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 GROUND SURVEY
Counts of displaying males on a booming ground are not a good indicator of prairie chicken populations. Numbers of males on a booming ground at any one time vary considerably during the survey period in mid-March to mid-April, the peak of booming activity. Variation also occurs in the number of males using a ground during any given morning. Variations are the result on non-territorial males visiting these grounds, since the number of males occupying territories often will not vary from year to year. During years of high population densities, the number of non-territorial males will reflect this increase. Trying to establish territories, these non-territorial cocks utilized numerous grounds. Thus on a given morning, a non-territorial bird might visit more than one ground. This movement accounts for the variation in the number of males using a ground during any specific period. When populations of non-territorial males are high, and they are continually harassed away from permanent booming grounds, these males often establish temporary grounds and set up their own territories. These grounds are established later than normal and used sporadically during the booming season. Large fluctuations in the number of males using these grounds are common. When populations decrease, these temporary grounds disappear. Non-territorial male disturbance on permanent grounds decreases as the population continues to decline. A natural population low occurs when grounds are occupied by territorial males on permanent grounds. If the number of males continues to decline and permanent grounds disappear, the population is declining because of adverse land-use changes and not due to natural population fluctuations.

Booming ground counts provide an indicator of prairie chicken populations, but not a percent change from year to year. Counts are an indicator of an increasing, decreasing or static populations over a period of years. Survey areas should be at least 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) in size, with counts conducted in mid-March through mid-April from one-half hour before to one-half hour after sunrise. Variations in the number of booming grounds over a series of years furnish an indication of population trends. An increase in the number of grounds reflects an increase in population, whereas a decrease in the number of booming grounds denotes a population decline. Healthy populations are indicated when the number of males on established grounds show seasonal or yearly fluctuations but no long-term decrease (see Figure 1).