ABSTRACT 
An index of size of the woodcock breeding population in 
1963 was obtained from singing-ground counts conducted in 20 
eastern and central States and 4 eastern Canadian Provinces. 
East of the Appalachians, 161 routes run in both 1962 and 
1963 were available for comparison. West of the mountains, 
118 comparable routes were covered. 
The population index declined 7 percent in the East, but 
rose 16 percent in the West. For both regions combined, the 
index increased 6 percent. It is doubtful if this represents 
a significant change in size of the breeding population from 
1962 to 1963. 
An index of woodcock reproductive success in 1961 and 
1962 was obtained from age ratios in the hunting kill as 
determined from 25,426 wings contributed by hunters. 
Age ratios in the hunting kill varied among States and 
Provinces each year. For the combined kill, the ratio of 
immatures per adult female was 1.9 in 1961 and 1.8 in 1962. 
The ratio of immatures per adult (males and females com- 
bined) in the continent-wide kill was 1.1 in both years. 
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