November, 1^44 



Bellrose: Duck Populations and Kill 



329 



extended from October 15 through 

 November 28 in 1938 and from October 

 22 through December 5 the following 

 ^ear. In 1934 a season having rest 

 days or lay days was permitted; states 

 were given the option of having 30 

 shooting days run consecutively or at 



and "times and lines of migratory 

 flight" with respect to the hunting of 

 migratory birds. 



The 1913 regulations divided the 

 United States into two zones with 

 respect to closed seasons, a northern 

 "breeding zone" and a southern "win- 



250 



200 



150 



100 



50 



A- 



_L. 



1900 



1905 



1910 



1915 



1920 



1925 



1930 



1935 



1940 



Fig. 1. — Length of the waterfowl hunting seasons in Illinois, 1900-1943. The length was 

 letermined in some years by state law and in others by federal regulations. 



intervals over a period not to exceed 

 approximately 3^ months. Only two 

 states selected a season of 30 consecu- 

 tive days. A tew states chose a season 

 3f 5 days a week for 6 weeks and a few 

 2 days a week for 15 weeks; 30 states 

 chose a season of 3 days a week for 10 

 weeks. Illinois chose 2 days a week, 

 October 6-January 13. According to 

 More Game Birds in America, a sports- 

 men's organization that has since dis- 

 banded, in the 48 states there were 21 

 difi^^erent combinations of shooting days 

 and 17 difi'erent opening and closing 

 dates (Anonymous 1936). 



The Migratory Bird Act of 1913 em- 

 powered the Secretary of Agriculture to 

 prescribe and fix closed seasons on 

 waterfowl, "having due regard to the 

 zones of temperature, breeding habits, 

 and times and line of migratory flight." 

 The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 

 5n granting similar powers included 

 references to "zones of temperature," 



tering zone," but within the zones made 

 several local exceptions to the general 

 dates established for these zones. For 

 the next few years, numerous variations 

 in the dates of hunting seasons were 

 tried. In 1918, four zones, on the 

 basis of opening dates, were established. 

 In 1935, the states were grouped into 

 two zones, with the open season October 

 21 through November 19 for the north- 

 ern zone and November 20 through 

 December 19 for the southern zone. 

 In 1936, three zones were established, 

 with the hunting season October 10 

 through November 8 lor the northern 

 zone, November 1 through November 

 30 for the central zone and November 

 26 through December 25 for the south- 

 ern zone. These zones followed closely 

 the zones of temperature as determined 

 from records of the U. S. Weather 

 Bureau. In most instances zones were 

 established along state lines and thus 

 kept at a minimum the confusion and 



