Woodcock Status Report 1969 PDF Download

Information on the current status and population trends of the American woodcock is provided by a singing-ground survey conducted over much of the species' breeding range and a wing-collection survey in the eastern United States. the 1969 singing-ground survey, in which 90 percent of the comparable routes were randomly located, indicated an increase in the breeding population of 4.22% in the Eastern region, 12.14% in the Western region, and 8.82% on a rangewide basis. The 1968-69 wing-collection survey suggested an increase in productivity of 5.35%, the first noticeable improvement since 1961-62. Daily harvest per hunter increased slightly in 1968-69 for the second consecutive year, but the seasonal harvest per hunter did not change. Although the sampling frame is inadequate the best available evidences suggests that the harvest of woodcock is increasing because more hunters are participating. The 1968-69 harvest in the United States approximated 1 million birds. The 1968 harvest in Canada was approximately 100,000 birds. There is some evidence that middle-latitude States could realize more recreational benefits from woodcock by adjusting their season to coincide with the peaks of woodcock migration. Woodcock research has materially increased the past 2 years, chiefly through the Accelerated Research program for Migratory Upland Game Birds.