24 Nebraskaland • August-September 2021
y quickly studying a duck's wing,
Randy Stutheit plays a role in
determining waterfowl regulations
and seasons in states throughout
the central portion of the country.
But he's been doing it awhile — 35
years — and that experience means
a lot in the Central Flyway, which
stretches from Canada to Mexico.
Stutheit, a longtime wildlife
biologist with the Nebraska Game
and Parks Commission, is a "wing
checker" on behalf of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. It's a small group. In
the Central Flyway there are just six.
There are another two biologists who
check tail feathers from geese.
In the flyway's waterfowl parts-
collection survey, which includes a
process called a "Wingbee," as many
as 40 or 50 people crowd into a large
room to ID harvested waterfowl. They
evaluate duck wings and goose tails in
a scientific process of data collection.
Checkers use their expertise to
verify the assessments of the less-
experienced people working the
Wingbee. Enough information is
gathered to get a detailed picture of
what the waterfowl harvest looked
like in states of the flyway during the
previous season.
"This is critical data we collect
relating to the waterfowl harvest in
the Central Flyway," Stutheit said.
"It helps formulate the waterfowl
regulations for the next year based on
the species composition of the harvest
and age and sex structure of that duck
harvest. It's pretty meaningful data."
The Wingbee typically takes place
at the Flint Hills National Wildlife
Refuge near Hartford, Kansas, each
February. Thanks to COVID-19 and
the necessity for social distancing
and smaller group sizes, the Wingbee
this year was parceled into several
sites throughout the flyway, including
Lincoln.
How it Started
"Bee" is an Old English term
meaning, a prayer or a favor. By the
late 18th century, it had become
Jake Heard holds three mallards his dad shot in Cass County. JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND
B
