Harvest of Green-winged Teal 
A grand total of 39,610 green-winged teal, comprising 9 percent 
of the total duck bag, was shot and retrieved in the 2 flyways (table 
8). In the Central Flyway, 15,520 green-winged teal comprised 12 
percent of the total flyway duck bag. In the Mississippi Flyway, 
24,090 green-winged teal, 7 percent of the flyway duck bag, were taken. 
Harvest of Cinnamon Teal 
We had no way of estimating the harvest of cinnamon teal because, 
at this time, there is no way of distinguishing their wings from those 
of blue-winged teal. However, the kill of cinnamon teal was probably 
quite small since only one (bagged in Brazoria County,* Texas) was 
recorded during the hunter performance survey. 
Harvest of Illegal Ducks 
As mentioned in the section on procedures, we assumed that hunters 
who sent in wings from illegal ducks thought they were legal. Thus, it 
was logical to assume that the mail questionnaire estimates also 
included birds that were illegal but believed by the hunters to be teal, 
and that the estimated retrieved kill of ducks included illegal birds 
as well as teal (table 8). We realize that the species composition of 
the estimated retrieved kill does not accurately reflect the species 
composition of all ducks killed. Many hunters undoubtedly recognized 
most illegal (non-teal) birds after killing them and did not send'the 
wings. Consequently, the illegal kill determined from the mail question¬ 
naire and wing collection surveys is certainly minimal and inaccurately 
represents the species composition of the illegal kill. Only 192 non¬ 
teal wings were received; 153 of these were from wood ducks. The other 
wings were from various species of dabbling ducks, one ring-necked duck, 
and a pied-billed grebe. Data from the hunter performance survey, 
presented later in this report, must serve to provide a better estimate 
of the total illegal kill and its species composition. 
Retrieved kill estimates (table 8) indicate that about 2,690 wood 
ducks and 910 illegal birds of other species were shot, retrieved, and 
taken home (but probably not recognized as illegal species) during the 
experimental September teal season. In the Central Flyway, 380 wood 
ducks and 450 other illegal species were taken, while in the Mississippi 
Flyway, 2,310 wood ducks and 460 other illegal ducks were bagged. The 
proportions of the harvest that were illegal, as indicated by the.wing 
collection, appeared to be highest in the southern half of the Mississippi' 
Flyway but the largest illegal bag for any one State was made in 
Minnesota. 
10 
