
In hunting States of the Central Unit, the breeding index decreased 
16 percent compared to 1960 but remained hO percent above the 1953 level 
(table 1 and fig. 3). In nonhunting States, the index declined 1 per- 
cent between 1960 and 1961 (table 1). ‘The long-term trend of the breed- 
ing index in nonhunt ing States of the Central Unit is.shown in figure 3 
and roughly follows the trend in hunting States. The 1961 index was 
69 percent above the 1953 level. 
Western Management Unit (fig. 1) 
The breeding-population index for the Western Unit showed no change 
from the 1960 level (table 1). Figure 2 shows that the breeding index 
of the Western Unit has fluctuated moderately over an 8-year period and 
in 1961 was 5 percent below the 1953 level. 
Discussion of Population-index Trends 
Indexes to mourning dove breeding populations in the three manage- 
ment units showed small changes from the 1960 level. In recognition of 
the many variables in the call-count survey, changes of this magnitude 
must be considered insignificant. Long-term trends in the breeding 
indexes, however, are upward in the Central and Eastern Units. The 
index for the Western Unit is essentially unchanged from the 1953 level. 
Over an 8-year period, hunting and nonhunting States in the Central 
Unit showed substantial increases in breeding indexes, 40 percent for the 
hunting States and 69 percent for the nonhunting States. Eastern Unit 
hunting States showed a population-index increase (36 percent) twice as 
great as the nonhunting States (18 percent) over the same 8-year period. 
The greater increase in the population index in hunting States occurred 
despite generally higher band-recovery rates from doves banded during 
the breeding season in hunting States than from those banded in non- 
hunting States (table 2). 
For the United States as a whole, the 1961 breeding-population 
index was 7 percent below the 1960 level. The long-term trend has been 
generally upward since 1953 and the index is now 30 percent above the 
1953 level. 
