Grassland Evaluation Contest Study GuideFifth Edition: October 2005
Wildlife Habitat

Wildlife Management Practices

Competency/Objective:Appraise a fenced plot of grassland or pasture for its ability to meet the basic needs of wildlife.

Study Questions:

  1. Why consider the needs of wildlife in the management of grasslands?

  2. What is the plant composition of this grassland?
    What are the dominant grasses?
    What legumes are present?
    What composition is best for rabbit and quail that might use the area?

  3. Compared to quail, what major grassland type does the prairie chicken require.

  4. What other types of wildlife utilize grasslands?

  5. How can forage composition affect wildlife use?
    What percent of the ground is shaded by legumes?
    How much is ideal for rabbits and quail?

  6. How does the kind and availability of cover affect wildlife?

  7. How does the size of the grassland affect wildlife use?

  8. How does forage harvesting intensity affect wildlife use?
    What is the grazing pressure within this pasture unit -- Heavy, Moderate or Light?

  9. Define the term "management-intensive grazing system".

  10. Warm-season grasses should not be grazed to a height lower than how many inches?

  11. Under a grazing system, can there be a "border" within the fenced area?
    Remember, a BORDER refers to a minimum of a five (5 ft.) foot wide herbaceous, grass, woody, etc., strips of vegetation between habitat types. If livestock graze from fence row to fence row, can there be a BORDER?

  12. Inspect the winter or ESCAPE cover within the fenced area of the pasture. Can you find an area where a rabbit being chased by a coyote can escape being caught?

  13. Consider the shrubs and weedy plants that are from six to eighteen inches tall within the fenced pasture. These "knee-high" plants must be thick enough to allow a rabbit or quail to move undetected by hawks and owls. What percent of this cover is ideal for rabbits and quail?

  14. What is the distance to the nearest crop field?
    Why is this important to quail and rabbits?

  15. What percent of this pasture is within 250 feet of dense woody cover or ungrazed woodland?
    Why is this important to rabbits and quail?

References:

  1. "Introduction to Grassland Management", (Student Reference). University of Missouri-Columbia: Instructional Materials Laboratory, 1996, Unit IV.

  2. Wildlife Management For Missouri Landowners, Pitts, David E., Mo. Dept. Of Conservation, Box 180, Jefferson City, Mo. 65101. (Booklet free upon request)

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