sion of those formerly used. These changes in daily habits of this 

 flock concurred with the terracing of B-1 and the 1950 hunting 

 season. Each year the range of daily activity of Flock A covered 

 approximately one square mile, but the composite range for the 

 two yeais was approximately one and one-half square miles. The 

 flocks using the Welda Area are shown in figure 5. 



To the southwest, outside th^ study area, there was another 

 booming ground. Birds from the vicinity of this booming ground 

 (Flock B) fed, in part, at F-1 with Flock A, but the two flocks 

 were distinct at other times. Birds from the vicinity of B-4 and 

 B-5 (Flock C) fed with Flock A at F-2 but the chief range of Flock 

 C was to the south where it fed outside the area. Another flock 

 ( Flock D ) came from the east to feed at F-2. This flock was thought 

 to be composed of females; as many as 20 females were seen at 

 F-2 at one time. This was the approximate size of Flock D. 



Trapping proved to be extremely difficult because of the mild 

 winters and abundant food; the greater prairie chickens seldom 

 came to the bait placed to entice them into traps. Even so, ten birds 

 were trapped and banded. One of these was taken in a tip-top trap 

 (see Hamerstrom, 1942:7), four were taken in a projected net 

 trap (see Dill and Thornsberry, 1950), and five in hoop net traps 

 powered by rat traps of the snap-type. Colored bands and num- 

 bered aluminum bands were used in combination so that each 

 banded bird could be identified if observed at close range. Sight 

 records on booming grounds or returns from dead birds, or both, 

 were obtained from eight of these ten birds. The movements of 

 individual birds, made evident by these records, are shown in 

 Figure 5. Bird number one, a male, was trapped at F-1 on De- 

 cember 28, 1949, and was seen at B-1 on March 24, 1950. Birds 

 number two and three were banded at B-1 on October 14 and 19, 



1950, respectively. One of these two was seen at B-3 on April 25, 



1951. Number four was banded at F-2 on December 16, 1950, 

 and was seen at B-1 on April 24, 1951. Number five was banded 

 at the large pond in the south part of section 10, on December 28, 



1950, and was seen repeatedly at B-2 in the spring of 1951. Num- 

 bers six and seven were banded at B-2 on March 27 and 30, 1951. 

 Neither returned to B-2, but both were seen at B-3 on April 25, 



1951. Number seven was shot approximately 200 yards east of the 

 banding site on October 25, 1951. Numbers eight, nine and ten 

 were banded at F-2 on April 7, 1951. Number nine, the only fe- 

 male banded, was found dead within 200 yards of the banding site 

 on May 3, 1951. Number eight was shot less than one-half mile 



[21] 



