MOHTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Vol 2, No. 1 
Page 3 
W-6l-R<-2 F. Greeley, J. Ellis 
The results from six rural mail carrier counts of pheasants in 76 counties 
were calculated by IBM for state, county, and township areas. The number of cocks, 
hens, chicks, broods, total birds seen per 100 miles, and the county and state sex 
ratios were calculated. These data are now being correlated with soils data. The 
state totals are shown below. 
Pheasants Per 100 Miles j Hens Per Cock 
Year 
January- 
February 
April 
August 
January- 
Fehruary 
. 
April 
August 
1957... 
6.12 
8.60 
8.92 
2.61 
1.26 
2 .16* 
1958... 
1 h.9h 
7.55 
U.U7 
2.11 
0.90 
1 .88* 
Average 
10.70 
8.00 
8.67 
2.23 
1.05 
1.99* 
*Adults only in August 
The change in total birds seen in the two winters was due primarily to 
heavy snows in 1958; the April counts probably reflects populations in the 2 years 
better than do the winter counts. The decline in sex ratio between 1957 and 1958 
correlates well with known differences in harvest of cocks prior to the counts. 
The winter census of pheasants on the Neoga area was begun during January. 
The sampling effort was distributed among three strata based on the distribution of 
U0 broods located on the area during the breeding season of 1958. From 351 U0-acre 
plots on the area, 10U were selected to be searched. Thus far, 72 of the plots 
(2,880 acres) have been censused. Pheasants were observed on two plots; one con¬ 
tained one cock; the other, two cocks and two hens. Pheasant sign was found on 
two other plots, but pheasants were not seen. 
By projecting the results obtained from the census thus far, it appears 
that the population is low and that the sampling error is high. 
