Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
The two roosts at Union County Refuge were not subjected to direct hunting, and the northern roost at the LaRue-Pine Hills Ecological Area was closed to hunting each noon. These roosts supported large populations of wood ducks (Aix sponsa) during hunting season. Wood ducks from the northern roost at LaRue-Pine Hills Ecological Area were harvested by hunters at Oakwood Bottoms Greentree Reservoir until the birds migrated from the area. The area surrounding Union County Refuge was not hunted as intensively for wood ducks, but birds moving from these roosts did provide sport for hunters. Thus, by establishing roosting site refuges, populations of wood ducks can be held during the hunting season to provide continuous, legal hunting opportunities in surrounding areas. The opposite assumption is that wood ducks would be driven from an area by hunting.