Vol . 13, No. 3 
Page 2 
failed to adequately control broadleaf weeds with a resulting adverse reaction 
from some adjacent farm operators. The seeded segments will be retained for 
further studies of their possible effects on the frequency of pheasant-auto 
collisions, erosion control properties and the reaction of adjacent farm 
operators and the motoring public. 
3* Factors Influencing Distribution and Abundance of Pheasants W. L. Anderson 
This project was inactive during March. 
4. Responses of Bobwhites to Habitat Manipulation J. A. Ellis, 
D. R. Vance 
The Forbes and Dale areas are separated by a distance of only 15 miles, 
and as such, have many environmental similarities. The respective quail 
populations manifest differences and similarities in many facets of population 
ecology. The chronology of hatching in 1968 and 1 969 was one example of the 
differences and similarities between the two areas. 
The dates of hatching were determined from the wings of juveniles 
harvested during the first 10 days of the hunting season in 1968 and 1969 
(MWRL 11 ( 6 ) :2). During these 2 years on the Dale Area, less than 10 percent 
of the juveniles were hatched after September 1. On the Forbes Area, 
however, 20 percent of the juveniles each year were hatched after September 1. 
The calculated frequency of dates of hatching early (prior to July 1) in the 
nesting season were similar; approximately 30 percent of the juveniles from the 
areas each year were hatched prior to July 1. 
5. Responses of Prairie Chickens to Habitat Manipulation R. L. Westemeier 
The increase in the population level of the Bogota flock amounted to 38 
percent in 1 968 , and preliminary data for this spring indicates that an 
increase of approximately 80 percent occurred as a result of successful nesting 
in I 969 . These recent gains took place even though nesting hens utilized less 
than one-half of the total sanctuary acreage of 687 acres. An additional 245 
acres of the total acreage will be available as nesting cover in 1970 because 
(1) all portions of recently acquired sanctuaries now have well-established 
cover and (2) it is hoped that prairie chickens disperse to sanctuaries 
previously outlying their home range. Each year about 15 percent of the total 
sanctuary acreage will not be available as nesting cover because of the heed 
for providing suitable booming sites and renovating old sods. The loss of 
nesting cover resulting from provision of booming sites is more than offset 
because, as recent research on the behavioral ecology of prairie chickens 
indicates, a booming ground surrounded by a variety of nesting cover makes 
the most efficient use of the limited acreage of sanctuaries. Thus, because 
of the newly available nesting cover and because the Bogota flock is still far 
below the carrying capacity of the sanctuary system, there is good reason to 
expect a continued upward trend in the population level. 
