MONTHLY l/ILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
idSTG.tK SURVEY 
71373 
LiBnm 
Urbana, Illinois 
May, 1973 
Vol. 16, No. 5 
Pheasant Populations and Land Use G. B- Joselyn 
During the period 23-30 April 1973 systematic counts of pheasants were 
conducted along 57 miles of all-weather roads on the Sibley Study Area. Observations 
were confined to only one side of the road along the 16 miles of these roads that 
border the study area. As in the past 4 years, the observations were restricted 
to the first 2 hours after sunrise, which allowed coverage of half the roads each 
morning. Four counts were obtained for each road. 
These counts revealed 44 percent more cocks in 1973 than in 1972, 10 percent 
fewer than in 1971, and 32 percent more than in 1970* The counts in lp73 recorded 
293 cocks (151 per 100 miles), compared with 204 cocks (105 P er 100 miles) in 1972, 
325 cocks (163 per 100 miles) in 1971, and 222 cocks (l14 per 100 miles) in 1970. 
Accurate data on winter sex rat'os were virtually impossible to obtain during the 
winter of 1972-73 because of a lack of snow cover on the study area. Therefore, 
sex-ratio data collected by V/• L. Preno, Illinois Department of Conservation, for 
Game Region 4 (36 cocks per 100 hens) were utilized for calculating spring hen 
density. Sex ratios of 40, 37, and 26 cocks per 100 hens were obtained on the 
study area in 1970 , 1971 , and 1972 , respectively. 
By using these figures, hen indices for 1970 were calculated at 555; f° r JS71, 
378; for 1972, 735; and for 1973, 314. Because data on sex ratios were unobtainable 
on the study area last winter, the hen index for 1973 probably has a greater degree 
of inaccuracy than in most years. Over the past 12 years, the spring hen index on 
the study area has varied from a high of 1,322 in 19&3 to a low of 491 in 19°7* 
Manipulation of Pheasa nt Hab itat G * Joselyn 
The seeding of 67 miles of roadside (one side) in 7 of 12 Ford County town¬ 
ships in September 1j72 was described in a previous report (Mt/RL 15(9) :!)• Most 
of these roadsides were checked for seeding success on May 17* It was found that 
many of the roadside seedings appeared to have failed completely or to be in such 
various and unacceptable developmental stages as to preclude their being left 
unmowed this coming summer. Consequently, all cooperating farmers wi11 be 
notified by mail that they are encouraged to mow their roadsides as needed during 
this coming summer and that reseeding will be undertaken, where necessary, in 
late summer. 
There are several possible reasons or 
seedings appear to be less than adequate; 
September), (2) fertilizer was not applied 
combinations of reasons why most 
(1) seeding was done too late (6-20 
at the time of seeding, (3) heavy 
