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ILLINOIS NATURAL
HISTORY SURVEY

LLINOIS PHEASANTS: POPULATION, ECOLOGY,
JISTRIBUTION, AND ABUNDANCE, 1900-1978

Richard £. Warner

Biological Notes No. 115

State of Illinois ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY
Illinois Institute of Natural Resources Champaign, Illinois - August 1981
Natural History Survey Division

Cover Illustration.---Betty Pisel, Gilmore City, Iowa, provided the cover illustration.

Illinois Pheasants: Population, Ecology, Distribution,

and Abundance, 1900-1978

The history of the ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus
colchicus) spans nearly a century in the Prairie State.
Because this native of China is intimately associated with
agriculture, trends in the bird’s abundance have reflected
patterns of land use and the general status of wildlife
habitat in Illinois.

The pheasant is important for aesthetic, economic, and
recreational reasons—particularly since the Illinois legis-
lature established a season for hunting cock pheasants in
1915. In recent years this sport has created annually over
one million recreational trips afield; revenue generated in
Illinois by pheasant hunters, exclusive of license fees, has
approached $20 million per year (Labisky 1975:3).

This publication reviews the establishment of
pheasants in Illinois, subsequent patterns of distribution
and abundance, and the effects of farming practices on
pheasant populations; it considers pheasant numbers and
distribution as monitored by annual estimates of cock
harvests and by Rural Mail Carriers’ Censuses (RMCC),
which have been conducted every 5 years since 1958
(Labisky 1975); and it presents data from the Sibley
Study Area (SSA) on trends in hunter success, numbers
of pheasants, and land use. The SSA in east-central
Illinois has been an important source of data on
pheasants since the late 1940's.

The following authorities of the U.S. Postal Service
assisted in expediting the 1978 RMCC: William G.
Booras, Ron L. Grant, and John A. Knopp, District
Managers, and John Humphries, Delivery Division. Jim
Conroy, Joe Fox, and Al Oliver of the Rural Letter
Carriers’ Association provided assistance in organizing
the RMCC. We especially thank the rural letter carriers
who willingly volunteered their help.

Numerous present and former Illinois Natural History
Survey staff worked with the project. G. Blair Joselyn,
John E. Warnock, Stanley L. Etter, and Ronald F.
Labisky worked as project leaders on the SSA; Labisky
also provided technical assistance with the 1978 RMCC.
Daniel A. Newhouse and Richard J. Siemers assisted
with mailings and data tabulation. Lloyd LeMere
illustrated the manuscript; Sheila Rhodes did the cover
layout; Eva L. Steger edited the first draft of the manu-
Script. William R. Edwards and Glen C. Sanderson
provided supervisory, editorial, and technical support.
Shirley McClellan edited the final manuscript for
publication.

I also thank James M. Moak, Jack A. Ellis, and Larry
M. David, Illinois Department of Conservation, for
Teviewing the manuscript. Sing-Ka Lo, Illinois

This paper is published by authority of the State of
Illinois. It is a contribution from the Section of Wildlife
Research at the Illinois Natural History Survey. Richard
E. Warner is an Assistant Wildlife Specialist at the
Survey.

Richard E. Warner
Geological Survey, developed computer programs.
Deborah Gains and Lindell H. Van Dyke of the
Geological Survey also provided technical assistance.
Funding for the 1978 RMCC and long-term
investigations on the SSA was a contribution of Federal
Aid Project W-66-R, the Illinois Natural History Survey
(INHS), the Illinois Department of Conservation
(DOC), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
cooperating.

POPULATION ECOLOGY

Natality and Mortality

Hen pheasants reproduce one brood of chicks per year.
The average nest of 8-10 eggs typically hatches in mid-
June (Robertson 1958:76, Labisky 1968:75). During a
normal life span of about 2 years (Wagner et al. 1965:69,
Etter 1966:2-3) pheasants are exposed to factors that
regulate survival and reproduction. Some of the factors
that limit the distribution and abundance of ring-neck
populations in Illinois follow.

Habitat

Unlike many avian species, the pheasant is
nonmigratory; annual movements of ring-necks tracked
by radio telemetry in east-central Illinois (Warner 1979)
have typically encompassed a radius of less than | or 2
miles.

Certain features of habitat—the amount, growth
forms, juxtaposition, and frequency of disturbance of
vegetation—are particularly critical to pheasants for
reproduction. In Illinois, fields of tame hay, hay pasture,
and uncultivated areas with grassy and weedy forbs
constitute prime nest cover (Robertson 1958:57, Labisky
1968:295, Joselyn et al. 1968:217). Oat fields planted as a
nurse crop for legumes (alfalfa and red clover) and
clipped in midsummer provide areas for broods to forage
for insects (Warner 1975). The amount of safe nest and
brood rearing cover may be a principal factor that limits
numbers of pheasants in most parts of Illinois (Joselyn et
al. 1968, Warner 1979).

Pheasants find protection from winter elements
primarily in residual, herbaceous, and woody vegetation.
In some sectors of the state, as in the east-central cash
grain belt, protective cover in winter is nearly absent
(Robertson 1958:19, Warner & David 1978). However,
severe blizzards—precipitation accompanied by driving
winds and below-zero (-10° - 20° F) temperatures—are
less frequent in Illinois than in more northern
Midwestern and Plains States (Labisky et al. 1964:12-13).
In Illinois, pheasant mortality from winter storms has
rarely been extensive (Robertson 1958:20, Warner &
David 1978).

Waste grains scattered by harvest machinery is the
mainstay of the adult pheasant diet in Illinois (Robertson
1958:18). Pheasants normally find waste grains even in

plowed fields and deep snow (Leedy & Hicks 1945:57,
Warner & David 1978:118).

Predators

Pheasants are particularly vulnerable to predation
during nesting; the destruction of eggs by yround
squirrels (Citellus tridceemlineatus), skunks (Memphitus
memphitus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), farm pets, farm
machinery, and avian predators is relatively common
(Labisky 1968:278, Joselyn et al. 1968:227). However, by
initial or renesting attempts, up to 50-75 percent of the
hens may be successful in hatching a nest (Robertson
1958:79, Labisky 1968:41) if nest cover is available.
Juvenile pheasants are vulnerable to predation,
particularly in the early weeks of life (Errington
1945:197).

Although some pheasants fall prey to foxes, hawks,
owls, and other predators, there is no evidence that
predation is a primary limiting factor to pheasant
populations (Errington & Hamerstrom 1937, Allen
1954:250) when suitable nest cover exists.

Pheasant Distribution

Odum (1971:113) observed, “quite different: factors
may limit abundance in the center of ranges and
distribution at the tnargins. . .” Although numerous pen-
reared pheasants were planted in far western and
southern counties of [Jlinois in the early 1900's (discussed
later in this manuscript), self-reproducing populations
have not become established (Labisky et al. 1964); yet
habitat suitable for reproduction by pheasants appears
relatively abundant in most unoccupied areas (Illinois
Cooperative Crop Reporting Service 1978).

Several more recent attempts have been made to
establish pheasants south of 39° north latitude in Illinois
(Klimstra & Hankla 1953, Ellis & Anderson 1963,
Anderson 1964, 1968). Robertson (1958:7) noted,
“Recent observations of an experimental release in
southern Illinois .. . re-emphasize the futility of stocking
pheasants of the regular game farm strain. . .” Yeatter
(1953) postulated that higher temperatures during
incubation limited the southward spread of self-main-
taining populations.

Experimental releases in western counties have
generally failed, although establishment of localized
populations (from relocated wild pheasants) may have
succeeded (Brady 1974, Vinzant 1978).

The fertility and composition of biogenic salts vary
among soil types and land formations in Illinois
(Fehrenbacher et al. 1967, Jones et al. 1968). Allen
(1954:20) noted, “Good soils yield the best crops, both in
quantity and quality of practically everything that lives
upon them.”

Anderson & Stewart (1969:269) concluded:

“If inorganic ions are limiting the distribution and
abundance of pheasants in the Midwest, combinations
of two or more elements . . . are possibly—if not
probably—involved, and ions comprising such com-
binations possibly differ from one region to another.”

A combination of stresses, such as unfavorable climate
and the ingestion of biogenic salts, no doubt lowers the
resistance of pheasants to extrinsic factors in marginal
and unoccupied areas (Selye 1949:837; Labisky et al.
1964:13).

Pheasant Stocking

f'arly releases of pheasants in Illinois led to the
establishment of. wild. (self-reproducing) populations.
Hlowever, present-day stocking of pheasants to increase
densities has: been largely futile (Besadny & Wagner
1963). Errington (1945:202), with reference to stocking,
remarked, “It may be fruitless if done indiscriminately
and may have further disadvantages of being expensive,
giving a false impression of accomplishment, and
diverting attention from basic problems.”

Pheasant numbers are regulated by certain factors of
habitat. The release of pheasants in a given area where
self-maintaining populations of pheasants exist can only
result in compensatory increases in mortality. Hence,
released pen-reared stock experience very low survival
(high mortality) and typically negligible reproduction
(Besadny & Wagner 1963).

Hunting

The male pheasant is a polygamous breeder, often
associated with harems of 6-12 hens over the
reproductive season (Labisky 1961). Harem formation
results in the establishment of territories and
maintenance of high fertility of females (Robertson
1958:47-48).

With polygamous breeding, the harvest of a high
proportion of the available roosters by hunters does not!
inhibit successful reproduction by hens (Labisky,
1961:13-14). Even in situations where more than 80)
percent of the cocks are shot, egg fertility remains high:
(Allen 1947). In recent years (under existing constraints:
of seasons, bag limit, and low populations), less than one--
half of the roosters have been bagged by hunters in east--
central Illinois (Warner 1978:6). Greater proportions of!
cocks are typically harvested by hunters in years when’
pheasant numbers are relatively high than when numbers;
are low.

Thus, long-term trends in pheasant abundance are
determined by environmental factors—principally)
climate, weather, soils, and land use—rather than the
number of cocks taken in the hunter’s bag.

METHODS

The early establishment and expansion of range
occupied by pheasants in Illinois is reviewed in thiv
manuscript from previous publications (Robertson
1958), unpublished records, and personal interviews. Tho
findings of previous RMCC’s were obtained fron
Greeley et al. (1962), Labisky & Anderson (1965), anc
Labisky (1975).

Sibley Study Area (SSA)

The relative abundance of pheasants and land use dat
for the SSA, located in Ford and McLean counties (Fig
1), are presented in this manuscript. This area i

MIXED LIVESTOCK

UNGLACIATED

DAIRY

LIVESTOCK
AND GRAIN

CASH GRAIN

| SIBLEY STUDY AREA

GENERAL
FARMING

GENERAL FARMING
AND DAIRY

GRAIN AND LIVESTOCK
UNGLACIATED

GENERAL FARMING
AND FRUIT

Fig. 1.—Major farm types by region in Illinois (after Preno &
abisky 1971, Ross & Case 1956), and location of Sibley Study Area.

ntensively farmed for cash grains (Fig. 2); dominant
lopes are about 0.4 percent and do not exceed 10 percent
Fehrenbacher et al. 1967). Depending upon drainage,
ubsoils range from loam till to silty clay and clay till or
rift. The dark-colored, highly fertile prairie soils were
eveloped on this loess over glacial drift of the last
ubstage of the Wisconsinan glacial period
Fehrenbacher et al. 1967).

SIBLEY STUDY AREA

_ 100
| 90
; 70 —<= ROW CROPS (CORN & SOYBEANS)
—= SMALL GRAINS

- 50 —-—= TAME HAY, HAY PASTURE
; 30

10

54 56 58 60 62

64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78
YEAR

Fig. 2.—Land use by cover type on the Sibley Study Area, 1954-
78.

Land use on the SSA was determined annually by
narking field types and boundaries on 8-inch aerial
hotographs and using an overlay grid to measure
labitat acreage.

The abundance of pheasants on the SSA was
nonitored annually by several methods: spring breeding
ounts in May were made by recording all pheasants
ibserved while driving transect routes, brood counts in
uly and August were made by recording all pheasants
een on roads and roadsides, hunter harvests were
urveyed the opening weekend of upland game hunting

season, and sex ratio and aerial counts (weather
permitting) were made in late winter. Indices from the
various counts were combined to calculate densities of
pheasants per square mile (Fig. 3).

DENSITIES OF HEN PHEASANTS PER SQUARE MILE 1 JANUARY AND PERCENT OF LAND
AREA IN NON-ROW CROP COVER (PREVIOUS GROWING SEASON) ON THE SIBLEY

105 STUDY AREA, 1956-1977, (ARROWS INDICATE AERIAL COUNTS) 55

2
1004 : +50

\

90 4 * 3 ie

\
80+ 40
‘@— HENS PER SECTION |
* 30

704 R AN

604 iv A

504 naan

= 4 NON-ROW } <
304 ry CROP COVER

204
104

HENS PER SQUARE MILE

»
4

1 1956 1958 | 1360 | 1962 1964 T iss T s68 1970 1972 1374 1976 |

1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 197
YEAR
Fig. 3.—Densities of hen pheasants per square mile (January) and

percent of land in nonrow crop farmland (previous growing season), on
the Sibley Study Area, 1957-1978.

Rural Mail Carriers’ Census (RMCC)

The 74 northernmost counties of Illinois, which
encompass the known range of wild pheasants, were
censused with the volunteer assistance of rural letter
carriers during 24-28 April 1978.

Census cards with instruction packets were mailed to
623 post offices—1,178 rural letter carriers. As in
previous RMCC’s conducted at 5-year intervals (Labisky
1975), letter carriers drove their routes between 0700 and
1200 hours (CST) over the 5-day period and recorded on
a census card for each route: name, post office, rural
route number, length of route in miles, counties and
political townships transected by the route, and cocks
and hens observed. Even if no pheasants were observed,
rural letter carriers were asked to return the census card.
Follow-up mailings were not made to post offices if
census cards were not returned.

Census data were encoded on IBM cards for computer
manipulation. Programs were developed to perform
calculations using the University of Illinois’ “CYBER”
interactive computer system. Indices of abundance were
computed for townships, counties, and the entire range
by dividing the number of pheasants observed by miles
driven; multiplication of the dividend by 100 yielded an
index of pheasants observed per 100 miles. An Illinois
Geological Survey computer program (“Illioplot”) was
modified to print maps by plotting numerical and
symbolic indices of abundance in each township.

If a given rural letter delivery route transected two or
more townships (or counties), the pheasants observed
and miles driven were divided equally and assigned to
townships reported on the census card.

FINDINGS
Nineteenth-Century Agriculture
When the first releases of pheasants were made in
Illinois (during the late 1800’s), the landscape into which
the exotic ring-neck was introduced had been radically

altered by post-Civil War agricultural development
(Vestal 1931, Schlebecker 1975). By 1880 nearly all
prairie sod in Illinois had been plowed for cultivation
(Yeatter 1957).

With the elimination of diverse prairie flora, habitat
available to native fauna was modified and reduced.
Prairie grouse (Tympanuchus cupido) occupied an
ecological niche in the prairie community similar to the
ground-nesting pheasant. Following a peak in numbers
in the mid-1800’s (Yeatter 1957), the greater prairie
chicken was extirpated from much of its range in Illinois
by intensified agriculture (Yeatter 1943:379). During this
era of receding populations of prairie chickens, the ring-
necked pheasant became established in the Prairie State.

A historical sketch of a farm on the SSA illustrates the
dynamics of this transition in Illinois: In 1880, Curtis
Henry Stein, a tenant farmer on the SSA aided by
neighbors, hitched a team of oxen toa cable winch and V-
plow, and drained and plowed the prairie marsh located
on his “south 40.”

In 1926, Walter O. Stein, grandson of Curtis, rented his
first farm in the area. A knoll on his farm served as a
spring booming ground for prairie chickens. However,
before Walter Stein completed a 4-year rotation of oats-
clover-pasture-corn on his farm, the prairie chickens
were gone. Mr. Stein recollected, “We started seeing
pheasants on our farm at about the time we saw no more
prairie chickens.”!

Early Pheasant Releases

Pheasants were first successfully released in the United
States in Oregon, New England, and the North Atlantic
States after 1880 (Walcott 1945:3; Bennett 1945:11). The
initial known release in Illinois was shortly thereafter;
numerous individuals attempted releases in Illinois
around the turn of the century (Robertson 1958:3). In
1906 the State Game Department received 5,500
pheasant eggs (Phillips 1928:44) to be hatched and
distributed to sportsmen’s clubs and farmers. State-
proffered releases flourished from 1906 to 1918 and then
were discontinued until 1928 (Osborne 1943:12,
Robertson 1958:3), when the newly formed Department
of Conservation again made stock for releasing available
to the public. Robertson (1958:4) estimated that all
releases, state and private, made in Illinois up to 1928
totalled around 10,000 pheasants. Leopold (1931:106)
indicated that most known releases of pheasants through
the mid-1920’s were in northeastern, central, and western
counties, and in Mississippi lowlands along the southern
two-thirds of the state.

Genetic Ancestry

Based on the wide color variation of wild pheasants,
Yeatter (1953:5-6) hypothesized that the ring-neck
populations in Illinois have a diverse ancestry. Robertson
(1958:3) noted that some stock was shipped from the
Pacific Northwest; other populations were progeny of

! Information regarding the Stein farm was acquired from a personal
interview with Walter O. Stein on November 8, 1978.

captive breeding birds in Europe. The diversity of
introduced stock indicates that wild pheasants in this
state have genetic ancestry from at least four types of
pheasants (Labisky 1968:3): P. colchichus colchicus
(Caucasus pheasant of black-necked group); P. c.
torquatus (Chinese ring-necked pheasant of grey-rumped
group); P. c. mongolicus (Kirghiz pheasant of kirghiz
group); and P. versicolor (Japanese green pheasant).

Range Expansion 1900-1930

From 1906 to 1909 Stephen A. Forbes directed ¢
survey of land birds in Illinois (Forbes & Gross 1923:438;
447); pheasants were not recorded on the list of specie:
observed. However, shortly after 1910, small numbers on
pheasants appeared in parts of their present rangy
(Robertson 1958:7). By the 1920’s systematic releases hac
been attempted in every county (McAtee 1929:5, Fig. 4)
and patterns of establishment were becoming apparent
Leopold’s game survey in 1928-1929 (Leopold 1931:10€
indicated that wild populations were established in thi
northeastern counties—McHenry, Lake, Kane, Cook)
Du Page, Will, and Kankakee—with peripherz
populations in the adjacent counties of Boone am
DeKalb. Scattered populations in the adjacent countie
of Boone and DeKalb. Scattered populations also weri
noted in east-central counties (Leopold 1931:106). In ai
unpublished manuscript, Leopold mentioned thi
existence of scattered flocks along the Illinois Rive’
bottom west as far as Scott County, and along cree:
bottoms in Sangamon, Macoupin, and Greene Counti«
(Robertson 1958:10).

Pheasants were apparently increasing in numbers j/
east-central counties by the late 1920’s. Walter O. Ster
first observed pheasants around Sibley (Ford County’
about 1927. Robertson (1958:10) in reviewing Christmi
bird censuses from 1908 to 1929 near Ranto)
(Champaign County) and Paxton (Ford County) note
that pheasants were sighted once in 21 counts; four we?
seen December 24, 1925 (Ekblaw & Ekblaw 1926:44))

Through the 1920’s pheasants were absent from mo)
northwestern, western, and southern counties. Dr. N. ]!
Huff, president of the Southern Illinois Sportsmerr
Association, told Leopold (1931:109): “Pheasants do ni
thrive south of the 39th parallel. They have been plant
in southern Illinois .. . for 15 years but are not establishw
anywhere that I know of.”

In the early 1930’s the DOC typically releasw
approximately 8,000 pheasants each year, al)
distributed an equal number of eggs to farmers ai
sportsmen (Robertson 1958:4). Distribution of eggs wi
curtailed after 1932, but in 1937 the Cooperative Chi’
Program was formed by the DOC to make day-old chic}
available to sportsmen’s clubs (Schwartz 1950:2)
Robertson 1958:45). This program continues aul
resulted in the distribution of over 32,000 chicks in 19)
(R. V. Bauer, DOC, personal communication
December 1978). Beginning in the 1930’s state-proffer |
stock was distributed mainly to areas where pheasa1}
were known to be established (Robertson 1958:7).

f
i
i
;

Distribution and Relative Abundance, 1930-1940

In the late 1920’s and early 1930’s the wild pheasant
range expanded in the northern counties and throughout
the east-central sector. Scattered populations were found
in west/southwest and east/southeast counties, adjacent
to the established range.

This range expansion can be seen by comparing the
distribution and abundance of pheasants as mapped in
1929 by Leopold (Fig. 4) and in 1937 by Mohr (Fig. 5). By
the late 1930’s a center of abundance was clearly defined,
encompassing the northeastern counties—Boone, De
Kalb, Du Page, Kane, Kendall, Lake, and McHenry (Fig.
5). Densities of pheasants in east-central Illinois (Ford
and Livingston counties) may have approached the
numbers in the northeastern sector. Yeatter believed that
pheasants were relatively well established in Champaign
and surrounding counties in the 1930’s (Robertson
1958:10).

In this era, wild pheasants were most abundant in
Illinois’ dairy region, with moderate numbers in the
highly fertile east-central grain farming region (Ross &

Case 1956, Fig. 1).
STEPHENSON | WINNEBAGO ]
alee
a

Ree

DISTRIBUTION OF PHEASANTS
1929

MM ESTABLISHED RANGE
[=aq3 SCATTERING OR
INDETERMINATE
RANGE

Fig. 4.—Distribution and abundance of pheasants in Illinois, 1929
(modified from Leopold 1931:106, Greeley et al. 1962:13).

Distribution and Abundance, 1940-1950

Following range expansion and rapid increase in
numbers of pheasants in Illinois in the 1930’s, pheasant
populations suffered a notable decline, particularly from
1942 to 1945 (Robertson 1958:122). Declines occurred in
most Midwestern states during this era (Kimball
1948:291-293, Allen 1953:125-128). In Illinois, the
reduction in numbers has been partially attributed to
adverse spring weather (Robertson 1958:122-123,
Labisky et al. 1964:13).

In 1948, a second survey of hunter success in Illinois
(Robertson 1958) (Fig. 5) suggested a state-wide upswing
in numbers of pheasants since the early 1940's,
particularly in the northeastern and east-central regions
(Robertson 1958:120). From 1937 to 1948, both these
centers of abundance expanded. Populations in
peripheral areas of the range, however (notably along the
southwestern and southern edges), appeared lower in the
1940’s than in the 1930's.

Yeager (1947:8, 9) described pursuit of the ring-neck by
hunters in the prime northeastern range in the late 1940's:

“In metropolitan Chicago, literally under the noses
of 4,000,000 hurrying souls, there is some pheasant
hunting... enough to take, within commuting distance

of the Loop, 100,000 sportsmen afield . . . . Cover of
better quality or interspersion is rare. . . . The several
types of cover met all ring-neck needs: weed fields,
ditch banks, and fencerows for nesting . . . dense

thickets and briar patches for escape; and the best in
cattail and slough-grass marsh for winter roosting.”

During this era, ring-necks were widely hunted,
particularly in northern and east-central counties;
Livingston and De Kalb counties probably sustained the
greatest densities of pheasants in the state (Yeatter &
Yeager 1945:6, 36).

Distribution and Abundance 1950's

The surge in Illinois pheasant populations that began
in the mid-to-late 1940’s continued through the early
1950’s. Robertson (1958:120) documented annual
increases in numbers of pheasants on study areas in
Stephenson, Winnebago, Kendall, De Kalb, Ford, and
Livingston counties. A hunter survey in 1950 (Marquardt
& Scott 1952, Greeley et al. 1962:14) suggested a
moderate increase in numbers state-wide from 1948. The
major centers of abundance continued to be
north/northeastern and east-central counties. Hunter
success in 1950 along the periphery of the established
range was clearly improved over 1948 (Marquardt &
Scott 1952, Greeley et al. 1962:14).

In 1951, the Illinois pheasant population may have
peaked. Robertson (1958:120) estimated spring densities
of about 60 pheasants per square mile in the northern
range, and nearly 150 birds per square mile in
representative portions of the east-central range (Ford
and Livingston counties).

Pheasant numbers declined moderately in Illinois
during the mid-1950’s. A comparison of hunter success in

COCKS KILLED PER HUNTER ( w
1937 me hme

2.1 PLUS Cres

(OM) 1.1 - 2.0

=] 01-10

[__] Less THAN Oo.

NR NOT REPORTED

WEMILI

{__] LESS THAN OL

Fig. 5.—Distribution and abundance of pheasants in Illinois from hunting license questionnaires for 1937 (after Carl O. Mohr, unpublished)

and 1948 (after Robertson 1958:9).

1950 (Marquardt & Scott 1952, Greeley et al. 1962) and
the first RMCC in 1957-1958 (Fig. 6)—although different
census methods—suggests notable declines in northern
counties. Thus, by the early 1950’s the major center of
abundance was the east-central region; Livingston, Ford,
Iroquois, McLean, and Champaign counties ranked at
the top in respective order of abundance (Fig. 6). Trends
in pheasant abundance on the SSA (Fig. 3) in Ford and
McLean counties were representative of the prime range.

Pheasant Harvest.—The hunter kill of cock pheasants
in the early 1950’s is not clear. McCabe et al. (1956:298)
estimated the pheasant kill for Illinois in 1950 at 150,000
pheasants—a figure that Robertson (1958:5) considered
“much too low.” The DOC estimated from license stub
kill cards that an average of over 750,000 cocks were
bagged annually, 1956-1959 (Table 1). Marquardt &
Scott (1952:4) noted that this estimation technique is
inherently high.

Land Use.—Changing patterns of land use were
evident in Illinois in the 1950’s. Acreage planted to hay
and small grains (prime habitat for pheasant
reproduction) peaked from 1948 to 1953 and declined
precipitously thereafter as more acres were planted to
corn and soybeans (Fig. 7). These land use changes were
particularly evident in the east-central cash grain region
(Fig. 7 and 8). Land use trends on the SSA are
representative of these changes (Figs. 3, 7). The decline in
hay and small grain cover beginning in 1954 was in part

due to policy changes in the Agricultural Conservation
Program (ACP), which through 1953 paid relatively
large premiums to divert cropland from soil-depleting to)
soil-conserving crops (Held & Clawson 1965:183).

Labisky et al. (1964:8) characterized the optimal!
pheasant range in the Prairie State in the era of the late:
1950's:

“In summary, the following factors of land use were:
found to be characteristic . . . where pheasants were:
most abundant: (i) a high proportion of land area in}
cultivated crops and a low proportion in woodland, (ii))
a high proportion of the farms classified as cash-grain)
farms and a lower proportion as dairy farms and!
livestock farms, and (iii) about 50 percent of the:
cropland in row crops (corn and soybeans), about 5)
percent in hay, and about 15 percent in pasture.” |
|
Table 1.—Estimated harvest of cock pheasants during upland game |
seasons in Illinois averaged for specified periods.

AVERAGE
ESTIMATED

PERIOD KILL SOURCE
1956 - 1959 767,000 Preno and Labisky 1971
1960 - 1964 907,000 Preno and Labisky 1971
1965 - 1969 700,000 Preno and Labisky 1971
1970 - 1974 810,000 J. A. Ellis, personal communication
1975 - 1978 522,000 Ellis 1978, personal communication

APRIL,

PHEASANTS PER
IOO MILES

MB 100! PLUS

BES 50.1—100.0

MM 10.1-50.0

L1-10.0

HM o1-10

1958

eosceceoeoepe do FER aE Sis wwwee
ecoeceeejeeceeoeopee poe ec eee
eococeeoevpoeeoee Gee eles ee eeo
eoccocoeeeljeoee ec opee fp eee eee
ecoeoeeepeee ee Gee sie ecevicic
PO OO) COBO OOS DEC RO J
esoccoeoopoecoeoedeecleoocecese

eecleeseese
ee

ee oo

ce us

. ee
eoeeeeeee

eoeeeees
FOOD PY I Set Sa Se at ee Cae
Ce Parrett) Ht CC Ne Ne Ore
ID ee ee Oy ht OD oon fin cd Grae aee te te te e

ene ee ojo eo Teo oe MMT 1.°.°s eis.

°.

DA

Career
7

[ ] LESS THAN Ol

ig. n and ab f p y Pp y
Ri 6.—Distributio undance Oo heasants 1 in Illinois obtained by a rural mail carrier census, A ril 1958 (after Greeley et al. 1962,

HAY AND SMALL GRAINS

PMN &F uN CO wo

ACRES (MILLIONS) ILLINOIS
menMmOwe UN CO WO
ACRES (THOUSANDS) SIBLEY STUDY AREA

\ a
SIBLEY STUDY AREA =

45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80

YEAR

Fig. 7.—Acreages of hay and small grains planted in Illinois (state-
wide) and the Sibley Study Area, 1945-1977 (state-wide data from
Illinois Cooperative Crop Reporting Service).

Distribution and Abundance 1960-1970

The numbers of pheasants observed per 100 miles
declined state-wide from the 1958 RMCC’s (Fig. 6, Table
2) to the 1963 RMCC (Fig. 9). In the prime range (east-
central counties, Table 3), however, densities of
pheasants increased during these 5 years. Numbers of
pheasants on the SSA apparently peaked in 1962 (Fig. 3)
Declines were most evident in the early center of
abundance in northern Illinois (Fig. 9).

The 1968 RMCC (Fig. 10) indicated a 28-percent
decline in pheasant numbers from 1958 to 1968 and a 44
percent decline from 1963 to 1968 (Table 2). The most
significant change in the late 1960’s was the decline in the
abundance of ring-necks in the east-central prime range
(Fig. 9, 10: Table 3). Pheasant populations increased
moderately in northwestern counties—especially
Carroll, Ogle, and Whiteside—and in some counties in
west/southwest and east/southeast sectors, especially
Logan, Moultrie, De Witt, and Piatt (Fig. 10).

The 1968 RMCC also indicated localized increases in
pheasant numbers around the joining of Vermilion,
Edgar, Douglas, and Champaign counties, and at the
junction of Mason and Tazewell counties (highest
densities in the state) (Fig. 10).

Pheasant Harvest.—The estimated hunter harvest of
cock pheasants in Illinois averaged 907,000 per season
from 1960 to 1964 and 700,000 per season from 1965 to
1969 (Table 1). This estimated kill peaked at over 1
million birds in 1962 and 1963 and declined thereafter
except for a harvest of over 900,000 in 1969 (Preno &
Labisky 1971:20). Hunter surveys on the SSA during
opening weekend of the upland game seasons show a
marked increase in effort expended per cock bagged
during the late 1960's (Fig. 11).

Land Use.—In the early 1960’s, farmers were induced
by a Federal Feed Grain Program (FFGP) to reduce
acreages planted in corn and grain sorghums (Spitze
1972). Implementation of the FFGP arrested the
expansion of row cropping for a few years (Fig. 3, 7) and
resulted in moderately increased hay and oats acreages
(Joselyn & Warnock 1964:549). The effects of the FFGP
were most evident in the cash grain belt, represented by
the SSA (Fig. 7). Although the FFGP did not result in
vast increases in prime reproductive habitat for
pheasants state-wide, moderate increases in the fertile
cash grain belt were noted in undisturbed cover—
predominately an oats-hay complex.

With the termination of the FFGP in the late 1960's
(Spitze 1972) farmland devoted to forage legumes and
small grains was further reduced and corn and soybean
production increased (Fig. 3, 7). The west, west/south-
west, and east/southeast counties were least affected by
the surge in row crop production; conversion to row crop

oo = |

25%

AVERAGE

9}1]3]5] 7/911] 3]5
8 602 4 6 8 702 4 6
YEAR

Fig. 8.—Nonrow-crop farmland by region in the Illinois pheasan
range, 1957-1977. Regions are: Northwest: Bureau, Carroll, Henry, J.
Daviess, Lee, Mercer, Ogle, Putnam, Rock Island, Stephenson
Whiteside, and Winnebago counties. Northeast: Boone, Coo)
De Kalb, Du Page, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, La Salle, McHenr
and Will counties. West: Adams, Brown, Fulton, Hancock, Henderse
Knox, McDonough, Schuyler, and Warren counties. Central: De Wil
Logan, McLean, Macon, Marshall, Mason, Menard, Peoria, Star
Tazewell, and Woodford counties. East: Champaign, Ford, Iroquo}
Kankakee, Livingston, Piatt, and Vermilion countie)
West/Southwest: Bond, Calhoun, Cass, Christian, Greene, Jerse
Macoupin, Madison, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, al)
Scott counties. East/Southeast: Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawfor
Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Lawrenc
Marion, Moultrie, Richland, and Shelby counties. (Illin¢
Cooperative Crop Reporting Service 1978).

Table 2.—Comparative statistics obtained from rural mail carrier censuses of pheasants in the 74 northernmost counties (including 1,257
townships) of Illinois during designated 5-day census periods in April 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, and 1978 (data from 1958-1973 after Labisky 1975).

CATEGORY 1958

QUESTIONNAIRES

Number mailed 1,368

Number returned 1,053 (77)

Number usable = ic
Number of townships reported (of 1,257) 1,221 (97)
Total miles driven 250,129
Miles driven per township reported 205
Cocks observed 10,047
Hens observed 9,044
TOTAL PHEASANTS OBSERVED 19,091
Sex ratio: hens per cock 0.9
Cocks per 100 miles 4.0
Hens per 100 miles 3.6
TOTAL PHEASANTS PER 100 MILES 7.6

Percentages are given in parentheses.

farming was most dramatic in the east and central sectors
(Fig. 8).

Distribution and Abundance 1970's

By 1973 the relative abundance of ring-neck
populations had declined 11 percent from 1968 as
indicated by the RMCC’s (Table 2). Although continuing
to evidence substantial declines, the east-central counties
ranked above other regions of the state in pheasants
observed per 100 miles. Of these counties, the west/
southwest counties (Logan, Moultrie, De Witt, Macon,
and Piatt) were among the top 10 in 1973 (Table 3).
Several neighboring counties had moderate increases in
the early 1970's (Fig. 10, 12).

Trends in pheasant abundance were also changing in
northern counties. Labisky (1975:7) observed:

“Thus, despite some declines in pheasant abundance
in De Kalb, McHenry, La Salle, Will, and Grundy
Counties, northern Illinois posted a notable increase
in pheasant abundance between 1968 and 1973, the
first real upswing in pheasant numbers in this portion
of the state in more than two decades. However, . . .
pheasant abundance in northern Illinois was only
about one-fifth of that in east-central Illinois.”

Labisky (1975:7-8) characterized the western periphery
of Illinois’ ring-neck range: “small, scattered flocks of
pheasants . . . which have never demonstrated strong
geographic permanence or numerical persistence, have
been maintained, at least partially, by sporadic releases of
propagated pheasants.” Labisky (1975:7) concluded that
there had been no change in range occupied by pheasants
in Illinois in over two decades.

The April 1978 RMCC denoted a decline of 84 percent
in pheasants observed range-wide from 1973 (Table 2)
and a decline of 92 percent from 1963 to 1978.

The magnitude of declines, in respective order, was
greatest for the east-central, northern, and west/south-
western counties (Fig. 13). Populations of pheasants in

1963 1968 1973 1978
1,320 1,256 1,207 1,178
1,202 (91) 1,143 (91) 1,120 (93) 1,061 (90)
1,150 (87) 1,105 (88) 1,078 (89) 1,046 (89)
1,222 (97) 1,214 (97) 1,199 (95) 1,193 (95)
318,605 333,070 351,150 366,348
261 268 281 307
17,204 10,706 10,898 1,651
14,446 7,545 6,454 1,390
31,650 18,251 17,352 3,041
0.8 0.7 0.6 0.8
5.4 3.2 3.1 0.5
4.5 2.3 1.8 0.4
9.9 5.5 4.9 0.9

counties peripheral to the established range tended to be
stable from 1973 to 1978 although a slight-to-moderate
increase in abundance was registered for Mercer,
Cumberland, McDonough, Warren, Fayette, Hancock,
Jasper, Jersey, Crawford, Greene, and Bond counties
(Table 3). The 1978 census (Fig. 14), compared with
previous RMCC’s, indicates possible limited range
expansion in Knox, Warren, Henderson, Fulton, and
Schuyler counties, which may in part explain more
frequent sightings in 1978 for these counties.

A precursory glance at the 1978 distribution map (Fig.
14) compared with 1973 (Fig. 12) suggests a moderate
southward expansion of range by pheasants in counties
along the southern apron. This expansion is particularly
evident in the southernmost townships of Effingham and
Jasper counties (Fig. 14). Researchers on prairie chicken
sanctuaries in southern Jasper County confirm the
presence and recent increase in numbers of pheasants in
this area (R. L. Westemeier, Illinois Natural History
Survey, personal communication). However, fewer
pheasants were observed per 100 miles of driving in
Jasper and Effingham counties in 1978 than in the late
1950's (Fig. 14). Censuses of 1957 and 1958 (Greeley et al.
1962:12) registered pheasants in all townships of Jasper
County and nearly all townships of Effingham County.
Pheasants were also observed in northern townships of
Clay County (south of Effingham County) during this
era.

Long-term population data (1958-1978) from the
RMCC’s for counties along the southern margin of the
pheasant range—Bond, Clark, Clay, Crawford,
Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, and Shelby—
show that the number of townships in which pheasants
were observed has declined in the 1973 and 1978 censuses.
Of the townships in these counties, 26 had recordings of
pheasants sighted during the first three RMCC’s (1958-
1968) but none in the 1973 or 1978 RMCC; only eight
townships (generally in the north) had pheasants
recorded for the first time in 1973 or 1978; and 26

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—
tT Ihe ce.
Ree le i! ie

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ea hit
jn
APRIL, 1963

PHEASANTS PER =
—toomiies AL [=
100.1 PLUS a on

50.! — 100.0
10.1 — 50.0
lL! —!l0.0
OI — 1.0 @
LESS THAN OI

FRANKLIN

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an

na

S., :
a®

2.

S|

ae}

o 3

Oo

zi

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. At. ast ul sh
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saa
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(eli ane
ate ‘| ie if ol
ee ila lca

APRIL, 1968 wrt aes es
PHEASANTS PER = .
—_1OO MILES _ AER
MMM 001PLUS UR bas

EESY 50.1 100.0 a

[Ml 10.1 50.0
1.1 10.0
M1 o1 10

[) LESS THAN Ol

ig. 10.—Distribution and abundance o
heavy line were not censused

14

Table 3.—Comparative abundance of pheasants as reported by rural mail carriers in the 74 northernmost counties of Illinois in April 1958, 1963,
1968, 1973, and 1978 (data from 1958-1973 after Labisky 1975).

PHEASANTS PER 100 MILES COUNTY RANK PERCENT CHANGE
COUNTY 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1973 1978 1968 to 1973 1973 to 1978
MASON 2.7 5.4 6.4 10.1 6.3 12 1 + 58 — 38
WINNEBAGO 1.5 0.6 1.0 3.9 2.4 25 2 +290 - 38
CARROLL 1.9 1.1 2.0 5.4 2.4 20 3 +170 - 55
LEE 6.2 3.1 2.8 4.9 2.2 21 4 IB - 56
STEPHENSON 5.4 0.3 0.9 2.2 2.1 37 5 +144 - 5
KENDALL 7.4 4.8 5.0 7.4 2.1 18 6 + 48 - 72
WOODFORD 15.6 21.8 21.4 9.2 2.0 13 7 = 57 - 78
DE KALB 10.4 5.2 8.0 4.1 1.9 24 8 - 49 - 54
WILL 4.6 3.0 2.7 7e8) 1.9 34 9 - 7 = 25
OGLE 1.5 0.5 2.0 3.0 1.8 28 10 + 50 - 41
MCHENRY 7.0 3.9 3.4 2.5 1.6 32 11 — 26 - 37
LIVINGSTON 56.4 99.1 33.3 25.2 1.5 2 12 — 24 -— 94
BOONE 5.1 1.0 2.3 3.1 1.4 27 13 + 35 = 55
LOGAN 8.3 9.7 31.1 20.7 1.4 3 14 — 33 -— 93
FORD 50.7 75.8 29.2 30.2 1.3 1 15 + 3 — 96
MACON 0.7 6.6 8.5 12.0 1.3 9 16 + 41 - 89
WHITESIDE 0.3 0.3 0.8 2.5 1.2 33 17 +213 - 52
KANE 3.6 2.7 1.7 2.8 1.2 31 18 + 65 - 57
TAZEWELL 6.1 8.5 6.5 4.4 1.2 22 19 - 32 = 73
LA SALLE 12.4 13.8 OAT 7.5 1.2 17 20 — 18 - 84
MCLEAN 27.7 43.1 17.0 12.0 1.1 8 21 = 29 - 91
BUREAU 1.3 0.5 1.0 1.7 1.1 40 22 + 70 - 35
SHELBY 0.2 0.5 0.7 2.3 1.1 36 23 +229 - 52
CHRISTIAN 0.2 1.2 3.5 5.8 1.1 19 24 + 66 - 81
IROQUOIS 28.9 43.4 15.7 17.8 1.1 4 25 + 13 — 94
MENARD 0.6 1.0 2.3 3.0 1.0 29 26 + 30 - 67
LAKE 2.0 1.2 1.1 1.1 0.9 44 27 0 - 18
GRUNDY 12.5 17.7 9.3 8.3 0.8 16 28 = 10 - 90
MOULTRIE 1.4 11.3 18.1 15.9 0.8 5 29 - 12 -— 95
DE WITT 6.5 16.1 12.2 14.9 0.8 6 30 7 222 - 95
DU PAGE 4.9 4.3 12 1.8 0.7 39 31 + 50 - 61
HENRY 1.8 0.3 0.3 0.7 0.7 46 32 +133 0
KANKAKEE 15.3 19.7 10.1 8.4 0.6 15 33 - 17 — 93
VERMILION 17.3 11.1 9.8 10.9 0.6 11 34 + 11 - 95
PUTNAM 10.8 19.1 10.6 2.9 0.5 30 35 - 73 — 83
STARK 4.2 0.5 0.2 0.5 0.5 47 36 +150 0
EDGAR 5.0 4.2 5.3 4.1 0.5 23 37 - 23 — 88
MARSHALL 14.6 15.0 8.2 3.3 0.5 26 38 - 60 - 85
CHAMPAIGN 25.7 35.6 16.8 13.3 0.4 7 39 - 21 - 97
MERCER 0.1 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.4 50 40 = 25) + 33
COOK 2.8 1.6 1.4 2.2 0.4 38 41 ae Sy/ - 82
PIATT 11.8 34.6 17.7 11.9 0.4 10 42 = 33 - 97
DOUGLAS 8.7 14.3 8.6 8.6 0.4 14 43 0 = 95
SANGAMON 0.3 0.6 1.5 1.3 0.4 42 44 - 13 - 69
COLES 2.0 2.3 3.2 2.5 0.4 35 45 - 22 - 84
JO DAVIESS 1.2 0.3 0.2 1.2 0.4 43 46 +500 - 67
CUMBERLAND 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.0+ 0.2 61 47 be “a
CASS 0.2 0.8 1.2 0.8 0.2 45 48 — 33 - 75
MCDONOUGH 0.6 0.0+ 0.0+ 0.0+ 0.2 63 49 0 Scat
HENDERSON 0.5 0.0 0.0+ 0.2 0.2 57 50 0 0
WARREN 0.3 0.1 0.0+ 0.1 0.2 54 51 + +100
MONTGOMERY 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.2 49 52 0 — 33
ROCK ISLAND 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 51 53 + 50 - 50
FAYETTE 0.1 0.0 0.0+ 0.0 0.1 on 54 a +
FULTON 0.0+ 0.0 0.1 0.0+ 0.1 58 55 = 43%
MACOUPIN 0.0 0.0+ 0.1 0.1 0.1 53 56 0 0
HANCOCK 0.0 0.0 0.0+ 0.0+ 0.1 59 57 0 B29
KNOX 0.0+ 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 56 58 0 0

EFFINGHAM 0.8 0.1 0.0+ 0.1 0.1 55 59 + 0

Table 3.—Continued.

JASPER 1.0 0.1 0.0+ 0.0+ 0.1
CLARK 0.1 0.1 0.0+ 04 <0.1
PEORIA 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.0+ <0.1
JERSEY 0.0 0.0+ 0.0 0.0 <0.1
CRAWFORD 0.0 0.0 0.0+ 0.0 <0.1
GREENE 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 <0.1
BOND 0.0 0.0 0.0+ 0.0 6 <0.1
MORGAN 0.1 0.2 0.4 16 <0.1
SCHUYLER 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0
CLAY 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
BROWN 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
SCOTT 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

+ denotes nominal increase
- denotes nominal decrease
0.0 + (prior to 1973) and 0.1 (1973-1978) mean the same thing.

35

30

25

20

HOURS PER BIRD

1962 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 19771978
YEAR

Fig. 11.—Hunter hours expended per cock pheasant bagged
during the opening weekend on the Sibley Study Area, 1962-1978.

townships had no recorded sightings during the past five
RMCC’s.

The east-central counties, Livingston, Ford, McLean,
Iroquois, and Champaign, which ranked highest in
densities of pheasants for at least 3 decades (Table 3,
Labisky 1975), ranked 12, 15,21, 25, and 39, respectively,
in 1978. Population trends on the SSA (Fig. 3)
substantiate these dramatic declines. The west/south-
western counties, which evidenced substantial increases
in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s (Labisky 1957:7),
generally ranked lower in 1978 (Table 3) except Mason
County, which had the greatest abundance of pheasants
in the state in 1978 (Table 3, Fig. 14).

Pheasant Harvest.—The estimated hunter kill of cock
pheasants avepaged 810,000 birds annually, 1970-1974,
and 522,000 birds, 1975-1978 (Table 1). This decline is
also noted in the recent RMCC.

Land Use.—The amount of farmland planted in
nonrow-crop cover continued to decline in the 1970's.
Declines were extensive in the east and central regions
and minimal in west, west/ southwest, and east/southeast

62 60 0 +
48 61 + — 90
60 62 - — 90
63 0 +

64 +

65 +

Sun 6 66 = +
41 67 +300 - 99
57 ee + =
cate Me 0 0
0 0
0 0

sectors (Fig. 15). Areas of the pheasant range least
intensively farmed presently have about 25 percent of
farmland in nonrow crops; the most intensively
cultivated east-central cash grain regions have 10 percent
or less farmland in nonrow crops (Fig. 8).

There was a modest increase in hay and small grain
acreages in Illinois from 1974 to 1976 (Fig. 7). Nearly all
of this increase reflected expanded production of
wheat—a 33-percent increase (Illinois Cooperative Crop
Reporting Service 1975, 1977).

Winter Mortality

The vast (84 percent) decline in the abundance of
pheasants indicated by the 1973 and 1978 RMCC’s
(Table 2) reflects more than continued expansion of corn
and soybean production and related losses of nest and
brood cover. The winters of 1976-1977 and 1977-1978
were of unprecedented severity for ring-neck populations
in Illinois. Illinois winters are generally mild, and
Robertson (1958:21) concluded, “Pheasants in east-
central Illinois . . . thus appeared to be far more tolerant
of the near-absence of heavy winter cover than was the
case in other Midwestern areas.” However, the heavy
snowfall, below-zero temperatures, and winds in excess
of 69 km per hour over much of the state in January 1977,
caused wide spread mortality of pheasants (Warner &
David 1978). Biologists reported mortality in 20 counties
after the storm; from one-half to two-thirds of the
pheasants on five areas of investigation in east-central
counties succumbed to exposure (Fig. 16) (Warner &
David 1978).

The mortality rate of pheasant populations in the
winter storms of 1977-1978 approached, that of the
preceding winter in east-central Illinois (Warner 1978:6).
The combined effects of two consecutive decimating
winters no doubt account for much of the decline noted
by the 1978 RMCC (Fig. 13).

Frozen specimens collected in 1977 and 1978 indicated
mortality related to exposure; most exposure-killed birds
were found with substantial body fat reserves and food in
their crops (Warner & David 1978:117). The fact that
pheasants typically roost in open fields makes them

10

UNGLACIATED
REGION

Hine =="
i!

oe
al! a

UNGLACIATED REGIONS

APRIL, 1973
PHEASANTS PER
100 MILES

MM 100.1 Pius

50.1 -— 100.0

10.1 -50.0

1.1-—10.0

(]} °.1-1.0

[__] LESS THAN 0.1

Ke

CLAY
RICHLAND ge
JEFFERSON
WASHINGTON

RANDOLPH PERRY HAMILTON
FRANKLIN

s
RL?
zy
Zz.
a
2,

WISCONS/INAN
DRIFT

iy

/ILL/INOIAN
DRIFT

| é
)
ae CRAWFORD

WILLIANSON | SALINE
as

Fig. 12.—Distribution and abundance of pheasants in Illinois obtained by a rural mail carrier census, April 1973 (after Labisky 1975).

Counties below the heavy line were not censused.

particularly susceptable to severe storms during the night
and early morning hours, such as occurred in 1977 and
1978.

On pheasant study areas in east-central Illinois
declines in pheasant populations from 1976 to 1978—the
period encompassing severe winter storms—were
greatest where densities of pheasants were highest,
regardless of differences in the amount of protective
woody cover present (R. E. Warner and L. M. David,
unpublished data).

This phenomenon may have occurred throughout

most of Illinois’ pheasant range. Assuming the 1973
RMCC provides an index of pheasant abundance prior
to winter storm-induced mortality, a regression test of
pheasants observed per 100 miles in 1973 (by county) on
pheasants observed per 100 miles in 1978 (Table 3)
indicates that 37 percent of the variation in magnitude of
declines by county is explained by population density (r=
0.607, Fi, 72 = 42.003; P<0.001). Although winter
weather and land use varied from one region to another,
mortality was highest where densities of pheasants were
greatest.

17

STEPHENSON WINNEBAGOMME SOONE| McHENRY

DE KALB 4} KANE

WHITESIDE

Li HENDERSON.

Fig. 13.—Magnitude of
change in pheasants observed per
100 miles by driving during rural
mail carrier censuses conducted
ocesereze Ss April 1973 and April 1978.

CLINTON

= NO CHANGE
OR INCREASED

ST CLAIR

JEFFERSON

= DECLINE
OF 0-41% WASHNSIN HAMILTON
S DECLINE FRANKLIN
OF 42-75%
WILLIAMSON
= DECLINE
OF 76-99% |
JOHNSON | POPE
DISCUSSION States in general, has been plagued by chronic
Government Programs for Wildlife Habitat overproduction leading to insufficient markets and

In recent years, agriculture in Illinois, as in the United unstable prices for farm commodities (Spitze 1972).

1978 RURAL MAIL CARRIER’S CENSUS

! ban
Ie 5

PHEASANTS PER 100 MILES
[i = 10.1-50.0

= 1.1- 10.0

[= 0.1-1.0

aes WASHINGTON

oo PERRY

JACKSON

FRANKLIN

no
ia hoa
g
hoa
a
3
a aa

Fig. 14.—Distribution and’
abundance of pheasants in Illinois:
obtained by a rural mail carrier;
census, April 1978. Counties below;
the heavy line were not censused.

[_]= LESS THAN 0.1

Expanded corn and soybean production has created
extensive soil loss through erosion in some areas (Held &
Clawson 1965, Tinus 1976). Moderation of these trends,
whether government-invoked or voluntary, could
improve pheasant habitat. It is doubtful however, that
such moderations will result in long-term benefits to
pheasants without interagency cooperation. For
example, programs aimed at reducing production of feed
grains or at establishing soil-building or soil-protecting
vegetation could provide pheasants with undisturbed

SALINE — |GALLATIN
JOHNSON |POPE HARDIN

cover for nesting. The Set-Aside Acres Program of the!
early 1960’s was one of the few such endeavors that have)
resulted in substantial benefits to ground nesting birds ir’
the Midwest (Joselyn & Warnock 1964; Harmon &
Nelson 1973).

The DOC offers technical and cost-sharing program)|
through regional offices to assist the landowner i
establishing wildlife habitat. “Roadsides for Wildlife,” :
program initiated in 1972, is designed to establish safi\
nest habitat along rural road rights-of-way in east-centra’_

NORTHWEST
Z
e NORTHEAST
= 3
= Ss
= 14.2 [4.1] 4.1/4.0] 3.8 5
g =
Ss =
7 gg |31]3.0]2.9]27/25
S
‘57 io a zopeae cia en ar 72 77
CENTRAL
WEST he
3 2
S =
5 =
= Sal agi 505 5.53.8
= 3,1) 3.1] 3.0] 2.9 =
” w
e Ss
= icy 160 "67 °72.-"7 Fe AT
WEST/SOUTHWEST
EAST B
S
3 a
Ss = | 4.2) 4.1) 4.1) 4.0
= ig
= 3.3| 3.3] 3.3] 3.2 =
=
re
S
ety Siar O20 G7. 72107 I RU
EAST/SOUTHEAST
REGIONAL AVERAGE
3
Ss =
_ ”
= Ss
= a
S| 4.2] 4.1) 4.1) 4.0) 3.8 = 157/36 s.sls.s/3.3
= —
= &
[<=
=
Sy G2 167 ay? °77, "7 G2 G7) 172 77

Fig. 15.—Farmland acres by region in the Illinois pheasant range,
1957-1977 (Data from Illinois Cooperative Crop Reporting Service
1968, 1978).

Illinois. In a cooperative agreement, the DOC seeds
brome-alfalfa along roadsides, and farm operators
annually delay mowing until | August. Developed
roadside vegetation has been an important supplement to
other nest habitat on experimental areas in east-central
Illinois (Joselyn et al. 1968, Warner & Joselyn 1978).

Habitat

“The association with agriculture is so intimate that
pheasant study in Illinois becomes chiefly a study of the
effects of farming practices and crop phenologies upon
the life activities of the bird,” (Robertson 1958:13).
Research has shown that populations of pheasants thrive
where fields of hay (prime nest cover) and oats-hay
(brood feeding areas) are common (Joselyn et al. 1968,
Warner 1979). Range-wide trends in pheasant abundance
and land use substantiate these findings. The era of the
late 1940’s and early 1950’s was characterized by peak
hay-oats acreages in Illinois (Fig. 7), and perhaps the

19

greatest numbers of pheasants. Farm policies of the early
1960’s halted the expansion of corn production in east-
central Illinois (Fig. 2, 7) and encouraged planting of
hay and oats—much of which was not harvested or
clipped until post-nesting season (Joselyn & Warnock
1964). The prime habitat fostered by this farm policy
supported high densities of pheasants in the east-central
range that are still remembered.

Evaluations of habitat for reproduction for pheasants
in Illinois cannot be simplified to merely the amount of
nonrow-crop cover. In South Dakota the actual acreages
devoted to nonrow crops have not been as significant to
pheasant populations as the quality of grassy cover and
lack of disturbance (Dahlgren 1967, Harmon & Nelson
1973).

In the mid-1970’s nonrow-crop plantings increased
moderately in Illinois (Fig. 7); yet no corresponding
increase in numbers of pheasants was detected in the 1973
census (Fig. 17). These expanded acreages of wheat
(Illinois Cooperative Reporting Service 1976) failed to
provide attractive ground cover during the nest
establishment period (Warner 1978:8). Furthermore, the
relatively few late-nesting hens in wheat are typically
disturbed by mid-summer combining operations.

Farmland Loss
The loss of farmland to urban expansion has been
extensive for the northeastern sector of the state—

Fig. 16.—A hen pheasant found frozen in a field in Ford County
following the January 1977 storm.

particularly in the decade of the 1970’s. The present rate
of urban sprawl is alarming in these counties, which once
sustained the greatest density of pheasants in the state.

NON-ROW CROP
FARMLAND

ACRES (MILLIONS)
PHEASANTS/100 MILES

D6 63", OST 7/378
YEAR

Fig. 17.—Pheasants observed per 100 miles of driving during April
rural mail carrier censuses compared with nonrow crop farmland
acreages, 1958-1978.

However, in the short run these changes are not entirely
detrimental to ring-necks. Fields sited for development in
suburban areas sometimes remain undisturbed for
several years. Vegetation comprising early old field
succession offers prime habitat for pheasants year round.
In addition, the purchase of small (1-49 acres) tracts of
land by “hobby farmers” has become a significant trend
in the last decade in counties adjoining metropolitan
areas (J. C. van Es, University of Illinois, Department of
Agricultural Economics, personal communication).
These landowners are not prone to farm intensively for
income.

SUMMARY

With the exception of counties in the peripheral
pheasant range, recent declines in populations have been
range wide. Northern and west/southwest counties
showed smaller declines from 1973 to 1978 than the east-
central counties, the former prime range. Greater
population densities in northern and west/southwest
counties (compared with that of the east-central area)
were attributed to: 1) relatively more protective
(primarily herbaceous) overwintering cover, and 2) more
hay and small grain fields. Most of these counties had
exhibited moderate gains in numbers of pheasants in
1968 and 1973 (Table 3). Winter storm-related mortality
masked any further relative increases in pheasant
densities in these areas. There is also evidence that
pheasants in western counties peripheral to the main
pheasant range may be gradually increasing in numbers
(Table 3) and area of range occupation (Fig. 6 and 15).

The annual harvest of pheasants by hunters in the next
several years will probably not exceed 400,000 to 500,000
cocks—similar to the average kill noted for 1975-1978
(Table 1). Sport hunting of pheasants can be enjoyed in
the future without reductions in bag limit or season
length; pheasant hunting in the Prairie State has not

impinged on the reproductive capabilities of the ring-
neck.

Future management of pheasant populations in
Illinois should be directed toward establishment of
habitat for nesting and brood foraging. Winter roost
cover is generally of secondary importance. To
substantially increase numbers of pheasants, habitat on
agricultural lands would have to be improved.

CONCLUSIONS

The highly fertile east-central cash grain belt has in
past years demonstrated the greatest potential for
sustaining large numbers of pheasants. The cash grain
region and other sectors of the range (especially northern
counties) may show increases in numbers of pheasants
over the next few years, perhaps approaching pre-winter
storm densities of pheasants; however, dramatic
increases cannot be anticipated under current land use
constraints. Unless extensive corn and soybean
production with associated clean farming practices are
moderated, “boom” populations of pheasants in Illinois
will remain only a memory.

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21

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22

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