Randomization of singing-ground surveys continues Routes 
now used in the woodcock singing-ground survey are not randomly 
distributed in all types of habitat. Thus, counts on these 
routes may not necessarily reflect true annual changes in the 
relative number of breeding woodcock. The Michigan Department 
of Conservation has been conducting studies (since 1962) to 
determine the feasibility of employing randomly selected routes. 
During the spring of 1965, a similar study was initiated by 
West Virginia's Department of Natural Resources. Preliminary 
analysis of these data indicate that indexes to breeding pop¬ 
ulation size from counts on randomly selected routes are more 
reliable than those obtained from presently used routes. 
Establishment of randomly selected singing-ground routes 
throughout all of the important woodcock breeding range is 
one of the present objectives of the Bureau's woodcock program. 
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