Tabic 1. — Response of rural mail carriers in Illinois to ques- 

 tionnaires relating to abundance of pheasants along their routes, 

 1957 and 1958. 



Per Cent 

 Per Cent of 



Number of of Returned 



Number of Question- Question- Question- 

 Counties naircs naires naires 

 Date Censused Mailed Returned Usable 



1957 



February 102 1 ,b:i4 76.0 97.4 



April 76 1,284 65.0 96.4 



August 76 1,423 62.5 90.3 



1958 



January 76 1,385 76.3 97.3 



April 76 1,390 76.7 * 



August 76 1,426 72.9 ....* 



Mean 71.6 95.4 



* Not calculated. 



during the winter counts, and (6) differences in such 

 weather elements as wind, sunHght, temperature, pie- 

 cipitation, and dew. 



Although individual differences undoubtedly existed 

 among the carriers in their interest in this project and 

 their ability to observe pheasants, few if any had been 

 trained in censusing pheasants, and such differences as 

 existed would tend to cancel each other over large, 

 although perhaps not township, areas. 



The reported differences in the distribution and 

 abundance of pheasants in the winters of 1957 and 

 1958, figs. 2 and 3, were probably due partly to the 

 effect of snow with respect to the obser\ability of pheas- 

 ants and partly to an increase, in 1958, in the number 

 of cocks in the population. The distribution and amount 

 of snow arc cjuite variable in Illinois; it is unusual for 

 the entire pheasant range to have snow on the ground 

 in appreciable quantities at one time. Although snow 

 cover was present at the beginning of the census period 

 in February, 1957, a thaw removed much of the snow- 

 over a large area in the northern counties of the state 

 before the 5-day census was completed. In January, 

 1958, there was deep snow (5-20 inches) over the 

 census area except in portions of east-central and south- 



central Illinois. Average range-wide winter counts were 

 1.7 cocks and 4.4 hens per 100 miles in February, 1957, 

 and 4.8 cocks and 10,1 hens per 100 miles in January, 

 1958, table 2. Evidence other than frt)m rural mail car- 

 rier counts indicated that, at least in east-central Illinois, 

 there were more cocks in the winter of 1958 than in the 

 winter of 1957, but that the abundance of hens was 

 similar. Rural mail carriers observed a relatively greater 

 number of cocks in 1958 than in 1957; sex ratios were 

 2.6 hens per cock in February, 1957, and 2.1 hens per 

 cock in Januaiy, 1958, table 2. 



Fewer hen pheasants were seen by rural mail carriers 

 in April than in winter, table 2, although in April the 

 landscape is still quite barren of vegetation. Relatively 

 greater numbers of the cocks present were observed 

 during the April surveys than during the winter covmts, 

 as indicated by seasonal differences in sex ratios; because 

 of their behavior, as well as color, cocks are more con- 

 spicuous than hens during the breeding season. The 

 conditions for observing pheasants are probably more 

 nearly constant from year to year in April than in any 

 other month. April, therefore, may be the best time to 

 use rural mail carrier censuses for obtaining annual 

 indices of pheasant abundance. 



In August, development of vegetation restricts tin- 

 field of vision of observers. During this month, the 

 number of pheasants observed by the rural mail carriers 

 was below the number seen in winter or spring, table 2, 

 even though more pheasants were present. The pres- 

 ence or absence of rain or dew on vegetation in the 

 mornings probably affected the counts of pheasants 

 made by carriers in August ; rural mail routes are gen- 

 erally driven in the morning. Pheasants (chicks par- 

 ticularly) seemingly lend to avoid wet vegetation by 

 loafing on and along rural roads at this time of year, 

 where they are easily visible. In Michigan, the \alidity 

 of summer brood counts as measures of jiopulation 

 changes from year to year was shown by direct correla- 

 tion of brood counts by rural mail carriers with esti- 

 mates of the state-wide kill of cocks diu'ing subseciuent 

 hunting seasons (MacMullan 196(h 106-14) . 



The factors listed above unquestionably influenced 

 the reliabilitv of counts of pheasants by rural mail car- 



Table 2. — Miles driven and adult pheasants reported by rural mail carriers in 76 counties of Illinois, 1957 and 1958. 



1957 1958 



Category February April August January April August Total 



Miles driven 234,295 190,775 209,330 253,0.55 253,685 251,405 1, 392, .5.38 



Cocks observed 3,972 7,247 1,137 12,171 10,298 1,352 36,177 



Urns ob.served 10,361 9,162 2,4<il 25,622 9,282 2,482 59,371 



liens per cock 2.6 1.3 2.2 2,1 0.9 1.8 1.6 



Cocks p<r 100 miles 1.7 3.8 0.5 4.8 4.0 0.5 2.6 



Hens per 100 miles 4.4 4.8 1.2 10,1 3.7 1.0 4.3 



Pheasants per 100 miles 6.1 8.6 1.7* 14.9 7.7 l.Sf 6.9 



• In additiDii lo adult nhrasanis, 6,7(14 chickj were observed in August, I9.'>7. If llicsc chiclu were included in the counts, the number of pheasants 

 ob.sprvcd per I'H) iniU*!, would be 4.9. 



t In addition to adult pheasants, 7,414 chicks were observed in August, 1958. If theM chiclu were included in the counts, the number of pheasants 

 observed per KJO miles would be 4.5. 



