ABSTRACT 
Singing-ground surveys of American woodcock indicate 
that breeding populations have increased gradually over the 
past 7 years while production, as indicated by wing-collection 
surveys, has remained relatively stable. The woodcock har¬ 
vest, meanwhile, has probably more than doubled during the 
past decade. This suggests that while woodcock are probably 
becoming more important to North American sportsmen, hunting 
mortality is still relatively unimportant. 
Banding is one of the most important elements in the 
study of migratory game bird populations. Over 3,100 wood¬ 
cock were banded in North America during 1965, with major 
programs conducted in Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, and West 
Virginia. 
A woodcock singing-ground study was recently completed 
at Michigan State University and another initiated by the 
University of Maine. West Virginia*s Department of Natural 
Resources began a 3-year investigation of woodcock population 
dynamics in 1965, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission pub¬ 
lished a popularized version of its woodcock management study. 
Random singing-ground survey routes were established in West 
Virginia and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 1965 and will 
be extended to other States in the future. 
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