Vol. 8, No. 1 
Page 2 
On managed control plots, fencerows underwent a reduction of 2.7 nests per acre 
from 1963 to 1964, compared with a decrease of only 0.9 nest per acre in the 
remaining areas of the plots. Proportionately, however, the changes were similar. 
The data indicate that in 1964 pheasants found those areas of the seeded plots 
outside the fencerows to be more attractive for nesting than they were the preceding 
year. Apparently, the seedings offered better quality nesting cover in 1964 than 
in 1963 * The data on nest establishment from the managed control plots indicate 
that the preferred nesting cover on these plots was in the fencerows. This is 
probably a result of the higher and denser cover that generally exists in most 
fencerows as compared with other parts of the managed control plots. 
Table 1. Densities of pheasant nests on seeded and on managed control roadside 
plots, Sibley Study Area. 
Type of Plot 
Acres 
Nests 
Nests 
per Acre 
1963 
1964 
1963 
1964 
1963 
1964 
Seeded 
Fencerow 
1.3 
2.0 
4 
5 
3.1 
2.5 
Remainder 
14.1 
15.9 
40 
63 
2.8 
4.0 
Total Acreage 
15.4 
17.9 
44 
68 
2.9 
3.8 
Managed Control 
Fencerow 
1 .0 
1 .7 
9 
10 
8.7 
6.0 
Remainder 
14.0 
16.0 
32 
28 
2.3 
1 .4 
Total Acreage 
15.0 
17.7 
41 
38 
2.7 
2.2 
3. Factors Inf1uencinq Distribution and Abundance of Pheasants W. L. Anderson 
In 1964, the prehunt population of pheasants on the experimental release area 
at Neoga, as determined by interviewing local farmers, was estimated to be 126 birds 
(63 cocks and 63 hens). This estimate indicated that the prehunt population at 
Neoga in 1964 was 37 percent less than in 1 96 3, and 76 - 82 percent less than during 
the years I 960 through 1 962 . 
The estimate of the prehunt population in 1964 also suggested that the number 
of hens on the area increased 1 6 3 percent from May to October. During the first 
3 years of this study (1960-62), the May to October increase in the number of hens 
on the area ranged from 91 to 134 percent. During similar periods in 1 96 3» the 
number of hens decreased. Thus, although the population was low, it appears that 
productivity of pheasants at Neoga was higher in 1964 than in any of the 4 preceding 
years. 
