Information from volunteers regarding their past season's hunting experience along with animal parts, such as quail wings, grouse rump feathers, rabbit skulls and deer jaws, are used for research, population monitoring and computer modeling. Future hunting regulations for each species are developed using this hunter-reported data. The number of hunters participating in these programs influences the quality of data on which to base management plans and actions. We need your participation for surveys on grouse, quail, rabbit, squirrel and deer. Materials to conduct surveys are distributed to hunters free of charge.
Hunters supply information using postage-paid envelopes.
For example, banding studies monitor the movement of animals. Aluminum bands are clamped around the legs of waterfowl, songbirds, doves and woodcock. Biologists assign each bird a number and record information about its age, sex and capture site. Data is housed at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bird Banding Laboratory. Answer a few simple questions about where the bird has been found or harvested and the band is yours to keep.