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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 
January, 1969 
Vo1. 12, No. 1 
1. Pheasant Populations and Land Use 
S. L. Etter, R. E. Greenberg 
A preliminary estimate of the harvest of cock pheasants on the Sibley Study Area 
based on changes in the sex ratio, indicates that 54 percent of the available cocks 
were killed during the hunting season of 1968. According to this estimate, a greater 
proportion of the available cocks were killed in I 968 than in 1965 ., 1966, or 1 96 7^ 
when the estimated harvests were, respectively, 30 , 50, and 28 percent of the ava i 1 - 
able cocks. The 1968 figure, however, was considerably lower than the estimated 
harvests in 1962, 1 963 , and 1964, when 74, 65 , and 75 percent of the available cocks 
were killed. 
These data suggest that the extended hunting season in 1 968 resulted in only a 
slight increase in harvest rate compared with that of 1966 , when hunting conditions 
and population levels were similar. Although the harvest rates in 1 962 , 1963, and 
1964 are not directly comparable with that in 1968 because of the three-cock bag 
limits in effect during those years, these data suggest that high harvest rates can 
occur only at high population levels. In light of these findings, continuation of 
the longer pheasant seasons in future years appears to be desirable. 
2. Manipu1 at ion of Pheasant Habitat G. B. Joselyn 
In 1967 and 1968, spring (May) roadside counts of pheasants and summer (August) 
brood counts were conducted on the Ford County Management Unit and on portions of the 
Sibley Study Area. Data from these counts will be used to evaluate pheasant popula¬ 
tion changes on the management unit in years subsequent to the seeding of roadsides. 
Spring roadside counts covering 40 miles were made on the Ford County unit and on the 
Sibley Study Area (control) on 5 mornings in 1967 and 4 mornings in 1 968 . Counts 
were made with two trucks (one truck on each area) driving approximate 1 y 20 miles per 
hour and were begun 1 hour after sunrise. Only those pheasants observed on or within 
100 yards of the roadway were recorded. 
For brood counts, a control area was chosen that included the 9 Sections compris 
ing the southwest quarter of the Sibley Study Area, and 8 adjoining Sections south 
and west of the study area. These counts, which covered 20 miles, were also started 
1 hour after sunrise and had one truck on each area driving about 20 miles per hour. 
Only those broods appearing within the roadway right-of-way lines were counted. In 
1967, counts were made on each route on 16 mornings between August l and 25; in 1 968 , 
counts were made on each route on 8 mornings between July 30 and August 9* 
Data from both spring roadside and summer brood counts indicate that the Ford 
County Management Unit in both 1 967 and 1 968 had a greater population of pheasants 
than the Sibley Study Area and adjacent Sections included in the routes. The Ford 
County unit had I .9 and 2.9 pheasants per mile in May of 1 96 7 and 1 968 , respectively, 
while the Sibley Study Area had 1.1 and 2.4 birds per mile for the same years. Brood 
