indicate high populations, peaks of abundance occiured at the 

 turn of each decade since 1920. Table 6 indicates that there was a 

 marked reduction in the number of greater prairie chickens on the 

 study area in the course of this study. 



The reduction in numbers probably was not so great throughout 

 the entire area open to hunting as it was in the Welda Area. It was 

 estimated that in 1950 there were 30 to 35 hunters per square mile 

 in the vicinity of Welda, and almost as many in 1951, but fewer in 

 1952. However, in adjacent Linn and CojBFey counties in 1950, 

 game protectors reported few hunters. Even in northern Anderson 

 County, a more moderate decline in numbers is revealed by counts 



Table 7. Frequency of Occurrence of Sex- and Age-Classes of Greater 

 Prairie Chickens Examined in 1950, 1951 and 1952. 



Number of Prairie Chickens Examined 



County 1950 1951 1952 



Males Females Males Females Males Females 





Young 



Old 



Young 



Old 



Young 



Old 



Young 



Old 



Young 



Old 



Young 



Old 



Allen 



1 



5 



1 



2 





















62 



50 



45 



31 



22 



28 



21 



21 



13 



10 



9 



9 



Butler 



















8 



13 



3 



7 



Chase 











6 



7 



11 



8 











Chautauqua . . 



















1 



1 



1 



3 



Coffey 







1 



1 



1 



















Cowley 



















2 



3 











Greenwood . . . 



1 



1 





























10 



7 



8 



5 



10 



7 



11 



11 



11 



8 



9 



8 



Woodson 



12 



11 



11 



7 



9 



16 



7 



17 











Totals 



86 



75 



66 



46 



47 



58 



50 



57 



35 



35 



22 



27 



of birds on booming grounds made in the spring of 1950 and in the 

 spring of 1952. In 1950, there were 67 males on three booming 

 grounds, and in 1952, there were 24 males on the same booming 

 grounds. Even within and immediately adjacent to the Welda Area 

 the effects of reduced hunting pressure were noted. The half- 

 section pasture that was the principal range of flock C was closed 

 to hunting in 1951. This flock suffered less loss than did the birds 

 of flock A. Furthermore, in the quarter section immediately east 

 of the area of study, hunting was prohibited in 1951, and the birds 

 using this quarter section declined from approximately 75 in the 



[54] 



