206 
Table III indicates an imcrease of 53.4 percent in number of braods over 
1951. Due to the large number of Class I broods seen on August 4 and 5 which had 
hatched since July 20, it is evident that the brood survey should have been made 
after July 25, and this is the case every year. The late hatch in the Hills Area of 
South Dakota is due to the fact that when first nests are destroyed on the flat land - 
the breeding pairs move into the Hills Area to re-nest. This movement is caused 
by a drying-up of temporary areas in the James River Valley and other flat or 
rolling land adjacent to the Hills Area proper. 
It is very possible that the increase in pintail and blue-winged teal may have 
been still higher. By August 4 there was an influx of teal and pintail from the North 
and this made identification of local "flying broods" almost impossible and some 
may have been missed. It is doubtful if the canvasback actually decreased, because 
Game Agent Jensen reported more canvasback broods on the July 10 census than on 
July 20. 
Due to the fact that only one breeding pair census was made it is not feasible 
to try to compare breeding pair data with broods produced to determine an index to 
breeding success. If the breeding population doubled itself as indicated by aerial 
surveys and brood production was only 50 percent better in 1951, we can assume a 
lower than average production. Since no intensive ground work was done in the 
Dakotas in 1951, we cannot vouch for the fact that production was below average. 
However, if production was below normal on a "brood per breeding pair" basis, we 
would attribute it to the fact that the large amount of temporary water present in 
April and May encouraged more ducks to use the James River Valley and similar 
habitat. When this area dried up. the ducks were forced to move to new nesting 
grounds at least for re-nesting attempts. 
Coots 

During the breeding pair survey, 1,197 coots were counted compared to only 
221 in 1951. This represented an increase of over 400 percent. Although the 
increase may not have been quite that high the production of coot in South Dakota 
certainly increased far over 100 percent and on August 4 and 5 there were juvenile 
coots on nearly every pond where emergent vegetation was present. 
NORTH. DAKOTA 
Introduction 
The 1952 ground transects in North Dakota were run by U. S. Game Manage- 
ment Agents Harry Jensen and James Foote during the week of May 5-10, covering 
the same area and using the same technique as in previous years. 
Weather and Water Conditions 

The heavy snowfall that occurred in northeastern South Dakota extended into 
North Dakota about as far as Bismarck but tapered off toward the southeast corner 
of the State so that the only portion of the good waterfowl habitat which received 
benefit lay in the Missouri Coteau area from the South Dakota line northward about 
50 miles. The blanket of snow became progressively thinner in a northward 
direction until the tier of counties bordering Canada was reached, where there was 
