November, 1^44 



Bellrose: Duck Populations and Kill 



337 



smaller is the percentage of ducks likely While many instances can be cited 

 to be killed. A flock of 1,000 mallards favoring each species, veteran duck 

 or bluebills passing over a blind is un- hunters generally give the edge to the 

 likely to have many more individuals pintail. However, in Illinois, the flock- 

 killed from it than a flock numbering ing and feeding habits of mallards and 



Fig. 6. — Chronology of flight of all duck species, and species other than mallard, bag per 

 hunter per day and total daily kill (weekly averages expressed as per cent of yearly total) in the 

 Illinois River valley, 1941. 



only 10 or 100, for after the first shot the 

 individuals left are warned and have an 

 opportunity to swing or climb out of 

 range. Experienced duck hunters usu- 

 ally refrain from shooting into large 

 flocks, for they know such shooting 

 "educates" ducks to avoid the area 

 from which the shots have been fired. 



Of all kinds of Illinois ducks, mal- 

 lards and black ducks, considered to- 

 il gether, were found through this study 

 , to be the least vulnerable to hunting, 

 I table 2. In sporting circles, many heated 

 debates have arisen over the question 

 of whether the mallard, the black duck 

 or the pintail is the wariest of our ducks. 



black ducks are such that a much lower 

 percentage of the flight is killed. 



Mallards and black ducks now fre- 

 quent the open waters of large lakes 

 much of the day and night during the 

 fall migration season in Illinois. Near 

 sunset or before sunrise, they wing high 

 overhead to feed in cornfields. Pintails 

 obtain most of their food from small- 

 seeded plants growing in marshes and 

 along the edges of lakes. In seeking 

 this food, they generally come within 

 gun range much more frequently than 

 do mallards. The mallard habit of con- 

 centrating by the tens of thousands on 

 about a dozen large lakes of the Illi- 



