with what was believed to be somewhat below normal reproduction 
resulted in a downward trend as shown by the 1958 midwinter survey 
data. During the 1958 hunting season, the kill again increased sub- 
stantially in Wisconsin, and the season was closed early by the State 
in anticipation that a similar heavy kill might also ocmr in Illinois, 
Before the 1959 season, the Bureau proposed at a meeting of the 
Mississippi Flyway Technical Section that the harvest quota system 
be tried for the Mississippi Valley population, Since this approach 
required close cooperation between Flyway States concerned and the 
Bureau, a Canada Goose Committee was appointed by the Mississippi 
Flyway Council to study the quota proposal and other aspects of 
Canada goose management. 
In 1959 a proposal to establish a harvest quota of 60,000 birds 
from this population for all States concerned met with little success, 
Since neither waterfowl technicians nor State administrators were 
able to agree on methods for attaining equitable distribution of 
the proposed harvest. The season in Wisconsin was again closed 
early when approximately 30,000 geese were harvested, Fortunately 
Illinois hunters killed fewer geese than in previous years, ad the 
total kill during 1960 reached the approximately 60,000 figure 
suggested, 
Following the midwinter survey in January 1960, a further popu= 
lation decline was evident. This development gave additional impetus 
to further consideration of the harvest quota system which was 
initiated for the Mississippi Flyway population of Canada geese 
during the fall of 1960, The Canada Goose Committee again, working 
through the Flyway Council, the principal States concerned, and the 
Fish and Wildlife Service, developed plans for limiting the harvest 
which were acceptable to all parties concerned, On the basis of 
breeding ground information, normal productivity rates, annual hunt- 
ing mortality, and natural mortality rates, a harvest quota of 
30,000 geese was established. Criteria reviewed applied principally 
to the three major concentration areas in southern Illinois and the 
two concentration areas in Wisconsin, Approximately one-third of 
the allowable harvest quota was set aside to compensate for kill 
in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, and to allow for crippling losses 
in all areas concerned, The remaining two-thirds of the quota were 
split between Illinois and Wisconsin on the basis of a 2 to 1 ratio 
as substantiated by previous kill data, peak populations, wintering 
populations, and distribution of band recoveries, The States con=- 
cerned agreed to a split of 14,000 geese to be killed in Illinois 
and 7,000 in Wisconsin, The Mississippi Flyway Council proposed 
that the Fish and Wildlife Service incorporate the quota assignment 
for Illinois and Wisconsin in Federal regulations for the 1960 hunt- 
ing season so that closure could be effected under Federal regulations 
if necessary. This was done with the understanding that the Fish 
and Wildlife Service would be concerned only with adherence to the 
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