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MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
T. G. Scott, Editor 
Urbana, Illinois June, 1 963 Vol. 6, No. 6 
1. Pheasant Populations and Land Use J. E. Warnock 
Proportionately fewer pheasant nests were established 1-90 yards than 91-220 
yards from the edges of two hayflelds searched on the Sibley area in June, 1963* 
Tables 1 and 2. A distance of 1-90 yards from the field edge comprised 85*5 per¬ 
cent of the area searched and contained 66.3 percent, or 114, of the 172 nests 
located in the two fields. However, it was reported In the Monthly Wildlife Re¬ 
search Letter, June, 1962, that pheasants tended to nest near the edges of hay- 
fields. 
The difference between 1962 and 1 963 in the establishment of nests in relation 
to field edge may be because: (1) There are about 25 percent fewer acres of hay 
on the Sibley area this year than in 1962; and (2) there is a greater number of 
breeding hens this year than in 1 962 . Both factors would tend to cause a greater 
utilization of al1 portions of a hayfield by nesting hens and possibly eliminate 
a tendency to nest near the edge. Also, the available nesting cover is less dense 
this year than last, and, consequently, pheasants may have responded to a reduced 
density of vegetation by nesting farther from the field edges. 
Table 1. Distribution of pheasant nests in relation to the edges in a 20-acre 
hayfield (440 yards x 220 yards), Sibley, 1963* Cover dominants in the field were 
red clover, alfalfa, and timothy. 
Distance 
Edge 
from Field 
(Yards) 
Percentage of 
Field Area 
Pheasant Nests 
Found 
Percentage of Total 
Nests Found 
1 
m 
10 
13.2 
2 
4.5 
11 
- 
20 
12.4 
4 
9.1 
21 
- 
30 
11.6 
7 
15.9 
31 
« 
40 
10.7 
4 
9.1 
41 
m 
50 
9.9 
1 
2.3 
51 
m 
60 
9.1 
6 
13.6 
61 
m 
70 
8.3 
5 
11.4 
71 
- 
80 
7.4 
6 
13.6 
81 
m 
90 
6.6 
2 
4.5 
91 
- 
100 
5.8 
4 
9.1 
101 
- 
110 
5.0 
3 
6.8 
Total 
100.0 
44 
99.9 
JUl 1 6 1963 
naiural 
HiSTOvY SURVEY 
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