same period In 1941, there were 35,000 to 231,000 lesser scaups and 1,000 to 10,000 

 canvasbacks. The population climbed again In 1942, for during the fall of that year there 

 were about 300,000 lesser scaups and 6,000 canvasbacks. 



Vmy were so few ducks killed when so many were present? The majority of hunters 

 shot from open boats without concealment of any kind. Some anchored their boats and waited 

 for a chance duck to fly by, while others attempted to "get a shot" by rowing toward rafts of 

 ducks, stopping when ducks passed within 100 yards ~ and sometimes 200 ~ to pick up their 

 shotguns and fire. On numerous Sundays early In the 1941 and 1942 seasons, I saw from 15 to 

 30 boats with hunters strung along the open water boundary of a hunting club. This was a 

 favorite spot, for occasionally ducks resting on the comparatively safe waters of the club 

 property left the area, flying over the hunters as they did so. 



When rafts of diving ducks were disturbed greatly, they would move away from the 

 public shooting ground. During the fall of 1942, It seemed Impossible for many shooters on 

 the Woodford County area to understand that, while they saw only a few thousand lesser scaups 

 or bluebllls, there were 250,000 of these birds at the lower end of 6,000-acre Upper Peoria 

 Lake. 



Fig. 15 shows for the Woodford County area one sharp drop and a total decline In the 

 Individual bag with an Increase In hunter density. However, the total decline was propor- 

 tionally less than at the Liverpool Areas, the apparent reason being similar to that discussed 

 under Spring Lake. The drop wag proportionally greater than at Spring Lake, undoubtedly 

 because the ducks were able to disperse more at the Woodford County area when hunter density 

 Increased; also, because lesser scaups, which frequented the Woodford County area, are harder 

 to kill than baldpates, gadwalls, teals and redheads, which used Spring Lake. Seventy-five 

 per cent of the bag on the Woodford County area In 1940 was diving ducks, the bulk lesser 

 scaups or bluebllls. In 1941, 60 per cent of the bag was made up of diving ducks, the 

 majority of which were lesser scaups. 



Fig. 14 shows for the Woodford County area only a small plateau and no sharp drop In 

 the total number of ducks bagged dally with Increasing numbers of hunters. As mentioned above 

 and discussed under the Spar land Ground and Spring Lake, there Is less likelihood of an early 

 drop occurring with certain species of ducks than with others, because hunting interference Is 

 less apt to deflect them from their course. Because of reports of a dlscouraglngly low bag on 

 the Woodford County area the nimiber of hunters visiting It was never sufficiently large to 

 bring the hunter density to the maximum carrying capacity. The fact that hunters were dis- 

 couraged Is Illustrated by data at hand which reveal a steady decline In the number of hunters 

 as the season advanced. This decline occurred In spite of an Increase In the duck population. 



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