MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
T. G. Scott and Wendy Patton, Editors 
Urbana, Illinois 
February, 1962 
Vol. 5, No. 2 
1. Pheasant Populations and Land Use J. E. Warnock 
A final estimate of the harvest of cock pheasants from the Sibley area during 
the 25-day hunting season in 1961 indicated that hunters removed 77.1 per cent of the 
available cocks. This estimate was based on the change between prehunt and post¬ 
hunt sex ratios; the post-hunt sex ratio was corrected for a 10.8 per cent illegal 
kill of hens. 
The prehunt sex ratio of 39.3 per cent cocks was obtained from 369 pheasants 
captured by nightlighting during October, 1961. The post-hunt sex ratio of 14.1 
per cent cocks was calculated from roadside observations of 8,283 pheasants during 
January and February, 1962. The illegal kill of hens (10.8 per cent) was obtained 
by the fluoroscopy of 261 pheasants captured by nightlighting during January and 
February, 1962. Ten of 36 cocks (27,7 per cent) and 9 of 225 hens (4.0 per cent) 
contained lead shot. 
2. Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat D. E. Newman 
Duane E, Newman joined the Natural History Survey staff on February 16, 1962 
to assume responsibilities as leader of this research project. Mr. Newman received 
his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Northwest Missouri State College 
in 1956, and his Master of Science degree in Wildlife Management from Iowa State 
University in 1957. His research for his master's degree dealt with the effect of 
weather on roadside censuses of cottontails. Since 1958, Mr. Newman has been em¬ 
ployed by the Wisconsin Conservation Department as a District Game Manager. He was 
primarily concerned with the management of forest game, principally sharp-tailed 
grouse, ruffed grouse, and deer, in northwestern Wisconsin. 
3. Pheasant Range Extension J. A. Ellis, W. L. Anderson, J. A. Harper 
Pheasants from California stock, released with wild-trapped Illinois pheasants 
on the Neoga area during the winters of 1959-60 and 1960-61 contributed reproduc- 
tively only to a minor extent to the pheasant population whereas the wild-trans¬ 
planted hens showed reproductive efforts of considerable magnitude. Yet, "California 
pheasants released on the Neoga and Bellmont areas in 1956 and 1957 did exhibit 
normal reproductive effort. Some light was shed on this problem when we observed 
that in 1961, 82.4 and 17.6 per cent of the broods on the Neoga area were produced 
by "native" hens (birds hatched on the area) and wild-transplanted hens, respectively 
even though the population of breeding hens consisted of 54.5 per cent "native" 
hens, 28.6 per cent wild-transplanted hens, and 23.5 per cent "California" hens. 
