137 
WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURVEY IN MONTANA - 1950 
s Wynn G, Freeman and Gerald Salinas 1/ 
p During the spring and summer of 1950 the Montana Fish and Game Depart- 
ment continued its program of waterfowl investigations. The evaluation of the 
important waterfowl breeding grounds of Montana has been in progress for two years. 
These investigations are made to satisfy our recognized need for a current waterfowl 
inventory and a measure of production as a prerequisite to any successful management 
of waterfowl on the local and the continental levels. 
After completion of the early spring aerial census, additional breeding 
ground investigations were undertaken, Three two-man crews were organized to 
assist in certain phases of the work in addition to their other specific assignments. 
Salinas and Poole conducted intensive investigations on census methods in the 
Flathead and Blackfoot valleys. Smith and Ritzer continued the reservoir studies 
in the southern unglaciated region. Freeman and Goers continued breeding ground 
investigations in the remaining portion of Montana and worked with the other crews. 
at specific intervals. 
The personnel of the Missouri River Basin Studies Program again made 
census flights over trend area number 1 in eastern Montana. 
Canada geese were banded at Bowdoin Wildlife refuge through a cooperative 
effort with the Fish and Wildlife Service. 
Methods 
The geological divisions of Montana as described in ''Waterfowl Breeding 
Conditions in Montana - 1949'' (Crissey and Others 2/) were again used as the basis 
for our surveys. The basic census approaches which were used in 1949 were continued. 
Densities of waterfowl which occupy the several geographic regions of. the State were 
computed from aerial transect samples. The species composition of the waterfowl on 
these areas was determined-from roadside census. 
The aerial census was begun soon after it was determined that the. spring 
migration was nearing completion. Three planes were used in order to complete the 
census in as short an interval of time as possible. The area covered by the aerial 
census transects (See Crissey and Others op. cit. P 128) was 1,107 square miles. 
The ground transects used were essentially the same as were used in 1949, 
’ The exceptions made were considered necessary in order to give,a more equitable 
coverage for the areas involved. 
1/ U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri River Basin Studies; personnel of the 
~ State Fish and Game Department: Assistant Big Game Biologist Don Brown, pilot; 
Field Assistant George Goers; and Student Assistants Richard Smith, Henry Ritzer 
and Daniel Poole, all took partin certain phases of the investigation, 
2/ Crissey, W. F. and Others, Waterfowl Populations and Breeding Conditions 
~” Summer 1949", Special Scientific Report; Wildlife No. 2, pp-128-135. 
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