American Woodcock Population Status 2011

Singing-ground Survey data for 2011 indicate that indices for singing American woodcock (Scolopax minor) males in the Eastern and Central Management Regions are not significantly different from 2010. There was no significant 10-year trend for woodcock heard in the Eastern or Central Management Regions during 2001-11. This marks the eighth consecutive year that the 10-year trend estimate was not significant in the Eastern Region, while the 10-year trend in the Central Management Region returns to non-significance after being negative last year. Both regions have a long-term (1968-11) declining trend of -1.0% per year. The 2010 recruitment index for the U.S. portion of the Eastern Region (1.5 immatures per adult female) was 1.2% greater than the 2009 index and 10.2% below the long-term regional index, while the recruitment index for the U.S. portion of the Central Region (1.6 immatures per adult female) was 30.2% higher than the 2009 index and was 2.1% lower than the long-term regional index. Estimates from the Harvest Information Program indicated that U.S. woodcock hunters in the Eastern Region spent 146,700 days afield and harvested 99,800 woodcock during the 2010-11 season, while in the Central Region, hunters spent 392,400 days afield and harvested 233,100 woodcock