Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) populations in the Great Lake States; Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin (hereafter GLS), are monitored as part of a larger population known as the Mid-continent mallard population. Regulations regarding harvest of Mid-continent mallards in the mid-1990s became more liberal than at any time in the past 50-years. Waterfowl managers of the GLS were concerned that liberalized regulations would lead to declining mallard populations throughout the GLS. Resource managers in Michigan and Wisconsin adopted regulations that were more restrictive than allowed under federal regulations for harvest of female mallards. Research has suggested that declining mallard abundance throughout the GLS could be linked to declining productivity and excessive harvest under liberalized regulations. This research suggests that productivity rates of GLS mallards have remained relatively steady from 1961-2011 despite environmental variation on the breeding grounds. I also found that kill rates during the more liberal hunting seasons were lower than during years when regulations were more restrictive, there were fewer mallards, and there were more duck hunters. Further analyses suggest regulation changes at the state level will have less of an impact on harvest rates than will regulation changes at the flyway level. My results suggest that the decline of GLS mallard abundance is likely not linked to excessive harvest or declining productivity.
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