The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1959-10-16
THE HUNTING OUTLOOK
FOR l959-l960 SEASON
By CLYDE p. PATTON
MIGRATORY GAME BIRDS
Marsh Hens


North Cardinals 1959-1960 hunt
ing season opened with few scat
tered shots down along the. coastal
marshes on September when the
season on rails, sora, and gallinules
got under way. There were only ga
few scattered shots" because al
though there is an abundant supply
of marsh hens, few Tarheel MINI
rods go out after them. Marsh hen
shooting dates run from September
5 through November IS, with fif-
teen birds daily and thirty in pos
session. These limits include rails,
sora, and .galGnules singly or in
the aggregate.
Doves
Another good crop of doves in
the Atlantic Flyway makes posi-
BILE another long two-segment dove
season. The first season runs from
September IL to October 10, and
the second segment from December
IL to January Is. Shooting hours
are from noon to sunset with a
bag limit of ten birds daily with
twenty in possession after the first
day of each season. Best hunting
may be expected in the Piedmont
during the early season and in the
Coastal Plains during the later
season.
WOOdcock
The woodcock season opens
Thanksgiving Day, November &c,
and runs through January a with
a daily bag of four birds and eight
in possession. This is essentially
the same season and bag limit as
last year, and apparently there has
been no major change in woodcock
populations.
Waterfowl
Drought and late spring freezes
cut down on duck production in the
northern nesting areas, resulting
in a shorter hunting season and a
reduction in the bag limit. There
was little change in the Canada
goose population, and no reduction
in the bag limit. Waterfowl hunt
ing regulations are available from
the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Ser
vice, Washington, D. C.
Upland Game
(See hunting regulations for
dates and bag limits)
Reports of depredations by deer
to agriculture in several sections
would indicate an increase in deer
in these areas, and the
general deer hunting outlook is
good. The taking of antlerless deer
will be permitted in several Sec
tons of the State, especially where
deer herds have grown beyond the
carrying capacity of their habitat.
Antlerless deer hunts may be held
only after public hearings are held
to determine the desires of people
living in areas where deer have be-
come over-abundant.
Bear
No apparent change has been
observed i'm bear populations, and
this is reflected in a bear hunting
season similar to last years season.
Bears are found in the Mountainl
and Coastal sections of the State.
Wild Boar
Wild boar are found in huntable
numbers only in Clay, Cherokee,
and Graham counties. Boar popu-
lations have held fairly constant
over the years, and most boar
hunting will be done on managed
or organized basis. Crop depreda-
tons by the wild boar in Graham
county indicate a spread from ira
breeding grounds.
RaccOOn and Opossum
Populations of raccoon and opos-
sum seem about the same as last
year, with some increases inI
eastern and western sections.
Squirrels
There will be good squirrel hunt
ing in most parts of the State. The
mast crop ranges from fair to
and this distribution of
food will be reflected in the rela-