TOiMl^e
By Jim Dean N C MMIHi Rnourcn Commiaion
The hunter does not suffer spring
gladly. He sees the first crocus as a
threat. Each early daffodil is a
jaundiced insult. Balmy days at the
end of February are outrageous,
intolerable. Where, he cries in
anguish, are the snows of yester
year?
But finally, when the dogs are
penned at the end of the season, the
hunter's real world is shouldered
aside by an enveloping fantasy. The
withdrawal symptoms appear, and
' the hunter becomes an unwilling
blood brother of the man with the
golden arm.
"No, I'm not ready to go
fishing," said my bird hunting
buddy over the phone yesterday. He
was barely civil. "I'm not ready
to go fishing today, and I won't be
ready to go fishing tomorrow. Do
you realize that the quail season
has only been closed for three
weeks? Where is your sense of
respect, man? Fishing, indeed."
My friend is in his annual
agony. After the close of the
bobwhite season, he walks around
in a daze. For awhile he still takes
the dogs to the fields, leaving his
gun behind. It is a noble gesture,
but only a charade.
He cleans his guns for the last
time at least 15 times. For the first
time in six months, his English
setter is bereft of cockleburrs.
Each burr is extracted gently and
counted. All 432 are in a bowl on
the gun cabinet. Memories.
One day in mid-March, my
friend drags his gear out again for
one last sentimental romp through
ritual. His keen nose locates the
liverwurst sandwich that has been
in the hunting coat since early
December when he sat on it
accidentally while taking a short
break at the old well.
"Ah yes," he thinks to himself as
he sniffs the wounded liverwurst,
"that was the day Miss Cindy found
the tobacco barn covey for the first
time this past season, pointing
them high and proud in the bean
stalks."
His memory drifts back and he
sits in a trance for 30 minutes until
i the sound of hyacinths popping out
of the greening lawn breaks the
spell. "Don't grow grass," he
pleads pitifully, "please don't
grow."
He takes a lingering sniff of the
liverwurst. starts to toss it into the
trash then stops. With profound
respect, he carefully places it back
in his hunting coat. A souvenir.
My friend's misery is so complete
that it rubs off on the dogs - or vice
versa. They lie at the fence with
their noses sticking through the
chicken wires. Their hair is falling
out. They think it's caused by a
severe deprivation of bird scent.
Everytime someone opens the
gate, they race to the truck and hop
into the back where they sit for
hours surrounded by the banners of
spring, unfurling treacherously ev
erywhere.
For some, withdrawal lasts only a
week of two. For others, despair is
more tenacious, lasting well into
summer. But finally, yielding to
fate, the smell of Hoppes No. 9
powder solvent fades, and the
hunter can be found sadly spooling
new line on his reels. Thanksgiving
is a million years away.
If you regularly fish for wild,
streambred trout in western North
Carolina, your overall success last
year was probably about the same
as usual. But depending upon
where you fished and how obser
vant you are, you may have noticed
one difference.
Think back for a moment. Did
you catch as many trout in the 10
to 12-inch class as you normally
do? Does it seem that you caught
both smaller and larger trout, but
not many in that range?
There's a reason. At least two
biologists, working independently,
have discovered this gap as a result
of studies and surveys. The loss of
trout in the 10-12 inch class re
presents the loss of one or more
crops of trout as a result of severe
and untimely flooding during 1972
and 1973, particularly the May
Memorial Day Flood in the spring
of 1973.
"It's not an unusual occur
rence," explained Dr. Tom Harsh
barger of the Southeastern Forest
Experiment Station at Bent Creek.
"It happens to some extent almost
every year somewhere in the west
ern part of the state. A local, heavy
rain can cause problems on a
certain part of a creek, but have no
effect in another nearby creek. The
Memorial Day Flood, however,
affected a lot of creeks, especially
east of Asheville. We also found
effects in Macon County where
flooding.was severe.
"What happens," explained
Harsbarger, "is that when a severe
flood hits at the peak of the spawn
ing season, or shortly after, it can
seriously hurt the survival of the
spawn or the young fry (baby
trout). The adult trout can, for the
most part, take care of themselves
during a serious flood, but the tiny
trout are often lost."
This is what happened in 1972
and 1973, and the result is that
trout in the 10- to 12-inch class
simply weren't available in great
abundance in some streams during
the 1975 season. Of course, this
was not true for all streams. Some
were hit pretty hard, while others
were not affected at all.
Bob Brown, a fisheries' biologist
for the North Carolina Wildlife
Resources Commission, found evi
dence of the loss of part of the
1972-73 year classes of trout shortly
after the floods, and has been
studying the effects.
"Chances are that this missing
year class will not be noticeable this
coming season to any great extent,"
said Brown. "For one thing, these
trout would now be 12 to 14 inches
long and not as many trout of that
size are caught anyway. Also, we've
had good reproduction in our wild
streams since the spring of 1973,
and this has pretty well filled the
gap."
Brown pointed out that there are
some fishermen who believe that
the drop-off in 10-12 inch fish in
some streams last year was caused
by opening the streams to year
'round fishing. However, Brown
believes that opening the streams
has had no adverse effect and that
last year's missing year class was
due to the 1972 and 1973 floods.
Fortunately, losses as a result of
flooding are not usually disastrous,
nor are they unusual. But when
severe flooding strikes at the worst
possible time, it can hurt the trout
population for a year or two. Most
trout fishermen ?? particularly
those who fish streams where wild
trout populations are supplement
ed by stocking -- would never notice
the loss of a year class. On streams
managed for wild trout reproduc
tion without stocking, the gap may
be more noticeable, although it will
have no long-range effect of any
significance.
One interesting sidelight con
cerns the way adult trout survive
severe floods. The trout do not
attempt to hold their positions in
the current.
WE
FINANCE
ALL
Good Bad no
Credit Credit Credit
MAKE PER MO.
II72CRANPRIX .... $79
1?73 JAVELIN $61
1967 PONTIAC Firebird 139
1974 MUSTANG II .... $63
1972 LUV Pickup $57
1971 PINTO "auto." ... $42
1973 NOVA $74
1972 AUDI 4 dr $79
1974 VEGA G.T $79
1969 CHEVELLE S.S. . . $54
1974 DATSUN 210 .... $99
1973 GR. TORINO Spt. $97
1971 CHEVELLE S.S. . $6 3
1969 M.G. GT $57
SPECIAL
1971 CAMARO
$57 Per Month
SPORT CARS
1971 FIAT
? 50 Spider
1971 CAMARO $59
1971 LTD WAGON .... 957
1971 VW Bus $97
1970 CUTLASS 992
FINANCING EXAMPLE
1969 CHEVELLE. 2 dr., HT,
total price lndudin$ tax
710.45. 37 payment* at 29.00
Ser mo., finance oharaei
29.37. Total note 1071.00.
NOT CI
Down payment! on these cart
ren$e from 919 to $300 with
app. credit. Annuel peroent*9e
rate 21.40.
BLEECKER
FIAT JAGUAJt
ELECTED - Three county women were elected officers during the business
session at the South Central District meeting of extension homemakers on
April 22. Pictured, left to right, are Lillian Wood, Raeford club education
chairman, Frances Woolley, home economics vice-chairman, and Bertha
Hendrix, citizenship vice-chairman.
VISITING - Raefurd native Preston C. Jones, pastor of Cokesberry United
Methodist Church in Raleigh, is greeted by Rev. Kelly Wilson, host pastor for
an annual Tri-Distriet workshop on Racial Understanding at the Raeford
United Methodist Church Tuesday.
Holiday Safest Since '63
The Highway Patrol reported
that the Easter holiday weekend
this year was the safest Easter since
1963.
Colonel E.W. Jones said that 14
persons lost their lives on the state's
highways during the long holiday
weekend this year. He said that
some had estimated that as many
as 21 persons would lose their lives
during the weekend. 25 persons
were killed during the same holiday
in 1975.
Colonel Jones praised the troop
School Menu
Friday, April 30
Managers Choice
Monday, May 3
B-B-Que Beef in Bun
Slaw W/Carrots - A,C
French Fries. Catsup
Applesauce Cake
Milk
Tuesday, May 4
Chicken Pot Pie
Buttered Broccoli -A.C
Rolls
Peanut Butter Delight
Milk
Wednesday, May 5
Ravioli
Tossed Salad -A.C
Rolls
Green Beans
Raisin Cookie
Milk
Thursday, May 6
Smoked Sausage
School Cooked Beans
Steamed Cabbage -C
Apple Crisp
Milk
ers for their efforts during the
weekend and said that all men
available were on duty and per
formed their duties and responsi
bilities well. He also commended
the driving and walking public of
the state. Although the first long
holiday weekend of the year
coupled with beautiful weather
created a heavy volume of traffic,
he said that most drivers and
pedestrians displayed safe driving
practices.
WANTED SEAMSTRESS ^
For Alterations & General Repair Work
Good Benefits & Good Hours
Contact - Allen McDonald
875-3727
Raeford Cleaners
Main St.
Raeford, N. C.
Family Dollar
Income Up
The highest quarterly and first
half year results in its history have
been reported by Family Dollar
Stores, Inc. (AMEX symbol FDO).
For the second quarter ended
February 29, 19/6, sales were
$18,506,008, up 43 per cent from
S12.934.414 for the same period a
year earlier, and net income was
$1,056,710 or $.27 per share, up
sharply from $66,200 or $.02 per
share.
Munsingwear
KNIT
SHIRTS
at
J.H. AUSTIN
INSURANCE
SINCE 1950
AUTO- FIRE - LIFE
CASUALTY
114 W. Edinborough Avenue Phone 875 3667
TEL: 8754277 NIGHT CALL 875-4419
FARM CHEMICAL, INC.
COMPLETE PEST CONTROL FUMIGATION SERVICE
WEED CONTROL & FERTILIZATION
ROACHES - RATS - TERMITES
P.O. BOX 667 RAEFORD, N.C.
WANTED
Aggressive, Ambitious Lady
To Manage Ladies' Dress Shop
in this Area
1. Starting salary $10,000 per year.
2. Fully paid training
3. Retail experience necessary
4. Benefits include profit sharing, company in
surance, paid holidays, vacations, sick leave and
jury duty
5. Excellent chances for advancement
Send resume to P.O. Box 550 Raeford, N.C. 28376
SENIOR CITIZENS
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