TniRTv-Fonrrii iuk.wial kim'out 33 



three times durino: the winter months. In this way about 500 square 

 miles or approximately 16 per cent of the winter range of the Rocky 

 Mountain Mule Deer in northeastern California were carefully cen- 

 sused. Tlie average total of the three counts has been 9000 head, the 

 figure on which is based our estimate of nearly 100,000 head of mule 

 deer in the herds of Lassen, Modoc, Siskiyou, Shasta and Plumas coun- 

 ties. This figure we believe is conservative. The sex ratio has aver- 

 aged one buck with forked horns or better to 6.27 does and fawns. This 

 compares favorably with Dixon's ratio of 5.33 in six counts made in 

 Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks where there is no hunting w^hat- 

 soever. 



The range situation has been particularly bad on the public 

 domain of Lassen and Modoc counties, which has been overstocked with 

 sheep. This area, however, is now being administered by the U. S. 

 Department of Interior, Division of Grazing, and we hope that the 

 tremendous concentration of sheep on small areas will be eliminated. 

 Some of the over-grazed areas are past redemption now, but the rest 

 can, by reasonable range management practices, be saved. In portions 

 of Modoc and Lassen counties, deer have done a considerable amount 

 of damage to their own winter range; this is particularly true in the 

 Blue Mountain area of Modoc County and on the winter range west of 

 Doyle in southern Lassen County. In eastern Dutte and Tehama coun- 

 ties between Chico Creek and I>attle Creek, "the Columbian P>la('k-tailed 

 deer have almost destroyed their winter range in many places. The 

 condition was brought on by over-grazing by slieep and cattle and was 

 of course aggravated by the large numlier of deer which annually move 

 westward out of the Lassen Park. Up]>or Pattle Creek and Lake 

 Almanor areas. This migration is one of the largest in the state. 



Six head of white-tailed deer were seen in the Burney Falls State 

 Park on the shores of th*^ Pacific Gas & Electric Company's reservoir 

 known as Lake Britton. There were four does and two fawns. A buck 

 of this species became entangled in a wire fence near the town of 

 Burney and was released. 



SAGE HENS 



The sage hen condition in the northeastern sagebrush plateau 

 region is far from being satisfactory. Locally, in Modoc County, they 

 have increased rapidly but in the sheep grazing areas of both coun- 

 ties, particularly in Lassen, they have gone down hill due to the fact 

 that the sheep are brought in over the breeding grounds when the nest- 

 ing season is in full swing. This condition must be remedied in Las- 

 sen County or the sage hen is going to be a thing of the past on range 

 where at one time it was probably more abundant than anywhere else 

 in the State. 



ANTELOPE 



Antelope have increased and spread to territory in which they 

 have not been seen for many years. It is our belief that no less than 

 16,000 head regularly range in California and additional ones winter 

 in California and summer in Nevada. Approximately 15,000 head 

 wintered along the eastern side of Refuge IQ in eastern Lassen County 

 during the winter of 1935-1936. In the summer these animals scatter 



3 — 39130 



