As fig. 16 and tables 3, 4 and 5 show. In all three seasons of this study, duck 

 hunting success, based on birds per hunter per day, was slightly better at Spring Lake than on 

 the Woodford County Ground; however, many more coots per hunter per day were killed on the 

 latter area. 



As fig. 15 shows. In 1941 and 1942, at Spring Lake there was a general decline In 

 the Individual dally bag with an Increase In the number of hunters. It was not so marked a 

 drop as at the Liverpool Areas for a very good reason. Data at hand disclose that 50 per 

 cent of the bag In 1941 and 1942 was made up of diving ducks and 35 per cent was composed of 

 baldpates and gadwalls. These species are not so wary as mallards or pintails. When these 

 birds are shot at out of range, or otherwise missed, there Is a much better chance (than with 

 mallards and pintails) that they will fly within range of other hunters or decoy to a neigh- 

 boring blind. Thus, an Increase In the number of hunters and the consequent greater amount 

 of hunting Interference Is less Important on areas frequented by baldpates, gadwalls and 

 diving ducks than on mallard and pintail marshes. 



Fig. 14, as It depicts the Influence of hunting Intensity on the take at Spring 

 Lake, reveals that the total dally bag In 1941 and 1942 did not experience a general decline 

 until there were over 70 hunters per square mile, although It apparently began to level off at 

 about 55 per square mile. The sharp rise at the end of the curve lacks validity because It Is 

 due to a single sample, opening day. Spring Lake has a slightly greater hunting capacity than 

 the Liverpool Areas for reasons already mentioned. 



Woodford County Public Shooting Ground 



The state-owned Woodford County Public Shooting Ground Is located on Goose Pond, a 

 vast expanse of open water contiguous with and an extension of Upper Peoria Lake. There Is 

 very little land which can be used for shooting sites, for much of the small amount of land 

 adjacent to the area Is under control of clubs. 



In the three seasons covered by this study, the take of ducks per acre at the 

 Woodford County area was less than one-fifth of the average for the other three public shoot- 

 ing grounds. The average dally bag per hunter was about 85 per cent of that on Spring Lake, 

 tables 3, 4 and 5 and fig. 16. However, In addition to ducks, the Woodford waterfowlers 

 averaged 1.1, 0.7 and 1.1 coots each per day for 1940, 1941 and 1942, respectively. 



High water through the 1941 season lowered the duck and coot kill at the Woodford 

 area, for the high water, among other things, made the usually few shooting sites still fewer. 

 There were actually more ducks In the general vicinity in 1941 than In 1940 and more In 1942 

 than in any other recent year. 



From the latter part of October to December, 1940, there were 25,000 to 60,000 

 lesser scaups and 200 to 1,500 canvasbacks on Goose Pond and Upper Peoria Lake. During the 



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