Condensed Statements Of Cash Flows - USD ($)		6 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Operating Activities
Net income (loss)		$ (10,237,279)	$ 10,937,968
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation, depletion and amortization		13,003,535	11,950,609
Impairment	[1]	11,849,064	3,400,642
Provision for deferred income taxes		(7,405,000)	2,698,000
Exploration costs		28,949	28,457
Gain from leasing fee mineral acreage		(2,906,480)	(281,124)
Net (gain) loss on sales of assets		(271,080)
Income from partnerships		(10,508)	(288,187)
Distributions received from partnerships		32,632	395,852
Directors' deferred compensation expense		168,402	169,464
Restricted stock awards		508,095	531,243
Bad debt expense (recovery)		19,216
Cash provided (used) by changes in assets and liabilities:
Oil, NGL and natural gas sales receivables		3,644,841	6,588,410
Fair value of derivative contracts		3,880,013	(8,588,328)
Refundable production taxes		21,983	26,625
Other current assets		(79,829)	26,579
Accounts payable		(510,114)	(41,635)
Income taxes receivable		(775,806)
Income taxes payable			503,394
Accrued liabilities		(393,984)	(404,053)
Total adjustments		20,803,929	16,715,948
Net cash provided by operating activities		10,566,650	27,653,916
Investing Activities
Capital expenditures, including dry hole costs		(2,554,543)	(19,797,996)
Acquisition of working interest properties			(308,180)
Proceeds from leasing fee mineral acreage		3,193,775	286,844
Investments in partnerships		48,462	(208,312)
Proceeds from sales of assets		627,547
Net cash provided (used) by investing activities		1,315,241	(20,027,644)
Financing Activities
Borrowings under debt agreement		6,078,919	18,894,612
Payments of loan principal		(16,578,919)	(24,971,023)
Purchases of treasury stock		(117,165)	(120,611)
Payments of dividends		(1,338,011)	(1,333,023)
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation		(44,000)	(19,000)
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities		(11,999,176)	(7,549,045)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(117,285)	77,227
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		603,915	509,755
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period		486,630	586,982
Supplemental Schedule of Noncash Investing and Financing Activities:
Additions to asset retirement obligations		7,160	32,728
Gross additions to properties and equipment		2,483,225	18,207,598
Net (increase) decrease in accounts payable for properties and equipment additions		71,318	1,898,578
Capital expenditures and acquisitions, including dry hole costs		$ 2,554,543	$ 20,106,176

[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.