WATEREOVL BPEREUING SROURD SURVEY IN wESCouc da, 149 
Ralph CC. Hopkins 
introduction 
Durice the month of Kay 1949, experitnced public huntin- rrounds and ressarch 
soction personnel of the Wiseansin Conservation Department arnin coopereted with 
the waterfowl rssaarch project in completing the most sxtensivs censua of water- 
fowl conductsd in this State to data. Roughly 3250 square miles were cansused by 
eround transects, 425 sauare miles by aerial transects, 75 aquere miles on s#srial 
laks and marsh surveys, end 75 square miles on aerial river surveys for & total 
of about 1,925 squares miles, which is slichtly aver 1.9 percent of the total 
area of the State of Kisconsin. Generally speaking, water conditions wars appre=- 
ciabls poorer in 1949 than in 1948, but in anite of poorsr water conditions the 
Waterfowl population of Wisconsin at least held its own or doemanstrated 4a vary 
Slight gain over 1948. A discussion of the cansus is sresentesd herewith. 
Ground Surveys 
By Cruising Afoot 
A limited amount of cruising was dona on the Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area. 
As of this writing, data hava not been completely analyzed. Marked discrepancias 
hetwesn ¢round coverage afoot and asrisl transects hays not been properly caorrela- 
ted and will be subjected to a more complet? analysis, However, en ths bssis of 
information in hand as ef tnis writing, it appears that there hres Deen A marked 
ineresss in the total population of breeding waterfowl on Horicar “srsh concur- 
rently with maintenance? af the highest water Llereis on the marsh on its modern 
history, -hiallards, bleck dueks and shovelers hays inereased, whereas blus-wing-? 
teal have apoursntly deersased slirhtly; other species aprear to bs present at 
about the same population Levels of other years. Sy sll indications population 
leyels acpear at least comparable to these of the snrings of 1944 when breeding 
pairs ware astimated present at an averars density of Vito 37 pairs ptr ss¢tion 
of marshland arga. 
Ey futomodile Transects 
wethod 
Transacts mapped and cansusead in 1948 were agein re-run during the month 
of May, occording to the standard system of tns U. &. Fish and Wildtifs Sarvics. 
All water areas, or any pvertion of a water area, within 220 yards on either sides 
of 8 praserited course, wera consusad, 
Transects were run only to simplify analysis of results. <ALL Such sround 
transsets wert ariginally laid out in advance by the project leider without ony 
oreyvious @xaminatian af thes: caurses. fonscquently the samples obtained should 
bs tupartial and representative of the State cs a wholes. Obviously, larrce water 
ardas 472? bound to reasive inadequaot?: representation vin tris method so that ths 
data presented show an gS5timate lower than sxisting eqnditions, 
A Tew transects, comprising about 54 squere miles, were not run this year 
but wers run in 1948. Howsver, thes: courses covered almost equal nortions of 
eood and poor wetsrfowl produciog recions. Conssquently, this omission should 
not affect final resutts. 
184 
