Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Attracting Illinois WildlifeOn Private Lands
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Illinois Wildlife Needs• 95% of Illinois is privately owned.• Wildlife depend on private landowners
for habitat needs.• Remember the basics:
food, cover, & water.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Backyard Birds• More than 127 species;
songbirds largest group.• Beneficial management
practices: grasses & forbs;nesting structures & homes; trees & shrubs.
• Food: Use a variety of feeders to attract a variety of species.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Backyard Birds• Cover: Needed for escape,
roosting, nesting and brood rearing. - Trees, shrubs, grasses- Birdhouses
• Water: Needed for bathing, drinking and regulating body temperature.– Small pool with shallow edge– Birdbath and/or fountain
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Cottontail Rabbit• Cottontails are found
statewide-from farms to suburbia.
• Cottontails spend entire life within 2 to 10 acres. All habitat needs must be met within this small area.
• Beneficial management practices: brush piles; food plots; grasses & forbs; strip/light disking; timber management; trees & shrubs.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Cottontail Rabbit• Nesting Habitat: Idle grassy areas,
hayfields, fence lines or brushy areas.– Mixture of undisturbed cool or warm season grasses, forbs, shrubs.– Drinking water not required. Diet provides daily water needs.
• Winter habitat: Critical season for rabbits.– Must spend more time searching for food.– Highly visible to predators.– Feathered edge management practice provides best winter cover.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Ducks & Geese• Each spring and fall
millions ducks, geese and swans migrate through Illinois.
• More than 30 species of ducks, geese and swans call Illinois home during part of year.
• Nearly 45,000 waterfowl hunters harvest 211,500 ducks and 85,500 geese each year
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Ducks & Geese• Beneficial management practices:
food plots; grasses & forbs; nesting structures & homes; wetlands.
• Habitat Requirements:– Need both wetland and grassland.– Nesting ducks benefit from idle grasslands, protected from haying and grazing from May until July.– Wood ducks only species needing mature trees for nesting.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Ducks & Geese• Habitat Requirements (cont.)
– Canada geese and trumpeter swans nest on island-like structures over the water.
– Green browse and grain food plots next to wetlands are important food for migrating waterfowl.
– Wetlands drawn drown in summer and regrown with annual weeds & flooded grain food plots provide excellent food for all waterfowl.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Eastern Wild Turkey• Illinois’ wild turkey
population is increasing; they can now be found in every IL county.
• Turkeys thrive in mature oak-hickory forests native to this region.
• Beneficial management practices include: food plots; timber management, trees and shrubs.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Eastern Wild Turkey• Nesting Habitat: Hens select nest sites
in a variety of cover types but favor woodland edges near field openings.
• Poults need abundant insect populations for feeding, foraging habitat and protective cover.
• Fall/Winter Habitat: Two keys are food and roosting habitats.– During fall food is crucial as birds build fat deposits for winter survival.– Favorite turkey roosting sites include clumps of large pines and trees like those found in mature oak-hickory forest.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Mammals• Illinois is home to 59 different
mammals, nine of which are threatened or endangered.
• Since bobcat and river otter populations are increasing, they are no longer threatened.
• Timbered river and stream valley corridors are the most important habitats for opossum, woodchuck, coyote, gray fox and bobcat.
• Other beneficial management practices: food plots, grasses & forbs, timber management, trees & shrubs.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Nongame Wildlife• More than 80% of Illinois animal
species are nongame wildlife.• A management plan with the
widest range of plantings and structures will attract the greatest variety of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and bats.
• Beneficial management practices: Grasses & forbs; farm ponds; nesting structures & homes, wetlands.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Northern Bobwhite Quail• Bobwhite are most abundant in
Southern Illinois. Their populations have decreased by more than 75% since 1970.
• Bobwhite prefer brushy-shrubby areas interspersed with small (20 to 80 acre) farm fields and pasture/hayland.
• Most live on less than 100 acres.• Beneficial management practices:
Brush piles; food plots; grasses & forbs; pasture mgt., strip/light disking; timber mgt.; trees & shrubs.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Northern Bobwhite Quail• Mixture of crop fields, pastures,
meadows and woodland edges make up quality quail habitat.
• Nesting habitat: Nests are usually found in sparse vegetation.– Hens prefer moderately grazed pastures,
native grasses with forbs, idle areas, weedy food plots and brushy fences and hedgerows. Hens only need one clump of grass every 15 steps.
• Winter habitat: Since quail seldom range more than 1/4 mile in winter, loafing, roosting and food must be in close proximity to each other.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Ring-necked Pheasant• Most important upland
game bird in Illinois with an annual harvest of about 180,000 birds/year with a population of up to 6 million.
• Population peaked in 1950’s and has been declining since then due to reductions in safe nesting and winter cover.
• Beneficial management practices: Food plots, grasses & forbs, trees & shrubs and wetlands.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Ring-necked Pheasant• Nesting habitat: Hens conceal nests in
erect, undisturbed grassy vegetation at least 8 to 10 inches tall.– Research shows nests in blocks of habitat greater than 40 acres have a higher chance of hatching.– Fast growth rate requires a high protein diet of insects for chicks.
• Winter habitat: Pheasants prefer tall, grassy habitats for roosting at night and shrubby/brushy habitats for loafing during the day.– Corn/sorghum food plots are very important.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Whitetail Deer• Deer occur in every county,
with highest densities in Illinois’ southern and western counties.
• Illinois’ herd is estimated at 800,000 with an annual harvest of 180,000 animals by hunters.
• Good deer habitat will support up to 25 deer/square mile.
• Beneficial management practices include: Food plots; grasses & forbs; timber management; trees & shrubs
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Whitetail Deer• Habitat requirements: Annual home
range varies from one-half to one square mile according to suitable habitat, food and water– Does seek seclusion for fawning in brushy fields, heavily vegetated stream bottoms, forest edges, pastures, CRP fields and grasslands.– Standing corn is used for food, travel and escape cover in the fall.– In winter deer concentrate in heavy timber, cattails, tall weeds and brush.– Feathering back timber edges is very beneficial for fawning and wintering deer.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Habitat Practices• Brushpiles: Mound of
material with a maze of cavities that provide protection from weather or predators.
• Prescribed Burning: Uses planned fires to nurture plants, harm others and fertilize with a quick release of nutrients.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Habitat Practices• Farm Ponds: Best
ponds have about 20 acres of watershed for each acre of surface area. Ponds have multiple uses from recreation to livestock watering.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Habitat Practices• Food plots: Plots
can be single grain or a diverse mixture to attract a variety of game and non-game species. Location is a key consideration when planning a food plot.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Habitat Practices• Grasses & Forbs: Most of
Illinois’ songbirds, gamebirds and mammals require diverse grassland habitats.
• Legumes: Provide direct food value through seeds or through the insects they harbor.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Habitat Practices• Mowing/Haying:
Targeted mowing, after Aug. 1, allows species to efficiently use habitat.
• Nesting Structures & Homes: Providing additional home and nesting sites is very important for waterfowl and some nongame species.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Habitat Practices• Pasture
Management: The most critical elements are extent and timing of grazing and pasture vegetation or forage. Pastures grazed below 6 inches are detrimental to nesting wildlife.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Habitat Practices• Strip/Light Disking:
This provides additional bare ground for dusting and brood rearing. It is most often used along timber edges or large tracts of grassland.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Habitat Practices• Timber Management: Activities that
are beneficial to wildlife include timber harvesting, thinning, creating or improving woodland corridors and using human-made habitat structures.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Habitat Practices• Trees & Shrubs: These
provide excellent wildlife benefits year round for a variety of wildlife. This practice includes shelterbelts and riparian buffers.
• Wetlands: A simple way to enhance a wetland for wildlife is to provide nest structures for wildlife.
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Help for Establishing Habitat• USDA Programs
– Wetland Reserve Program– Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program– Environmental Quality Incentives Program– Conservation Reserve Program– Conservation Security Program– Conservation Technical Assistance
• IL Department of Natural Resources– IDNR Shelterbelts– Forestry Programs
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
Help for Establishing Habitat• IL Soil & Water Conservation Districts• Fish and Wildlife Service
– Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program• Private Organizations
– Pheasants Forever– Quail Unlimited– Ducks Unlimited– National Wild Turkey Federation
Attracting Illinois Wildlife on Private Lands
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