WATERFOWL HARVEST AND POPULATION SURVEY DATA Estimates of U.S. Harvest, Hunting Activity, and Success Derived From the State-Federal Cooperative Harvest Information Program compiled by David Fronczak U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Migratory Bird Management Bloomington, MN Preliminary September 24, 2021 Note to Users: During 1961-2001, estimates of waterfowl harvest, hunting activity, and success in the United States were derived from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Waterfowl Harvest Survey, also known as the Mail- Questionnaire Survey. This was a two-part survey including: 1) a mail- questionnaire survey of individuals who purchased duck stamps with the intention of hunting waterfowl, and 2) a waterfowl parts-collection survey. Beginning in 1999, a new survey, the Harvest Information Program, became fully operational nationwide. In this Program, the source of participants in the survey is lists of migratory bird hunters furnished by State Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the mail-questionnaire portion of the survey was re-designed, and both the mail-questionnaire and parts- collection portions of the survey were expanded to include some other species/groups of migratory game birds as well as waterfowl. The mail- questionnaire portion of the Waterfowl Harvest Survey, which was based on duck-stamp sales, was discontinued after the 2001 hunting season. Since the source of participants and the design of the mail questionnaire in the Harvest Information Program are different from those in the previous Waterfowl Harvest Survey, the estimates of waterfowl harvest, hunting activity, and success derived from the two surveys are not comparable. Because of this, in 2003 the estimates for 1961-2001 derived from the previous survey were removed from the annually- updated compilation of data entitled “Waterfowl Harvest and Population Survey Data” and placed in a separate compilation entitled “Estimates of Waterfowl Harvest, Hunting Activity, and Success in the United States, 1961-2001, With Emphasis on the Mississippi Flyway”. CONTENTS MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY Duck Frameworks .................................................................................................1 Duck Hunter Numbers ...........................................................................................3 Duck Hunter-days..................................................................................................3 Days per Duck Hunter ...........................................................................................3 Seasonal Bag per Duck Hunter.............................................................................4 Daily Bag per Duck Hunter ....................................................................................4 Goose Hunter Numbers ........................................................................................5 Goose Hunter-days ...............................................................................................5 Days per Goose Hunter .........................................................................................5 Seasonal Bag per Goose Hunter ..........................................................................6 Daily Bag per Goose Hunter .................................................................................6 Species Ranking ...................................................................................................7 Waterfowl Harvest Estimates: All Ducks .................................................................................................8 Mallards ..................................................................................................8 Black Ducks ............................................................................................8 Gadwall ...................................................................................................9 Wigeon....................................................................................................9 Green-winged Teal (All Seasons) .........................................................10 Blue-winged Teal (All Seasons) ............................................................11 Northern Shoveler .................................................................................12 Pintails ..................................................................................................12 Wood Ducks (All Seasons) ...................................................................13 Redheads..............................................................................................14 Canvasbacks ........................................................................................14 Lesser Scaup ........................................................................................14 Greater Scaup .......................................................................................15 Ring-necked Ducks ...............................................................................15 Goldeneye.............................................................................................15 Bufflehead.............................................................................................16 Ruddy Ducks .........................................................................................16 Mergansers (Hooded, Common, Red-Breasted) ...................................17 Scoters..................................................................................................18 Long-tailed Ducks .................................................................................19 Canada Geese by Season....................................................................20 Snow Geese .........................................................................................21 Ross’s Geese ........................................................................................21 White-fronted Geese .............................................................................21 Mallard Age Ratios ...................................................................................22 Mallard Sex Ratios ...................................................................................22 Canada Goose Survey Temperate Nesting Population ..............................................................23 Midwinter Survey Indices All Ducks ...............................................................................................24 Dabbling Ducks .....................................................................................26 Diving Ducks .........................................................................................28 Mallards ................................................................................................30 Black Ducks ..........................................................................................32 Pintails ..................................................................................................34 Canada Geese ......................................................................................36 Mid-Continent Light Geese ...................................................................38 White-fronted Geese .............................................................................39 Eastern Population Tundra Swan .........................................................41 Webless Harvest Estimates: Coots ....................................................................................................42 i MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY CONT’D Mourning Dove ......................................................................................44 White-winged Dove ...............................................................................46 American Woodcock .............................................................................48 Snipe .....................................................................................................50 Rails ......................................................................................................52 Moorhen and Gallinule ..........................................................................54 Light Goose Conservation Order Harvest Estimates ...........................................56 LINKS TO RELATED REPORTS ATLANTIC FLYWAY, CENTRAL FLYWAY, AND PACIFIC FLYWAY (HIP and MQS) DATABOOKS https://www.fws.gov/birds/surveys-and-data/reports-and-publications/flyway-data- books.php UNITED STATES HUNTING ACTIVITY AND HARVEST https://www.fws.gov/birds/surveys-and-data/reports-and-publications/hunting-activity-and- harvest.php CANADA NATIONAL WATERFOWL HARVEST SURVEY https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/bird- surveys/waterfowl/national-harvest.html NORTH AMERICA WATERFOWL AND WEBLESS STATUS https://www.fws.gov/birds/surveys-and-data/reports-and-publications/population- status.php Flyway Data Books contain annual estimates of migratory bird abundance, harvest, and hunter participation and activity. Due to the large volume of data and the number of years, species, and geographic areas involved, data tables may be large and complex. Readers that may need help reading and interpreting the data, or that may need data presented in an alternative format to facilitate reading and interpretation, should contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Mississippi Flyway Representatives office (612/713-5411) identified in each Flyway Data Book with specific request. ii MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR - FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE REGULAR-SEASON FRAMEWORKS FOR