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SOUTHERN OUTDOORS, JUNE 1, 1946
Where Friends and the Outdoors Meet
Phone MAin 7137 • Pryor ot Auburn, Atlanta 3, Ga.
JOHN MARTIN Editor and Publisher
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
CHARLES ELLIOTT EDDIE FINLAY DEAN HUNTER
LOU WILLIAMS B. M. ATKINSON, JR. PARSON S. GUNN
HENRY P. DAVIS GENE WIKE JACK PICKEREL
Southern Outdoors is a trade and technical newspaper, publishing trade and technical news
for sportsmen, sporting goods dealers and the industry. Issued semi-monthly by Southern
Outdoors, Pryor at Auburn, Atlanta 3, Ga.
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responsible for advance payments to representatives or agents. All publications are entitled
to use for republication all news credited to Southern Outdoors. Entered at the Atlanta post
office in May, 1940, as second class matter under Act of March 3, 1879.
Bad Last for South
Although the activities of Georgia’s wildlife rangers
during the 12 months—from May 1, 1945 through April 1,
1946—should be commended by the sportsmen in their state,
the big difference between arrests and convictions reveals
one of the fundamental evils that must be corrected before
conservation makes sustained gains.
Rangers apprehended 1,795 persons, of which only 1,028
were convicted. This means that judges and juries freed 767
hunters and fishermen who had been charged with viola
tions. This would not be significant if the rangers had been
making frivolous cases. But we are fairly familiar with the
work of the Georgia ranger staff, and with the instructions
under which they work in regard to arrests.
We doubt that a dozen of the arrests they made were
unjustifiable. The weakness has been with the grand juries
first; with the trial judges next. The juries and judges must
be blamed, but these officials generally “go along” with the
sentiment of the citizens they serve. This places the problem
of adequate enforcement squarely up to the hunters and
fishermen and the citizens.
It is regrettable that in most Southern states the public
has not become adjusted to the changing conditions in wild
life. This section of the country is bringing up a poor last in
game law enforcement and conservation education. Trials, if
any, are delayed too long. Fines, if any, are too small. Edu
cational programs, if any, have been inadequate.
Despite it all, the South still has a large remnant of
game and fish- But even the violators will admit that most
species are becoming scarcer. In fact, the scarcities doubt
less provoke many of the violations.
Judges and juries have a job to do. And this brings up
the sportsmen again. Will they stand on the sidelines and
watch game and fish travel the shorter road out, or will
they do something to preserve the supplies?
Laurel to Lou and Bart
Let nobody tell you that a piece of toast for breakfast,
a slab of pie for lunch, and a lamb chop for dinner, will
satisfy the appetite of a writer. That is, if outdoor writers
are writers.
It took only five days for a small army of 150 outdoor
writers to eat their way through the Tennessee Valley. They
launched their gourmet debauch Tuesday, May 29, and
tossed in the napkin Saturday, May 81. Before they finished,
every state in the Valley, and Louisiana to boot, had felt
the impact of the devastating invasion.
The scribes, who champion the cause of conservation
and who help entertain America’s millions of hunters and
fishermen, came to Chattanooga—and were conquered. They
want to come back South next year, thanks to the efforts
of Lou Williams and Bart Leiper. Williams and Leiper
worked over a year to put over the trek of the Outdoor
Writers Association to the Tennessee Valley. They enlisted
the support of the game and fish departments of Georgia,
Tennessee, North Carolina, Mississippi, Kentucky and Louis
iana. They organized a round of entertainment and feeding
that will make the writers remember.
We join the writers in handing to Mr. Williams and Mr.
Leiper and their committees the season’s brightest blossom
of mountain laurel.
THE SPORTSMAN’S FRIEND
YELLOW CABS
WA. 0200
ATLANTA, GA.
A. G. Hendley, President
Something.
You've Missed
I looked furtively around. The
fisherman perched on the rock at
my left had cast his line into a
swirling eddy, kissed his bottle
with a lingering caress, and set
tled back to enjoy the sunshine.
On my right, a briny Waltonite
sat at rigid attention, ready to
strike back at the first curious or
hungry fish which stopped by to
sample his wares. They were not
paying the slightest attention to
me or my endeavors. That was
the way I wanted it.
I slid the catfish, which weighed
a good pound and a half, over the
edge of the rock, caught the side
of his lip with my pliers and
dropped him into the ice container.
I now had five of the salt water
cats, all about the same size. That
was enough.
Glancing at my two companions,
who were unknown to me, to be
certain they suspected nothing, I
clamped the lid on my ice chest,
took down my tackle and climbed
over the rock jetties to the surf
side of the beach where my auto
mobile was parked.
OVERCOME BY CURIOSITY
For a week I had been catching
those big, steel-blue catfish and
I simply had to see how they
tasted. It seemed a waste to
bring them in to my favorite
rock on the jetties, smash each
one on the head and return him
as a lifeless object to the dark
waters of the salt river. But that
was the general practice among
the fishermen who worked the St.
John’s for sheepshead, channel
bass and a variety of the smaller
fishes. I had seen them laugh one
novice caster off the rocks for
slipping a lowly catfish into his
basket of whiting and trout. I
did not intend to be the second
victim.
I was raised on fresh-water cat
fish out of a middle Georgia river
and I know how good they are.
Those salt water cats sported the
same general lines and appearance.
The meat was firm and white. I
believed that the thousands upon
thousands of catfish I had seen
washed up by the tide along the
beach was a distinct waste. I
wanted to know.
LIKE ALL CATFISH
Back in the seclusion of the va
cation kitchen, I peeled the cat
fish with the same pair of pliers,
sliced off filets and rolled them
in meal. They took to the hot
grease like a river cat would have
done and in a matter of minutes
were floating like golden nuggets
on top of the smoking liquid fat.
Ask any Cracker—when a filet of
catfish floats, he is done to a turn.
Now for the climax of the ex
periment.
If you have never parked your
carcass under a platter of fried
fresh catfish, you’ve missed a
heap of living. Those were as
good as any river cats which have
helped to build the fatty tissues
around my middle. And the salt
air had nothing to do with it.
Later, I asked one of the South
ern fish dealers why those salt
water catfish could not be sold.
MAYBE YOU HAVE
“They can,” he said, with a sly
grin. “We handle more catfish
out of the ocean than any other
Continued on Page 6
If I had a parachute, I'd bail out!"
Prosecution Report
FOR GEORGIA,
Shooting Doves Out of Season:
(Ranger J. R. C. Smith) Melton
Holley, Stapleton, $25; Paul F.
Stephens, Stapleton, $25; Parker
L. Holley, Stapleton, $25; Sherman
W. Ramsey, Augusta, $25; (Ran
ger J. H. Smith) Jim Vaughn, Mi
lan, $25; (Ranger N. O. Presley)
Hulit Slater, Thomaston, $25;
Clarence Ard, Thomaston, $25;
Bayne Goode, Thomaston, $25; T.
W. Salter, Thomaston, $25; (Ran
ger V. A. Miller) R. F. Roff, Bain-
bridge, $25; T. P. Bryant, Bain-
bridge, $25; (Ranger H. S. Car-
lan) J. A. Fonntor, McIntyre,
$37.50; H. Brewer, McIntyre,
$37.50; (Ranger Wm. Rodden-
berry) H. L. Hood, Jr., Pembroke,
$25.
Shooting Doves Over Baited
Field: (Ranger H. S. Carlan) O.
F. Layfield, Milledgeville, $37.50;
E. J. Willingham, Macon, $37.50;
J. M. McElroth, Sr., Macon, $37.50;
John M. McElroth, Jr., Macon,
$37.50; H. T. Kitchens, Jr., Mill
edgeville, $37.50; A. O. B. Sparks,
Macon, $37.50; Billington Sanders,
Macon, $37.50.
Hunting Without License: (Ran
ger J. T. Smith) C. E. Brantley,
Wrightsville, $5; (Ranger J. R. C.
Smith) Willie Key, Jr., Keysville,
$15; Thomas L. Streetman, Keys
ville, $10; (Ranger W. R. Perkins)
Walter Peterson, Villa Rica, $7;
(Ranger Dewey Payne) B. F. Suy-
moul, Atlanta, $10; (Ranger J. M.
Newsom) Willie Parris, Sparta,
$20 and cost of court; Arthur B.
Tucker, Sparta, $20; James Clark,
Sparta, $20; (Ranger W. M. Co-
heley) C. B. Crawford, Concord,
$10; Clifford Wilder, Thomaston,
$15; Robert Flowers, Thomaston,
$15; B. F. Killingworth, Griffin,
$5; Marvin C. Ballard, Milner, $5;
(Ranger Clark Harrell) B. R. Mc-
Gowap, West Green, $30.30.
Fishing Without License: (Ran
ger C. G. Young) L. E. Myers,
Tifton, $10; (Ranger C. H. Spence)
MARCH 1946
Arnold Keys, Young Harris, $30.60;
John Taulman, Atlanta, $10; Les
ter Hardwick, Atlanta, $10; (Ran
ger G. W. Tucker) Linson Calder,
Nashville, $10; J. P. Gray, Val
dosta, $10; (Ranger V. A. Miller)
C. J. Sapp, Pant City, $10 and
cost of court; D. P. Cowart, Brin
son, $15; (Ranger W. L. Hollida)
C. S. Wetherington, Rincon, $5;
(Ranger J. T. Holmes) Pearl
Cherry, Haysville, N. C., $30.60;
(Ranger W. M. Coheley) W. A.
Blanks, Thomaston, $15; Howard
McConkle, Thomaston, $20; Carl
W. Brown, Griffin, $5; Harvie E.
Brown, Griffin, $5.
Shooting Squirrel Out of Sea
son: (Ranger Wm. Roddenberry)
V. L. Ridgon, Candler, $25; May
nard Mikel, Candler, $25.
Fishing With Illegal Nets: (Ran
ger G. W. Harrell) Tom Brown,
Rhine, $25; Dan Dix, Rhine, $25;
Jim Brown, Abbeville, $25; (Ran
ger J. T. Smith) Frank Harris,
Swainsboro, $7.50; Marion M.
Hathcock, Summit, $7.50; Charlie
Wilson, Swainsboro, $7.50.
Taking Illegal Size Fish: (Ran
ger C. G. Young) Allie Jackson,
Cordele, $10; Eunice Wright, Cor-
dele, $10; F. M. Burnett, Cordele,
$10; (Ranger W. T. Harris) T. B.
Gunter, Buford, $30.60; George
Sears, Buford, $30.60.
Hunting With Unplugged Gun:
(Ranger J. W. Ross) H. E. Mc
Cann, Boston, $35; (Ranger J. M.
Newsom) Henry Clark, Sparta,
$30; (Ranger R. W. Jenkins) E.
H. Wemberly, Farrar, $30; J. S.
Blackwell, Madison, $30; J. C.
Broach, Madison, $30; (Ranger H.
H. Barnes) E. R. Vallery, Colum
bus, $37.50; (Ranger H. S. Car
lan) W. A. Hemphill, Jr., Milledge
ville, $5.
Trapping Otters: (Ranger Lee
Posey) Smith Halliburton, Rey
nolds, $5.
Total amount of fines—$1,452.20.
JAMES G. WILCOX INSURANCE COMPANY
GENERAL INSURANCE
301 Ten Pryor Street Building
ATLANTA 3, GEORGIA Phone WAInut 4410