Uses and limitations of the data are discussed. The pre-hunting 
- season banding provided the most data, but even these samples were 
much smaller and more poorly distributed than they should be for 
reliable results. Breeding-ground banding (primarily the banding of 
flightless young) provided very small samples; the recovery rate also 
was very low. The possibility of banding flying immatures instead of 
locals (flightless young) was considered. Only a few birds were 
banded during the wintering period and there were no recoveries. 
The distribution of recoveries from 1959-60 banded samples is 
reported; in many States, particularly those in the south, an insuffi- 
cient number of birds were banded to produce a recovery pattern. 
Direct band recovery rates were examined for changes between 
years. There was no discernible increase in the recovery rate from 
bandings in the States of Vermont and New York between the 1958-59 
and 1959-60 hunting seasons, even though the daily bag limit was 
increased from one bird in 1958-59 to two birds in 1959-60. 
There appeared to be regional differences in recovery rate associated 
with the opening dates of the hunting season. The mean recovery rate of 
immatures was higher in the more northern States which selected the 
earlier opening dates than in the southern States which selected later 
opening dates. This suggests that birds located in the States selecting 
the earlier opening date are subjected to a greater shooting pressure. 
The direct recovery rate of birds banded as immatures was generally 
greater than that of adults. There appeared to be regional differences 
in the relative recovery rate. Bandings in Wisconsin indicated a greater 
relative recovery rate of immatures in the northern States, while 
bandings in Vermont suggested a greater relative recovery rate of 
immatures in the southern States. This finding was supported by age 
ratios observed in the duck wing collection. - 
A rough approximation of the proportion of the pre-season wood 
duck population bagged indicated that hunting accounted for less than 
one-half of the total mortality during 1959-60. 
Pre-season population size and age ratio were estimated using 
- Information from band recoveries, the Mail Questionnaire Survey, and 
the Wing Collection Survey. This estimate, which also must be considered 
very approximate, indicated that the wood duck population in the 
Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways before the 1960-61 hunting season 
was about 2,000,000 birds with an age ratio of 1.5 immatures per adult. 
