Condensed Balance Sheets - USD ($)		Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 551,671	$ 471,213
Oil, NGL and natural gas sales receivables (net of allowance for uncollectable accounts)		5,150,560	5,287,229
Refundable income taxes		876,362	83,874
Other		337,712	419,037
Total current assets		6,916,305	6,261,353
Properties and equipment at cost, based on successful efforts accounting:
Producing oil and natural gas properties		435,198,500	434,469,093
Non-producing oil and natural gas properties		7,497,046	7,574,649
Other		1,071,876	1,069,658
Gross properties and equipment, at cost, based on successful efforts accounting		443,767,422	443,113,400
Less accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization		(251,168,113)	(251,707,749)
Net properties and equipment		192,599,309	191,405,651
Investments		169,473	157,322
Total assets		199,685,087	197,824,326
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		5,294,624	2,351,623
Derivative contracts, net	[1]	43,705	403,612
Accrued liabilities and other		1,521,993	1,718,558
Total current liabilities		6,860,322	4,473,793
Long-term debt		44,000,000	44,500,000
Deferred income taxes, net		30,600,007	30,676,007
Asset retirement obligations		3,054,646	2,958,048
Derivative contracts, net	[1]		24,659
Stockholders' equity:
Class A voting common stock, $.0166 par value; 24,000,000 shares authorized, 16,863,004 issued at March 31, 2017, and September 30, 2016		280,938	280,938
Capital in excess of par value		2,431,161	3,191,056
Deferred directors' compensation		3,277,619	3,403,213
Retained earnings		112,373,669	112,482,284
Stockholders' Equity		118,363,387	119,357,491
Less treasury stock, at cost; 194,213 shares at March 31, 2017, and 262,708 shares at September 30, 2016		(3,193,275)	(4,165,672)
Total stockholders' equity		115,170,112	115,191,819
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity		$ 199,685,087	$ 197,824,326

[1] See Fair Value Measurements section for further disclosures regarding fair value of financial instruments