344 



Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 



Vol. 2j, Art. 2 



Table 5. — Per cent of entire fall flight, per cent of total bag, and mortality quotient 

 (indicating relative mortality from hunters) for each of the important duck species 



or groups in the Illinois River valley, 1940. 



Species* 



Per Cent of 



Flight During 



Entire Fall 



Per Cent of 



Total 



Bag 



Mortality 

 Quotient 



Mallard and black duck 



Pintail.. 



Green- winged teal 



Blue-winged teal 



Widgeon 



Gadwall 



Shoveler 



Lesser scaup 



Ring-necked duck 



Canvasback 



Ruddy duck 



92.76 

 3.35 

 0.18 

 0.63 

 0.56 

 0.04 

 0.04 

 1.97 

 0.21 

 0.17 

 0.09 



72.66 

 11.67 

 4.19 

 1.39 

 2.14 

 1.14 

 1.09 

 3.36 

 1.81 

 0.37 

 0.18 



0.78 



3.48 



23.28 



2.21 



3.82 



28.50 



27.25 



1.71 



8.62 



2.18 



2.00 



100.00 



100.00 



♦Certain species omitted because of lack of sufficient data. 



two species. Numerals applying to 

 these species in 1938-1940 are based 

 upon the ratio obtained. In 1941 and 

 1942 the kill record sheets were more 

 clearly marked to differentiate the 

 species. 



Hunting seasons following 1938 placed 

 the mallard and black duck under more 

 shooting pressure than in that year. An 

 early ingress of mallards and black 

 ducks into the valley in 1939, together 

 with a season that was set 1 week later 

 than in 1938, placed more pressure on 

 these species in 1939 than in the pre- 



vious year, fig. 12 and table 8. The 

 season was extended in 1940 from 45 to 

 60 days. It resulted in a marked in- 

 crease in shooting pressure on mallards 

 and black ducks because most of the 

 extension was on the end of the season, 

 when about 95 per cent of the water- 

 fowl population in Illinois was made up 

 of these species. There was a slight 

 drop in shooting pressure on these 

 species in 1941, because high water, 

 which prevailed throughout the season, 

 made them difficult to kill. Still more 

 days were added to the end of the water- 



Table 6. — Per cent of entire fall flight, per cent of total bag, and mortality quotient 

 (indicating relative mortality from hunters) for each of the important duck species 



or groups in the Illinois River valley, 1941. 



Species* 



Per Cent of 



Flight During 



Entire Fall 



Per Cent of 



Total 



Bag 



Mortality 

 Quotient 



Mallard and black duck 



Pintail 



Green-winged teal 



Blue-winged teal 



Widgeon 



Gadwall 



Shoveler 



Lesser scaup 



Ring-necked duck 



Canvasback 



Redhead 



Ruddy duck 



88.07 

 2.48 

 0.12 

 0.71 

 0.37 

 0.05 

 0.01 

 6.68 

 1.00 

 0.33 

 0.01 

 0.17 



100.00 



64.24 

 8.67 



64 

 34 

 15 

 91 



0.95 

 7.92 

 6.68 

 1.68 

 0.31 

 0.51 



100.00 



0.73 



3.49 



13.67 



3.30 



8.51 



38.20 



95.00 



.19 

 .68 

 ,09 



31.00 

 3.00 



♦Certain species omitted because of lack of sufficient data. 



