Vol. 7, No. 7 
Page 3 
There was not a strong correlation between the numbers of cocks on 
booming grounds in 1964 and the acreages of grasslands undisturbed during the 
1963 nesting season (Fig. l) . However, I believe that if the acreage of "good" 
nesting cover, rather than grasslands, undisturbed during the nesting season 
had been measured, the correlation would have been stronger. Many acres of 
grasslands represented in Fig. 1 did not support good nesting cover. For 
example, several idle fields of grass on the Xenia area were on low sites and 
were more or less surrounded by large trees. Such fields are not favored 
habitat for prairie chickens in southern Illinois (Yeatter 1963:752). 
Conversely, nearly all of the grasslands located at Bogota were on open elevated 
sites favored by prairie chickens. Probably this is why the Bogota area 
produced more prairie chickens than the Xenia area. Thus, refuges should be 
located on elevated open sites. 
Yeatter, Ralph E. 1963. Population responses of prairie chickens to 
land-use changes in Illinois. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 27(4):739-757. 
Mt. Erie, 
Wayne Co. 
Xenia, 
Clay Co. 
Cisne, 
Wayne Co. 
Bogota, 
Jasper Co. 
Farina, 
Marion Co. 
Hookdale, 
Bond Co. 
W. Liberty, 
Jasper Co. 
Martinsville, 
Clark Co. 
Hunt, 
Jasper Co. 
Dieterich, 
Effingham Co. 
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 D 80 
Figure 1 -- Relationship of the number of male prairie chickens counted on 
booming grounds during 1964 and percent of area in grass meadows and idle 
fields of grass during the summer of 1963. 
Percent of area 
0 5 10 
15 
20 
4. y V y y V V v / , y v ,V 
Jv A A AAA /\ /v A A 
000000000000000000000000000000 
********************** 
00000000000 
*************** 
ooooooooooo 
************** 
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 
00000000000000000 
********** ** 
0000000000 
********* 
000 
******** 
oooooooooooooooo 
******* 
00000000 
**** 
00000 
**** = 
0000 - 
Percent of 
area in 
idle fields 
of grass 
and grass 
meadows 
(summer 
1963) 
Males 
counted 
during 1964 
census 
