Results of Semi-Controlled Hunting Upon the Harvest of Waterfowl at Lake Odessa, Iowa, 1960

Hunter questionnaire surveys were conducted in 1958 and 1959 to determine the number of pheasant hunters, the total number of birds killed, and the distribution of hunt-pressure in Iowa. A one percent random sample was selected from the current license files. Results indicated that 75.2 percent of the licensees hunted pheasants in 1958 compared to 74.6 percent in 1959. A total of 267,455 hunters bagged 1,548,564 ringnecks in 1958 and 238,903 hunters killed 1,070,285 birds in 1959. Forty to 44 percent of the total season kill occurred during the first two days of the season. Hunter success figures and post-season sex ratios indicated that the major portion of Iowa\u27s primary pheasant range could support greater hunting pressure. The response by cooperating hunters was excellent, with 43.6 percent and 49.0 returning the questionnaire for 1958 and 1959, respectively