Prcxiuction, therefore, probably increased in 1962 over 1961 in Lindsay, 

 Pembroke, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, White River, Chapleau, Swastika, Geraldton 

 and Fort Frances while it decreased in comparison to 1961 in Parry Sound, Port 

 Arthur, Kenora and Sioux Lookout. In the other districts, Tweed, Kemptville, 

 North Bay, Gogama and Cochrane, the data are insufficient to suggest trends. 



As a result, it was predicted that grouse hunting would be slightly better in 

 the northern region and in the southcentral region, slightly poorer in the western 

 region and in the southeastern region and about the same in the southwestern 

 region in 1962. 



In order to have the district field officers concentrate on brood counts rather 

 than other aspects of the work, it was suggested that the collection of wings and 

 tails of grouse for age and sex studies would not be necessary in 1962. However, 

 a number of districts had already established patterns of co-operation with 

 hunters on a local basis and a total of 2,576 wings and tails were collected in 

 13 of the districts, compared with 3,286 in 1961 and 5,529 in 1960. In those 

 districts where comparisons can be made between the juvenile to adult female 

 ratio in 1961 and 1962, there was a decided increase in juveniles shot per adult 

 female, except in Parry Sound District where there was a very much lower ratio 

 than in 1961. It is worth noting that in 1961 the opposite was true with the 

 exception of Kemptville and Parry Sound Districts. 



The difference in the juvenile to adult female ratio is most marked in 

 Lindsay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, White River, Swastika and Kenora. The 

 Parry Sound data seems to be consistent between brood counts and juvenile to 

 adult female ratio in both of the years 1961 and 1962. 



In 1962, the districts were asked to concentrate on obtaining returns from 

 at least 100 grouse hunters which would provide a sample of about 400 man-hours 

 per district. Nineteen districts had hunter survey programs and approximately 

 1,500 hunters were involved for a total of 4,556 man-hours on foot. An additional 

 1,250 hunter-days were involved in road hunting, accounting for almost 20,000 

 road miles of ruffed grouse hunting. The birds shot per hundred hours varied 

 widely between a low of 13.0 in the Sudbury District to a high of 65.3 in the 

 Cochrane District. North Bay, White River, Chapleau, Cochrane and Kapuskasing 

 had better than average hunter success while Geraldton, Sudbury, Kemptville and 

 Lake Erie had poor hunter success. The rest of the districts were about the same, 

 averaging between 25 and 35 birds per hundred hours of effort. There was a 

 considerable decrease in birds seen and shot per hundred hours in Lake Erie, 

 Kemptville, Sudbury, Swastika, Geraldton and Kenora while there was a consider- 

 able increase in hunter success in Tweed, Parry Sound, North Bay, Sault Ste. 

 Marie, White River and Chapleau. The increase in Parry Sound, Chapleau, Sault 

 Ste. Marie was threefold while the increase in North Bay and White River was 

 twofold. 



The fluctuations in hunter success from 1961 to 1962 are the reverse of 

 the situation from 1960 to 1961 when there was an exceptional increase in the 

 hunter success in the Kenora District and minor increases in Lake Erie and 

 Kemptville Districts, while there were drastic decreases in hunter success in 

 Pembroke, Parry Sound, Sault Ste. Marie, Chapleau, White River, Gogama and 

 Geraldton. Geraldton District has experienced a decrease in hunter success in 

 1961 and again in 1962 over that experienced in 1960. 



In 1962, the brood count data in comparison with the sex and age ratios 

 of birds in the hunters' bags and hunter success seem to have great relationship 

 than in 1961 or in 1960. The value of brood counts in predicting hunter success 

 seems to be more substantiated. 



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