but from April through July sheep were most commonly observed on the 

 bluff terrain type. Although bighorns have occasionally been observed 

 south of the highway, for purposes of this survey, the sheep range was 

 considered the north side of the canyon. Because of this survey, 

 sheep were predominantly observed on south aspects during all months 

 (Table 18). During November through March the majority of sheep were 

 observed using slopes between 10 and 35 degrees (Table 19), while 

 during April through July sheep were observed on all slopes. Through 

 April, the majority of sheep observed were at elevations between 670 m 

 (3300 ft) and 835 m (2800 ft). After April, sheep appeared to be dis- 

 persed at all observable elevations (Table 20). Habitat use in 1979 

 was generally similar to that observed in 1978, although no quantitative 

 analyses were made. 



A partially paralyzed bighorn lamb captured on June 8, 1978, was 

 suffering from a large infestation of ticks and secondary afflictions 

 including wounds, pneumonia, and dehydration. Efforts to improve his 

 condition were unsuccessful so he was dispatched on June 18. The carcass 

 was sent to the veterinary clinic in Bozeman for autopsy. 



During 1979 winter transects, no sheep were seen. The weather 

 during that time made visibility extremely poor with fog limiting the 

 view considerably. A major blizzard and ice storm came through the area 

 on January 21, 1979, and rain and snow prevailed on other transect days 

 in winter. Any sheep present on visible portions of the study area 

 during that time were probably in sheltered areas. 



In 1979, the largest number of sheep were observed in April when 

 the sheep were at or near the lowest portions of their range. A total 

 of 41 observations were made during the four days spent in the field 

 that month. The largest single group totaled 14 and was observed feeding 

 in a fairly open area on the forested southeast slope of Kootenai Mountain. 

 The largest group sizes (2-14) were seen during April. Most of the 

 sheep observed were on exposed rock and in open areas in the forest on 

 the north side cf the river. The majority of observations were made 

 west of the Falls, between the retaining wall and the Falls. The talus 

 slopes directly north of the Falls seemed to act as a barrier to move- 

 ment of large groups upstream. Sheep were observed upstream in grassy 

 areas near the water's edge, but in much lower numbers. Such riparian 

 grassland is normally an important component of bighorn sheep spring 

 range, but most use during the study period prcbably occurred at night. 



During spring and sumner of 1979, sheep were observed feeding along 

 the north shore near the water's edge in the area where the powerline 

 crosses the river (area code N). This area is considered important for 

 spring forage and MDFWP is trying to purchase some of the grassy benches 

 in this area for sheep habitat (Christensen 1979). Bluffs across from 

 the retaining wall were utilized fairly regularly in spring and summer, 

 1979. This area is accessible by a footbridge, but does not appear to 

 be heavily utilized by people. 



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