron shot.
In an August, 1969, statement,
Ralph
Andrews,
Chief, Section
of Wetland
Ecology, U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries
and Wildlife, said: "The Patuxent Wildlife Research
Center
screened
more
than 50 proposed
materials, and combinations
of materials,
to assess possible poisonous
qualities.
They found
that alloying lead with other metals or
coating it with plastics or inert metals
did not prevent
lead poisoning.
Shot
pellets made from lead powder, bound
with a water soluble
adhesive,
also
failed to pass their tests. In short, no
way was found to make lead acceptable."
The bio-chemical
additive approach
had generated
early hope and enthusiasm. But it fizzled out due to difficulties producing wire from which shot
pellets might be made, and died completely when biological
tests showed
that the materials would be poisonous
to waterfowl if swallowed.
Results of laboratory
production
efforts and biological
testing with lead/
iron/plastic
composites
mirrored those
of the bio-chemical
approach.
The
theory of reducing the amount of lead
in a shot pellet,
while
retaining
a
This X-ray of a mallard duck clearly shows
shot pellets in gizzard, already reduced in
size by erosion from grit and digestive
juices. Photo by Illinois Natural
History Survey.
Opened duck gizzard containing four
swallowed shot pellets. Black spots on
homy lining of gizzard mark areas of tissue
destruction by lead salts. Photo by Illinois
Natural History Survey.
Continued on page 16
5
DU
NEWSCOPE
Ross' Geese On New Duck Stamp
Duck Stamp Sales Take Licking
North America's
smallest goose
be featured on your new 1970-71
gratory Bird Hunting Stamp.
While widespread
reports bear out
the DU biologists' conclusions
that the
1969 production
season was indeed a
superb one, other figures reveal that
the 1968 waterfowl
hunting
season
was the most popular in recent years.
Federal
duck stamp
sale statistics
just in from Washington
provide some
interesting
and
revealing
highlights
concerning
that season.
The reports
show that duck stamp sales covering
the 1968 season (the fiscal year which
ended June 30, 1969), slumped nationally almost 100,000 to a new total of
1,840,759.
Most of the decreasing
states involved areas in the Central and Mississippi Flyways. On the other hand,
many states located in the Pacific and
Atlantic Flyways came up with gains.
The Mississippi
Flyway still led the
country in total duck stamps during the
past fiscal year, with 713,378 purchased
-but
that was down some 100,000
from the previous year.
According
to these federal figures,
the number one state for duck stamp
sales was California-it
sold 162,622 of
them-and
thereby
surpassed
Minnesota which slumped
some 17,000 to
a total of 140,934,
to win second
place. Wisconsin was the third highest,
with 105,114.
Following is the detailed report from
the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and
Wildlife,
giving a rundown,
state-bystate, flyway-by-flyway,
as to the duck
stamp sales for the '68-'69 fiscal year,
including a comparative
report for the
previous
year. Just how strong does
will
Mi-
The painting of the pair of diminutive Ross' Geese was the winning entry
in the U.S. Interior Department's
21st
annual Duck Stamp Contest. The victorious
design-depicting
the geese
resting and preening-comes
from the
brushes of Edward J. Bierly of Lorton,
Vi rginia, an artist with the U.S. Park
Service.
The winning painting
beat out 147
other entries in the competition.
Tying
for second
place were David Maass,
whose subject was cinnamon
teal, and
Ron Jenkins,
who painted
Barrow's
goldeneyes.
The win marks the third duck stamp
to be designed by Bierly; his work was
also spotlighted
on the 1956 and 1963
stamps.
While you can be sure that the
Ross' Geese will be on your new '70-71
duck stamp, the price is still in doubt.
A bill to permit the price to be boosted
from $3 to $5 is still bogged down on
Capitol Hill.
The dominion-wide facilities of the Canadian
Broadcasting
Corporation TV network, some
43 stations, will spotlight DU's programs and
accomplishments, in living color, on Sunday,
February 1st, at 5 PM,
EST. Shown filming a
sequence for the "special" are D U (Canada)
Alberta Manager Fred
Sharp (2nd from right)
and
fieldman
Martin
[olitz:
6
your state rate in the support its waterfowlers lend to Ducks Unlimited???
7·1·67
to
6·30·68
9,479
9,695
3,034
30,281
10,719
13,223
28,376
21,119
6,726
28,935
77,586
22,483
52,084
2,507
18,107
5,725
18,982
1,876
802
361,739
7·1·68
to
6·30·69
12,005
11,055
2,589
27,057
11,228
14,696
29,980
23,758
7,656
30,384
86,492
22,090
58,055
2,961
18,896
5,884
18,177
1,799
709
385,471
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Alabama
..
Arkansas ..
Illinois
......••......
Indiana
.
Iowa
Kentucky ..
Louisiana ..
Michigan ..
Minnesota
Mississippi
.
Missouri
Ohio
Tennessee
Wisconsin
.
FLYWAY TOTAL
16,370
38,517
75,430
22,579
52,269
9,201
108,682
95,187
157,937
20,065
51,879
30,175
25,027
110,479
813,797
13,937
29,512
59,403
22,048
45,753
7,545
90,278
88,742
140,934
17,053
42,268
28,911
21,880
105,114
713,378
CENTRAL FLYWAY
Colorado ..
Kansas
Montana
...........•
Nebraska
New Mexico ..
North Dakota
Oklahoma
'"
South Dakota
Texas ...
Wyoming
FLYWAY TOTAL
32,169
47,935
26,164
40,540
6,094
40,114
32,806
41,798
111,479
6,346
385,445
32,080
44,601
25,811
34,090
6,399
39,993
25,179
38,280
96,031
7,542
350,006
10,358
10,281
153,053
28,595
12,713
48,332
32,128
70,974
10
366,444
7,272
12,411
10,196
162,622
29,350
12,491
48,261
33,864
72,290
5
381,490
10,414
ATLANTIC FLYWAY
Connecticut ...
Delaware
D. C.
Florida
Georgia
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York.
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Vermont
.
.
Virginia
West Virginia
Puerto Rico
FLYWAY TOTAL
.
..
.
.
.
PACIFIC FLYWAY
Alaska
.
Arizona
California
.
Idaho
Nevada
Oregon ..
Utah
.
Washington
.
Hawaii
FLYWAY TOTAL
PHILATELIC AGENCY
TOTAL DUCK STAMP
SALES
.
Partial Victory For Wildlife
The U.S. Department
of Agriculture
has announced
that it intends to ban
all non-essential
uses of DOT. According to the USDA, "exception
will be
made only where DDT is needed
for
prevention
or control
of human disease,
and other
essential
uses for
which no alternative pest control means
are available."
Seemingly, the USDA will allow DOT
to be used in agricultural
production
of food until an alternate method of
pest control is developed. "Action on
the cancellation of nonessential uses is
expected to be completed by the end
of next year," the USDA stated.
Persons wishing to submit written
information or views regarding DDT
uses are invited to file them with the
Director, Pesticides Regulation Division, Agricultural
Research Service,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 20250, prior to February
20, 1970.
Hunters Get Belated Break
According to the Internal Revenue
Service, legislation recently enacted by
Congress provides that federally Iicensed dealers no longer are required
to register purchases of shotgun shells,
ammunition suitable for use only in
rifles, or component parts for those
types of ammunition. This change in
the law automatically eliminates the
necessity for sporting goods dealers
recording names, addresses and other
information concerning each purchaser
of sporting ammunition.
Registration
was originally required under the Gun
Control Act of 1968.
New '70 DU Decal Debuts
The new 1970
official
DU
membership decal is making its
colorful
debut
around the nation. It is a real
beauty-a
5color edition of
the Ducks UnI i m i t e d c res t,
our official, registered mark. Each DU member receives his new 4-inch-high decal from
his state committee at the time he
makes his 1970 contribution.
You'll
want to proudly display this unique
decal, which is proof of your affiliation
with DU, on your car window, or perhaps on your gun case, or some other.
prominent location.
'70 DU Convention Set For Texas
The Lone Star State has been selected by the Board of Trustees of
Ducks Unlimited,
Inc., to host the
1970 DU annual meetings. This, the
33rd Annual International Convention
of DU, will convene in San Antonio at
the St. Anthony Hotel, on April 15th
through the 18th. Arrangements are being handled by Texas State Chairman
J. O. Winston, III, and a hard-working
committee, who are planning to make
it the most successful in DU's eventful
history.
Wetlands Funds Compromised
According to reports out of Washington, the U.S. Bureau of Sport
Fisheries and Wildlife will be allowed
only $5.8-million for fiscal 1970, to
cover emergency acquisition of waterfowl wetlands across the country. This
amount, according to Capitol Hill
sources, was a compromise between
the $5-million approved by the House,
and the $7.2-million proposed by the
Senate.
Overall, the Bureau of Sport Fisheries
and Wildlife reportedly got $48,850,000
for management and investigations of
resou rces. Both bodies of Congress
granted $124-million from the Land
and Water Conservation Fund, to be
used equally between federal and state
conservation agencies, concentrating
upon national park and national forest
developments.
Wildfowling
Lingo
You just can't beat waterfowlers for
coining new and colorful phrases. On
the Upper Mississippi, in the Moline
area of Illinois, veteran duck hunter
Vern "The Deacon" Haeglin described
the period from dawn to dusk as "from
kin-see to kain't-see!"
Then, Mac Johnson, recently writing
from central Missouri, reporting on
river conditions there, said: "The Mis-
BOX 5, SPRING
LAKE, NEW JERSEY 07762
No. 25 Merganser, 11" long, finished In
Antique Pine-$11.80.
American, hand made, painted, finished
wood decoys. We excell in authentic detail •
• • • • Decoys, game birds, plaques, lamps
..••
Dealers and customer's inquiries In·
vited. Write for catalog.
souri River around here is so doggone
high that it's round on top from falling
away at the edges!"
Death Claims DU Pioneer
Morton W.
Smith,
longtime national
Ducks
Unlimited leader,
passed away
in Minneapolis
on December
28 at the age
of 91. He was
originally
elected to the
Board
of
Trustees of Ducks Unlimited in 1939;
became National President in 1946;
in 1948 he was elected Chairman of
the Board. Also, he served DU
(Canada) for many years as a director.
A native of Heron Lake, Minnesota,
and a graduate of the University of
Wisconsin, he was widely known as a
vigorous and dedicated conservationist, and an outstanding midwest grain
broker. Mr. Smith had hunted waterfowl and upland game in his native
prairie areas of southwestern Minnesota since about 1890. His dedication
to the Ducks Unlimited
cause will
long be remembered.
Quam
Cork Decoys
Who invented "duckology"? We did ...
by introducing the best duck decoy in
America. That was in 1928. Take advantage of our 41 years experience.
The expert craftsmen in our workshop.
turn out the finest decoys available.
Quam gunning decoys are highly prized
by hunters ... but not highly priced.
See for yourself. Send for catalog.
PRESIDENTIAL MODEL-Sample $5.50$64.00 doz. Mallard,Blackduck,Body size
8" wide, 20" long.
PRAIRIE MODEL-Sample $4.50-$50.00
doz. Mallard, Blackduck,
Canvasback,
Bluebill, Goldeneye. Body size 7" wide, 15"
long.
POTHOLE MODEL-Sample $3.50-$36.00
doz. Mallard, Blackduck,
Canvasback,
Bluebill, Goldeneye, Coot, Bluewing Teal.
Body size 6" wide, 12" long.
ALL PRICES POSTPAID-Illustrated
catalog (25¢) ... shows Oscar Quam Duck Calls,
Calling course, Decoy supplies, etc.
OSCAR QUAM CO.
SPICER, MINNESOTA 56288
7
NOW INCLUDED ARE CAN THROWER,
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HUNTERS ... Make Your Own
SOLID
PLASTIC
Full Bodied Goose Decoys!
That's right! You can bake or boil your own decoys
with our easy-to-use expandable plastics combined
with our new cast aluminum
mold outfits. You bake
'em to make 'em ..•
and you can make a whole
flock-as many as you want-all for a price that's
unbelievably low. You beat the tremendous cost of
standing field goose decoys with our original do-ltyourself molds. You can make your own for approximately $1.60 each. They're solid polystyrene eras.
tic-not
styrofoam-and
you'll make 'em ready to
paint for the most realistic decoys you've ever seen.
Fu'll-Bc died Goose Decoys are all new . . . but
they're made with the original do-It-yourself system
that's been tested and proved by hunters across the
country since 1960. No special tools
. just bake
'em or boil 'em to make 'em.
Ducks and Water Goose Decoys, Too
Same principle, same easy-to-make
method, same
attention to detail-Mallards,
Canvas Backs, Blue
Bills and Water Goose decoys so realistic they
might even fool you if you aren't careful. Duck
decoys cost you approximately 60~ each
float·
ing goose decoys about $1.30 each.
WRITE
TODAY
Send 25¢ today
plete details on
can enjoy your
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low, low prices.
for comhow you
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DECOYS UNLIMITED
P.o. BOX 69 • CLINTON, IOWA 52732
8
BV
WILLIAM
G.
LEITCH
Chief Biologist
Ducks Unlimited (Canada)
NATIONWIDE.
TRIUS PRODUCTS, INC.
BOX 25
The
Duck Year
of the Decade
The outstanding waterfowl production
year marked "1969" is in the record
books!
The ducks and geese, except for a few
die-hard mallards, are now gone from
the prairies. A final surge of cold air
beginning November 13 swept almost
all the birds from the prairies, as winds
reached gale proportions
from the
northwest
and temperatures
plummeted. Marshes and lakes are frozen.
However, a few mallards remained into
December, as long as holes in the ice
could be kept open and food obtained
in the stubble fields.
So ended the best waterfowl year of
the decade on the prairies. A year
when everything seemed to go rightfrom early spring to freeze-up. A year
when the ducks responded magnificently to the" almost optimum conditions available to them.
Duckwise, it was a good fall. September, for the first half, was warm
and pleasant; had it continued for another week or two the crops would
have been safely harvested. But beginning in mid-month rain, cold and
later snow persisted through October.
The grain harvest came to a standstill
and the swaths presented a banquet
table for field-feeding
mallards the
rest of the fall.
A disturbance crossing the northern
United States October 22 dropped six
inches of snow on the southern prairies, where it remained for the next
week. In the cold air moving in behind
the storm temperatures
dropped to
the low 20's and even to the teens in
many areas of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Even the larger marshes and
lakes froze. Farther east, temperatures
were not quite as cold, though in
Manitoba the smaller ponds and lakes
froze.
At this time most of the ducks other
than mallards and some bluebills left
the prairies. Flocks of mallards were
able to keep holes open in the ice.
Bluebills took advantage of their hospitality or rafted on the larger unfrozen lakes. This was a dramatic time,
for mallards seemed to be everywhere,
working back and forth all day between the open holes in the ice and
the unharvested grain fields and returning to the holes at night. It was a happy
time for duck hunters, too!
Then-to
everyone's
surprise-Indian Summer suddenly arrived! In the
first ten days of November the snow
disappeared and in many areas farmers
were once again able to resume combining. The mallards spread out somewhat as the ice disappeared from the
smaller marshes, but for the most part
retained their concentration areas and
feeding patterns. Reports of spectacular
flights to the fields came from all
across the prairies. Hunting was good
in the fields within 10 miles of the city
of Winnipeg for almost two weeks as
the mallards flew to the flooded grain
fields in the early morning, remained
all day, and returned to the large
marshes at night.
On the prairies in late fall such
things are enjoyed to the full for the
short time they last. Unfortunately, one
is continually aware of the imminence
of freeze-up, almost watching uneasily
over one's shoulder to where the inevitable awaits.
Perhaps waterfowl really do have a
premonition of coming events. One
would almost believe so, for the remaining flights of both mallards and
bluebills began to leave the prairies
November 8, well in advance of an
outbreak of cold polar air which, beginning in Alberta on the 13th of
November and moving eastward, swept
all before it. In the following days
temperatures dropped as low as -200
across the prairies, persuading all but
the most foolhardy ducks that it was
time to go-some
of these didn't depart until December began.
Thus ended the 1969 waterfowl season-one
of those great years which
will be used as a yardstick of success
in years to come.
What of 1970? Right now it looks
good. Across almost all of the prairie
region soils are saturated from late
September rains and October rain and
snow. In some areas ponds are almost
at spring levels and many others will
have a good carry-over for next year.
Of course, many other pieces must
fall into place before we can have a
repeat of 1969, but so far we are holding some high cards. Given even an
average snowfall, water conditions will
be good in 1970. Other factors-spring
weather, summer water for broods,
etc., will then determine the success
of the 1970 waterfowl season.
GREATER
SCAUP
(Aythya marila)
OTHER NAMES:
BIG BLUEBILL,
BROADBILL.
Drawing And Species Report
by Angus Shortt
Art Director, DU (Canada)
This sporty duck shares with its slightly
smaller counterpart, the lesser scaup, an
immense popularity with dyed-in-the-wool
duck hunters.
Rough weather, sleet, snow and biting
winds are synonymous with flights of bluebills which, being late migrants, provide
some of the finest gunning toward the
season's end in many states.
Their chunky bodies, rapid flight and
helter-skelter, devil-may-care acrobatics as
they pitch in to decoys puts them in a
class by themselves as a highly regarded
game duck.
The most reliable distinguishing feature
separating the greater from lesser scaup is
the more extensive white wing bar. In the
lesser, this extends only across the secondary feathers, ending abruptly at the innermost primary feather. On the greater, the
white continues into the adjoining primaries; this feature is readily recognizable
when the two species are seen in flight.
In addition to this wing bar, other finer
distinctions of the 'big bluebill' are a green
instead of purple gloss on the head of the
male and a heavier, broader bill; hence
the name, 'broadbill.' Females, except for
the wing bar, are indistinguishable in the
field.
Greater scaup are encountered
on the
Canadian prairies only on migration.
Migrating flocks frequently intermingle
with those of lesser scaup, affording opportunity of field comparison. This is particularly true during spring when they congregate on rivers, awaiting breakup of ice
on the larger marshes and lakes.
While the lesser scaup is native only to
North America, the greater
is found
throughout the Arctic hemisphere.
The American subspecies breeds from
Arctic Alaska eastward to Hudson Bay,
being most abundant
in the northwest
sector of its range. There are isolated
breeding records from as far south as
Quebec and North Dakota.
In late October, flocks of bluebill begin
to arrive on the prairie marshes, with
largest concentrations occurring on the big
lakes and delta marshes where they raft
in thousands. This habit of rafting in huge
flocks, often well out in lakes and offshore
along the seacoast, is a good clue to their
identity.
Nests are situated on dry land, generally
in a natural depression, lined with grasses
and down and as a rule, close to water.
Greater scaup winter on the Great Lakes
and along the Alantic coast, and in the
west, from the Aleutian Islands, off Alaska
and south to Lower California, occurring
rarely in the interior.
the pursuit of their favorite bird for years
to come."
Chester Davis in Winston-Salem Journal
and Sentinel-"The
Ducks Unlimited story
is perhaps the best of all the many stories
of how hunters have proved to be the
most effective conservationists of them all."
Tom Le Pere in Dallas Times-Herald"The fate of waterfowl was pretty bleak
back in 1937 when a hunter-oriented
bunch of guys formed Ducks Unlimited,
and it has been largely through the efforts
of DU that ducks still are found in the
wild rather than only in zoos and museums."
Walt Radke in San Francisco Examiner"Ducks Unlimited has done a magnificent
job of taking up the slack when nature,
as happens on occasion, failed."
Buck Patton in Memphis Press-Scimitar
-"It
is no question that this year's duck
hatch was the best in years. There is no
doubt that Ducks Unlimited is more responsible for it than anything other than
weather."
Jim Gosney in Yakima, Wash., Herald
Republic-"Thanks
to Ducks Unlimited, its
widespread and well-run program and responsible groups, duck hunters will enjoy
Jack Ehresman in Peoria, 111., Journal Star
-"Like
the duckling fresh from the egg,
Ducks Unlimited soon grew its flight
feathers. It now soars high as one of
America's foremost conservation groups."
Editorial in Eau Claire, Wis., Telegram"DU has staggered the imagination of citizens th roughout the conti nent with its devotion, ambition and dedication to the
cause of maintaining our waterfowl resources."
Chuck Wechsler in Hopkins, Minn., Sun
-"The wise conservation of our waterfowl
is the responsibility and obligation of all
who thrill to .he sight and sound of these
noble creatures. Millions of Americans and
Canadians believe in this significant quotation, but only 37,000 persons actually live
up to it. They are members of Ducks Unlimited."
Editorial feature in Rehoboth
Beach,
Del., Coast Press-"Ducks
Unlimited is an
example of action by the private sector to
achieve a public good, namely the conservation of a resource important for both
its recreational and aesthetic value. Government action is necessary in many fields.
But when government cannot or will not
act, it is good to see private citizens willing
to rise up to meet a challenge. That is what
DU has done, and we are all indebted to
it."
9
PROJECT
SPOTLIGHT
Donor 'Duck Factory' Dedications
Highlight Autumn Months
The Schmidt Project
at Hayden Lake, Alberta was dedicated
last October. Participating, [rom. left, DU
DECOYS AND DECOY CARVERS OF
ILLINOIS, by Paul W. Parmalee and Forrest
D. Loomis. 506 pages. Published by Northern Illinois University Press, De Kalb, Illinois 60115. Price, $15.00.
In this attractive new book, its authors
carefully trace the waterfowl picture of
Illinois back to the early days of abundance. The Prairie State was, up to the
turn of the century, a wildfowler's Utopia.
No thought was given to conservation in
those days. Market hunting took immense
toll of the seemingly endless migratory
flights. Increasing population and intensive
farming began to have their unfavorable
effects upon wildlife. Later, a series of
stringent governmental actions attempted
to bring about a systematic approach to
the severe population decline of migratory
waterfowl.
A period of 70 years, from 1870 to 1940,
is discussed in summary, during which time
the art of carving and painting realistic
hunting decoys reached its height of perfection. The subject is treated in great
detail, covering styles, patterns, carving
techniques, and includes some 200 brief
biographical sketches of the carvers themselves. This volume is beautifully illustrated
with numerous color plates and abundant
black and white photographs. It is heartily
recommended for those who wish to delve
into the colorful story of olden-day wildfowling-it
is probably the most complete
Midwest coverage of this topic ever to hit
the market.
GUN DIGEST, edited by John T. Amber.
4'16 pages. Published by Gun Digest Company, P. O. Box Zero, Chicago, Illinois
60690. Price, $4.95.
The 24th anniversary, 1970 edition, is
profusely illustrated with black and white
photographs and cover color plates. The
newest shooter's
encyclopedia,
it thoroughly covers the field of shotguns, rifles,
handguns and accessories-gives
listings,
descriptions, illustrations, prices, on practically every obtainable firearm, and where to
buy them. Contains outstanding articles on
world hunting and related topics. Highly
recommended
for the studious shooting
hobbyist.
10
(Canada)
Secretary
E. B. Pitblado; DU
(Canada)
President
Dr.
W.
Kenneth
Martin, and Henry C.
Schmidt, BOG1'dChairman of Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
Another of the prime
habitat wetlands dedicated during the fall
months was the California Duck Hunters
Association Project at
Vernon
Lake.
This
valuable 500-acre area
will
provide
many
ducks to the flyways
each year.
This is the cairn at
Lake Bennett, dedicated to the late
Eugene D. Bennett,
chairman
of D U's
legal
committee.
Shown at the dedication ceremonies are
National Trustees Dr.
Joe C. Sweet, II (left)
and J. Martin Winton.
The project is located
at Alexander Lake,
Alberta.
State Comm
Digest
Alabama
A vigorous effort by North Alabama
Chairman Dr. Walter Jones has caused
quite a stir across Alabama during the last
months of the year. Rallies were held
throughout the state, culminating in a turnout of nearly 2,000 at Huntsville, with
almost $3,000 netted, including 171 memberships .•
The new Decatur chapter held
its "first" dinner in early December.
Arizona
Driving to break all records for membership and income quotas, State Chairman
Pat Nolan toured the state with Pacific
Regional Director Ben Anderson to attend
"first time" DU dinners held by three new
chapters .•
Tucson's maiden DU dinner
in September, headed by Area Chairman
Bill Richey, made limited wampum, but an
enthusiastic crowd promised great things
for DU's future .•
Jack Purnell's Prescott
"first" sported Long Island duckling, which
helped to spirit $300 from 60 diners; it
will probably draw gourmet-type
waterfowlers from afar next time around .•
Bill
Williams,
Flagstaff chairman, pulled off
that area's first DU dinner at Mormon Lake,
and reported a $550 net from the October
affair .•
The Phoenix Chapter, led by
Chairman John Ellinswood, picked up $180
worth of memberships at the "Opening
Day Duck Hunt" at Mormon Lake. The
big, big Phoenix Annual DU Dinner will be
held early in February.
Arkansas
The big event in the Razorback State was
the first Little Rock Sponsor Dinner held in
early November. This made it a "double
header," with the Sponsor dinner being
followed by the annual DU rally .•
A new
chapter was formed in Hope, spearheaded
by Yancey Reynolds .•
Plans are to cement a Fort Smith Chapter next summer
after organizational
initial meeting with
local leaders .•
Regional Director
Don
Thompson was featured speaker at the big
annual "Duck Week" doings at Stuttgart in
early December.
California
State Chairmen Dr. Joe Sweet and Bert
McKee spurred the state's chapters into a
crescendo of fund-raising activities at year's
end, in an attempt to meet California's
record-breaking quotas of $225,000 and 850
new members .•
Lindsay K. Wilson and
Dr. Jim Tanous teamed with an inspired
committee to reap a profit of $1,700 at the
first Peninsula DU Chapter dinner in September .•
Bursting forth with a wave of
enthusiasm, the new Sacramento Valley
Chapter, under the leadership of Frank
MacBride, cleared $3,000 with its first dinner in September. • Boasting a wealth of
duck hunters, the new Oxnard DU Chapter, with veteran conservationist Edwin L
Carty at the helm, netted over $2,500
with its initial dinner .• Lindsay K. Wilson
(there's that name again!) took on the
chairmanship of the formidable San Francisco Annual Dinner, added an Art Show
and with an inspired committee earned
over $13,000 in October .•
Carl Carver
led the experienced San Gabriel Valley
Chapter to a nice round $8,000 profit from
the annual DU dinner held in Pasadena.
A brand new compact auto was the top
raffle prize; famous wildlife
artist Les
Kouba painted a watercolor during dinner.
The painting was auctioned .•
F. Seth
Brown and his powerful San Diego committee raised the price of their 26th annual
DU party to $25-per-person and then had
to close the reservations when ticket sales
zoomed to 1,005! $10,000 worth of donated
prizes, highlighted by a 4-wheel-drive vehicle donated by DU president Bill Elser,
and no less than 40 PSA airline gals selling
raffle tickets, earned the breathtaking net
of $22,000 at the party in mid-October.
• New vigor has been injected into the
Marin County Chapter in the person of
Chairman Tom Mack. $2,500 was the profit
when the hard working Marin DU'ers held
their second annual dinner .•
The fast
growing Redding Chapter, under the leadership of Dr. Nick Peterson, piled up $1,100
for the ducks at the second Redding DU
These smiles show the success
of the first Sacramento Valley
DU dinner. Playing important
roles, from the left, are Federal Judge Tom McB1'ide, who
served as M.C.; Sacramento
Valley Chairman Frank MeBride, J1'., and Jack Heckes,
the raffle chairman. And the
lovely gals?? - they're [an
Barney, Helen Price and Debbie Cotter, the PSA Airlines
beauties
who
contributed
much with their ticket selling
prowess ...
dinner .•
The new Desert DU Chapter led
by Archie Sidwell attracted 50 duck hunters and sold a batch of memberships at the
chapter's first dinner in November .•
Roy
Lemucchi reported $5,000 for the ducks
from the 12th annual Bakersfield dinner
held in November .•
Bill Nittler reports
$1,100 profit from the annual Pacific Rod
and Gun Club trapshoot for DU In September.
Colorado
Regional Vice President and Chairman of
the Colorado Springs Chapter, R. Withers
Cool, announces that city's fall dinner was
a real success. The $1,150 profit will be
ear-marked for the Colorado Lake Project.
Dinner arrangements were handled by Lou
Slothower and Jim Russell. Raffle prizes included an electric golf cart and a shotgun.
Cool also announces that an intensive drive
is being pushed in Springs to complete the
fund-raising program for the donor lake
project. • Regional Director Jack Kamman
reports, following the meetings with John
Chlanda, Greeley chairman;
John Farr,
Boulder chairman and Bob Hamre of Fort
Collins, that all three cities will have DU
dinners this winter.
Connecticut
Southern Fairfield County's 19th Annual
DU Dinner, under the direction of John
Wierdsma, was held in November with another record turnout
raising well over
$1,000.•
The Hartford
Dinner,
usually
held in November, was reslated to January
7, according to Chairman Danforth Miller.
Delaware
With its state organization
revitalized
under the direction of Regional Vice President Bill duPont, and with the wholehearted support of State Chairman Harry
Lynch and the area committees, Delaware
not only was among the first to exceed its
membership and Sponsor quotas, but was.
the first to triple its assigned money quota
for 1969.•
The Rehoboth DU Committee,
under the able direction of Milt Cooper,
had its first sellout crowd in late October,
adding many new members. Regional Vice
President William
K. duPont and State
Chairman
Harry Lynch were principal
speakers and Joseph Linduska, Associate
Director of the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife,
showed a series of
slides. The new DU film "The Wetlanders"
was also shown.
District
of Columbia
National Trustee William C. Coe sponsored a special reception at his home in
late November, not only for sponsors and
members of DU in the Nation's Capitol,
but also to announce the nomination of
Florence Walker to succeed Major General
Howard C. Davidson as District of Colum-
11
Top prize at the renowned San Diego
DU PaTty was this
brand new 4-wheeldrioe utility vehicle.
The happy winners,
at the left, M1". and
MTs. Sam Houston.
(She reallu won it!)
Presenting the keys to
the lucky lady are San
Diego Chairman F.
Seth
Brown
and
Ducks Unlimited President William P. Elser,
who
donated
the
Bronco.
bia Chairman. Mrs. Walker is well known
as one of the nation's leading sportswomen
and conservationists.
Florida
State Chairman and National Trustee
Frank Hooper reports the second successful
"flier shoot" of the Tampa DU Committee,
under the direction of National Trustee
Harry A. MacEwan. The event, in late October, raised in excess of $5,000 for DU.
• Chairman Hooper also advises that the
Collier County Chapter, with headquarters
in Naples, has come into its own with the
election of John Jennings as its Chairman;
James W. Elkins, Treasurer, and James H.
McConnell as Secretary. George Huntoon
has been named Sponsor Chairman. Their
first event was a huge success, two DU
films featuring the program.
Georgia
A series of eight meetings and dinners
across the state during November created
a rewarding effort for DU, according to
National Trustee William H. Flowers and
State Chairman
Henry Claussen.•
The
schedule started in Atlanta when Chairman
Dick Jones sponsored an excellent meeting, which brought in 3 new Sponsors a.nd
20 new members; next was the sparkling
reception in Savannah under the direction
of Robbie Harrison, which raised $2,700 in
memberships and auction receipts. Regional
Vice President Eugene duPont, III was the
principal speaker at this event. • The following night Judson Smith hosted a DU
Dinner in Brunswick; on the 10th The Babe
White Chapter held its annual dinner in
Thomasville, with Dan Kelly as Chairman.
P. W. Bryan was elected Chairman for 1970.
• Clark Neel headed the committee sponsoring the dinner in Albany, and Gunby
Jordan spearheaded the Columbus
DU
Dinner, which was a resounding success.
• The Macon Dinner was under the direction of B. Sanders Walker .•
At all these
dinners and meetings, Atlantic Regional Director Larry Durkin was a principal speaker
and showed the new DU movie "The Wetlanders." • The fall campaign for Georgia
12
concluded with the formal dinner in Augusta; Chairman Bennett Brown was in
charge of arrangements and Tom Wilson
was elected the new Augusta Chairman.
Idaho
Dr. Richard Meiers sparkplugged the first
full scale DU dinner in Boise in November.
Profit amounted to over $600 and the enthusiasm displayed by the 160 duck hunters
who attended has Dr. Meiers looking for
a facility for 500 next year .•
Over in
Idaho Falls, Tex Crew attracted 50 leading
waterfowlers, sold some memberships, and
earned a few hundred greenbacks for the
green heads.• Jack LaMar in Coeur D'Alene
and Charlie Hopkins in Twin Falls are gearing up for the first DU dinners after the
close of the duck season.
III i no is
Tom Cherrey, treasurer of the Northwestern Illinois DU Chapter at Rockford,
forwarded
a check for $4,600 to State
Chairman Jay Neubauer-proceeds
from
their second annual DU dinner, attended
by another capacity crowd. Included were
199 new members and 187 renewals. The
Rockford Chapter is proud to be second
only to the Chicagoland Chapter in money
and members contributing to DU .•
SIDUC
identifies the aggressive DU Chapter serving Southern Illinois. Chairman Bill Eblen
The
first
[und-raising
dinner of Iowa's Mid Mississippi Valley Chapter
was the scene of this "deke
discussion." The uiaterfowlers involved, left to
right, are H oioard Zuber,
chapter
secretaru-treasurer; Dave Miller, prize
chairman; Fred Weeks,
chapter
chairman,
and
DU's North Mississippi
Regional Director, Buss
Ruffing.
reports that plans are all set for a second
big hunters' party and membership drive in
February .•
The Central Illinois Chapter's
big benefit dinner, in October, produced
record income of $1,650. John O'Shea is
chairman of this energetic chapter .•
In
October, the annual DU duck calling contest and rally was held by the Galesburg
Chapter, with nearly 300 people attending
the event .•
Trustee Fred Luthy's big Peoria rally racked up another record this
year. Nearly 1,500 people jammed the hall
to hear Illinois Conservation Director William Rutherford. A duck-calling contest and
loads of prizes added to the evening's fun.
Proceeds this year are expected to rival
Rockford's record income.
Iowa
The big Iowa state dinner was held in
September in Des Moines. State Chairman
Gary Staples reported
net proceeds of
$3,543 from a crowd of 410.•
Also in
September the Cedar Rapids DU Chapter
held its first benefit dinner in several years.
Co-chairman C. F. "Bud" Hunter reported
an attendance of 160 sportsmen anc' a net
of $1,250!.
The Mid-Mississippi
Valley
Chapter serving the Davenport area held its
first benefit dinner in October. Some 335
sportsmen attended this first-time event for
a fun-filled evening. Chapter chairman Fred
Weeks reported a net income of $2,700.
• The Northeast Iowa DU Chapter, serving
the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area, recently had
a road show to enlist new members. Chairman Glen Miller and his committee held a
series of membership meetings across the
area. DU films were shown and short talks
were presented. Included with the new
members obtained were several volunteer
committee workers.
Kansas
The news is out-DU
is on the move.
State Chairman George Armstrong is being
ably assisted by former State Chairman
Innis Phillips, and they have things rolling.
• Salina started things off with a fine first
dinner. John Simpson, Salina Chairman and
his fine committee have made the local
people aware of the work that DU is doing.
This event, the first for Salina, will be followed by a bigger and better one next
year .•
Great Bend followed by having a
membership dinner. Ed Herres was pleased
with the local response, and feels that DU
will have at least another 100 new members as the results of this dinner. • A short
distance down the road from Great Bend
is Hutchinson, the home of some of DU's
most ardent supporters, Joe Black and Merl
"Mert" Sellers. Their dinner brought out 75
people and $400 for the ducks .•
Wichita
fell into the swing of things. Phil Griffith,
Wichita
Chairman,
and his committee
headed up by Ross Wheeler and Innis
Phillips, put on a very enjoyable evening.
Over 100 people came out for this event
and the profit for DU was good .•
Later
this winter we'll find State Chairman Armstrong in Coffeeville and Independence,
getting the DU story told and chapters
organized.
Louisiana
State Chairman Tex Kilpatrick revealed a
doubling of membership income in 1969.
Fall events played a major role in the success story. A successful dinner, held in
Lafayette under the chairmanship of Womack Le Jeune, kicked-off
the season.
• Big events that followed were at Monroe, netting $3,200, according to Chairman
Lee Herron; at Alexandria, headed by Paul
Creed, and at Ruston, led by K. D. Kilpatrick .•
A statewide membership campaign
has been successful; Shreveport Chairman
Jim Haynes has been especialiy successful
in gaining sponsorships .•
The first Lake
Charles dinner was tentatively scheduled
for early 1970 and a Baton Rouge chapter
organization will follow.
Maine
Co-Chairmen William Macleod and Robert Johnson were responsible for the success of the 2nd Annual DU Dinner in Portland in November; the event increased
DU's popularity with the sportsmen of our
most northeastern state. Bill also introduced
a new idea in staging a Merrymeeting Bay
tour on Ransom Kelley's "River Queen,"
with the proceeds going to Ducks Unlimited.
Maryland
Special events and Sponsor programs
played a major role in taking the state well
over its assigned money quota for '69,
according to Board Chairman Charles B.
Allen and State Chairman Donnell
M.
Smith. Reasons for this success include the
highly successful events staged by the
Baltimore, Chestertown and Eastern Shore
Committees,
headed respectively by Vic
Cooke, Brown M. (Buss) Roe and Eddie
Boyd .•
Also contributing
to the success
was the first annual dinner of the Southern Eastern Shore Committee headed by
Dr. William Womack, with Karl Wagner
as Dinner Chairman .•
New Chairman of
the Talbot County DU Committee is Pat
Collins, who succeeds Osbourn Owings.
They held their annual dinner in midNovember, another success for this committee.
Massachusetts
Dedication
of the Massachusetts State
DU Project in New Brunswick has received
much favorable publicity
from the Bay
State press, with resulting increased interest
from sportsmen, reports State Chairman
Colin M. (Mac) Cunningham. The state
chairman unfortunately
was grounded by
bad weather and could not be present at
Dollars and decoys met at the 1st annual DU dinner and decoy show staged by the
Greenville, North Carolina chapter, which netted $3,000. Shown here from left are
M.C. Jack Whichard; decoy show chairman George B. Bryant, [r.; DU's Tarheel
State Chairman Senator Herman Moore; Dr. Ray D. Minges, who received DU's
Conservation Service Award, and Greenville Chairman John R. Farley.
the dedication ceremonies .•
Winthrop G.
(Joe) Dow, Jr. has already started plans for
the Annual State Dinner and to assume the
duties as state chairman.
Michigan
The big Michigan Metro Committee held
its annual hunters' party again in the Motor
City. James Rauk was chairman of this
year's excellent affair, attended by over 400
sportsmen .•
In mid-September, the shellwasters around Traverse City turned out in
support of the chapter's first benefit dinner. Dr. John Spencer, noted conservationist, is chairman of the newly-formed chapter. The party attracted 85 persons for fine
food and fun, including
a snowmobile
grand prize. A host of dignitaries from
downstate were in attendance, Including
state co-chairman David H. Rathbun, Kalamazoo Chairman Larry Field and Regional
Director Buss Ruffing .•
The Kalamazoo
Chapter held its second annual party in
September. Larry Field, chapter chairman,
reported an attendance of 84 and a profit
of $1,050. Michigan co-chairman and National Trustee David H. Rathbun and State
Treasurer George Monro, III were honored
guests.
Minnesota
Over 100 sponsors and guests attended
the annual Minnesota sponsor dinner in
December. Held at the Minneapolis Club,
the
event
featured
an
address
by
Dale E. Whitesell, Executive Vice-president
of DU, Inc. This annual event has contributed greatly to the impressive list of sponsors in the Twin Cities area. TV personality
Rollie Johnson was master of ceremonies.
Mississippi
State Chairman Sherwood
Wise and
Hinds County Chapter Chairman Bert Scott
combined to expand the DU membership
base in the Jackson area. The outgrowth of
two meetings during fall was a Central
Mississippi Chapter, a great increase in
memberships,
and a whopping
$6,500
profit. • Other successful functions were
held in Cleveland, under Chairman Leland Speakes; Greenwood, spearheaded by
Chairman Vernon Hull; Greenville, led by
Chairman Frank Hunger; McComb, under
Chairman Norman Gillis, and in Natchez,
under the direction of Chairman W. R.
Priester.
Missouri
The Eastern Missouri Executive Committee for DU, headed by Dr. Fred Kramer,
is continuing its efforts to obtain new Sponsors to underwrite the Edgar M. Queeny
Memorial Project. Last year 31 new sponsors were obtained by the Eastern Missouri
Chapter. Efforts are moving ahead, sparked
by a Sponsor dinner held in September,
attended by 80 members and guests. At
this writing, 16 new sponsors were obtained, mostly as a result of this event.
•• The Western Missouri Chapter reported
a net of $3,550 from its annual trap and
skeet shoot, ramrodded each year by that
old pro Ernie Jelley .•
The Mound City
Chamber of Commerce was host to the
Western Missouri DU Chapter Directors in
November. The following evening a special
Board of Directors Dinner was held; the
special guest was Charles Carothers of the
U. S. Department of the Interior. • The
St. Joseph Chapter held its second annual
benefit dinner with profits of nearly $800,
according to chairman Bill Means .•
Bernie
Grice, chairman of the Columbia Chapter,
reports that their second annual benefit
dinner held on December 4 was quite
successful.
Montana
The Big Sky Country was dotted with
flying ducks late this fall when State Chairman Mike Foley and Regional Director
Jack Kamman got together in Missoula for
an organizational
meeting. George Hummel, the new Missoula Chairman, isn't
wasting any time-he
held his first dinner
on December 11.•
Sponsor work is also
moving forward with Warren Hancock and
Bill Lowe pushing the program in Billings.
• In Butte, Carl Daniel is relinquishing
the chairmanship to Steve Sevener. Steve
is picking up the reins and laying the
ground work for a dinner sometime this
winter, the first one for Butte in years.
• State Chairman Mike Foley is also work-
13
ing on such an event for his hometown
Great Falls.
of
Nebraska
The Cornhuskers, under the very able
leadership of State Chairman Jerry Desmond, handily exceeded their quotas for
'69. The fall season started with a bangthe Freemont Chapter, headed by Chairman Dr. L. J. Drahota, held its first dinner.
Dr. Jim kicked it off in great style by
gathering over 125 people. The evening
was topped off with a raffle and the initial showing of "The Wetlanders"
in the
Central Region .•
Grand Island followed
with its first DU Dinner, under Chairman
Jerry Greenwood. This was an active area
for DU a number of years ago, but activity
has been slow until Jerry took over. He
spearheaded the entire show, including the
prizes .•
Down south in Lincoln, they held
their second annual dinner, considered to
be a very fine evening. Sid Sweet and his
hard working
committee
had over 100
people out for this event. Guest speaker
was Lloyd Vance, Chief of Game for the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
Regional Director Jack Kamman also made
a pitch for the ducks .•
State Chairman
Desmond finished the fall dinner circuit
in Norfolk. He was joined at this affair by
Regional Vice President Robert Marcotte.
Jack Costello and his committee
had a
dedicated group of waterfowlers out; it is
expected that we will be having some new
members from this part of the state.
• Looking to the new year the Nebraska
Committee is charting the work for more
chapters, and expects dinners in Elyria and
SI. Paul to kick off the year.
New
Jersey
DU enthusiasm is riding a new crest,
thanks to the many dinners and special
events scheduled by the state committee,
under the direction of State Chairman John
T. Dorrance, [r.: a key has been the teamwork of all of respective area committees.
The result-New
Jersey significantly
bettered its money and membership quotas
for '69. National Trustee Irving Feist, who
dedicates much time and energy as President of the Boy Scouts of America, was an
important factor in the success of many
of the dinners, a tribute to his devotion to
DU for more than 20 years.•
The State
One of the most successful
"first" events of '69 was the
fund-raiser staged by the
Wausau, Wisconsin chapter.
Shown checking out the program for the $5,600 event
are, left to right, chapter
secretary-treasurer Neil Conway, chapter chairman Dave
Graebel
and North
Missis-
sippi Regional Director Buss
Buffing.
Dinner, under the direction of Bill Corbin,
yielded more than $6,000; the Burlington
Dinner, under "Pappy" Deacon, more than
$2,000; the Mercer (Princeton) dinner, under Dr. John Wittekind, more than $4,000;
the Ocean County Dinner, under the direction of the injured Joe Finley, with the help
of Bob Conti, more than $3,500. All helped
put the state over its quotas .•
January's
calendar notes two more dinners-the
Atlantic County dinner under the direction of
Chairman Bruce Winterbottom
and the
Somerset Hills-Morristown
DU Dinner in
mid-January, under the direction of Dan
Ely.
and members. He also found time to stimulate into action the Elizabeth City DU Committee which held its dinner with Charles
G. Carothers, III, of the U. S. Department
of Interior, as its principal speaker. Other
dinners were held in Greenville, under the
direction of John Farley, (at this event Dr.
Ray Minges was honored with a DU Conservation Award); the Goldsboro DU Dinner, under the direction of James Lewis;
the Charlotte DU Dinner, under the direction of Roddey Dowd; and the Raleigh
dinner, under Frank Liggett, III.
New
State Chairman Lee C. Howley is justifiably proud of this year's five-city banquet
activity that raised over $33,000 for DU.
• The Cleveland
Chapter's big dinner
topped $22,000 in income this year for a
new record. Nearly 1,000 attended the
festive occasion, which featured some most
unusual prizes and awards .•
The Central
Ohio Chapter's first dinner was held in
Columbus, where 182 sportsmen attended.
Chapter chairman Ed Whyte reported a net
of 1,360 buckeye bucks-for
the ducks.
•• Co-chairman Tom Winstel and Richard
Butler reported a net of $6,000 from the
third annual dinner of the Cincinnati Chapter. Attendance totaled 412 people. Henry
Schmidt, Chairman of the DU Executive
Committee, was special guest. • Final tally
on the Toledo Chapter's dinner showed a
net of $3,000; the Akron Chapter showed
a profit of nearly $1,000 from its affair.
York
While State Chairman Frank Conant is
pleased with the solid bettering of his state
money and sponsor quotas for 1969, he
was still looking toward the results from
the Southampton Dinner in December to
take the income of the state even higher
over its assigned amount. This dinner, on
December 5, under the direction of Emil
Norsic, Jr. has been growing in popularity.
• New York City DU Chairman Robert
O'Brien has held three meetings of his
committee
in preparation for their 34th
Annual Dinner at the Waldorf on February
5; while no announcements
have been
mailed, he has more than 450 reservations
for the event already.
North
Carolina
North Carolina State Chairman Herman
A. Moore credits the achievements of his
respective area committees for booting the
Tarheel State well over quotas in money
Ohio
Oklahoma
The second annual Tulsa DU Dinner
came off in style. Dinner Chairman Bob
Hawkins and his committee put on a very
successful evening with over 100 waterfowlers turning out. It brought in another
$500 for the ducks .•
Muskogee is now
coming on strong with Chairman Jim Caywood guiding its progress. An organizational meeting was held in October and
the first annual Muskogee dinner was off
the ground in November with 128 sportsmen participating.
The highlight
of the
evening was a duck calling demonstration
by Carl Pierceall. • Oklahoma City will be
next, reports Chairman Tom McNear. A
date will be set for later this winter.
Oregon
$25,000-that's
the tremendous amount of the check to DU, being presented by Mid11e
Tennessee Chairman Raleigh Lane, at right. It represents 125 NEW Sponsors during
1969!! Receiving the record-breaker, from left, National Trustee Tim Treadwell, South
Mississippi V-P Herman Taylor, [r., and Tennessee Chairman John D. Canale.
14
Earl Kent, Klamath Falls area chairman
and Warren Neumann, dinner chairman,
teamed to make their first DU dinner a
huge success. Nearly 200 avid waterfowlers
turned out to donate a net of $1,426 and
the Kent-Neumann partnership anticipates
a surge of local interest in DU .•
John
Warren, vigorous new area chairman for
Eugene, reports that Oscar Spliid's dinner
committee
performed an exemplary job
with the first Eugene DU dinner. The September affair earned $1,557 from 176 top
duck hunters who turned out to help the
ducks .•
The ever popular DU Barbecue
in Salem was held at Dan Fry's farm in
September and reaped $2,000.
Pennsylvania
The Western Pennsylvania DU Committee has had some great dinners in the
past, but the 1969 dinner, staged under
the direction of Jim Waddell this fall, will
go down as one of the best, according to
State Chairman F. R. (Rudy) Etchen. As
always, it was a sell-out, a real tribute to
Jim and his hard working
committee.
• Looking ahead to 1970, the Eastern
Pennsylvania DU Committee is holding its
annual dinner at the Gladwyne Country
Club on January 21, according to Honorary
Trustee Ned E. Chandlee.
South
Dakota
State Chairman Les Scherschligt is already planning an full slate of DU dinners
for the coming months. Les does report
that South Dakota made its quota this year
on memberships alone. Their new gimmick
of carrying the "WANTED"
brochure in
their coat pocket really paid off.
Tennessee
When Raleigh F. Lane, Jr. set out to put
the city of Nashville atop the DU Sponsor
list, there were many raised eyebrows and
a few skeptical comments. Well he didcapped off on November 6 with a huge
Sponsor dinner-125
(count 'em) new DU
Sponsors recorded for Nashville during
'69!!! With a $25,000 down payment already on donor Lake Nashville, who knows
what 1970 may bring? • Shortly following,
the Nashville DU rally in early December
produced another $10,000, putting Nashville right at the top among DU-helping
cities for 1969! • Memphis' new organization of young men has raised over $2,000.
Their slogan of "50 bucks for ducks" has
been the by-word for this new and vigorous thrust headed by Eddie Dye, Jr.
• Paris held its first DU function in nearly
two decades under the guidance of Ed
Tayloe .•
Rallies by Memphis and Jackson
also were successful in increasing the status
of the ducks.
Pick
ducks
with
Texas
The Big "0" called Dallas held its first
annual DU Dinner and it was a tremendous
success. Over 450 people came out and
enjoyed a completely wild game dinner.
Co-chairmen Bill Weiss and K. Pickering
report that the net profit from the dinner
was $6,000. These two hard working cochairmen report their fine committee included North Texas Chairman Michaux
Nash, Jr. and North Texas Treasurer James
D. Baker. The dinner was attended by
Dale E. Whitesell, Executive Vice President
and State Chairman J. O. Winston, III.
• State Chairman Winston
reports that
plans have been finalized for January and
February dinners in Houston by Chairman
Arch Smith, II; in Lufkin, by Chairman
John Parker; in Palestine, by Co-chairmen
John o. Davis and L. J. Flanagan; and in
Waco, by Eddie Humphries.
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All other countries $12.50 ppd.
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• Klamath
Del Moro
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Oregon
Coastal
Decoys
Utah
Ben Slothower, State DU chairman, happily reported that Donald A. (Darm) Penney
and his Salt Lake City dinner committee
doubled income with their second DU dinner in September. Net earnings amounted
to $6,000 when 350 of Salt Lake City's
finest turned
out..
Steve Denkers is
chairing the first Ogden dinner after the
close of duck season.
Virginia
State Chairman Alexander (Sandy) Wellford advises that almost 30 new Sponsors
were signed up during 1969, with thanks
to a well organized and executed dinner
arranged by the Richmond Committee. At
the event DU Board Chairman Charles B.
Allen and the Department of the Interior's
Charles Carothers were the principal speakers.•
One week later Wellford met with
Dr. Phil Gibbs and A. B. Burton to organize
a committee in Lynchburg; they also attended an informal reception in Warrenton
to encourage another chapter .•
The Norfolk DU Dinner, under the direction of
Chairman Art Rutter, was tabbed to yield
another $5,000 for DU, putting Virginia well
over its 1969 quotas .
Made from cork, with full length
wooden keels. White pine heads in
varying positions-Drakes with regular
height heads, Hens with low neck.
Black Duck, Mallard and Pintail, body
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and Bluebill, body size 15" x 7%".
Price, $6.50 each; set of six, $34.50
postpaid.
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Please turn page
Another Governor joins the ranks of
DU Sponsors. Wyoming Chairman
Ralph Knode, at left, presents
Sponsor certificate to Governor Stanley
Hathaway, an ardent conservationist.
MOVING?
? ? ?
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available
for all conditions.
Northern
& Southern
grown, adapted
to all localities.
Also Fish Culture
Plants.
ATTRACT ,& HOLD UPLAND GAME BIRDS . . . plant our Special Seed Mixes. Provide natural
cover plots and food the year 'round,
tmnrove hunting-more
birds. Send
25c for interesting
illustrated
literature.
Describe your area, receive expert planting
advice that gets results. John J. Lemberger-Naturalist~Wi1dlife
Consultant.
A
WILD LIFE NURSERIES
(Since 1896)
P.O. Box 399·0
Oshkosh, Wis. 54901
15
Washington
Bouncing back with the first dinner since
'67, Ed Heacox, new Tacoma Area Chairman, inspired his committee to produce a
wall-bulging crowd of 500 at a dinner which
raised $2,500 in September .•
Charlie Hill,
newly appointed Seattle Area Chairman,
spearheaded the second
DU dinner in
Seattle during 1969! State Chairman Terry
Brooks reported that Hill's imaginative new
committee kicked off. a fabulous dinner
which attracted 350 devotees-of-the-duck
and made a whopping $6,000 with its first
November affair .•
The Second Annual
Yakima DU Dinner, headed by Bill Mashburn, catered to 205 ardent waterfowlers
and put $1,250 in the DU tills.
Wisconsin
State Chairman Norman Ott reports that
the fall season showed tremendous activity.
• The new Eau Claire Chapter, headed by
Jim Nagle, turned in $2,189 from their first
dinner,
including
memberships
for the
Lead Poisoning Problem Solved?
Continued from page 5
degree of density to achieve desired
ballistic performance,
was logically
acceptable. But, it did not work in
practice, and consequently the research
effort turned completely to iron shot.
Iron as a material for shot pellets is
not new. It is plentiful and relatively
inexpensive. Iron shot is simple to
make, if uncontrollable size variations
and countless non-rounds are acceptable. These shortcomings, added to a
relatively low density, mean that iron
shot currently available gives unacceptable ballistic performance. This problem is further compounded by the fact
that iron shot, as now being produced,
will erode or "scar" gun barrels and
deform chokes. This wear-and-tear has
not been successfully overcome by
coating or plating iron shot with lead
or other metals. Neither can the problem be solved by using plastic shot
wrappers or containing wads.
A POSSIBLE BREAKTHROUGH
Research efforts by IIT-RI found
super-soft iron in wire form. They also
found ways to process "hand-made"
shot of this material, to assure no adverse effects on gun chokes or barrels.
The problem at this point is to find a
practical mass production method for
making spherical iron shot from supersoft iron.
Are there ballistic deficiencies in
iron shot? Can a metal of less density
than lead give killing shots?
These questions
were answered
through a series of "mortality efficiency" tests, conducted at Patuxent
Wildlife Research Center. In shooting
16
110 enthusiastic sportsmen who attended.
Sponsor chairman Fred E. Grosvold turned
in three new Sponsors .•
Dave Graebel,
Wausau Chapter chairman, sent a check
for $5,657, representing proceeds from their
big first-time dinner. This included memberships for the 385 sportsmen in attendance. In addition, Graebel turned over
four new Sponsors to Regional Director
Buss Ruffing, upping total contribution
to
over $6,000. • The Winnegamie Wetlands
Chapter in the Neenah-Manasha-Appleton
area broke all records with their first big
event. D. W. Bergstrom, chapter chairman,
reported a net of $6,472, including 401
members!! "This may not be a record for
a new chapter" quips Bergstrom, but it's
a mighty good target for others .•
The
Waukesha County Chapter, number four
in the list of new groups in Wisconsin
holding events this past fall, turned in
$3,500, according to chairman Jerry Maier.
Included were 150 new members and two
new sponors .•
The Central Wisconsin
Sportsmen Club, of Marshfield, is consider-
tests, using "hand-made" soft iron shot
in loads equivalent to standard shells
utilized in duck hunting, a conveyor
for the birds produced angles exactly
as in a true waterfowling situation, and
identical for each "flighted"
bird.
Electro-mechanical controls eliminated
possibilities for human error or misjudging ranges and aiming leads.
Test results satisfy the experts that
shotshells with one ounce of number 4
soft iron shot have almost identical
"killing effectiveness" as comparable
lead loads at "in-range" shots, not exceeding fifty yards. In terms of shotcrippled birds, the tests indicated no
appreciable difference between experimental iron shotshells and ordinary
commercial lead loads.
Evaluation of available data is continuing, and a final technical report
concerning this entire program will be
issued within a few months. This
planned report will include all of the
information
developed
during both
the general research and mortality
study phases of the project, together
with the researchers' analysis and conclusions.
Based upon the findings of this research program, the Sporting Arms and
Ammunition
Manufacturers'
Institute
has engaged the Illinois Institute of
Technology-Research
Institute to develop an economical process for the
creation of a suitable iron shot. Indications are that their efforts will be
successful, according to IIT-RI's Dr.
Tom Watmough. Meanwhile, ammunition producers
are independently
searching for production methods and
potential suppliers.
Late information from a reliable
source indicates that a new iron shot
manufacturing machine is nearing per-
ing its own donor lake in Canada. An initial contribution
of $1,000 was received
from Len Reineke, secretary of the club.
• Regional Vice-president and State Chairman Norman Ott was guest speaker at
the Marinette Chapter's annual party. Dr.
Peurach is chairman of this established
group .•
Dr. Paul Lidral reports that the
Rhinelander Chapter's annual dinner netted
about $600 this year.
Wyoming
The state now boasts a new Sponsor,
according to State Chairman Ralph Knode.
Wyoming Governor Stanley Hathaway adds
his name to the ever growing list of governors that now support DU as Sponsors.
• Chairman Knode also reports that the
Sheridan DU Dinner was a great success.
120 people attended this event. A Don
Rodell painting and a fine shotgun were
the large raffle prizes. Ralph Knode's committee did a fine job-they
had to, it included his lovely wife Judy and the "Knode
Varmits"-Tracey,
Ralph and Mike.
fection, which will turn out iron shot
pellets from specially constructed iron
wire, at a very rapid rate, and within
reasonable economics. With luck, perhaps the new iron shotshells will be
perfected and available within the next
two years.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
While suitable iron shot, both economically and ballistically acceptable,
is on the horizon, American and Canadian sportsmen and conservationists
should understand that such shot is
not actually in hand, at the moment.
The leading ammunition
makers in
North America report they're doing all
possible to hasten the advent of such
iron shot for duck and goose hunting,
and have every reasonable hope that
it will eventually be available for loading.
When a substitute for lead shot does
become commercially available, it will
help substantially to remove a mortality factor that has plagued waterfowl
for decades. At the same time, it must
be remembered that suitable iron shot
will not mean a total and immediate
end to the problem. Tons of lead shot
are presently on the bottoms of marsh
and feeding areas where waterfowl
have been hunted for a century or
more. Some marsh beds do "turn
over" and bury the shot; others just
remain dormant.
Iron shot will not automatically eliminate the exposure to lead shot that
dabbling ducks and feeding geese encounter in many places, but it will help
immensely. The conversion will reduce
and ultimately eliminate a major source
of waterfowl losses. Fewer ducks dying
from lead taken internally, will mean
more may be taken by iron shot, externally.
1------------------------------13308
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