Percent of Kill That Might Have Been Saved With 
Different Sized Bag Limits 
(Compared to limit of 4) 
Bag limit Percent reduction in kill 
3 9.54 
2 25.18 
L 51.70 
If, under conditions found in the area under study, a bag 
Limit of four ducks will affect only 10.2% of the total hunters 
and increase the kill only 9.54% (compared to a 3-bird limit), 
perhaps a 4-bird limit is relatively unimportant since the total 
kill under conditions along the Mississippi River will be in- 
creased only nominally. One could also argue that if a 4-bird 
limit would affect such a small percentage of the hunters, there 
is no real justification for placing the resource in jeopardy 
under present populations levels. 
CONCLUSIONS 
1. The type of public hunting described furnishes a great 
deal of hunting opportunity to many hunters. On the Upper 
Mississippi Refuge the public hunting area is administered by 
the Fish and Wildlife Service, accounting for one of the largest 
Service-controlled waterfowl-hunting areas. Although about 15% 
of the ducks using the refuge fall to hunters' guns, the area 
Still affords sanctuary to large numbers of ducks. Where refuges 
are established along migration routes, perhaps one of their 
major functions is to improve hunting distribution while at the 
same time furnishing protection to ducks that would otherwise be 
"purned out" of an area. 
2. The type of bag-check system described furnishes much 
valuable information about the effectiveness of a refuge where 
public hunting is permitted, as well as giving some idea of the 
value of inviolate sanctuaries in furnishing hunting to surround- 
ing areas. 
3. The study indicates that in the Northern States, opening 
dates are important in species management. With blue-winged teal, 
for example, an opening as early as October 1 will result in a 
high harvest of blue-wings, while a delay of as little as 1 week 
will markedly reduce the kill of these birds. Should it be deter- 
mined that blue-wings are being underharvested, perhaps an open- 
ing even earlier than October 1 should be considered. With an 
aT 

