State Trapper Ed Saytes takes chukar from trap and places it in carrying 

 box for transplanting to new areas. 



(Fish and Game Photo) 



with no birds being released prior to August 1st in 

 Zone A for the current season. Clubs in Zone B were 

 permitted to take 100 percent of the birds liberated. 



For the past two years there has been a steady in- 

 crease in the use of the department's cooperative 

 pheasant hunting areas. 



In 1954 the department operated 22 cooperative 

 areas, with a total of 189,885 acres open to hunting, 

 accommodating 92,237 hunters, who by actual count 

 bagged 34,480 birds, for an average of 0.37 birds per 

 hunter. 



Community Areas 



During 1955, 18 areas were operated with 161,417 

 acres open to hunting; 97,158 hunters used the areas, 

 taking 34,990 birds, for an average of 0.36 birds per 

 hunter. 



There has been a steady increase over the past two 

 years in the number and acreage of so-called com- 

 munity areas. These are operated by members of local 

 communities on land donated by local landowners. 

 A dail\- fee or seasonal fee is charged. The net profit 

 is then turned over to community service projects. 



Indications at the end of the biennium were that 

 expansion of licensed game bird clubs and community 

 areas would materially reduce the prime pheasant 

 hunting acreage in the co-op areas for the 1956 

 hunting season. 



(?^ci4a^u "Ptcutted 



QUAIL 



Weather conditions were near normal in 1954 and 

 1955, except for the record precipitation in December 

 of 1955. This was reflected in a quail take slightly 

 above normal in 1954 and slightly below normal in 

 1955. The lower take in 1955 probably was a result 

 of bad weather keeping hunters indoors, and scatter- 

 ing the birds, rather than a decrease in quail populations. 



Wherever habitat development for quail has been 

 carried on, consisting mostly of guzzler construction 

 and spring development, they have responded well and 

 good populations are found in all these areas. 



Twenty-one new guzzlers were installed throughout 

 the State and another six enlarged. Routine mainte- 

 nance checks were made on another 2,604 guzzlers. 



The department located and developed 188 new 

 springs during the period. 



Doves take a morning nip at a quail guzzler. 



(Fish and Game Photo by Wally McGregor) 



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