Vol. 23, HO. n 
Page b 
As previously reported, our radio-marked females used crop fields extensively 
'between June and the completion of crop harvests in mid-October. In each case 
(N =» / 4 ) , these deer had immediate access to forests or brushy areas, so their 
obvious preference for row crops was not due to a lack of permanent cover. 
Our deer did not desert their summer range as crops were harvested, except 
to retreat to permanent cover. As this is written (.November \b) t none of the ^ 
deer have returned to their winter range (Allerton Park); with breeding activities 
in full swing, they obviously will breed on their summer range. We assume, 
perhaps erroneously, that adult breeders do return to the same area each winter. 
Deer may, however, winter in whatever '’suitable 1 cover is available, familiar, 
and contains other deer. 
We now wait to see if the hunting season and the onset of cold weather 
trigger movements toward a winter range. 
Cooperative Waterfowl R esearch - W--83-P. 
F. C. 3e11 rose, 
S. P. Havera, 
G. A. Perkins, 
H. K. Archer 
Illinois has nearly 80,000 waterfowl hunters each year. The average water- 
fowl hunter harvests about 7 ducks per hunting season. Thus, we estimate that 
approximately a half million ducks are harvested each fall in Illinois. 
Various records of the taking of waterfowl in Illinois are available for 
analyses. Private duck clubs have been required by the state to maintain a daily 
register of each hunter and the number of each waterfowl species snot since 
about 1930. Of the 270 private duck clubs in the Illinois River valley, some of 
the more successful ones report an annual harvest near 2,000 ducks. State 
public shooting areas in Illinois also register the waterfowl harvest. In 
addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the waterfowl kill in 
each county of the nation. 
These sources of data, over time, can provide valuable insight into the 
harvest of waterfowl by species, geographic area, kill per unit area, and 
seasonal chronology. State and federal harvest data can be compared for 
similarity. We hope to evaluate the relationship between the proportion of 
Mississippi Flyway population harvested in Illinois and that harvested in other 
states of the flyway. The seasonal distribution^ the harvest can be compared 
with the seasonal population abundance as determined by aerial censuses. An 
index to the relative vulnerability to hunters of the various waterfowl species 
in the state can be generated from the population and harvest data. 
A major interest in our study will be to evaluate the effect on the harvest 
of yearly changes in waterfowl regulations: length of season, bag limits, 
specific opening dates, point system, and species closure on the kill. The 
establishment of regulations to permit a fair and equitable harvest of waterfowl 
among the states in the Mississippi Flyway is a prime goal in flyway management. 
As data are acquired on this problem, regulations can be established on a more 
meaningful, scientific basis. 
