Published: February 05, 2009 08:14 pm      

30 not the end

Traditionally, journalists don’t mark the end of a written story by typing “The End,” but by putting 30.

There is no definitive reason for this, according to the literature, but a lot of speculation, such as scribes typing XXX to indicate the conclusion of the article and then having that mark considered to be the Roman numeral for 30.

Anyway, in journalism, 30 means “The End.”

As of Jan. 29, 30 took on a different meaning for me. That day marked 30 years that I have been an employee of the Cumberland Times-News.

Not long after becoming gainfully employed in the newspaper business, I was allowed to write an outdoor column. Not too long after that, I was provided a full page to pass outdoor news on to the readers.

The outdoor writing portion of my work here was a natural fit, allowing me to combine degrees from Utah State University in fishery biology and journalism as well as my passion for hunting and fishing.

It’s been a kick, and I look forward to many more outdoor pages.

If you do the simple math, 30 times 52 equals 1,560 Sundays that have come and gone since Jan. 29, 1979. There have been a couple Sundays or so a year that I have not written a column. Thus, it’s safe to say that I’ve penned about 1,500 of those things.

If I have repeated myself somewhere along the line, you now know why.

A lot has happened and a lot has changed in the world of hunting and fishing in these parts during that time. Most of the changes have been for the better, although hunting for ruffed grouse sure isn’t what it used to be.

Anyway, throughout the remainder of 2009, I will attempt on this Sunday or that to glance into the rear-view mirror at the 30 years that have passed.

We start that retrospection today with the table you see listing the harvest of bucks and does in Allegany and Garrett counties in each year from 1979 forward.

It’s interesting stuff. Thanks to Brian Eyler, the deer project leader for the Maryland Wildlife Service, for providing the numbers.

Eyler actually provided the numbers back to 1931.

In 1931, hunters in Allegany County killed 11 bucks. Garrett County was a lot better. Twenty-one ended up on meat poles there.

The Allegany County buck harvest climbed steadily, but slowly, topping 500 in 1956, 1,000 in 1975, 2,000 in 1988, 3,000 in 1995 and 4,000 in 1999. Since 2003, the buck kill in Allegany has been remarkably stable, bouncing back and forth between 2,333 and 2,861. The progression in Garrett County was somewhat the same.

It is interesting to note that there was no hunting for does (now called antlerless deer, because that harvest also includes button bucks) in Allegany County from 1931 through 1960. In 1961, 169 does were bagged. From 1962 through 1976, there were 10 years with no doe hunting. However, from 1964 through 1967, several hundred does were killed each year. Doe hunting began again in the county in 1977 and has continued at one level or another since then.

Hope you find that bit of history interesting. I know I do. We’ll see what else we can dig up from the past three decades to jog your hook and bullet memories.

Contact Outdoor Editor Mike Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.