true in the Atlantic Flyway States of Connecti- 
cut, Georgia, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, 
Vermont, and West Virginia.) 
In the Atlantic and Pacific Flyways a major- 
ity of hunters (64 and 73 percent) reported 
preference for the restrictive 1962 regula- 
tions rather than a closed season (table I-1, 
p. 166). In these Flyways, however, regula- 
tions were much less restrictive than in the 
Mississippi and Central Flyways where only 
a minority (38 and 35 percent) preferred the 
open season (table I-1). 
Of the three types of restrictions offered 
for a judgment of preference: (1) a signifi- 
cant reduction in the daily bag limit but none 
in season length, (2) a significant reduction in 
season length, and (3) a moderate reduction 
in both daily bag limit and season length--the 
third option was preferred inall flyways, fol- 
lowed in preference by the second option (table 
I-2, p. 167). 
Table I-3 (p. 168) lists the percentages 
of 1960 hunters who bought duck stamps in 
1961 and 1962. As might be expected, de- 
creases were the greatest in the Mississippi 
and Central Flyways where regulations were 
the most restrictive. The decreases are not 
to be construed as a measurement of actual 
drops in duck stamp sales since the data do 
not include recruitment ofnew hunters during 
the 2 years. 
Tables I-4 andI-5 (pp. 169-170) summarize 
the percentages of hunters listing each ofthe 
possible reasons for not buying a duck stamp 
in 1962 as those first and second in impor- 
tance. Hunters in the Altantic and Pacific 
Flyways most frequently reported a lack of 
ducks in their hunting areas during the season 
as the most important reason for not buying 
a stamp, while in the Mississippi and Central 
Flyways the most important reason reported 
with the greatest frequency was that of too 
small a daily bag limit (table I-4, p. 169), 
The second most important reasons varied 
among flyways(table I-5,p.170), Inthe Atlantic 
Flyway the lack of ducks during the hunting 
seasons was still the reason most frequently 
piven indicating that it was either first or 
second in importance among the greatest 
number (46%) of the hunters. In the Missis- 
sippi Flyway the lack of ducks during the 
season and the risk of accidental violation by 
shooting protected species were tied in im- 
portance. Of the two reasons, however, the 
lack of ducks during the season was given 
'rmore frequently as the most important reason 
10 
(table I-4), In the Central Flyway the risk of 
accidental violation by shooting protected 
species was the reason listed most frequently 
as second in importance, while in the Pacific 
Flyway hunters reported being discouraged 
by poor hunting in 1960 or 1961 astheir sec- 
ond most important choice, 
Tables I-6 through I-9 (pp. 171-174) are in- 
tended for use as a guide to determine, for a 
given daily bag limit, at what season length 
a particular percentage ofhunters would pre- 
fer a closed season, Specifically, they show 
the percentages of hunters who, if the daily 
bag limits were four, three, two, and one duck, 
would prefer a closed season were it each of 
the number of days listed (over 70, 70, 60, 50, 
40, 35, 30, 25, 20, and 15 days). For example, 
if the daily bag limit were four ducks in the 
Atlantic Flyway (table I-6), 63 percent of the 
hunters would want a closed season ifit were 
30 days long, whereas only 39 percent would 
prefer a closed season ifit were 35 days long. 
It is interesting to note that ifthedaily bag 
limit were to be only twoducks, amajority of 
hunters in all but the Atlantic Flyway (48%) 
would prefer a closed seasonto an open season 
of any length. And if the daily bag limit were 
to be only one duck, the majority of hunters 
in all flyways would prefer complete closure 
to an open season of any length, 
Summary 
Several points should be considered in 
interpreting the findings of this survey which 
are not immediately apparent in the report, 
First of all, this is a report of hunter opinion 
at a particular point in time and maybe sub- 
ject to change if hunters become conditioned 
to restrictive seasons in the future, Further, 
although over 60 percent of the hunters inthe 
Mississippi and Central Flyways stated, fol- 
lowing the 1962 season, that they would have 
preferred a closed season under the regula- 
tions that existed, at least 50 percent of the 
hunters bought duck stamps. Therefore, even 
though a hunter states a preference for closed 
season, it does not necessarily follow that he 
would not hunt. Of course, some hunters in 
favor of a season at the time they purchased 
their duck stamp may have changed their 
minds following the season; this aspect can 
not be measured, For these reasons, then, 
extreme care must be taken when consider- 
ing the implications of this survey of hunter 
opinion, 
