Vol. 7, No. 8 
Page 4 
Farmers reported destroying 12 prairie chicken nests on the study area during 
1964. Two of these nests were destroyed by mowers in clover fields and 10 were 
destroyed by plows in fields of wheat stubble and clover. No hens were reported 
killed by plows or mowers. 
6. Rabbit Management J. A. Bailey 
It has previously been indicated that the spring population level of rabbits 
on the Allerton Park 4-H Area is independent of the previous fall population level 
and also of the number of rabbits harvested. However, the number of rabbits not 
harvested -- the fall population estimate minus the number of rabbits harvested -- 
is associated with the spring population level. Additional variation in the 
spring population can be explained by the total precipitation during December, 
January, and February. A correlation analysis of these two independent variables 
and the spring population levels of the past 8 years is presented in Table 3- 
(Records of the Decatur weather station are used to represent Allerton conditions.) 
The multiple regression coefficient and both partial regression coefficients are 
significantly different from zero at the 95 percent level of confidence. 
Subjective appraisal of the snow records of the Decatur weather station does 
not indicate a relationship to the spring population estimate. It seems that 
snow itself does not cause an increase in rabbit mortality but that rain or wet 
conditions from melting snow do cause increased losses of rabbits and a decreased 
spring population. Hunting can also limit the spring population. However, during 
a wet winter, most of the rabbits that might have been saved by a reduction in 
hunting pressure would be lost anyway. 
It must also be remembered that the fall population level does not depend 
upon the number of rabbits surviving the previous winter on the 4-H Area. Thus, 
although heavy hunting pressure can reduce the spring breeding population of 
rabbits in some years, it does not determine the number of rabbits available for 
the following year's hunting season in this kind of habitat. We must look to 
factors affecting natality and mortality during the spring and summer if we are 
to explain the variation in the fall population level. This has been pointed out 
by Steen (1944), and is generally true for small game species having high biotic 
potentials. 
Steen, M. 0. 1944. The significance of population turnover in upland game 
management. Trans. N. Am. V/ildl. Conf. 9*331—3 35 - 
