Controlled Waterfowl Hunting At Lake Odessa, Louisa County, Iowa

The Lake Odessa Public Hunting Area supports two systems of regulated waterfowl hunting. Control Area A consists of 55 marked blind sites which are chosen randomly by hunters during a daily drawing. Hunters using the second area, Control Area B, are not restricted to blind sites and a daily fee is not required, but all parties must possess a valid permit. Hunter use of Control Area A was uniform throughout the 1972 and 1973 hunting seasons due to the better mallard (Anas platy rhynchos) shooting on that area. Control Area B hunter use decreased as the season progressed, reflecting the early migration of wood ducks (Aix sponsa) which were more prevalent. In 1973, a year of poor mallard production but good wood duck production, hunter use of Control Area B increased over the previous year as hunters sought wood ducks. Hunters using Control Area A belonged to higher income, education, and occupation brackets, spent more money on equipment, and drove further to hunt than hunters in Control Area B. Hunter success was positively related to increasing values of vegetation parameters, but the dominant influence was not apparent. A heavy zone of annual emergent vegetation appeared to influence hunter success, but a lack of this zone could be compensated for with a strong representation of buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). Sites on medium-sized water areas (14-20 ac.) with a strong zone of annual emergent vegetation produced the highest success rates in 1972, but the same or similar sites produced low success rates in 1973 after severe loss of vegetation. Because of reduced annual emergent vegetation on the area and the receding zones of bottonbush, a summer drawdown of water level was recommended