OEC 12 IS?) 
librar y 
on and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Illinois Federal Aid Project W-66-R 
Department of Conservat 
Glen C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
Urbana, Illinois 
November, 1977 
Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat 
R. E. Warner 
(SSA,^d at po V rd y c^ty P tna%len U t nt Un r ?t W %^=! rVed tba Sibley study Area 
weekend of the 1977 up Iand'gameseason ( C ?w ,' ' " 9 • ' ^ I 2 ' 13 Novemb - opening 
level of success experienced by the hunters ?hat^o'' V , hu " ter s and the low 9 
open 1 ng weekend are further evidence of the ' ha '.J ou !' ne >' ed afield on the 
that has occurred over the past year as do d lna ™"*ers of pheasants 
censusing (MWRL 20 ( 9 ) : |- 3 ). Nineteen h 'J‘ = " ted b 7 spring and summer 
weekend on the SSA expended 105 hours £o harve' t'thr ''““h dUri " 9 the ° penin 9 
per b.rd). The hours of huntinu required m “ pheasa " ts (35 hours 
open,ng weekend in 1962 through 1976 were 2 2 2 7 £ h “ S f nt on the SSA 
4.3, 4 . 7 , 3.4 s .2 7 4 « ? ie: r : r 2 - 7 > 2 *l» 8 . 0 , 6 . 9 , 8 I f o 
60 hunters that were interCiewed'durfnq ooln • reSpec J' ve 1 V- 0n the FCMU, the 
hours to harvest 24 pheasants m A h 9 P 9 weekend 1977 expended 277 
required to ki 11 a co^Xsjt ™ he^c^o Th< ° f ba "''"9 
1976 were 3.1, 4.7, end 6 . 0 , respectively openln 9 “aekend in 1974 through 
times as grwt“£“hat Ixp'ended p^b^n* ^ S$A 1977 was three 
ndt th ree times as many hunters "were oh! a FCMU; com ^ red with the SSA 
;n hunter pressure on the two study areas ao^a °V he P U ' Tha d iffaren« 
in the abundance of pheasants. V a PP-ers to reflect the difference 
pheasant abuIjdancerthe C pr'ogression o^ccVT' Primari y ralated t0 
influential. This year, as in I 9?5 foor I V ? 51 and f,il P'^ing is also 
expected to be well advanced. ^976 3 farmi, '9 activities were 
study areas approached completion , L* harvest and fall plowing on the 
trend was developing this fall until heavy^i nfa?l ^ Novemba r; a similar 
Oct er and early November. By 12 Novem'er 1077 delayed field work in late 
arm I and on the study areas was plow'd and SSS tban one 'third of the 
approximately one-fifth of th» rowcron ! Unharvested crops remained on 
crops (principally corn) provided amo^e e" ' Tbe fields °f standing 
hunters. Therefore, the poor hunter s, °" the ri " 9 na ck to evade 
the result of a decline in the ab^dancTof 5 u" the StUdy araas this fal, is 
crops that minimized the avai lability of a93rayated by standing 
V or the pheasant resource to hunters. 
