erases be Nee balla er LN 13 
Ps eA 5 
On the Yeatter Sanctuary for prairie chickens, near Bogota, Illinois, an 
elevated blind was recently erected for observing the spring “booming” 
ceremonies. 
and aid in recording activities on the booming ground for Westemeier’s 
growing data compilation. 
A typical morning in the blind begins at 4 o’clock, when Westemeier 
addresses the group of sleepy-eyed observers that gather for briefing in the 
“red barn,” on-the-spot sanctuary headquarters on the northeast corner of 
the 140-acre Chauncey McCormick tract, five miles southwest of Newton. 
Observers are escorted to their blind sites as the eastern sky slowly 
illumines to herald the new day. One hears the flutter of feathers in the 
near-pitch darkness, as a few cocks begin to gather on the booming ground. 
THE FIRST “BOOM” is heard as the party is settling in the blind—and it 
never fails to stir a thrilling tingle of nostalgic anticipation at the tradi- 
tional tableau that is about to be witnessed, like the Plains Indian of old, 
who modeled both his colorful dances and costumes after the prairie 
chicken’s ritual. 
The “boom” is an eerie, three-note hollow echo, not unlike the musical 
noise made by blowing across the mouth of a big jug. One “boom” usually 
starts off the morning’s ritual—soon it is built into a rising crescendo as 
other cocks join and the din becomes steady, like the mellow sound of a 
hive of bees on a rising and falling note. 
The prairie chicken’s nuptial ceremonies begin in January and end in 
early June, morning and evening each day—but the real whoop, hoot and 
cackle is an April and May affair when the cocks put on their best displays 
and major efforts. A typical booming ground is in shore grass or stubble, 
