1] 
TABLE 2.—Statistics on the efficiency of capturing bobwhites by nightlighting during autumn (prehunt) on farmland habitats 
and on nonfarmland habitats in south-central Illinois, 1963—1967. 
Type of Habitat Number of 
Number of Bob- 
Number of Bob- Percentage of 
and Year Coveys Flushed whites in Coveys whites Captured Bobwhites Captured 
Farmland* 
1963 15 147 91 62 
1964 8 102 36 35 
Total or Mean 23 249 127 51 
Nonfarmland+ 
1963+ 17 227 101 44 
1964+ 17 196 74 38 
1965t 9 110 4] 37 
1966 8 109 21 19 
1967 1] 195 45 Zo 
Total or Mean 62 837 282 34 
*Bobwhite densities averaged about 1 covey per square mile. | 
7+Bobwhite densities averaged about 12 coveys per square mile. 
iTwo nightlighting rigs, working as a dual unit, were used in trapping in 1963 and at least part of the time in 1964 and 1965. 
in this dense vegetation. Second, on nonfarmland 
many flushed bobwhites flew into nearby woods or 
rough terrain where they could not be pursued. This 
problem was not often encountered on the compara- 
tively flat, farmland terrain. 
The use of two nightlighting rigs usually improved 
the capture efficiency for bobwhites (Table 2), par- 
ticularly in heavy vegetation or rough terrain, because 
it was possible to note where more of the birds from a 
covey alighted after the initial flush. Also, one rig and 
crew could often intercept and quickly capture indi- 
viduals that were flushed by the other rig. 
The time required to capture a bobwhite is unpre- 
dictable. Usually attempts to capture birds from an 
average-sized covey reached the point of diminishing 
returns within 30-45 minutes in light cover and 60-90 
minutes in heavy cover. On one occasion, where the 
birds were roosting in clipped grain stubble, we cap- 
tured 16 birds from a covey of 18 in less than 30 min- 
utes. On the other hand, we captured only 4 of 22 
bobwhites during a 2-hour period following a covey 
flush from a field of tall grasses and weeds. 
Although we did not engage specifically in night- 
lighting for bobwhites during the winter, those bob- 
whites flushed while trapping pheasants were suscepti- 
ble to capture. They were exceptionally vulnerable 
when snow covered the ground because they were 
readily visible against the white background. 
Mortality of bobwhites attributable to the night- 
lighting operations averaged less than 1 percent. Roost- 
ing behavior was not seriously affected by nightlight- 
ing activities, as nightlighted coveys could be relocated 
at, or near, the same sites on subsequent nights. 
Cottontails 
Capturing cottontails (Fig. 8) by nightlighting was 
a difficult task. We have, however, captured more than 
300 rabbits by nightlighting during the past decade. 
Nightlighting, by itself, was not a feasible technique 
for capturing large numbers of cottontails for popula- 
tion studies. However, it did prove to be an adequate 
and convenient technique for capturing live cotton- 
tails for laboratory studies or for stocking enclosures 
with animals for subsequent biological investigations. 
Nightlighting cottontails was a hard and fast opera- 
tion. At night the cottontail was strikingly “an an- 
imal of the edge.” Generally, it foraged only short dis- 
tances, usually less than 50 yards, into fields, or, more 
accurately, away from its escape cover. And as soon as 
the cottontail was disturbed, it streaked toward its 
escape cover. Consequently, the first and most im- 
portant step in attempting to capture a rabbit was to 
: 
; a 
ie bs 
= 
Lf 
ile 
Fig. 8.—Although success in capturing cottontails by night- 
lighting on any given night is unpredictable, an experienced 
crew can usually capture a few rabbits on almost any night. 
