Vo 1. 19 , No. 9 
Page 3 
Ecology and Management of Squirrels C. M. Nixon, 
S. P. Havera 
Two years of winter feeding and livetrapping have been completed in mature 
timber stands at Forest Glen County Preserve in Vermilion County, Illinois. 
During the first year on the 32-ecre (13-hectare) experimental area, 807 pounds 
of shelled corn were provided for squirrels and other wildlife from December 
through March. Last winter, 1,150 pounds of shelled corn were supplied from 
November through March. During both winters of feeding, the weather was not 
severe and the mast crops were at least average. 
Last winter, in a companion study of winter feeding and livetrapping, the 
control and experimental areas were located in young pole-sized timber stands 
at Wolf Creek and Eagle Creek state parks at Lake Shelbyville in Shelby County, 
Illinois. A total of 365 pounds of shelled corn was supplied on the 20-acre 
(8-hectare) experimental area from November through March. 
Table 3 presents the results of livetrapping on the winter feeding areas. 
In the mature timber study area in Vermilion County, the squirrels livetrapped 
on the feed and control areas, before and after winter feeding, were almost 
identical in number and in changes in number for the 2 years. 
Table 3* The number of squirrels livetrapped, the number caught per thousand 
trap-days, and the number of trap-days before and after winter feeding at the 
Vermilion County and Shelby County study areas for the winter seasons of 1974-75 
and 1975-76. 
Before Feeding 
After Feeding 
Number 
Number 
Number 
Number 
Number 
Number 
of 
Trapped per 
of 
of 
Trapped per 
of 
Squirrels 
Thousand 
T rap- 
Squirrels 
Thousand 
T rap- 
Area 
T rapped 
T rap-days 
days 
T rapped 
T rap-days 
days 
1974-75 
Vermi1 ion Co. 
feed area 
23 
63.9 
360 
34 
94.4 
360 
Vermi1 ion Co. 
control area 
14 
38.9 
360 
20 
79-4 
252 
1975-76 
Vermilion Co. 
feed area 
24 
74.5 
322 
36 
112.5 
320 
Vermi1 ion Co. 
control area 
15 
46.7 
321 
20 
79-7 
251 
Shelby Co. 
feed area 
- - 
---- 
— 
15 
150.0 
100 
Shelby Co. 
control area 
~ — 
15 
150.0 
100 
