DISCUSSION 
In this .report, we have presented data which were obtained from 
surveys conducted either during or immediately after the September 
experimental teal season. Additional data for evaluating the effect 
of the experimental season on populations of blue-winged and green¬ 
winged teal will be obtained from the waterfowl kill and duck wing 
collection surveys following the regular hunting season, from band 
recovery data and from breeding population surveys. Unfortunately, 
none of these data will be available for use until about June 1, 1966. 
Preparation of this report was prompted because a decision on 
the continuance of the experimental season in September 1966 must be 
made before June 1. It seems appropriate, therefore, to review kill 
survey data during past years (table 17) and to project the probable 
1965-66 total hunting kill from them. The total kill (retrieved and 
unretrieved) for the 1965-66 hunting season is estimated to be 300,000 
for bluewings and 800,000 for greenwings. 
The total kill of blue-winged teal (483,864) during the experi¬ 
mental September season was intermediate between the average kills 
of bluewings during the 1955-59 period and the 1960-64 period. The 
kill of bluewings during the experimental September season was less 
than two-thirds of the kill in the Central and Mississippi Flyways 
during 1955-59. A total estimated kill for the special September 
season plus the kill in the regular 1965-66 waterfowl hunting season 
may be about 700,000 or 800,000 blue-winged teal. This would be a 
total kill somewhat higher than the average during 1955-59. 
More important than the absolute kill, is the rate of kill 
effected by the experimental September season. During the late 
1950's, approximately 5 percent of the average fall population of 
blue-winged teal was killed by hunters in the United States. During 
the 1960's, the proportion of average fall populations killed by 
hunters in the United States was markedly less, perhaps around 2 per¬ 
cent. During the experimental September teal hunting season, the rate 
of kill on the estimated fall population of bluewings was about 4 
percent; still somewhat lower than the rate of kill during the 1955-59 
period. For the total estimated kill given in the previous paragraph, 
combining the experimental and the regular 1965-66 seasons, the total 
rate of hunting kill is around 7 percent, perhaps 1 or 2 percent 
higher than the rate during the 1950's. Although this additional 
rate of kill was imposed on birds only in the Central and Mississippi 
Flyways, these flyways are used in the fall by the majority of blue¬ 
winged teal from as far west as Alberta (Calvin J. Lensink, Distribution 
of Recoveries from Bandings of Ducklings, Special Scientific Report— 
Wildlife No. 89). 
16 
