In the 1942 season when shooting pressure was light, as on most week days, censuses 

 revealed that from three-fourths to all the ruddles In the vicinity were on the Sparland 

 Public Shooting Ground, the remainder on adjacent Wise's Lake. However, the situation on 

 week-ends was different. The following account Is typical of a Sunday on the Sparland area. 

 Because of disturbances brought about by heavy hunting pressure, all but a hundred or so 

 ruddles had left the public shooting ground by mid morning for the waters of Wise's Lake. 

 This lake, under the control of duck clubs, served as a refuge for the ruddles, since none of 

 the club members practiced open water shooting. Many hunters who had been shooting and rowing 

 about In pursuit of ruddles on the Sparland lake, until they had chased most of the ducks from 

 It, Joined others already present In open boats strung across a channel an eighth mile wide, 

 which opened Into Wise's Lake. Occasionally, single ruddles or small bunches of birds detached 

 themselves from the main body of ducks on Wise's Lake and headed down the pass toward the 

 Sparland Public Shooting Ground. Since these birds rarely flew over 25 yards high, most of 

 them were within range of at least one of the 30 to 50 hunters, for seldom would the ruddles 

 alter their course to fly over the point of woods separating the lakes. On one Sunday In 1942 

 about 8 out of every 10 ruddles attempting to cross this line were killed; a total of 480 were 

 bagged. Counts made on various Sundays In 1941 and 1942 revealed 20, 25, 19 and 28 boats, 

 averaging two hunters each, strung out across the above channel. 



As fig. 15 shows, the Sparland area was characterized by a general tendency. In con- 

 trast to trends at the other areas, for an Increase In the number of hunters to result In an 

 Increase In the Individual bag. In 1941 and 1942, a sharp Increase In the Individual bag 

 resulted until the number of hunters had passed 25 per square mile. A concentration of 26 to 

 50 hunters per square mile produced a decreased number of ruddles per hunter, but with 51 to 

 75 hunters per square mile there was again a sharp accentuation In the Individual bag. Over 

 75 hunters per square mile resulted In a reduced bag per hunter per day. 



From field observations we may fairly accurately diagnose the peaks and slumps In 

 the Individual bag at Sparland. The first peak resulted apparently because an Increase In the 

 number of himters raised a greater number of ruddles Into the air from the surface of the 

 water. This increase of ruddles In the air gave Individual hunters proportionally more birds 

 to shoot at, for ruddles make few attempts to dodge boats and almost always fly sufficiently 

 low to be within gunshot vertically. The first slump appears to have resulted because, after 

 the disturbance assumed great proportions, the ruddles tended to move to sections of the lake 

 (such as the south end owned by a duck club) not so thickly populated by hunters. When there 

 were over 50 hunters per square mile, disturbance and shooting pressure were so great that by 

 mid morning most of the birds had left the Sparland water for Wise's Lake. This movement 

 would have resulted In fewer ducks being killed per hunter If It had not been for the fact 

 that during the afternoon the ruddles flew from Wise's Lake down the pass to the Sparland 

 area. This movement gave hunters a double opportunity to kill this species and resulted In a 



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