The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 60

8-D Friday, Nov. 18, 1977 Philadelphia Inqmrer RADIO PAGING Pheasant hunters complain of shortage I for: I EXECUTIVES I PROFESSIONALS I FIELD AND Jim Bashlinc on the outdoors SERVICE PERSONNEL 1 I FOR FREE COVERAGE MAP AND I DEMON- I STRATION CALL 4 i ,..,,1 jl Pennsylvania's pheasant season is into its final week and the hunters in the south-central and far western regions are complaining. Pedestrian hunters who walk the corn fields are always complaining, but this time, the brass-bound, brush-slammcrs, who get out there and trv, are not finding birds. The counties most often mentioned as being short of ringnecks, are Cumberland, Adams, York, Lancaster and Lebanon traditionally good pheasant countryside. Hunting pressure on small game seems to be down slightly and that may be part of the reason.

Further east, at least by my yardstick, I'm finding a usual number of ringnecks. Chester, Berks, Bucks and Montgomery counties are providing good hunting if the stalwarts work at it and have the services of a dog. I firmly believe that any dog is better than no dog when it comes Line Avenue along the Schuylkill Expressway. Salt water fishing has been a tough proposition this fall along the Jersey Coast. Bad weather has hampered the charter and party fleet, but when the boats were able to get out, some good things were happening if you happened to find the birds.

A heavy combination of big blues, weakfish and stripers are still moving south. When the gulls and terns are dipping low the smart captains kill the engines and drift with them. The water is getting cold with usual readings just below 50 degrees. The blues and weakies won't be. around long and this weekend may be the end of it.

Some ling and whiting are showing up around the Long Branch Pier and winter flounder are being taken at Shrewsbury. Winter fishing last year was not merely a cold occupation, it was impossible. Let's hope for better times this season. But regardless of what is happening to the ringnecks, the early line on ruffed grouse is still paying off. Pennsylvania shooters are finding them in nearly every county where suitable habitat exists.

They are even being flushed with some degree of regularity in the woodlots of Chester County. Two years ago, that would have been considered unthinkable. Unfortunately, grouse are not pheasants and it's the oriental import that is the bread and butter bird of southern Pensylvania hunters. Maybe a trap and transfer program similar to the one used so successfully with wild turkeys could be applied to ringnecks. The woodlots in and around Philadelphia are loaded with wild ringnecks, the tough, resilient birds that have learned to cope with four-lane highways and stray dogs.

Such birds have a better chance of reproducing than the fat gamefarm birds. I'll bet that there are 5,000 ringnecks from King of Prussia to City 1879-0900 I Radio Broadcasting Co. I 3600 Conshohocken Ave. PA 19131 7 Don't expect ringnecks to vault skyward in that classic, towering taKeoff after the opening ri'ay. They much prefer to run.

The plodding hunter or hunters, minus a dog, will see or hear nothing. But the complaints are real in the areas south and west of Harrisburg. A single reason for the reduction of stock is hard to pinpoint. The farming is cleaner with fewer hedgerows these days. Mowing the first crop of hay takes place sooner and that kills a lot of chicks and destroys nests.

Agricultural pesticides a toll and natural predation removes some birds from the huntable supply. Maybe a combination of these hit in concert this season. ClASSIFIEoPrS to putting cockbirds in the air. Leon Spinks seeking title shot Sports in brief Righetti underdog to Spinks Compiled by Tht Inquirer Stall LAS VEGAS, Nev. Leon Spinks of Philadelphia and Alfio Righetti of Rimini, Italy, are two young, undefeated heavyweights with the same thing in mind a shot at world champion Muhammad Ali in February and the six-figure paycheck that will go with the title bout.

The two will collide here tonight in a nationally televised (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EST) 10-rounder, topping the inaugural event at the sparkling new, Las Vegas Hilton Pavilion. A contract reportedly already has been signed assuring the victor a shot at the title. Spinks weighed in yesterday at 201, while Righetti tipped the scales at 217. Spinks (5-0-1) coming off a draw a ft nil itae LiweiEjirfiiiiL month ago with Scott LeDoux, is heavily favored to defeat Righetti, but says he is not looking past the Italian champion.

Righetti has not lost in 27 pro outings. The card also features a pair of light-heavyweight contenders from Los Angeles, Jesse Burnett, 174, going against Lonnie Bennett, 177, in a scheduled 10-rounder. Two other young undefeated heavyweights, Bernardo Mercado, 220, Reno, and Fili Moala, 241, of Tonga, via Hawthorne, also are scheduled to get some television exposure in another scheduled 10-rounder. Football TALLAHASSEE. Fla.

The news that the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, plans to invite Clemson rather than Florida State, despite the Semi-noles' 8-1 record, has raised a storm of protest. More than 1,000 fans called a Tallahassee newspaper to protest the Gator Bowl decision, which reportedly was made because it was felt that out-of-state fans would spend more money in Jacksonville. BALTIMORE Maryland is- expected to be invited to the Hall of Fame Classic bowl game in Birmin-ham, Dec. 22, the Baltimore News-American said. The newspaper said the leading candidates to oppose the Terps are Southern Cal, Minnesota and Colorado.

NEW ORLEANS Tulane University's arts and science faculty has voted by 101-10 to recommend that the university de-emphasize football. One member of the athletic department charged that the vote had been strategically timed to hurt Tulane's high school recruiting, saying: "They want to hurt recruiting so the program will not improve and that will help them get what they want." Golf TOKYO Severiano Ballesteros of Spain shot a two-under-par 69 to gain a one-stroke lead over Japanese pros Norio Suzuki, Shinsaku Maeda and Shiro Matsuda after one round of the $265,000 Japan Open golf tournament. SYDNEY New Zealand champion John Lister shot a two-under-par 70 to take a one-stroke over fellow American Don January, Australians David Gauoway and Jack Newton and Eddie Nival of the Philippines fter one round of the $200,000 Australia Open golf tournament. Volleyball TOKYO Brazil, China, the Soviet Union and Cuba won preliminary round matches as the World Cup volleyball championship began in four Japanese cities. Brazil beat the United States, 15-8, 15-8, 15-7; China defeated Canada, 15-5, 15-3, 15-8; the Soviet Union topped South Korea, 15-8, 15-12, 15-10, and Cuba beat Bulgaria, 15-5, 6-15, 15-7, 15-8.

Tennis LAS VEGAS Dick Stockton upset Jim Connors, for the third time this year, 6-5, 6-5, and Vitas Gerulaitis defeated Roscoe Tanner, 5-6, 6-4, 6-4, in preliminary round matches of the $320,000 WCT-Caesars Palace Challenge Cup tennis tournament. Basketball LAS VEGAS Clarke County District Court Judge James Brennan rejected a University of Nevada-Las Vegas request for a new trial in its attempt to suspend basketball Coach Jerry Tarkanian, who meanwhile is preparing his team for the coming season. Th? judge ruled that UNLV's contention that he had ruled improperly in a one-day trial two months ago was unfounded in view of the tvi-vdence. There are well over 3,000 different brands of beer in the world. But whn it comes time for the taste of a truly great beer, there's really only one.

1 1977 Brewed by Miller Brewing Milwaukee, U.S.A..