2019-2020 Illinois Waterfowl Hunter Report: Harvest, Youth Hunts, and Season Preferences

Eric M. Walberg, Lauren J. Stephens, Samantha G. Pallazza, Craig A. Miller

Research output: Book/Report/Conference proceedingTechnical report

Abstract

A total of 2,125 (44% response rate) Illinois waterfowl hunters returned usable questionnaires to the 2019-20 Illinois Waterfowl Hunter Survey. An estimated 35,185 adult waterfowl hunters spent 1 day or more afield during 2019-20, a decrease of 12.1% from the 40,047 hunters in 2018-19. Waterfowl hunters spent 841,828 days afield, an increase of 1.3 % from the 831,043 days devoted during the 2018-19 license year. Total waterfowl harvest increased 14.4%, from 412,402 during 2018-19 to 471,872 during 2019-20. Duck harvest estimates for the regular duck season were as follows: 164,043 mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), 51,564 wood ducks (Aix sponsa), and 108,340 other ducks. A total of 19,268 teal (Anas spp.) were harvested during the September teal season. Goose hunters harvested 85,188 Canada geese (Branta canadensis) during the regular Canada goose season, a 19.9% increase from the 71,035 Canada geese harvested during the 2018-19 regular goose season. Hunters harvested 15,429 Canada geese during the September Canada goose season, an 17.2% increase from the previous year. During the Youth Waterfowl Hunting Season, 4,039 adults took 4,528 youths waterfowl hunting, a 16.2% decrease in adult participation and a 21.6% decrease in youth participation from the 2018-19 Youth Waterfowl Hunting Season. Hunter preferences for seasons and satisfaction with the waterfowl seasons are also discussed.
Original languageEnglish (US)
PublisherIllinois Natural History Survey
Number of pages75
StatePublished - Nov 30 2020

Publication series

NameINHS Technical Report
No.2020 (27)

Keywords

  • waterfowl
  • hunt season preferences
  • hunter satisfaction
  • youth hunts
  • wildlife harvest

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of '2019-2020 Illinois Waterfowl Hunter Report: Harvest, Youth Hunts, and Season Preferences'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this