
WOODCOCK INVESTIGATIONS IN THE CENTRAL-NORTHERN UNITED STATES - 1954 
John W. Aldrich 
U. Se Fish and Wildlife Service 
The total number of breeding ground counts made in the central 
northern states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Mimesota increased 
again this year from 37 to 40. The routes now run in this region are 
certainly not distributed in proportion to the amount of woodcock 
producing habitat. It is hoped that the need for better coverage 
will be appreciated and that added effort will be made to rm 
additional routes, particularly in the better woodcock producing 
areas of Wisconsin and Minnesota, 
Data for all routes run in the three central-northern states of 
Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota in 195) are presented in Table 1. 
The inclusive dates shown for each route allow evaluation of the data 
as to whether they represent breeding birds or not. 
| In Table 2, the data are totaled for each state and a grand total 
ef 1,000 woodcock per stop per trip in all three of the central- 
northern states was arrived at. This is a 22. percent increase over 
the average of 0.776 birds per stop per trip for this region in 1953. 
The significance of this increase was supported by increases in a big 
majority of the individual counts, All but 6 of the lO counts showed 
increases. Half of the decreases resulted from 3 of the counts in 
Wisconsin and Minnesota. 
It will. be necessary to get many more counts rum in Wisconsin 
and Minnesota before we can say that we are even beginning to sample 
the suitable woodcock habitat in the central-norther region. 
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