Vol. 19, No. 9 
Page 4 
More squirrels were livetrapped on the feed area, but this area may normally 
support a higher squirrel population. During the livetrapping period after 
winter feeding on the pole-sized timber stands in Shelby County, the numbers of 
squirrels caught on the experimental and control areas were the same. The 
higher values for the number of squirrels livetrapped per thousand trap-days 
on the Shelby County areas (Table 3) as compared with the Vermilion County areas 
is due to the shorter trapping period (5 days) in Shelby County. 
There were some differences in the incidence of sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes 
scabiei ) on the Vermilion County areas. During the two prefeeding trapping 
periods, 5 of 47 squirrels examined on the feed area had mange whereas 3 of 29 
squirrels examined on the control area were infested with it. However, in the 
two spring trapping periods after winter feeding, 13 of 70 squirrels examined 
on the feed area had mange whereas 12 of 35 squirrels on the control area were 
mange infested. The higher rate of mange on the control area in spring was 
evident in 1975, when 10 of the 20 squirrels examined had mange. The incidence 
of mange was similar on the Shelbyville areas in the spring of 1976, after winter 
feeding. Fifteen squirrels were examined on both the feed and control areas. 
Four squirrels on the feed area and three squirrels on the control area had mange 
or disease. 
After winter feeding, spring reproduction on all of the study areas was 
high and was similar for the 2 years. However, there was a noticeable difference 
in reproduction during the fall of 1975 on the Vermilion County feed area. Eight 
of 11 adult females on the feed area raised young whereas only 2 of 6 adult 
females examined on the control area had fall litters. 
One more year of winter feeding will be done on the Vermilion County and 
Shelby County study areas, thus providing 3 years of data for the evaluation of 
any merits of winter feeding for squirrels. 
Responses of Prairie Chickens to Habitat Manipul ation R. L. Westemeier, 
D. R. Vance 
For the fourth consecutive year, nest success on the sanctuaries at Bogota 
was below 50 percent. Of the 45 nests found this summer, 2 (4.4 percent) were 
abandoned, 24 (53*3 percent) were destroyed by predators, 3 (6.7 percent) were 
destroyed by a wildfire, and only 16 (35*6 percent) were successful. These 16 
successful nests produced at least 1^9 chicks. In 1975, 24 successful nests 
produced 219 chicks. 
Nest parasitism by pheasants (see MWRL 19(3):3) was evident again this year. 
Four nests (8.9 percent) were parasitized. One of these nests hatched, producing 
at least three prairie chicken chicks and probably no pheasant chicks. The 
remaining three parasitized nests were destroyed by predators. 
Hen kills occurred at 2 of the 24 nests destroyed by predators, an increase 
from 3*4 percent last year to 8.3 percent in 1976. However, this kill rate was 
still lower than the mean of 11.4 percent over the previous 13~y ear period. 
