
WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURVEY, SOUTH DAKOTA, 1954 
Ray Murdy and Maurice E. Anderson 
Introduction 
This report constitutes a preliminary, partial summary of the findings of the 
1954 waterfowl breeding ground surveys in South Dakota. These investigations 
consist of a survey of the breeding population and a brood survey. 
BREEDING POPULATION SURVEY 
Methods of Survey 
The waterfowl breeding population survey consists of two phases, a gridded, 
state-wide, aerial survey and a pround survey in the better-than-average habitat in 
most of the counties. The aerial survey provides estimates of state-wide duck and 
water area densities and distributions. The ground survey contributes: (1) A 
correction factor, based on observed sex ratios, which is used to correct the aerially 
observed duck densities to compensate for unobserved females on nests; (2) Species 
composition data which are also used to estimate species densities; and (3) An 
estimate of the relative coot density. 
The aerial and ground surveys were made concurrently during the week of May 
10 - 15. Descriptions of the methods of the surveys appear below. 
Aerial Survey 
The system of transects for the aerial survey consists of 16, east-west, one- 
quarter mile wide transects spaced 12 miles apart, north to south. This year all of 
these transects were flown east of the Missouri River. West of the river coverage 
was reduced to every other transect, resulting in a west-river coverage of eight, 
east-west transects spaced 24 miles apart, north to south, State-wide coverage 
totaled 4260 linear miles or 1065 square miles. The transects were flown by three 
pilot-observer teams in light (65-90 h.p.) planes. 
Ground Survey 
The ground survey consisted of 45 standard ground transects run in 50 counties 
throughout the State by 34 State game wardens. These transects totaled 2078 linear 
miles or 517 square miles of coverage. 
