Survival and harvest rates remain consistent for wood ducks following an increased bag limit

Abstract In the early 1900s, wood duck Aix sponsa populations experienced severe declines due to unregulated hunting and habitat destruction. Federal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and the implementation of nest box programs facilitated their recovery such that sport harvest resumed in 1941. In 2008, the bag limit for wood ducks during the general duck season increased from two to three daily, a change projected to increase the harvest rates. However, estimating harvest and survival rates of adult females remains challenging due to the difficulty of capturing them during preseason banding operations. We analyzed data from 2001–2014 from box‐nesting female wood ducks in Louisiana using a live‐dead model to estimate survival and calculate harvest rates. Our results indicate the bag limit increase had minimal impact on the survival and harvest rates of box‐nesting females. The mean annual survival rate was 68%, with no changes after the increase in bag limit in 2008. Harvest rates also remained consistent across the study period, averaging 3%. Our findings suggest the increase in bag limit has not adversely affected survival of box‐nesting wood ducks in Louisiana, allowing for additional hunting opportunities without compromising conservation goals for adult female wood ducks in the state.