Vol. 19, No. 5 
Page 5 
~ Sp ° nSes - 2 l trajrie Chickens to Habitat Manipulation 
R* L. Westemeier, 
0. R. Vance 
counJes r of W south-central'tlH^is n in°the spr^ng^"^^^ ™" SUS “T* f ' VS 
percent lower than counts made on the same census arias in T 97 I. "* " 
since 'the°sprtng WsW.l^rjh. 60901 '' 21 
from 35 cocks to 41 cocks (+17 lllrLl ’ T ana9ed f '° Ck naar Fari " a increased 
and Forbes Park increased from 12 cocks'to^F 6 ™ an ^ 9ed flock between Kinmundy 
area showing an increase w^ thi ° 4 ° If cocks < + 33 Percent). A third 
County--9 cocks in 1975 to 11 cocks irM976. ° Cl< n6af " Hoy,eton in Washington 
cocks^ch s U pTtn n 9 a9ed 0 e C c e nn U :s a o r f a 7, a o r e e r On ° f axti "^°" with on,y two 
noted on the Mt. Erie, Bible Grove ^n^Ne^ m* percent > and 60 percent were 
since the spring of 1975. M,nden census areas, respectively, 
constitute 89 percent'o^the'known"^ 11 ^ 1 ^ ' n Jasper and M ®rion counties 
As in the spring of 9?5, Jhe Booo ta ?w,: d d S OPU ' a : i0n ° f prairia ^“< a ns. 
as the smaller flocks on manned „ - " 0t fare aS we " this spring 
at Hoyleton, which lacks a sanctuary syitem^ha" held*!' /m" the 5 "’ a " f '° Ck 
over the past 3 years. However thl Zn*'*-’ has _ he,d a sta ble population level 
managed areas, expressed as cocks per section^ prai r ' e u chlckens on Illinois' 
186 . 4 , and 32.0 on the Bogota, Farina and K inm h*" 99 habitat ' were 51 . 9 , 
densities are high compared with population^l^of ^ r espa ?‘ 1 ve 1 V- These 
other states, includina four ct3 tL P , levels of prairie chickens in 
abundant to justify hunting seasons Pra ‘ rle cMckenS are sufficiently 
