area was so reduced (Table 1) that the incentive to hunt was almost 
removed. Provisions were made to estimate the total hunter pressure and 
total harvest of cranes, along with other game bird species, from a 
random postal survey of bird hunters. 
An analysis of the data derived from this survey results in an. 
estimate that 1,146 hunters hunted cranes at least once during the season. 
The limits of confidence on this estimte, at the 95-percent level, are 
from 917 to 1,376. 
Field contacts and checking station records show that 160 hunters 
were checked after bagging at least one crane; 33 of these were hunters 
who had been checked with cranes previously during the season. This 
indicated a total of 127 successful individuals checked. 
All hunters and grain farmers contacted were generally favorable 
to the hunting season. However, it seemed to be the almost unanimous 
opinion of both groups that an October or November open season would be 
preferable both from the standpoint of hunter interest and relief from 
local depredations. 
(g} Methods of hunting: Since the previous legal hunting of cranes 
was beyond the memory of most hunters, the most efficient mthod of harvest 
was ths subject of much discussion. The general opinion, however, was 
that tactics similar to those used on geese would work on cranes. Check 
sheets used to record harvest data provided space to indicate the method 
used by each successful minter contacted. An analysis of these reports 
shows that 2 parties totaling 109 hunters took 83 birds by pass shooting, 
for an average success of .761. This pass shooting was accomplished by 
the hunter stationing himself near a roosting area in lins with the route 
which he expected the cranes to take as they left the roost. 
Those hunters who preferred jump shooting, of whom there were 19 
in 11 parties, took 18 cranes for an average success of .947. Jump 
shooting, in gereral, consisted of hunters locating themselves around 
a field in which cranes were feeding and taking their chances on a shot 
as their companions caused the birds to take flight. 
Decoy hunting proved the most successful method when 36 hunters 
in 16 parties took ),0 cranes for an average of 1.111. The cranes decoyed 
readily to carefully placed decoys in front of well-concealed hunters. 
Decoys used were painted silhouettes constructed from heavy cardboard, 
plywood, etc., in conformance with plans furnished hunters by the 
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. 
(h) Guns and loads: The 12-gauge shotgun was by far the most popu-. 
lar weapon in use, and the popularity of shot sizes was almost equally 
divided between number 2 and number , with the latter showing a slight 
13 
