6 



MISC. PUBLICATION 15 9, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



Little information is available on the effective intervals at which 

 to place feeding stations for ruffed grouse. Although these birds 

 subsist well on natural foods (buds, berries, and fruits), they also 

 relish grains. 



One permanent, well-attended feeding station to a farm is a 

 good goal. Farmers who wish to make sure of holding their own 

 stocks of birds, or to attract additional wild breeders to their prop- 

 erty from outside, will probably find, however, that several feeding 

 stations to a farm are needed. Establishing and giving adequate at- 

 tention to developing good coverts constitute a definite step toward 

 game-bird increase. 



Stations should be in areas sheltered from drifting snow, wind, and 

 sleet. They should not constitute traps or place the birds at any 

 disadvantage. Since domestic poultry harbor some parasitic and 



Figure 3. — Feeding station accessible from good cover ; ring-necked pheasants and bob- 

 whites feeding. (Courtesy Minnesota Conservation Commission.) 



other diseases, and since game birds harbor others that often are 

 interchangeable with those of poultry, it is well not to feed game 

 and poultry together or on the same ground. 



Of course, in emergencies, game birds can be fed anywhere they are 

 found, including railroad rights of way, hard-packed roads, hay 

 stacks, and pits dug in the snow. The important thing is to have 

 the feed where the birds will find it. 



PERMANENT FEED PATCHES 



STANDING AND SHOCKED CORN 



The simpler and the more natural the feeding station, and the 

 less attention it requires, the better. There is no more effective 

 provision for winter feeding than leaving standing and shocked 

 corn in fields near cover. If the corn is not near good cover, several 

 brush-heap shelters may be provided. Standing corn for prairie 

 chickens, sharp-tailed grouse, and ring-necked pheasants, and corn 



