Vol. 24, Mo. 12 
Page 3 
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Observations made during prescribed burning of Prairie grasses at r '° 90 ta 
also indicate high use by pheasants. A minimum mean of 0.4 pheasant per acre 
was flushed during burning of \b fields totaling 141 acres of prairie grass 
during the winters of 1979 through 1981. The only field from which no pheasants 
were observed flushing had been rotary mowed the previous August, all other 
fields were rank undisturbed stands of prairie grass, .to prairie chickens were 
observed flushing from any of the 14 fields. 
Apparently, prairie grass has fostered the survival of pheasants at Bogota 
more than any other cover type. Some modifications in the management of pra r.e 
grasses on sanctuaries might help control pheasants at =*ogota. Instead 
burning in late winter (March), prairie grass stands could be burned in November 
or December to help disperse pheasants to private land b * 
more available to local hunters. Prairie grasses not scheduled for burn mg 
should be grazed or mowed in late summer to a height of 30 to 40 cm to (1) 
facilitate capture by nightlighting, (2) reduce the concealment value to 
pheasants and to predators, and (3) to enhance use of suchf.el^ praine 
chickens. Late summer mowing of prairie grasses would Include fields that have 
regrown following haying in July. One can argue that some P ralr '®J^ s a * res 
should be seeded back to stands of redtop, timothy, and brome. However, many 
fields have been seeded to prairie grass to control erosion. We should not 
have to be limited to the use of cool season grasses In preservation e f rts 
for prairie chickens. 
Ecology and Management of V'hi te~ta i 1 ed Deer_ ~ W ^7 R 
C.M. Mixon, L.P. Hansen, 
J.E. Chelsvig, P.A. Brewer 
The winter home ranges of <t adult does in the vicinity of Ai lerton Park are 
described in Tabie 1. Winter habitat use for the same deer (.os. 2A.., 31b, 
336, and 33'3) was described in August (ISWRL 24(8) :4). 
A protected wheat field that bordered the Park was used extensively by 
Deer 316, particularly at night. Seer 2A3 and 333 lived on the north side of 
the Park near unplowed corn and soybean fields that were a source of waste 
grain. These deer also used a wheat field for grazing and as a travel lane to 
small patches of cover outside the Park. Unplowed stubble and wheat fields 
apparently influence the winter habits of some deer. 
The range of deer 336 is markedly smaller than the ranges of the other 
deer. This deer made little use of agricultural products, which may account 
for her small range. She continued this limited use of cr ° p % th . rou9 * th ® 
summer to the present and has tended to stay deep within the Park. She has not 
been observed along roads or in the fields since April. 
I 
