Download Free Woodcock Status Report 1963 Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Woodcock Status Report 1963 and write the review.

An index of woodcock reproductive success in 1961 and 1962 was obtained from age ratios in the hunting kill as determined from wings. For both seasons combined, hunters contributed 25,426 woodcock wings.
Singing-ground surveys of the American woodcock indicate that breeding populations have increased gradually over the past 7 years while production, as indicated by wing-collection surveys, has remained relatively stable. The woodcock harvest, meanwhile, has probably more than doubled during the past decade. This suggests that while woodcock are probably becoming more important to North American sportsmen, hunting mortality is still relatively unimportant.
An index of woodcock productivity in 1962 and 1963 was obtained from age ratios in the hunting kill as determined from 28,141 wings contributed by hunters.
An index of woodcock reproductive success in 1960 and 1961 was obtained from age ratios in the hunting kill as determined from wings. For both seasons combined, hunters contributed 21,343 woodcock wings.
Surveys designed to determine the population status of American woodcock indicate little change in recent continental breeding populations, but a continuing decline in production. The annual harvest of this species, meanwhile, continues to soar with an apparent upsurge in hunter's awareness of the woodcock's sporting qualities. Research activities continue to uncover information related to the reliability of singing-ground surveys while banding operations in Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, and West Virginia testify to the feasibility of expanding this very important program throughout North America. West Virginia has contributed significantly to this program through its improvement of the night-lighting technique which was developed in association with their primary objective of evaluating the importance of hunting as a mortality factor. Woodcock bandings and recoveries from the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge are being examined to determine more about the characteristics of this lightly harvested population and to better understand their use of various habitat types.