Migratory Bird Hunting Activity and Harvest During the 2008 and 2009 Hunting Seasons

• Main Authors: Raftovich, Robert V., Wilkins, Khristi, Richkus, Kenneth D., Williams, Sheri S., Spriggs, Howard L.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 2010
• Subjects: Canada; Woodcock; Branta canadensis; Canada Goose
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usfwspubs/358; https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/usfwspubs/article/1357/viewcontent/Migratory_Bird_Hunting_Activity_and_Harvest_During_the_2008_and_2009_Hunting_Seasons._Preliminary_Estimates.pdf

National surveys of migratory bird hunters were conducted during the 2008 and 2009 hunting seasons. Hunters of the following types of migratory birds were surveyed: waterfowl (family Anatidae), doves (mourning [Zenaida macroura] and white-winged [Z. asiatica]), bandtailed pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata), American woodcock (Scolopax minor), Wilson’s snipe (Gallinago delicata), American coot (Fulica americana), gallinules (Common moorhen [Gallinula chloropus] and purple gallinule [Porzana carolina]), and rails (king rail [Rallus elegans], clapper rail [R. longirostris], Virginia rail [R. limicola], and sora [Coturnicops noveboracensis]). About 1.2 million waterfowl hunters harvested 13,635,700 (±4%) ducks and 3,792,600 (±5%) geese in 2008, and about 1.1 million waterfowl hunters harvested 13,139,800 (±4%) ducks and 3,327,000 (±5%) geese in 2009. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), green-winged teal (A. crecca), gadwall (A. strepera), blue-winged/cinnamon teal (A. discors), and wood duck (Aix sponsa) were the 5 most-harvested duck species in the U.S., and Canada goose (Branta canadensis) was the predominant goose species in the goose harvest. About 994,000 dove hunters harvested 17,400,000 (±5%) mourning doves in 2008 and 974,400 hunters harvested 17,400,000 (±6%) in 2009. Woodcock hunters numbered about 130,000 in 2008 and 109,000 in 2009, and harvested 279,000 (±15%) birds in 2008 and 238,400 (±15%) in 2009. About 27,400 people hunted snipe in 2008 and 29,400 in 2009, and they harvested 95,500 (±32%) and 83,500 (±45%) snipe in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Coot hunters (about 31,100 in 2008 and 2009) harvested 275,900 (±43%) coots in 2008 and 219,000 (+34%) in 2009. Gallinule hunters (about 3,700 in 2008 and 2,300 in 2009) harvested 13,200 (±98%) gallinules in 2008 and 7,400 (±66%) in 2009. About 11,200 rail hunters harvested 45,000 (±43%) rails in 2008 and 7,800 rail hunters harvested 36,000 (±62%) rails in 2009.