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MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
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Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
Urbana, Illinois 
July, 1971 
Vol. 14, No. 7 
1. Pheasant Populations and Land Use 
S. L. Etter 
The general dependence of pheasant abundance on small grains, forage 
crops (hay and rotation hay pasture), and grassy permanent cover was pointed 
out in an earlier report (MWRL 14(2):1). Although these cover types are 
generally thought of in relation to nesting, data from the nesting study 
suggest that the relationship of pheasant abundance to land use is more 
complex than a simple dependence on nesting cover. If nesting cover was 
the major factor limiting pheasant abundance, nest densities would be 
expected to increase or at least stabilize at some high level as the amount 
of nesting cover decreased. Data from the nesting study, however, indicated 
that nest densities were higher when nesting cover was more abundant and 
decreased as nesting cover became less abundant. 
Despite a 69 percent decrease in hay acreage on the Sibley Study Area 
from I 963 to 1967, nest densities in this cover type decreased from 3*13 
nests per acre to 1.26 nests per acre. Nest densities on roadsides 
decreased from 1.82 nests per acre in 1963 to 1.00 nest per acre in 1967* 
Although some of this decline in nest densities may be attributable to 
increased proportions of poor-quality nesting cover and intensified mowing, 
pronounced decreases in nest densities occurred in all cover types, regardless 
of the degree of change in vegetative composition or in disturbance. Hence, 
nesting cover does not appear to be the only land-use characteristic influ¬ 
encing pheasant abundance. This does not necessarily indicate that the 
relationship of pheasant abundance to small grains, forage crops, and grassy 
permanent cover is spurious. However, these data suggest that the acreages 
of these cover types are more important during some other period in the 
annual cycle than they are during the nesting season. 
As of July 1, 1971, R» E. Greenberg was transferred from this project 
to the Squirrel Project. 
2. Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat G. B. Joselyn 
Data provided by the Ford County Superintendent of Highways indicated 
that grading had been completed in 1970 , 1971 , or would be completed in 1971 
along approximately 64.5 miles of roads in the county (MWRL 14(6):1-2). On 
June 30 , all these roadsides were visited in order to determine the acreages 
involved and the feasibility of seeding the roadsides with the current 
complement of Department equipment. 
