MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Illinois Federal Aid Projects W-66-R, W-87**R, and W-CC-R 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson and Eva Steger, Editors 
fail® SBB0 
DEC 1 0 1980 
UBRAR7 
Urbana, Illinois 
November, 1980 
Vol. Z3, No. 11 
Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat - W—66-R R. E. Warner 
The success of pheasant hunters was monitored on study areas in east-central 
Illinois during opening weekend of the upland game season this year (8-9 November 
1930), as has been the tradition for 2 decades. The numbers of hunters on the 
Sibley Study Area (SSA) and Ford County Management Unit (FCMU) were similar to 
numbers noted In 1973 and 1279* with perhaps a slight decline in hunters on the 
FCMU. 
Hunter success improved markedly in 1930 over 1979 (Table 1). Time expended 
per cock harvested averaged 9*9 hours on the SSA in 1930, compared with 71*0 hours 
in 1979, and 5.3 hours on the FCMU in 1980, compared with 11.1 hours in 1979. 
Hunter success (time per bird) in 1930 was similar to that in 1978 (Table 1). 
The improved hunter success this fall, compared with 1979* probably reflects 
both a siight-to-moderate increase In numbers of pheasants and the concentration 
of pheasants in the residual cover by the unusually early completion of fall 
plowing. 
Table 1. Pheasant hunting statistics on the Sibley Study Area (SSA) and Ford 
County Management Unit (FCMU) during the opening weekend of the upland game 
season, 1973~20. 
1973 
1974 
1975 
1376 
1977 
1970 
1979 
1930 
Parties interviewed- 
28 
36 
28 
27 
1C 
30 
26 
21 
Parties sighting cock 
pheasants— 
N. A. 
M. A. 
M. A. 
N. A. 
N. A. 
N. A. 
22 
20 
Cock pheasants bagged^- 
91 
73 
78 
30 
27 
56 
26 
43 
Percentage of birds 
Juveni le=- 
85 
71 
62 
74 
75 
84 
*1 
76 
Man-hours expended per 
cock bagged 
SSA 
7.4 
3.3 
16.5 
9.7 
35.0 
13.4 
71.9 
9.9 
FCMU 
7.4 
3.1 
A.7 
6.2 
11.6 
7.9 
11.1 
5.3 
