7^ 



lav .lust to the west of the study area up Lee Coulee. 



Mild weather resulted In mule deer remaining widely dispersed 

 throuschout the I98O-8I winter (Figure 48). Large groups of 

 deer were observed in the uplands between Lee and Miller 

 Coulees and along West Fork Miller Creek. 



Vegetation type usage: The highest usage of a vegetation subtype 

 occurred in sprine 19b0 (Table 27). The tree subtype of the 

 larger creek bottom vegetation type received 70$? of usage. This 

 was followed by the 60^ figure observed during the summer of I98I 

 in the agricultural-creek bottom subtype. The combined creek 

 bottom subtypes equally 70^ of the mule deer observations in summer 

 1981. Obviously, the creek bottom types, which comprise a small 

 percentage of the study area (Figure 4 ), are an extremely 

 important component of the mule deer habitat in the Greenleaf- 

 Miller study area. 



The ponderosa pine vegetation type was the only one to receive 

 use during every season of the study. Its highest usage was 

 during the winter months, averaging 68^ of the mule deer observed 

 (Table 27), falling to the lowest point, 14;?, during the summer 

 of 1981. , .... 



Fall 1980 was the peak season for usage of the sagebrush/grassland 

 vegetation type with 50^ of the observed deer. Summer 198I 

 was also the lowest point for this vegetation type. 



Durincr the dry months, which are late summer and early fall in 

 southeastern Montana, mule deer rely on the creek bottom habitat 

 tyoes for sustenance and fawn rearinp;. The dependency of mule 

 deer on this vegetation type has been statistically documented 

 in the Sarpy Creek drainage (Martin 1980c), which lies approximately 

 15 miles west of the Greenleaf-Mlller study area. 



Activity : Seasonal activity of mule deer at the moment of 

 observation is shown in Table 28. The greatest percentage observed 

 feeding was during summer I98I, 60?5, while the smallest percentage 

 in this category, 9%, occurred during the fall months. This 

 again points to the critical nature of the summer period. 



* ® *" ^ 

 The percentage of mule deer bedded down at observation was greatest 

 during the winter surveys, 30^. No deer were observed laying down 

 in spring 198I which was the season when the greatest numbers of 

 deer (Table 28), were observed, 254. 



The cautious nature of mule deer is evidenced by the fact that 

 fewer deer were observed running than standing in every season of 

 the study. The fewest observations of running deer occurred during 

 the summer time with both 1980 and 198I registering 9% of the 

 mule deer. 



Most deer were standing, watching the observer, in all but one 

 season of the study, summer 198O, when 26% were observed in that 

 activity category. This represents the percentage of deer which 

 had not been spooked prior to their being observed. 



