The Indianapolis times., 1933-12-20
Let's Go Hunting
SURVEY SHOWS
DROP IN FOWL.
RAISING AREA
Many Lake Tracts Become
Barren in Few Years.
Reports Reveal.
BY LEFTY LEE
Times Hunting Editor

OdINIl Oh Nlln the survey Ol
the duck breeding area the report
takes us to the southwestern corner
of Manitoba. the southern quarter
of Saskatchewan and Alberta. and
the northeastern corner of Mon
tana:
This very large area can be
treated as a unit. for, with few eX-
ceptions, the water areas within it
are uniform in character and ap-
pearance. and. unlike North Dakota,
this area is not Sprinkled with a
large number of small lakes. ponds
and sloughs. While maps still show
the presence of a large number Of
small water areas, most of the latter
have dried up. This was brought
home forcefully by an inquiry at
Fleming. Saskatchewan. for the best
route to reach a cluster of lakes
that dotted the chart four miles
west of the village.
They seemed unable to under
stand the object Of the quest. until
some one recalled that there had
been some lakes in the vicinity,
which had disappeared years ago.
A number Of large lakes and a few
rivers constitute the principal water
areas in this section.
Largely Farm Area
This area. too, is largely farmed,
but great sections left uncultivated,
because of the poor soil and scanty
precipitation. This was particularly
so in southern Alberta and south
western Saskatchewan, where they
were quite extensive. Wheat and
some barley and rye are grown prin-
cipally for income by the farm pop
ulatiOn, oats and sweet clover also
are grown, but generally these crops
are kept as winter food supplies for
horses and cattle. Corn and flax
fields are very rare. Groves of pop
lars were observed at frequent inter-
walls in the somewhat more rolling
country along the route between
Deloraine, Manitoba, and Fort
Qu'Apelle, Saskatchewan.
Lake Tract Barren
whitewater lake, formerly ten
miles long and four miles wide,
dominion public shooting ground,
is now a barren. dry fiat, muddy in
the center Plum lake, formerly
four miles long and one mile wide
the whole area was dry, a few
rusheS were visible in the distance.
"Oak lake, formerly four by three
miles in extent-the water level was
four feet below normal. exposing a
wide strip Of former lake bed, mud
bottom, sloping gently toward the
center of the lake. Depth of water
was three-quarters of a mile of
shore about three feet deep. Sandy
shores, partly overgrown with grass,
followed by tree size woods along
considerable portion Of circumfer-
ence.
"A summer resort is on the east
ern shore. A few bullrush patches
were visible at occasional spots in
the water near the shore line. Scant
growth of sagO pond weed.
'Wildfowl life seen at this lake
consisted of one mallard with eight
young, one family of red heads, one
ruddy drake, 120 pintails, twenty
nine baldpateS. A few Shovelers
about $50 Franklin gulls and many
crows.
Breeding Grounds Fail
Ekapa lake, an alkaline lake seven
miles long and one-half mile wide
There is a good growth of marsh
vegetation along the western shore,
eastern shore bare, water level far
below normal, duck population very
poor Only thirty pintails and
spoonbills and four ruffieheads were
seen.
practically the entire area COW
cred, shows the once great breeding
grounds becoming barren, and if the
sport Of wildfowling is to continue,
some method of increasing the nat
ural spots must be found and that
very soon, for in addition to the de-
crease by about so per cent of the
breeding ground, the birds that are
breeding have been suffering from
an epidemic that killed hundreds of
thousands.
One method of relief suggested is
a federal license of 81. All money
collected in this manner to be used
to build artificial refugees at vantage
points. This tax may prove pop
ular in some Of the states, but In
diana hunters will remember that
they were not permitted to shoot
the birds for more than two weeks
while hunters in states surrounding
this state were in the blinds, and
for that reason a tax of this kind
against Indiana hunters will meet
with general opposition.