Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for
Date of this Version
1953
Abstract
In the year 1946, two townships of 36 square miles each were selected for experimental work in aerial censusing. The primary objective was to devise a technique for obtaining complete counts of upland game birds on limited areas during the winter months.
The aerial survey proved to be very satisfactory when snow conditions are right. All available cover must be well filled with snow, with very few bare spots in fields or other parts of the area. The birds tend to congregate on such bare places where it is very difficult to see them from the plane.
In 1951 a total of 40 townships were laid out as census plots in different parts of the state. In 1952 six new townships were added in the better pheasant areas in the southeastern and southwestern counties. Two townships were also relocated in order to give a more representative coverage to that region.
It is planned to census the townships in the heaviest pheasant areas each year if snow conditions are favorable. Other townships will be covered every two or three years.
Comments
Published in Project 7-R (1953) 8 p.