IDAHO 
Data supplied by Elwood G. Bizeau 
Idaho Fish and Game Department 
Weather and habitat conditions 
Idaho water conditions at the start of 
the production season were never better. 
All reservoirs were brim full, rivers 
were running high but mostly under con¬ 
trol, all temporary water areas were 
full and a large snow pack remained in 
the mountains. 
The phenology of the nesting season 
was about normal, except that the 
hatches above 6,000 feet elevation were 
a few days later than normal. 
Flooding occurred on the Payette 
River in southwestern Idaho and on 
Dingle Marsh in southeastern Idaho. In 
both cases the flooding took a good bite 
out of goose production for those areas, 
but elsewhere flooding losses were re¬ 
markably low considering the high po¬ 
tential posed by the heavy snow pack. 
Breeding population indexes 
Total geese counted for all units com¬ 
bined was down slightly (minus 2 percent) 
from 1964 but far above the long-term 
average. The important Dingle Marsh 
area, an up and down goose unit, was up 
again, recording a 21 percent increase 
over last year (table B-20). 
Production indexes 
For all Idaho units combined, gosling 
production was down 9 percent from 
1964 but right on the long-term average 
(table B-21). Gosling production for the 
resident goose flocks of southwestern 
Idaho was down 18 percent from 1964 but 
still 5 percent above the long-term aver¬ 
age. Flooding caught the tail end of the 
goose hatch on the Payette River to cut 
production. 
For the largely migratory goose 
flocks of southeastern Idaho, production 
was up 24 percent from the poor year of 
1964 and was 7 percent below the long¬ 
term mean. A July aerial brood survey 
conducted for the first time on Dingle 
Marsh indicated a probable 25 to 50 per¬ 
cent goose production loss based on 
comparison with indicated pairs seen 
there in early May. Water level on 
Dingle Marsh was raised substantially 
this year by the Utah Power and Light 
Company during the peak period for 
goose nesting. 
Duck production trend routes indi¬ 
cated a top-notch duck production year. 
The Blackfoot Reservoir brood route 
yielded the highest number of broods 
recorded for that area to date (table 
B-22). 
General observations throughout 
southern Idaho indicated a very good 
production year for ducks. 
SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN 
Data supplied by John B. Millar 
Canadian Wildlife Service 
Surface water conditions 
Spring runoff in Saskatchewan was 
later in 1965 than in 1964 by three days 
to two weeks or more. Timing of the 
annual survey of water conditions was 
correspondingly delayed in some areas. 
As an indication of the lateness of the 
season snow drifts were still observed 
in shelter belts in even the most south¬ 
erly areas on May 1st. Survey routes 
changed slightly in 1965 but the same 
general areas (stratum A West, north¬ 
west corner of stratum A East and the 
central and southwestern portions of 
stratum B) were covered. Highway 
observations refer largely to type 2 
wetlands (shallow fresh marshes) since 
that type of water area is most common 
close to the roads and can most readily 
be assessed. 
Precipitation during the winter of 
1963-64 was below normal in all areas 
(70-94%) and the effectiveness of this 
moisture was further reduced by losses 
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