Condensed Statements Of Cash Flows - USD ($)		9 Months Ended
		Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014
Operating Activities
Net income (loss)		$ 10,209,022	$ 15,703,476
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation, depletion and amortization		17,680,069	15,562,630
Impairment	[1]	3,532,760	430,143
Provision for deferred income taxes		2,854,000	5,964,000
Exploration costs		48,368	70,140
Gain from leasing fee mineral acreage		(1,973,773)	(352,930)
Net (gain) loss on sales of assets			152,766
Income from partnerships		(373,555)	(565,523)
Distributions received from partnerships		535,400	734,825
Directors' deferred compensation expense		232,088	269,608
Restricted stock awards		740,043	499,791
Cash provided (used) by changes in assets and liabilities:
Oil, NGL and natural gas sales receivables		6,771,690	(1,349,892)
Fair value of derivative contracts		(3,500,264)	2,431,427
Refundable production taxes		40,035	281,741
Other current assets		158,431	(25,098)
Accounts payable		148,384	443,438
Income taxes receivable			(3,160,243)
Income taxes payable		518,003	(751,992)
Accrued liabilities		(272,899)	100,229
Total adjustments		27,138,780	20,735,060
Net cash provided by operating activities		37,347,802	36,438,536
Investing Activities
Capital expenditures, including dry hole costs		(23,613,349)	(26,693,851)
Acquisition of working interest properties		(308,180)	(86,759,445)
Acquisition of minerals and overrides			(56,250)
Proceeds from leasing fee mineral acreage		2,018,707	381,280
Investments in partnerships		(313,053)	(248,066)
Proceeds from sales of assets			92,000
Net cash used in investing activities		(22,215,875)	(113,284,332)
Financing Activities
Borrowings under debt agreement		23,013,234	95,112,044
Payments of loan principal		(35,513,234)	(17,521,506)
Purchases of treasury stock		(242,313)	(122,044)
Payments of dividends		(2,001,150)	(1,995,812)
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation		27,000	17,000
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		(14,716,463)	75,489,682
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		415,464	(1,356,114)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		509,755	2,867,171
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period		925,219	1,511,057
Supplemental Schedule of Noncash Investing and Financing Activities:
Additions to asset retirement obligations		52,017	370,536
Gross additions to properties and equipment		22,686,530	109,182,119
Net (increase) decrease in accounts payable for properties and equipment additions		1,234,999	4,327,427
Capital expenditures and acquisitions, including dry hole costs		$ 23,921,529	$ 113,509,546

[1] At the end of each quarter, the Company assesses the carrying value of its producing properties for impairment. This assessment utilizes estimates of future cash flows. Significant judgments and assumptions in these assessments include estimates of future oil and natural gas prices using a forward NYMEX curve adjusted for locational basis differentials, drilling plans, expected capital costs and an applicable discount rate commensurate with risk of the underlying cash flow estimates. These assessments identified certain properties with carrying value in excess of their calculated fair values.