Vol. 23, No. 1 
Page 3 
(MWRL 22(11):3-4; (12) :2 — 3)• Mowing for seed, weed control, or nesting enhancement 
has shown the best results to date. Limited grazing offers the most promising 
area of research in prairie management. Experiments with fertilizers and herbicides 
on both redtop-timothy and native grass sods are also needed to maximize quality 
nest cover on our sanctuaries. 
A small amount of woodland is indicated in Fig. 1 to provide prairie chickens 
with summer fruits, buds, mast, and shade from summer heat. However, constant 
vigilance is necessary to limit the spread of woody plants. 
Ecology and Management of Deer - W-87-R 
C. M. Nixon, 
L. P. Hansen, 
J. E. Chelsvig 
Thus far, the winter of 1979 - 80 has been mild with little snow cover. 
Presumably, deer have had no difficulty procuring the forbs, grasses, seeds, and 
cultivated crops that comprise the bulk of the winter diet for deer in the Midwest. 
Yet, from our almost immediate success in enticing deer to eat ear corn in Piatt 
County, we wonder if deer are short of food. Almost no waste grain is available 
to deer this winter because nearly 100% of the fields in east-central Illinois 
are fall plowed; most remaining fields are either disced or in pasture. Wheat, 
or tame hay-alfalfa fields are also scarce throughout central Illinois. Deer are 
feeding on grasses and forbs in pastures and old fields. Deer appear to be in 
good condition, but as yet, they have experienced no weather stress. 
The effects of current intensified farming on small game populations, 
particularly pheasants and rabbits, have received much attention, but there has 
been less concern about the effects of increased row cropping, fall plowing, and 
more efficient combines on the availability of deer foods. Corn and soybeans are 
important fall, winter, and spring foods for deer from central Ohio west to the 
Great Plains. These high energy foods are needed for deer to combat harsh winters 
where residual cover is scarce and protection from inclement weather is limited. 
We wonder about the future of deer in many counties in northern Illinois if crop 
residues are not available each winter. As forested tracts mature, deer are also 
losing such prime food sources as shrubs and other early successional habitats. 
