WATERFOWL VALUES TO PUBLIC 
Probably the greatest value of the backwater lakes of the Illinois and Mississippi 
river valleys lies in duck hunting, fig. 4. About 80 per cent of the ducks killed and bagged in 
Illinois have been taken in these valleys (Bellrose 1947), Shooting pressure is great in Illinois 
during the 1946 season, 93,387 federal “duck stamps” were sold in the state, The number of 
hunter-days per acre at public shooting grounds has ranged from 0.47 to 1,80, table 1, The 
competition for waterfowl hunting grounds is so great that in recent years some tracts have ~- 
sold for over $100 an acre solely for hunting, 
It is doubtful if the addition of a large number of shooting grounds would reduce the 
hunting pressure per acre, “In a state of over 7,000,000 people with over 300,000 hunters -- 
the majority of whom are within a few hours drive of most of the waterfowl grounds -- the 
addition of new areas would probably result in more non-hunters trying their hand at duck 
shooting, in more upland shooters turning to waterfowl and in a large portion of the present 
free-lance waterfowlers hunting more frequently” (Bellrose 1944), 
With similar quality of habitat and management, areas south of Bureau in the ILli- 
nois River valley and south of Rock Island in the Mississippi River valley are of comparable 
value for duck hunting, Migration routes followed by a large proportion of Illinois mallards 
_and lesser scaups enter the two valleys below Bureau and Rock Island, Consequently the 
bottomland lakes above these two cities are not so valuable per unit of comparable habitat 
as those below, 
Qualitative factors affecting the value of an area for waterfowl hunting are (1) abun- 
dance of natural foods; (2) proximity to an undisturbed area, that is, refuge or rest grounds; 
(3) size; (4) cover; (5) density of hunters; (6) depth of water, 
Public shooting areas in the Illinois River valley illustrate a mixture of these quality 
factors very well, table 1, When quality of habitat of the two types of shooting areas are simi- 
lar, public grounds yield a greater waterfowl bag per acre (1.68 ducks) than private clubs (1.48 
ducks), because they accommodate more hunters who produce greater fire power, table 1, 
Having determined the waterfowl bag on the typical bottomland lake in the Illinois 
River valley as used by public and private hunting groups, we next need to determine the expen- 
ditures made in hunting waterfowl, Table 2 reveals the cost of figures as determined from 
itt 
