Vol. 8, No. 7 
Page 2 
Table 1. Numbers 
established and of 
Sibley Study Area, 
of established 
hatched nests 
1963-65. 
and of hatched pheasant nests and 
per acre on seeded and on control 
numbers of 
roadside plots, 
Number of 
Number of 
Number of 
Es tablished 
Number of 
Hatched 
Established 
Nests 
Hatched 
Nests 
Acres 
Nests 
per Acre 
Nests 
per Acre 
Seeded Control 
Seeded Control 
Seeded Control 
Seeded Control 
Seeded Control 
1963 15.4 
15.0 
44 
41 
2.9 
2.7 
17 
7 
1.1 
0.5 
1964 17.9 
17.7 
68 
38 
3-8 
2.1 
14 
5 
0.8 
0.3 
1965 20.5 
20.2 
52 
33 
2.5 
1 .6 
15 
8 
0.7 
0.4 
3- Factors influencing Pistribut ion and Abundance of Pheasants W. L. Anderson 
One of the purposes of conducting intensive investigations on the experimental 
release area at Neoga in recent years (I 96 O- 65 ) was to determine the degree of 
success attained by pheasants of various strains in reproducing under the environ¬ 
mental conditions that prevailed on the area. The proportion of hens observed 
during the summer months (preferably July and August in Illinois) that is 
accompanying broods is one indication of reproductive success of pheasants. At 
Neoga, the proportion of all hens observed during July and August that was 
accompanying broods was 56 percent for the 4 years i 960 through I 963 (Table 2). 
When the various strains were considered separately, it appeared that native hens 
(birds reared on the area) were more successful in producing broods than were hens 
of strains released on the area. Among the introduced pheasants, wi1d-111inois 
hens appeared the most successful in reproducing. The few California, Japanese, 
and wild-Kansas hens that survived to July and August apparently had experienced 
poor reproductive success. Only 35 percent of the hens of strains from game-farm 
stock (California, Korean, and Japanese), as compared with 52 percent for wild- 
transplanted hens (wi1d-111inois and wild-Kansas) and 61 percent for native hens, 
were observed accompanying broods during July and August (Table 2). The findings 
demo strate that, as a group, game-farm pheasants were not as successful as wild- 
reared pheasants in reproducing under the rigors of a wild environment. 
