4 
-THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
Published Quarterly by the 
mieceleN Ours AUD UeBeOrN S:0 Cl E*TY 
ROOSEVELT ROAD AND LAKE SHORE DRIVE, CuHIcAGo 5, ILL. 
Number 113 March, 1960 
Is the Prairie Chicken in Illinois a “Lost Cause’? 
By DR. RALPH E. YEATTER 
In His Report on a Game Survey of the North Central States, published 
in 1931, Aldo Leopold stated: “In every state of the north central region 
except Wisconsin, the restoration of the Prairie Chicken is regarded as a 
‘lost cause.’ The trend of the evidence to be here presented is to the con- 
trary. It indicates that chickens respond even more readily than other cyclic 
species to management measures. The conservation movement has no right 
to discard these magnificent game birds wnen no real effort, other than 
ill-enforced closed seasons, has as yet been made in their behalf.” Leopold 
believed that refuges were the key to Prairie Chicken conservation. 
Investigations in Illinois and other states have borne out Leopold’s views. 
We know now the type of refuges needed. Prairie Chickens have a shorter 
breeding period than quails or pheasants. Because nearly all broods are 
hatched before mid-July, relatively undisturbed nesting cover is required 
during the spring and early summer. Chickens cannot withstand indefinite- 
ly the heavy losses of nests caused by farm machinery and intensive graz- 
ing in general farming regions. 
Prairie Chickens continued to ; oan ; 
thrive in the redtop grass seed- arto ote LL aa 
producing region of south-cen- a a) 
tral Illinois for more than 60 Peete perm ent 
years after they became scarce fiswe | Ee : oa a : 
LIVINGSTON 
or disappeared elsewhere. The 
seed did not ripen until July; 
thus the birds were able to 
hatch their young and get them 
on the wing before the harvest. 
During World War II, however, 
farmers of the region found it 
was more profitable to lime and 
fertilize their fields for grain 
crops than to produce grass 
seed. Most of the redtop fields 
disappeared and the chickens 
began to decline sharply. Other 
grassland birds, including Up- 
PEORIA = 
WOODFORD 
ADAMS 
Prairie Chicken Colonies 
: a ‘ ’ . 
land Plovers, Henslow’s Spar- eae RS? ae ade Be 
rows, Grasshopper Sparrows, Rural. Mall Carriers, 1957 ye I 
Savannah Sparrows, Meadow- E7 \ 
larks, King Rails, Marsh Hawks, (Courtesy ILLINOIS WILDLIFE Magazine) 
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