(2%), South Texas (3%), and Kansas (2%). Only 3% of 
the recoveries were reported from the Southern Zone; 
Mexico’s Western Highlands (2% ) and Guatemala (<1 %) 
were the most prominent. The EMU was the most impor- 
tant out-of-State harvest area for birds banded in Missouri 
(15% of the recoveries). Prominent EMU harvest States 
were Florida (4% ), Louisiana (3%), Illinois (3%), Alabama 
(2%), and Georgia (2%), 
Kansas. — Personnel in Kansas banded nearly 22,000 
mourning doves from which 379 direct recoveries were 
obtained. Hunting was allowed throughout the period and 
245 (65% ) of the recoveries were from Kansas. Other States 
of the CMU accounted for 21% of the recoveries, prin- 
cipally North Texas (10%) and South Texas (9%). The 
Southern Zone accounted for the remaining 14% , particu- 
larly the Western Highlands of Mexico (8%), and Guate- 
mala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador (each about 1%). No 
direct recoveries were reported in either the EMU or the 
WMU. 
Colorado, — Colorado biologists banded over 29,000 
mourning doves from which 283 bands were recovered. 
Hunting seasons were permitted throughout the study 
period and 146 (52%) of the recoveries came from Colo- 
rado. Other CMU States accounted for 16% of the re- 
coveries (principally New Mexico 8% and North Texas 6 % ) 
and the WMU had 5% (mainly Arizona 4%), Except for 
one band in the EMU (Illinois), the remaining recoveries 
were taken in the Southern Zone (27%). mostly from the 
Western Highlands (20% ) and Northwest Coast (3% ) areas 
of Mexico. 
New Mexico.—New Mexico also allowed hunting 
throughout the study period. Of over 26,000 doves banded, 
202 were recovered, 130 (64%) in New Mexico. Except for 
North Texas (7%), South Texas (<1%), and Colorado 
(<1%), the rest of the recoveries were reported from the 
Southern Zone (27%). In Mexico, the Western Highlands 
(20%), Northwest Coast (4%), and the Northern Highlands 
(2%) were the most important harvest areas. No recoveries 
of doves from New Mexico were taken in the EMU or the 
WMU. 
Oklahoma. — Slightly more than 16,000 mourning doves 
were banded. Open dove seasons were allowed throughout 
the period, and 179 (57%) of the 316 total recoveries were 
taken in Oklahoma. North Texas (22%) and South Texas 
(4%) were the other major CMU recipients of Oklahoma- 
banded doves. Only two bands (<1%) were recovered in 
the EMU (Louisiana) and none from the WMU. The South- 
ern Zone accounted for 16% of the recoveries, principally 
in the Western (11%) and Central (2%) Highlands of 
Mexico. 
Arkansas. — About 12.000 doves were banded. Arkansas 
also allowed dove seasons throughout the period and 363 
bands (86 %o ) of 422 were recovered in Arkansas, the highest 
in-State recovery percentage of any CMU reference area 
(except for Texas as one entity). Most of the remaining re- 
coveries were reported from other CMU States (8%) and 
17 
the EMU (5%). These recovery locations included North 
Texas (3%), Oklahoma (2%), Missouri (1 % ), South Texas 
(1%), Louisiana (2%), Alabama (1%), and Florida (1%). 
The Southern Zone reported less than 2% of the recoveries 
from doves banded in Arkansas. 
North Texas. — Nearly 34,000 doves were banded. From 
these bandings, 840 recoveries resulted, 706 (84% ) of which 
were taken in North Texas and 58 (7%) in South Texas. 
The Southern Zone accounted for most of the remaining 
recoveries (8 % ); the Western Highlands region of Mexico 
was the most prominent (6%), Less than 1% of the re- 
coveries were reported from other CMU States, the EMU, 
and the WMU combined. 
South Texas. —Nearly 13,000 doves were banded. 
Throughout the study period, South Texas allowed hunting 
seasons, usually during later dates (late September and 
October) than other CMU States. Of the 337 resulting re- 
coveries, 287 (85 % ) were taken in South Texas and 26 (8 % ) 
in North Texas. Relatively small proportions of the South 
Texas bandings were taken elsewhere (2% in the EMU and 
4% in the Southern Zone). Of these recovery locations, the 
Western (2%) and Central (1%) Highlands of Mexico and 
Louisiana (2%) were the most prominent. 
Geographical Differences 
Recovery Rate Index/Comparative Recovery Factors 
Differences in distributional patterns among the various 
CMU States are apparent in the foregoing discussion. For 
purposes of directly comparing these patterns among geo- 
graphical areas and between age and sex classes, recovery 
rate indices were developed (Tables A-34 to A-36). The re- 
covery rate index is the direct band recovery rate multi- 
plied by 10,000. Because recovery rate indices from all 
banding locations are on the same basis (i.e., recovery per 
10,000 birds banded), comparisons may be made among 
different banding areas, recovery areas, and age or sex 
cohorts of the population sampled. These comparisons 
reflect the relative frequencies that banded doves were 
recovered in specific situations. For example, the recovery 
rate indices for immature doves banded in South Dakota 
and Missouri and subsequently recovered in Mexico are 40 
and 10, respectively (Table A-34). Therefore, an individual 
immature dove banded in South Dakota is four times as 
likely to be recovered in Mexico as an immature dove 
banded in Missouri. 
To illustrate differences in migratory tendencies of doves 
from several areas, comparative recovery factors (CRF’s) 
were computed by dividing the lowest recovery rate index 
into each index of a series being compared. The CRF’s thus 
represent the relative probabilities of recovery in a speci- 
fied location or situation. 
Tests for Independence 
To determine if doves from all CMU States had similar 
