WINTER FEEDING OF WILD LIFE ON NORTHERN FARMS 7 



shocks for bobwhites and Hungarian partridges, are the most satis- 

 factory means of winter feeding in regions where the grain matures. 

 Compared with other types of stations, they have the decided ad- 

 vantage of requiring little attention. 



As the snow deepens, the birds are able to reach the hanging ears 

 of standing corn. In patches of considerable size, ears may be at all 

 elevations from 6 inches to 5 feet, and some are within reach even 

 when snow is deep. When there is little snow or when no ears are 

 near the ground, the stalks may be broken over. Light grazing of 

 standing corn by cattle will cause many kernels to fall to the 

 ground where the game can get them. Overgrazing, however, should 

 be avoided, and where heavy grazing is necessary, a temporary fence 

 should be built around a corner of the field to preserve corn as cover 

 and food for the birds. 



.' &t Ms- 





^4 



■■■■::'.- : -¥ i - . , ; v:' : - i .-- ; .":'\ ■ '-' 



'■ - 4 ., 



Figure 4. — Shocked corn, well opened; prairie chickens feeding. (Courtesy Wisconsin 



Conservation Department.) 



Shocks of corn are possibly most effective for quail. If they are 

 opened up (fig. 4), tepee fashion, quail can scurry inside in the event 

 of danger and can also obtain ears that would otherwise be out of 

 reach. In blizzards, shocks may become heavily coated with ice or 

 snow and require to be opened. Moreover, unless the shocks are 

 opened, the birds may exhaust the supply of outside ears and thus be 

 without food even in the midst of plenty. At such times squirrels 

 dragging out the ears may incidentally save the lives of quail, which 

 glean what the rodents drop. 



A quarter to a half acre is probably the minimum size for an all- 

 winter patch of corn. The size depends, of course, on the number of 

 birds expected and the amount of grain that will be consumed by 

 rabbits, squirrels, and mice. Town and city sportsmen may purchase 

 (and, if necessary, fence) half -acre patches of shocked or standing 

 corn for this purpose. For quail such patches should adjoin un- 

 grazed wood lots, for pheasants they should preferably be near a 



