378 



INFLUENCE OF MAN 



T.\BLE 58. CRIPPLING LOSS ON POPULATION CONTROL EXPERIMENT- 

 CONNECTICUT HILL 



the state. 



Considering the maximum number of birds that might have died following crippling (table 

 57) and the minimum estimate in the table that follows it, the Investigation believes that the 

 probable loss from hunter crippling is normally about % of the birds shot down, or 2 per 

 cent of the pre-season grouse population. 



Total Hunter Kill 



The sum of the hunter take and the loss from crippling gives us the total hunter kill. On 

 the Tompkins County hunter-check areas in 1930 the number of birds that disappeared between 

 September 1 and November 30 was 17.0 per cent while in 1931 it totalled 32.3 per cent. This 

 included losses from all causes including hunting. A figure closer to the actual hunting loss 

 is obtained by applying the estimated ratio of cripples as given in the preceding topic to the 

 bag and adding that amount to the six and 29 birds bagged in 1930 and 1931 respectively. 

 Then, in 1930, the estimated total kill was 11.3 per cent of the pre-season population and in 

 1931 (which is considered as a normal grouse hunting year for the increase phase of the 

 grouse cycle) it was 17.7 per cent. The 1935 public hunting grounds hunter-check showed 

 a total kill of 15.4 per cent. Since these mathematical figures are obviously only approxi- 

 mations of conditions as a whole, we may summarily conclude that the total kill by hunters 

 in New York is about 17 per cent of the prc-hunting season grouse population. 



Success Ratio 



Success ratio as herein used applies to the ratio of birds bagged to birds flushed by the 

 individual hunters. The ratio may vary from per rent to 100 per cent but the results 

 iiliiaiiicd on the 1930 and 1931 hunter-checks as summarized in table 59 show that it is more 

 iniiinioiilv closer to zero. 



T.VBLE 59. 



SUCCESS U.Vno l.N CRULSE UUNTlNG^TO.MlMvl.NS COUNTY .VNU 

 PUBLIC HUNTING GROUND HUNTER- CHECK ARE\S 



Thus the success ratio in 1930 was 8.8 per cent or one bird bagged to every 11.4 flushed 

 and in 1931 was 7.3 |)cr cent or one bird bagged to every 13.7 flushed. Tlie 1936 check 

 shows the highest ratio of all, 11.1 per cent or one bird bagged for every nine flushed. 



