FORTY-FIRST BIENNIAL KKl'OKT 2!.) 



GAME MANAGEMENT AREAS 



The fjaiiie nianao'emeiit area plan has now hccii in opciMt ion foi- Id 

 years. This plan was initiated in 19W by the State Lcjrislat nn- as an 

 effort to stimulate the landowners' interest in the i:anie crop. It was 

 intended to foster and inerease tlie sui)i)ly of nj.land -raine tlirou-li hnid 

 management and stocking of game I'ai'm hii-.U. l',;i,-k,Ts of the i)lan 

 believed that the income derived fr(»m the game t-rop would provide an 

 incentive to the landowner to manag(» his land for game i)roduction. 

 Since these areas were to be open to any licensed Inintei-, the income from 

 the game produced was to be obtained l)y eliai-'_:iiig linnters up to a 

 designated nuiximum fee for shooting privib-ges. Actiudly the income 

 received from the game crop could not compete with the high i)rices 

 being paid for farm crops which these areas .-ould pi-odnce. The land- 

 owners also found it too difficult to control the public on iliese areas. 



In 1947 the State Legislature modified the plan to allow for non- 

 commercial areas where the public was excluded. These private areas are 

 now supported by season memberships, or by a share-the-cost ai-i-ange- 

 ment w^ith the operator. Most operators ai-e now satisfied with the |)lan. 



There are now 43 operators who control 44. .").')(; acres of hind. During 

 1949 they liberated 2(),72() phea.sants and killed 1 1..').'?!) in :).44ii man-days 

 of hunting. 



WATERFOWL MANAGEMENT AREAS 



Waterfowl nunuigeiiient areas were created not only to pi-ovide the 

 unattached hunting license-holder with a place to shoot, but also to pro- 

 vide w^aterfowl with areas where tln'y could f I and rest. The second 



part of this program includes iiianaucinent of laud ami uatei' areas to 

 the degree where waterfowl would be attracted to these areas and fore-/o 

 their depredations on the crops of surrounding agricultural lands. I'ntil 

 this biennium, all development and fanning oix'iations on these areas 

 were carried ont under service agreement with \arioiis contiactors. This 

 arrangement proved wholly unsatisfactory, as certain seasonal agi-icul- 

 tural practices were not always jjerformed at the oi)])or1ime time. Stai-t- 

 ing in July, 1949, when the necessary equipment becanie a\ailable, idl 

 development work has l)een done by l)iife;iu personnel. 



On these ar-eas hunters were offered theii- choice of three l\'pes of 

 shooting grounds as follows : 



1. Fully developed areas with blinds for a fee of :^7) ])ei- shootei-. 



2. Partially developed areas with no blinds for a fee of .•fl p.'r 

 shooter. 



3. Undeveloped or natural areas with no char^n'. 



Hunting success varies with weather conditions and the waterfowl 

 migration, but on the whole hunters expressed satisfai-t ion with liie plan. 



The waterfowl management areas ami the extent of tlieii- use by 

 hunters are listed in Table 3. 



