ABSTRACT 
A 15-year study was made of hunter utilization of waterfowl on 
the Upper Mississippi River, and of the effects of management prac- 
tices, open and closed areas, seasons, and bag limits on waterfowl 
harvest. 
This survey covers 251,876 hunter trips, on which 283,763 ducks 
were taken for a daily average harvest of 1.12 ducks per day of 
hunting. It is estimated that in an annual average of 135,790 days 
of waterfowl hunting on the area, hunters bagged 165,190 ducks while 
losing 38,625 cripples, for an estimated average total annual kill 
of 203,800 ducks. 
A description of hunting conditions, public hunting areas, and 
closed areas is given, together with hunting pressures since 1953, 
Species composition of the bag, and comparative hunter success on 
hourly, daily, and annual bases. 
Crippling losses have been assessed and related to other hunt- 
ing factors such as ease of killing ducks, cover, and type of hunting. 
A table of comparative vulnerability for waterfowl harvested in the 
area compares other species with mallards. 
Apparently, presunrise hunting is twice as effective per unit 
of time as is hunting at other times of the day; crippling losses 
are higher per unit of time, but the rate of crippling is actually 
less. 
Distribution of kill among hunters indicates that only 10.44% 
of the hunters checked succeeded in taking over three ducks per day, 
while over 45% failed to bag game on the day they were checked. The 
10.44% of the hunters taking over three ducks accounted for 37.20% 
of the total harvest, although the harvest was only 9.54% higher than 
had the limit never exceeded three ducks per day. 
Data also show how changing opening dates will have a bearing 
on the harvest of certain species. Delaying the opening as little 
as 1 week later than October 1 will greatly reduce the harvest of 
Such species as blue-winged teal and wood ducks. 
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