ants are capable of withstanding the heavy hunt- 

 ing pressure they annually take. 



Densities of Populations: 



Obtaining exact figures on the number of 

 game birds per acre or per section is one of the 

 most difficult aspects of any upland game bird 

 study. In many cases such figures are impossible 

 to obtain by any present known method. This 

 is especially true of the mountain grouse. Great 

 effort has been made to record the data in such 

 a way as to allow comparative recounts of the 

 birds in successive years. For example, we can- 

 not tell how many Blue Grouse there are in 

 Mineral County, but we can by rewalking the 

 same forest trails at the same time next year ob- 

 tain figures which will conclusively show wheth- 

 er the birds are 10 per cent or 20 per cent more 

 or less abundant than they were in 1942. Such 

 information is of great value to the Commission 

 in establishing open seasons and bag limits. Using 

 our data books of 1942, it will be possible in fu- 

 ture years accurately to check the changes in 

 population of all species of upland game birds 

 in the following counties: Sheridan, Fallon, Car- 

 ter, Garfield, Toole, Glacier, Meagher, Lincoln, 

 Flathead, Sanders, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli, 

 Powell, Granite and Lake. 



"There is little doubt that pheasants reach 

 greater densities (birds per acre) than any of our 

 other game birds. Sharp tail grouse in some of the 

 extreme eastern counties are certainly next in 

 order, with sage grouse in a few areas following 

 closely behind. Although Hungarian Partridges 

 are found over a much greater area than any 

 other species, we have not found them to be as 

 abundant in any one place as the above men- 

 tioned species. The mountain grouse, blue, ruffed, 



and Franklin's, are much scarcer even in their 

 areas of greatest concentration than the four 

 species mentioned above. 



A detailed census of the heavy pheasant 

 population in the region of Billings was scheduled 

 just prior to the opening of the special open sea- 

 son in September, but continued rainy weather 

 forced us to cancel our plans. Figures from the 

 Flathead Valley where the birds are thought to 

 be less abundant than in the Yellowstone Valley 

 clearly show that the population there is much 

 higher than in most of the pheasant areas of 

 the midwestern and eastern states. 



Future Work: 



The original plan of determining the status 

 of each species of upland game birds in each 

 county has been accomplished. Future work 

 which is urgently needed should better tell us 

 the reasons for some of our findings. In view of 

 recent complaints lodged by farmers of damage 

 to crops by pheasants, detailed studies of the food 

 habits of this bird should be made in several re- 

 gions of the state. Such studies will involve exam- 

 ination of crop and gizzard contents of birds at 

 a time when they are reportedly doing damage. 

 It is most important in our understanding of the 

 native species to assign men to a full time study 

 on a year around basis in special regions. Only 

 in this way can we really come to understand 

 all of the factors operating against the proper 

 recovery of grouse in many counties. 



A census check will be made of the pheasant 

 population in the Billings area early in January, 

 1943. The result of this work will be particularly 

 important as it will indicate the effect of the past 

 hunting season upon numbers of birds and also 

 upon the sex ratio. 



o o o o o 



SOMETHING T< ) THINK ABOUT! 

 To permit an increase of any wild bird or animal 

 over and above the available food supply is to destroy 

 that bird or animal just as surely as by overshooting. 



By— David M. Newell, 

 Editor-in-Chief, Field & Stream 



[97] 



