Outdoors
2B • Daily Corinthian
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Here’s a quick, easy way to clean a catfish There’s no two ands or buts about it. I like things simple. Maybe it’s because I’m an old school kind of guy that hasn’t necessarily evolved with modern trends, but it seems everything these days has to be so complicated. From what we do at work to the things we encounter on our leisure time, there seems to be so many unnecessary steps to follow and red tape to unravel. You would think things would be much easier and less complex considering the advancement of technology and the amount of knowledge floating around out there. Perhaps it is for those not as technology challenged as I.
B u t , the way I see it, the simple approach has several adDavid vantages. Green S t r e s s will be Outdoors less likely, more time can be spent on the things you enjoy doing the most and, in some instances, there will be more money left in your pocket since new modern era technology driven products usually come with a high price tag. As I was saying earlier, there’s a lot of information floating around out there. But be forewarned, not all of it is accurate in
how to do something easier or more efficiently. I’ve been writing outdoor columns going on about five years now and I’m sure I’ve made a mistake or two along the way, but while looking over a popular outdoor magazine the other day I came across an article telling how to skin an eating sized catfish. It was supposed to be an easy way to clean a catfish but, in reality, the author’s way of doing the task made it much more complicated, time consuming and added more work to the process than is actually necessary. He recommended placing a catfish on a 2 by 6 three-ft. board in length at waist height and then
uses a knife to cut the skin all the way around the head just in front of the gills before making another slit all the way down the fish’s back. Once this is done, a 16-penny nail would be driven into the skull to secure it in place, the dorsal fin would be cut off, and then with the board braced to your waist and the tail pointed toward you, take a pair of fish skinning pliers to grasp the skin and pull it down to the tail and off. Remove the fish from the board, hold the head in one hand and the body in the other, bend the head sharply down to break the spine, and bend the body back upward and twist to separate the head from the body. Then, open the
belly with the knife and remove the remaining viscera from the cavity, and rinse well. “Woo,” that’s way too much work. Made me tired just reading his instructions. Thankfully, there’s a much easier way to clean a catfish. Grab a hold of a fish in much the same way you would in removing a hook but have the palm of your hand on top of the head in the direction of the fish’s whiskers. Slit the skin all the way around behind the gills, pull off with skinning pliers, then with a knife cut at a 45 degree angle behind the dorsal fin to the spine in the direction of the mouth, snap and pull downward abruptly, us-
ing both hands. Rinse and you’re done. If the cut behind the top fin is made properly, the innards will come out the same time the head is separated from the body. Sounds a whole lot easier, doesn’t it? Granted, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. But why make things harder than they have to be? (Alcorn County resident David Green is an avid hunter and fisherman in the Crossroads area. Anyone wishing to share their own unique outdoor story or have any news to report pertaining to the outdoors, David can be contacted at dgreen_outdoors@yahoo.com.)
Habitat destruction remains box turtle’s biggest problem BY JAMES L. CUMMINGS Conservation Corner
The term “box turtle” can refer to either the Asian box turtle or to the North American box turtle. Box turtles are characterized by their domed shell which is hinged at the bottom. This hinging allows the turtle to tightly close its shell providing better protection from predators. While this domed, hinged shell is common to both genera, the turtles differ in habitat, behavior and appearance. The North American box turtle, which is what we will be referring to in this article, is omnivo-
rous. Their sharp eyes and keen sense of smell help them to find foods such as snails, berries, fungi, slugs, worms, roots, flowers, fish, frogs, snakes, salamanders, birds and eggs. Their feasting preference varies by season but there is a definite trend as to age. The young are primarily carnivorous leading them to hunt for their food in ponds and streams during their first 5 to 7 years, while the adults usually feed on land as they tend to be more herbivorous. However, box turtles eat no green leaves. Temperatures tend to determine activity rates. The preferred body tem-
perature of the box turtle is between 84˚ and 100˚F. This is why in the heat of summer, box turtles restrict their activities to mainly mornings or after it rains. If they get too uncomfortable in the heat, they will hide under decaying logs and leaves, crawl into abandoned mammal burrows or dig into the mud. In the spring and fall, with the cooler temperatures, the box turtle will forage during daylight hours, sometimes stopping to bask in the sun for warmth. Box turtles are active in daytime and will scoop out a shallow bed for the night. Box turtles go into hi-
bernation by November in the Northern regions, but remain active on into December in the warmer Southern climates. To hibernate, they will dig up to 2 feet deep. They often return to the same place to hibernate and sometimes more than one turtle will share this place. Hibernation typically lasts until April. These turtles have a home range with a diameter of 750 feet or less in which they normally stay. For unknown reasons, they will occasionally journey beyond their range and will find themselves within the space of another turtle. Though this seems intrusive,
when found together, these turtles show no antagonism towards each other. The biggest problem facing the box turtle is habitat destruction. Woodlands converted into farmland have reduced the range of these turtles in many states. The remaining available land is often fragmented with housing projects and roads. These obstacles break up the turtles’ habitat. A further threat includes the capturing and selling of wild-born box turtles. Some states, such as Indiana, have laws against the collection of turtles from the wild and in
many states it is illegal to keep them without a permit. Collecting box turtles from the wild may cause irreparable damage to the turtle population because they are already hindered by a low reproductive rate compounded by their inability to easily find a mate. (A Daily Corinthian Outdoors columnist, James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Their web site is www.wildlifemiss.org.)
Alcorn School District Title I Pre-Kindergarten Academy x A federally funded program for 4-year-old children with academic need x NO COST to students who live within the Alcorn School District A formal screening process is used to determine eligibility for the program. If there are more eligible students than spaces, students will be ranked and placed according to academic need. Screening will be scheduled during July 10-13.
Program Eligibility Criteria: x x x x
Reside within the boundaries of the Alcorn School District. Child is 4 years old on or before September 1. Child is potty-trained (no pull-ups permitted). Parent or guardian must be able to provide transportation.
Required Documents for Enrollment: Pre-K Academy Application,ORIGINAL UP-TO-DATE MS Immunization Certificate (Form-121), Certified Birth Certificate, Social Security Card, Two Proofs of Residency in ASD
For more information or application: *Rienzi Elementary 662-462-5214 *Glendale Elementary 662-286-2734 *Alcorn Central Elementary 662-286-6899 *Biggersville Elementary 662-286-6593 *Kossuth Elementary 662-286-2761 *ASD Administrative Offices 662-286-5591 or 662-286-3202 www.alcorn.k12.ms.us