and 211 ducks. The removal of about 90 per cent of the coot population the first day resulted 

 In reduced shooting thereafter. 



6. The Horse Shoe Lake Game Refuge In Alexander County has annually Induced 40,000 

 to 50,000 Canada geese to concentrate In that area. This great concentration of geese has 

 been responsible for the leasing or developing of much of the 15,000 acres of farm land around 

 the refuge, for the purpose of shooting geese. From 1940 through 1942, the number of goose- 

 hunting clubs ranged from 66 to 77 to 42. 



7. About 150 duck clubs on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River obtained 

 licenses In 1941. Only a few of these offered hunting on a dally fee basis. Mississippi 

 River club hunters In 1940 and 1942 were over twice as successful In taking ducks as were 

 those m the Chaln-0' -Lakes district, but they shot only a fraction of the number of coots. 

 Free-lance hunters were allowed to hunt on open areas In the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife 

 and Fish Refuge and on publicly controlled lands along the channel south of Rock Island. At 

 two open areas, free-lance hunters averaged, respectively, 0.92 and 2.44 ducks each per day. 



8. In the years of this study, about 7 per cent of 60,000 acres of waterfowl habitat 

 In the Illinois River valley was open to public hunting. The remaining acreage was under 

 private ownership or controlled by the 435 duck clubs customarily active. Since completion of 

 this study, an area of over 2,000 acres has been added to the publicly owned duck land. 

 Private club hunters along the Illinois River averaged approximately 1.3 more ducks each per 

 day In 1940, 1.8 more In 1941 and 0.3 more In 1942 than did club shooters along the Mississippi 

 River. 



9. While the kill per acre In the Illinois River valley was slightly greater at 

 public shooting grounds than at private clubs, there were over six times as many free-lance 

 hunters as club hunters per acre per day; public hunters averaged only 1.47 ducks each per 

 hunt while club hunters averaged 6.14. 



10. Most free-lance hunting along the Illinois River occurred on the opening day of 

 the season and on week-ends, particularly on Sundays. The opening of the quail, rabbit and 

 pheasant season brought a temporary decline In public duck hunting. The last 2 or 3 weeks of 

 the 1940, 1941 and 1942 seasons at public waterfowl shooting grounds were characterized by 

 hunting on a greatly reduced scale. 



11. At public shooting grounds along the Illinois River, an Increase In the number 

 of hunters per acre resulted In an Increased total daily bag until a point was reached at 

 which additional hunters did not produce a greater total bag; in fact, after the hunter- 

 saturation point was reached. Increased hunting pressure resulted in a lower total bag. 



12. On three public shooting grounds along the Illinois River, the size of the 

 individual bag declined immediately with an Increase in the number of hunters. However, at 

 the Sparland Ground the daily bag at first became greater as the nimiber of hunters Increased. 

 This was due to the presence on the area of large numbers of ruddy ducks, the behavior of 

 which is unlike that of other waterfowl. 



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