Vol. 15, No. 3 
Page 2 
move to tree cavities, to disperse from the area, or to construct new 
"twig nests" better able to withstand high wind velocities. 
Information collected from one 70-acre oak-hickory stand, with less 
than one nest cavity available per acre, suggests that dispersal is the 
usual recourse after nest destruction in winter, particularly for juvenile 
squirrels. A total of 205 leaf nests were counted on this area in November 
1971. In late February 1972, only 28 nests, 13*6 percent of the November 
total, were judged still suitable for occupancy by squirrels. Livetrapping 
undertaken in late February on this same area showed that juveniles (<12 
months of age) were present in very low numbers. Yet reproduction on the 
area was normal for the summer breeding period of 1971, based on an 
examination of females livetrapped in October 1971* A lack of suitable 
nests and tree dens, or both, for the juveniles produced in 1971 probably 
caused them to disperse from the study area. This area is not hunted and 
appears to contain a stable, mostly adult, population of fox squirrels. 
4. Responses of Bobwhites to Hab ? tat Manipul ation J. A. Ellis 
Harvest data from the Forbes and Dale areas for 1971 revealed kills 
of 16 (Dale) and 9 (Forbes) quail per 100 acres. The harvest at Forbes 
in 1971 was 25 percent greater than in 1970, whereas the harvest on Dale 
was 18 percent lower. The harvests for both areas in 1971 were considerably 
lower than the long-term means (Dale, 23 quail per 100 acres; Forbes, 13 
quail per 100 acres). Kills per hunter trip in 1971 were 0.7 for Forbes 
and 0.8 for Dale, compared with the long-term means of 1.0 (Forbes) and 
1 .1 (Dale) . 
Hunting effort on both areas in 1971, 49 and 67 gun-hours per 100 
acres for Forbes and Dale, respectively, were slightly higher than the 
long-term means for the areas (Forbes, 46 gun-hours and Dale, 64 gun-hours, 
per 100 acres). Gun-hours per kill averaged 4.0 for Dale and 5*0 for 
Forbes, compared with the long-term means of 3*5 gun-hours per kill (Forbes) 
and 2.8 gun-hours per kill (Dale). 
5. Response of Prairie Chickens to Habitat Manipulation R. L. Westemeier, 
D. R. Vance 
The most feasible approach to the management of prairie chicken 
sanctuaries, which has been successfully employed to date, involves five 
principal needs. These needs include: (1) annual grassland management, 
(2) sharecropping, (3) an economic return or profits, (4) maintenance of 
soil fertility, and (5) the payment of real estate taxes. The necessary 
annual management of sanctuary grasslands has been accomplished by sharing 
agreements with local farmers to do the following: combine grass and legume 
seed, mow hay, mow for weed and brush control, graze, plow; disk, and make 
seedings. The sharecropping often results in a moderate profit to both the 
cooperating farmer and the Prairie Chicken Foundation of Illinois (PCFI) or 
the Prairie Grouse Committee of the Illinois Chapter - The Nature Conservancy 
(PGC). The maintenance of at least moderate levels of soil fertility is 
essential for economic return, which, in turn, is a requisite for buying 
