Population changes in gamebirds.

Abstract

Game management has twin objectives: first, to manipulate environmental characteristics so the habitat supports the optimum game breeding stock, and second, to ensure the maximum production of young birds to maximise the harvestable yield. To this end, game manager and scientist alike must measure their successes and failures with reliable and repeatable techniques which can be applied in a variety of situations.

This chapter is about these techniques which are both the foundation of most game research programmes and the basic tools of the game manager; techniques such as census methods used to measure spring and autumn stocks, and the use of bag records to examine long- or short-term historical changes.