The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-09-12
PROSPECTS GOOD
FOR HUNTlNGi IN
STATE THIS YEAR
Outlook All Right With Little DIFF
ference Over Last Year,
Patton Says.
BY CLYDE p. PATTON
Director N. C. Fish & Widlife

North Carolina hunters will
again enjoy a long hunting season
with liberal bag limits during the
| 1958-1959 season. The shooting
started September 6 when the sea-
son on doves opened statewide.
Hunting of some kind will contin-
ne through February IA, 1853,
when the season on rabbits, quail,
and wild turkey closes.
MIGRATORY GAME BIRDS
Doves
Another bumper crop of doves
in the Atlantic States will make
possible five-day bonus for dove
hunters this year, with the bonus
DAYS divided between the early and
late segments of a split season.
The first season runs from, Sep
TENDER 6 through October a., with
a daily bag of ten birds and pos
session limit of 20 after the first
day of shooting. Shooting hours
are from noon to sunset. The Sec
lond segment runs from December
10 through January 15, with the
same bag limit and shooting hours.
Best hunting will be in Piedmont
counties in the early season, and
lin the Coastal Plains during the
second segment.
| Marsh Hens
AS in the past there will be far
more sora, rails, and gallinules
than there will be hunters to par
take of the harvest. The season
Twill run from September 10
through November Is, with shoot
| ing hours from one-half hour be-
fore sunrise to sunset. Fifteen
rails or gallinuies will be allowed
daily, singly or in the aggregate,
with 80 in possession. The limit for
sora ISIS daily or in possession.
WoOdcOck
The woodcock season opens
Thanksgiving Day, November 27,
and continues through January 5,
with shooting hours the same as
for marsh hens. The limit will be
four daily, eight in possession.
There is little apparent change in
woodcock populations over last
year.
Waterfowl
The outlook for goose hunting is
about the same as last year, re-
flecting little change in the goose
population. At press time, how
ever, it appeared that there would
be a reduction in the bag limit for
diving ducks due to poor crop of
birds IN the northern nesting
grounds that feed birds into the
Atlantic Flyway. The shortage of
birds is especially significant
among the diving ducks such as
canvasbacks and scaup. The shoot
ing season will be only go days
this year as compared to 70 last
year.
UPLAND GAME
(See regulations for dates and
bag limits)
Deer
The outlook for deer hunting
this season is even better than for
last year, when doe deer were TAX
en- in some areas for the first time
in many years. In certain eastern
sections deer have become so nu-
merous that there have been fire.
ouent complaints of depreciation
to farm crops. There will be legal
taking of doe or anterless deer
again this year after full investiga-
tons of deer herds and public hear
ings to give people living in deer
heavy communities an opportunity
to express their desires regarding
season on antlerless deer. Large
portions of the Sandhills Wildlife
Management area will be opened
to deer hunting this year. and the
South Mountains area will be OPP
ened to deer hunting for the first
time.
Bear populations seem to be
about the same as last year. A
good level has been maintained
through strict protection, and
there is no reason to believe that
the kill will be much greater or
smaller than last years harvest.
Wild Boar
Again boar hunting will be con-
fined to the three westernmost
counties, Clay, Graham, and Cher
nkee. There have been no signifi-
cant changes in the wild boar pop
ulations, and hunting conditions
may be expected to be about the
same as last year.
RaccoOn and Op0ssum
Both raccoon and opossum have
continued to increase in the east
ern and western sections, and hunt
ing will probably be even better
than last year. 'Coons have beer
successfully transplanted to west
ern sections and have increased to
the point where hunting is much
better than it was five or six years
aun