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MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
Urbana, Illinois 
August, 1974 
Vol. 17, No. 8 
Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat G. B. Joselyn 
When studies were initiated in 1962 to determine the potential of managing 
roadside cover for nesting pheasants, the practical aspects of seeding roadsides, 
other than providing attractive and productive pheasant nest cover, had to be 
considered. Among these aspects were (1) the appearance of the seedings to farmers 
and to the motoring public, ( 2 ) their properties of weed control, ( 3 ) and their 
effects on drainage. 
With few exceptions, the 8 miles of seedings established during the period 
1962-64 on the Sibley study area and the 73 miles of seedings established on the 
Ford County Management Unit (FCMU) in 1968 have presented an acceptable appearance 
to farmers and have generally controlled (or at least hidden) weeds. During the 
12 years (1963-74) of dealing with approximately 30 farmers on the Sibley study 
area who have seeded roadsides adjacent to their properties, no complaints have 
been voiced about the unmowed roadside seedings retarding field runoff. Also, 
until the extremely wet springs of 1973 and 1974, there were no complaints from 
the approximately 60 FCMU farmers. 
The aberrant spring rains the past 2 years have apparently prompted concern 
on the part of at least some FCMU farmers about the effects that unmowed seeded 
roadsides are having on field runoff. Four farmers have made unsolicited comments 
on this subject to project personnel during the past summer, and at least two 
farmers mowed parts of all of their roadsides in what they considered were attempts 
to improve drainage. There was, however, no widespread mowing of seeded roadsides 
on the FCMU the past two springs, which perhaps indicates that most cooperators 
do not consider that drainage on seeded roadsides is a serious problem on their 
farms. Nevertheless, the known concern of some farmers no doubt implies that 
others may have similar feelings. It is believed that such feelings are due 
primarily to the unusually heavy rains during the past two springs and do not 
reflect a widespread problem on the management area during normal springs. 
Ecology and Management of Sguirrels C. M. Nixon, 
S. P. Havera 
County harvest data for Illinois fox and gray squirrels were compiled for 
seven weather regions as described in MWRL 17(7):2. The harvest statistics were 
obtained by Willi am L. Preno, Illinois Department of Conservation, from question¬ 
naires sent to a random sample of resident hunters in Illinois. 
NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY 
9 1974 
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