Vol. 15, No. 1 
Page 3 
4. Responses of Bobwhites to Habitat Manipulation J. A. Ellis 
For 8 years the mean numbers of bobwhite calls recorded per listening 
stop along standardized audio-census routes on the Forbes and Dale areas 
have been correlated with the subsequent prehunt densities (Forbes 
P <0.005, Dale £<0.025). The mean numbers of whistling cocks per listening 
stop were also significantly correlated with the prehunt densities on 
Forbes (P<0.025) but not with those on Dale. It is difficult to identify 
more than seven individual whistling cocks in 2 minutes at a stop during 
the period of peak whistling activity, but it is relatively easy to count 
the total number of bobwhite calls. Frequently, during the weekly audio¬ 
censuses on Dale, more than seven cocks are heard (the exact number unknown) 
per stop; these are recorded as seven-plus cocks, along with the total 
number of calls. Such situations are not as common on the Forbes Area. 
The quail densities in spring on Dale have always been higher than on 
Forbes and compare favorably with those on areas of high quail densities 
in southern Illinois. In relating audio-censuses to subsequent fall and 
harvest levels of quail in areas of high densities, the number of bobwhite 
calls has provided a more accurate estimate than the number of whistling 
males. 
5* Responses of Praine Chi cken s to Habitat Manipulation R. L. Westemeler, 
D. R. Vance 
During the period of 1 963 - 7 1 at Bogota, the distances from 240 prairie 
chicken nests to the estimated centers of the nearest booming grounds have 
ranged from 72 yards to 2,640 yards, with respective mean, mode, and median 
distances of 3^+9 + 15 (SE) yards, about 235 yards, and about 380 yards. 
These data indicate that few nests occur within 100 yards of, or farther 
than 600 yards from, the centers of booming grounds. Eighty-one percent 
of the nests were between 100 and 450 yards from the nearest booming ground. 
The mean distance of 62 nests from the estimated centers of seven 
booming grounds completely surrounded by nesting cover was 253 yards. In 
these instances, the nests tended to encircle the booming grounds in 
radial patterns. 
The number of cocks on the booming grounds has ranged from single cocks 
up to 54 cocks since 1 963 . It can be hypothesized that the distance that 
hens nest from the booming grounds increases with an increase in the 
number of cocks on the booming grounds. However, a correlation analysis 
between the distances from nests to booming grounds and the number of cocks 
failed to reveal a significant relationship (£ = 0.123)• Apparently, larger 
booming grounds have no more influence on nest distribution than do smaller 
grounds. 
6. Rabbit Management 
The rabbit project has been terminated as of January 1972. 
