c 
MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Glen C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
Urbana, Illinois 
September, ly68 
Vol. II, No. 9 
1• Pheasant Popu1 ations and Land Use 
S. L. Etter, R. E. Greenberg 
The standardized counts of pheasant broods, made on the Sibley Study Area 
during July and August 19S8, revealed 13 percent fewer broods than in 1967 a nd 10 
percent fewer than in 1^66. One hundred ten broods were observed along 640 miles 
of roadside transect (two 40-mile routes were driven weekly), compared with 127 
broods in 1967 anc i 122 broods in I 966 . The average size of broods judged to be 
completely counted was 5*0 chicks, compared with 5*6 chicks in 1 96 7^ a decrease of 
11 percent. 
The number of adult hen pheasants observed along these same 640 miles decreased 
from 214 in 1 967 to 170 in 1968 (21 percent). Thirty-five percent of the adult 
hens observed in 1968 were broodless, compared with 41 percent in 1967 * 
The above indices, except the percentage of broodless hens, suggest a slight 
decrease in production in 1968 , compared with 1967* Data obtained from nest 
searches, however, indicated a 14 percent increase in production in 1968 , compared 
with I 967 . Considering the small number of broods and of nests involved in the 
differences, it is felt that the reproductive success of pheasants was essentially 
t the same in I 967 and 1968 . 
2. Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat G. B. Joselyn 
In the last Monthly Wildlife Research Letter (Vol. 11, No. 8, August, 
I 968 ) it was reported that densities of pheasant nests this year on seeded roadside 
plots (2.0 nests per acre) and on managed control roadside plots (1.4 nests per 
acre) represented the lowest rates of nest establishment on both types of plots 
during any of the past 6 years. On seeded plots, however, successful nest produc¬ 
tion (hatched nests per acre) was the highest since 1965 , while production on 
managed control plots was the lowest since 1 965 . 
The density of successful nests on seeded plots was 0.8 nest per acre, and on 
managed control plots, 0.4 nest per acre; in 196 7^ the density on both types of 
plots was 0.5 hatched nest per acre. In previous years, on seeded plots, there 
were 1.1, 0.8, 0.8, and 0.7 nest per acre for 1963 , 1964, I965,and 1966, 
respectively; managed control plots had success rates for the same years of 0.5> 
0.3> 0.4, and 0.6 nest per acre. Over the 6-year period, 87 nests have hatched on 
seeded roadsides (0.8 nest per acre), compared with 49 successful nests on managed 
control plots (0.4 nest per acre). 
In 1968, 42 percent of the nests established on seeded plots were successful, 
the highest proportionate success of any year (1 963 “68). On managed control plots 
30 percent of all nests hatched, which was the second highest proportionate success 
of the 6-year period. 
* 
