IIBRARV 
MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Illinois Federal Aid Projects W-66-R, W-87-R, and W-38-R 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey. Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson and Eva Steger, Editors 
Champaign, Illinois 
June, 1982 
Vol. 25, No. 6 
Following severe winter storms in 
declined dramatically, but pheasants on 
County Management Unit (FCMU) began to i 
severe drought during the brood-rearing 
u .... u a<;-r R. E. Warner 
Manipulation of. Pheasant Habitat, - W-66 R 
Approximately 90$ of the illling'IhSTuSTivilUbU 
css 
roadsides as a means of enhanc g P reproduction and survival of pheasants 
L™ S'S 
1976-77 and 1977*78, pheasant numbers 
i the Sibley Study Area (SSA) and Ford 
recover by 1930 (Table l). However, a 
season in 1980 apparently negatively 
affected the survival of juvenile 
pheasants. Last summer (1981) 
several heavy rains and flash 
floods occurred in east-central 
Illinois during the late nesting 
and early brood-rearing period. 
Despite the 1980 drought and 1931 
rains, spring breeding densities 
of pheasants continued to increase 
on the FCMU (Table 1). 
The spring census data for 1982 
(Table 1) reflect the effects of the 
winter of 1931-82. Although winter 
storms in 1981-82 were not as severe 
as those in 1977 and 1978, the pro¬ 
longed snow cover and cold apparently 
caused declines in the 1932 breeding 
populations on the SSA and FCMU 
(Table 1). Spring breeding populations 
of pheasants on 3 other study areas In 
east-central Illinois showed similar 
Table 1. 
100 miles 
routes on 
and May, 
Cock pheasants observed per 
of driving along standard 
the FCMU and SSA in April 
1976-82. 
Year 
SSA 
FCMU 
1976 
117.4 
123.3 
1977 
22.8 
30.8 
1978 
6.4 
6.9 
1979 
5.3 
10.8 
1980 
16.5 
23-1 
1981 
6.6 
37.5 
1982 
5.0 
10.8 
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