I'-oC-t, 
MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
Urbana, Illinois 
March, 1973 
Vol. 16, No. 3 
Manipulation of Phea sant Habitat G. B. Joselyn 
For large-scale programs of roadside seeding to be successful, cooperating 
farm operators must refrain from mowing their roadsides until about July 31* 
Widespread mowing much before this date would greatly diminish the value of 
seeded roadsides as nest cover for pheasants and other birds. Whether most 
farm operators on the FCMU would delay the mowing of their roadsides (as agreed) 
until the date specified was a primary aspect of the program on that area. 
Frequent mowing of roadsides by farmers, beginning in June, is typical practice 
throughout much of central Illinois—it is uncommon to find a roadside that is 
unmowed on July 31. Thus, for farmers on the FCMU to refrain from mowing until 
the date requested by Department biologists constitutes a departure from past 
practice. 
During the summer of 1 967 , before the farmers on the FCMU had been contacted 
regarding the seeding of roadsides, checks were made on the progress of mowing on 
the study area. Nearly 60 percent of the roadsides had been mowed by June 15 and 
nearly 90 percent by July 15* 
Last summer (1972), as in 1970 and 1971, cooperating farmers on the FCMU 
generally adhered to the delayed-mowing agreement, although there was a slight 
increase in the percentage of roadsides mowed. In 1970, about 10 percent of the 
roadsides of cooperating farmers had been mow^d by July 31* about 14 percent 
were mowed by that date in 1971 and 18 percent in 1972. These percentages contrast 
with 97 percent of the roads J des mowed by this date in 19 ^ 7 - 
Ecology and Managem ent of Squirrel s 
C. M. Nixon, 
R, E. Greenberg 
In 1972, a sample of 93 cooperating squirrel hunters in the Southern Conserv¬ 
ation Zone averaged 2.88 squirrels killed per hunter trip, compared with 2.93 
squirrels killed per trip during 1971* Hunting success was low during the open¬ 
ing 2 weeks of the season (2.42 squirrels killed per trip in 1972 compared with 
2.49 in 1971 ) despite heavy hunting pressure, probably because squirrels are 
difficult to locate in heavy summer foliage until mid-August, when they begin 
actively "cutting" seed crops. Hunter success increased sharply during the last 
half of August (3*18 squirrels killed per hunter trip in 1972, 3«00 in 1971) and 
maintained a high level (2.86 or more) until the last week of the season, when 
success dropped to 2.26 squirrels killed per hunter trip. The highest success 
0 
iS73 
