Volume 45, Number 1,
September 1998:
Greater Prairie Chicken Management

Text-only version

ISSUE HOME PAGE

ABOUT THIS ISSUE
- about KSN
- about the author

IN THIS ISSUE
- introduction
- what is a greater prairie chicken?
- habitat
- managing habitat
- booming grounds
- booming ground survey
- nesting
- broods
- fall and winter habitat
- summary
- decreasers/increasers/ invaders
- jump shooting/pass shooting
- further reading

SLIDESHOW
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Greater Prairie Chicken Management
by Gerald J. Horak and Roger D. Applegate

BOOMING GROUNDS
Male prairie chickens attract their mates by "booming," a process where the male inflates the air sacs on each side of its neck, erects the pinnae on the back of the neck, and stamp its feet. The "booming" sound made by the prairie chickens has been described as resembling the sound made when blowing over the neck of the bottle, and can be heard up to two miles on calm mornings.

Preferred booming ground sites, also known as "leks," are located on elevated, droughty, shortgrass land such as hilltops or ridges, often the tallest point for at least 0.04 kilometers (one-fourth mile). Grounds can be overgrazed hilltops, saltlicks, trails, rocky shallow ridges, or cultivated lands. Wheat fields are used as booming grounds, but chickens abandon these grounds late in the mating season due to the heavy growth of wheat.

Booming grounds are typically 0.8 to 2.0 hectares (2 to 5 acres) in size and are used year-after-year. Permanent booming grounds can be economically established by developing a salt lick along a ridge. Cattle coming to the salt lick trample and overuse the vegetation. In addition, the salt leaches into the soil, permanently killing plants.

Prairie chicken activity on stable booming grounds occurs during all but two months of the year: July and August. Maintaining this ground year-around is therefore important. Ideally, booming grounds are best located in areas where at least 75% of the surrounding habitat is pastureland. This grassland should be in good to excellent range condition (pages 12-14) and not less than 130 hectares (one-half section or 320 acres) in size. Vegetation on the booming grounds should not exceed 5 cm (2 inches) in eight. In a rangeland habitat, booming grounds normally are no closer than 0.8 kilometers (one-half mile) apart.

If grassland is limited (below a 50:50 ratio with cropland) booming grounds can be established on cultivated fields. However, at least 32 hectares (80 acres) of nesting cover in well-managed pastureland must be within 0.4 kilometers (one-fourth mile). When rangeland is limited and interspersed with cropland, booming grounds may occur as close as 0.4 kilometers (one-fourth mile) apart. With the diversification of grassland management and crop rotation on these grassland/cropland areas, the number and location of booming grounds are less stable and often move as the habitat changes. If pastures are overgrazed or otherwise mismanaged, booming grounds and prairie chicken populations will decline and eventually disappear.

During the spring mating season, a drastic change in habitat may occur because of burning. Burning has little effect on the displaying males but may cause females to shift to other grounds near unburned grassland that provides suitable nesting habitat. Burning is necessary to maintain a tallgrass prairie but should be done only every three to four years on a pasture rotation basis; that is, burning one-third to one-fourth of an area each year. Generally, burning for best prairie chicken management occurs after early April, about the same time as first nest initiation. This will cause some nest losses, but hens will renest. If pasture burning is rotated annually, suitable habitat will be available for subsequent nesting. In the long run, this type of burning benefits prairie chicken populations.

Prairie chicken booming and mating behavior can easily be observed during the spring. About any type of blind that conceals one's movement can be established (Figure 3). One should keep in mind that blinds will attract cattle and thus interfere with the prairie chickens. Ideally, blinds should be in pastures without cattle. Steer pastures work well because steers are usually not put into pastures until mid-May after peak booming activity.