WATERFOWL BREEDING CONDITIONS IN WONTANA - 1949 
Wynn G. Frseman and Jsrry Salinas L/ 
The Fish and Gangs Papartmant of ths Stats of Montana has bsacome increasingly 
awars of the need for participation in a cooperative affort toward waterfowl 
management. Ths formation of ths various Flyway Councils and other coopsrative 
Agencies provided the naceasary impotua, and conssgusntly tha initial brosding 
frond survey of Montana was made in 1949. 
The State was divided into physiographical units and standardized mothods 
of asriel and roadsides census were applisd. The information obtained, when com- 
Bined with aimilear infermetion from other cooperating agencies, will lead to a 
mors complats understanding of ths continental watarfowl pleturs. 
Methods of Procedura 
The Stats of Montana was divided into threes large geoerephiceal subdivisions. 
Rach subdivision differed sufficisntly from the other to require some modifica- 
tion in ths ceensus technique. Hoth an asrial census and 46 rrownd ¢ensus wsrs 
used toe arrive at tha total numbers and spsciss composition for sath arsa involrsd, 
Whera applicable, standard msthods were ussd for both aerial end sround trensscte. 
That is, 8 ong-sighth mile strip was censussd on each side of a low-flying plans 
or an automobils. A total of 3,027 linsal miles was flown on census strips, 
The total arsa sampled from the air was 1,256 square miles. 
northern Glaciated Prairis Rerlon 
AeTial census strips wers run at l2-milse intervals beginning at the Nearth 
Takota border and ending at the mountaine west of Cutbank (Figures 1). The point 
of beginning for the first strip was ssiscted at random. Thus sach arse had an 
acual chancs of bsing ecensuaad. This method censused slightly mors than two 
percent of ths land arsa involvsd. A two percent sample hag teen considared 
adequate for so indication of the breeding population. 
Ground e«snsus strips were run on predsterminad hisadings in ordar to 
establish the spacies composition of the bresding population [Figure 1). 
In addition, a 100 parcent serial count of water areas was meda on a l2-mils 
wide strip adjacant to ths Canadian bordar. This total coverage? of water areas 
will yield comparative information on gensral water conditions during ths nesting 
season for future invsstizgation. 
lf &. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Missouri River Basin Studies; psreonnal of 
tha State Fish and Games Department, Assistant Big Game Biologist, Don Brown 
(pilot), Assistant Game Bird Biologist, Robert Graene, Fleld Assistant, Georgs 
Sturtz; and satudent assistants, Richard Smith, Joseph Mazuranich, Georges Gosrs 
and Danny Pools, all assisted in certain phases of ths invyastigsation, 
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