AN INTENSIVE STUDY OF THE CALL COUNT AS A CENSUS METHOD 
FOR MOURNING DOVES ON THE GEORGIA PIEDMONT 
By Terry A. McGowan 
University of Georgia and Georgia Game and Fish Commission +# 
The present paper is a report on the first year's results of a two 
year study. In March, 1951 an experimental 20-mile route which has now 
become standardized in the Cooperative Dove Investigation was laid out 
in Oconee County, near Athens, in the piedmont region of Georgia. The 
route (Figure 1) forms a nearly closed circle on secondary roads and 
has 20 stations located approximately one mile apart, only one station 
being on a paved road. The route crosses no large streams and passes 
through typical upland piedmont farmlands with small grain, cotton, and 
corn fields, abandoned fields, pastures, pine and mixed pine-hardwood 
woodlands. A "count!" required two hours with three minute stops at each 
station and three minutes driving time between stations. The number of 
doves calling and the number of calls are recorded for each station, and 
the number of doves seen at and between stations noted. Between March 8 
and September 2, 1951, totals of 37 morning and 37 afternoon counts were 
made by one observer (the author, except for several counts early and 
late in the season), beginning at station one. Counts were not run in 
rainy weather or when the wind was any greater than Beaufort three. 
Morning counts always began one-half hour before official sunrise and 
afternoon counts two hours before sunset. Weather permitting, morning 
and afternoon counts were consecutive, either on the same day, or after- 
noon of one day and morning of the next. In addition to these "one- 
crew" counts, a "five-crew count was made morning and afternoon once a 
month, March through August. On these counts one or two observers start 
simultaneously at stations 1, 5, 9, 13 and 17 and continue around the 
circuit to the starting point. 
This study was suggested by Harold S. Peters of the Fish and Wildlife 
Service and Leonard E. Foote of Wildlife Management Institute, and is being 
directed by Dr. Eugene P. Odum of the University of Georgia. Travel funds, 
financial aid and a truck were supplied by the Georgia Game and Fish Com- 
mission. . In addition to the above persons the following helped with one 
or more counts: Dan Nelson, Jack A. Crockford, Game and Fish Commission; 
George Moore, Dr. Clarence Cottam, Fish and Wildlife Service; James H. 
Jenkins, Henry Robert, Charles Lowe, and Milton Hopkins of University of 
Georgia. 

# & contribution from Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Project 
17R. Experienced observers,-~graduate students, instructors of personnel 
from Atlanta State and Federal offices,--participated in these counts. 
These intensive counts made it possible to determine changes in calling 
levels during the two hour census period and to evaluate calling activity 
at each station independent of the time factor. 
4 
