Distribution of wood duck harvest in the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways in relation to hunting season length

摘要

Waterfowl management plans do not allow substantial changes to occur in the distribution of harvests among states within a flyway as the result of changes in season frameworks. We examined the wood duck (Aix sponsa) harvest distribution in various regions in the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways in relation to season length and hunter numbers. The 60-day duck hunting seasons allowed in recent years, based on Adaptive Harvest Management models, have resulted in a redistribution of the harvest of wood ducks within both the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways. A significant shift in the actual wood duck harvest occurred between 40-day and 60-day seasons, with hunters in the southern areas of the flyways benefiting out of proportion with trends in hunter numbers.