PRODUCTION INDEXES 
Aerial brood transects were flown over 
the Sandhills for the first time in 1961 and, 
therefore, no comparison can be made with 
previous years. The data collected are 
presented in appendix table F-25 ({p. 118). 
Unusual numbers of loafing adult ducks 
were found on numerous lakes. A logical 
explanation appears to be that a large num- 
ber of these apparent "loafers" had been to 
northern breeding areas and returned be- 
cause of the extremely dry conditions. The 
earlier birds, on their return may have 
nested in the Sandhills, thus accounting for 
the irregular and late brood appearances. 
A greater number of late broods were 
noted this year than usual. Weather and 
water conditions in the Sandhills indicated 
that a comparatively even hatch should have 
25 
occurred. Quite a number of newly hatched 
duck broods were seen as late as the third 
week in July. Ranchers reported finding 
newly hatched ducklings and nests of eggs 
still being incubated during haying opera- 
tions, which were in full swing on July 10. 
Between July 17 and July 20 in the south- 
central area, observations include 3 newly 
hatched broods of blue-winged teal, 1 each 
of shoveler, mallard, pintail, and an incu- 
bating blue-winged teal with 10 eggs. 
CONCLUSIONS 
Nebraska's overall contribution of ducks 
to the fall flight will probably be slightly 
less than a year ago, but considerably 
above the previous 6-year average. 
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY 
WATERFOWL KILL SURVEY 
In the Mississippi Flyway an estimated 
2,977,411 ducks were bagged during the 
1960-61 waterfowl season (table A-7, p. 48), 
an increase of 7 percent from the 1959-60 
season. An additional 778,213 ducks were 
estimated to have been killed but not 
retrieved, resulting in a total kill of 
3,755,624 ducks, 9 percent more thanduring 
the previous season. 
In the Mississippi Flyway the species 
composition of the duck bag was derived 
independently from the wing collection sur- 
vey and from the waterfowl kill survey 
(table A-2, p. 43). Inboth surveys, mallards 
were estimated to have composed about 59 
percent of the bag, and data from the two 
surveys were in reasonable agreement for 
most of the other major species. Both sur- 
veys reported some kill of the protected 
redhead and canvasback. 
The estimated bag of 177,990 geese was 
28 percent lower than that for the 1959-60 
season (table <A-7). Also killed but not 
retrieved were 34,532 geese, a 44-percent 
decrease. The bag of 114,773 Canada geese, 
which was 64 percent of the total goose bag, 
represents a drop of 18 percent for this 
species from the previous season. 
Decreases in the bags of other species 
of geese in the Mississippi Flyway were 
for blue geese, 41 percent; snow geese, 
45 percent; and white-fronted geese, 63 
percent. 
A total of 195,112 coots was retrieved, 
a decided increase (136 percent) over the 
previous year; and the 60,907 coots killed 
but not retrieved (a 27-percent increase) 
resulted in a total kill of 256,019 coots. 
This estimated kill is 96-percent higher 
than the estimate for the 1959-60 hunting 
season. 
The number of potential hunters remained 
constant in the Mississippi Flyway, although 
active hunters decreased 5 percent (table 
A-8). Adult hunters bagged an average of 
5.0 ducks during the season, an increase 
of 20 percent from the previous year. 
WING COLLECTION SURVEY 
Flyway-wide age ratios of the more 
important species of ducks in the kill 
during the 1959-60 and 1960-61 hunting 
seasons in the Mississippi Flyway are 
given in table B-3 (p. 56). Nearly all 
Species showed an increase in the ratio 
of immature to adult birds during the 
1960-61 hunting season. The black duck 
was the only species to show a decrease 
in the proportion of young birds to adults 
in the hunter's bag. 
Mallard age ratios in the kill in each 
