monthly wildlife research letter 
Illinois Federal Aid Project W- 66 -R 
Department of Conse 
.AiUtiAL HISTORY SURVEY 
NOV 1 0 1977 
rvation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
LIBRARY 
Urbana, Illinois 
October, 1977 
Manipulation of Pheasant Hab i ta t 
Vol. 20, No. 10 
R • E. Wa rne r 
been a/the expensed ?tab \e ' nested ' br ' *d' Y * ' ? C ® the ear,y 196 °' s * ba * 
neck in the east-central counts of minors T"" 9 hab,tat f ° r the rl "9’ 
soybeans have been planted over aoDroximJp • " recent V^rs, corn and 
of the Sibley Study Area (SSA) and S r nme ’ tenths of the land area 
reported in the September research letter Bv^ ^^ gemant Unit (FCMU), as 
essential habitat in conjunction with By ? y 977 ’ the 9 rad ual loss of 
reduced populations o? pheasa^s on^hes Wl " t6r Sto ™ had 
noted in recent decades. However moderate* 0 SLUdy ar6aS t0 the lowest number 
are expected on the study areasoCer the nUmberS of Peasants 
approaches p restorm densitieT' ^s" IxleTtal ^ ^ * S the rin 9 neck 
that the present intensity of row rmn P ^ tlon ,s based on the assumption 
the near future and thai normal lnr^ product ' on «' " remain constant for 
replenishment to prestorm numbers i s uncertatn^bui "r T"' ’'i The rate ° f 
Productive season of 1977 show some sign of reentry 95 ° m the re ' 
unusually high"in R ° 3d5ide5 < FCGR > was 
Typically, one-third of the nests^stabl Uhed’h^T 3 " Ve ' y (MWRL 20 O) : I -2) . 
hatched. Hence, the declin" ir ah ? d by P heasan ts on roadsides are 
compensated by the greater-t'han-average nest "success^^he^" p3rt 
however, of a departure from the auer L c success. There was no evidence, 
survival as recorded for the SSa" tZltm'oT t T pa °s[ V^lrT br °° d 
numbers of ptels^nts^are^ SU ? gest that whe " the 
and perhaps increases the maroin of ! ! d d see ^ ln g (FCMU) maintains 
(SSA) area. | n December 1073%-, -, e ? , aSant ab “ ndance over the unmanaged 
areas indicated that nearl^ t„ ic e the numbe? o? phea5ants on these study 
on the SSA were visible on the FCM'j i n ' rI f pheasan J :s counted per section 
severe storm) populations on th- two J / V Januar Y *977 (prior to the 
than in 1973, and over three times the nler^of Substantia 1 1 V lower 
on the SSA were visible on the FCMU (MVRL 2om per section 
broods observed along transect rout-- 1 f t V ^' 2> Tab,e ')• The number of 
29(9) :2) appear to conf i rm that as popula ionsT areas »" ^77 (MWRL 
■n pheasant abundance between the SSA^nd RMU has^increased""' difference 
