Vol. 14, No. 7 
Page 2 
It was determined that 44 miles of roadside (both sides) could be seeded. 
With respect to ease of seeding, 14 miles were judged fair ; 24 miles, good ; 
and 6 miles, very good . Approximately 172 acres are involved. Roadsides to 
be seeded occur in 9 of the 12 townships in the county. 
3. Ecology and Management of Sguirrels C. M. Nixon, 
R. E. Greenberg 
Recovery rates, or the proportion of tagged squirrels shot during a 
hunting season occurring immediately after tagging, were computed for adult 
and juvenile gray squirrels for each of 9 years, 1962-70. During this 9~y ea »* 
period, an average of 50 percent of the adult males, 47 percent of the adult 
females, 49 percent of the spring-born juvenile males, and 33 percent of the 
spring-born females were shot. 
The average annual mortality rate for adult squirrels for this same 
9-year period was 64 percent. By the simple subtraction of hunting mortality 
from annual mortality, nonhunting-induced mortality is found to total about 
15 percent for adult squirrels during the 9-year period. Some of this so- 
called natural mortality is undoubtedly hunter-induced crippling loss. 
Recent studies of unhunted gray squirrel populations in Virginia and 
North Carolina have found a much lower annual mortality rate for adult 
squirrels, usually between 40 and 50 percent. For the population cited 
above, hunting mortality at least partially compensates for natural losses, 
but total annual mortality is higher in the hunted population--in this case, 
between 14 and 24 percent higher than that of an unhunted adult squirrel 
population. 
R. E. Greenberg joined this project as Assistant Project Leader 
effective July 1, 1971* 
4. Responses of Bobwhites to Habitat Manipulation J. Ellis 
Three plants, serecia lespedeza ( Lespedeza cuneata ), multiflora rose 
(Rosa multi flora ), and red pine ( Pinus resinosa ) were used by the Department 
of Conservation in the initial work of development on the prescribed burn 
zone on the Dale Area. All three species have been included in the 
prescribed-burn program, either by design or accident, since 1966. The 
periodic burning has enabled serecia to maintain itself in a persistent, 
self-rejuvenating state. The multiflora rose, used to divide fields and as 
border strips, has been largely prevented, by burning, from spreading into 
the open fields. On two occasions, small stands of red pine were accident¬ 
ally burned--not more than 2 acres altogether. Within 6 months, the burned 
pines were indistinguishable from the neighboring unburned pines. If pines 
are to be used in the developmental phase in management of newly acquired 
areas, the use of red pine is recommended for this purpose because it is a 
fire-tolerant species. 
As of July 1, 1971, D. R. Vance was transferred from this project to the 
Prairie Chicken Project. 
