212 



key parts to this wintering area may be the high, wind-swept 

 ridges and large deciduous shrub thickets in the draws to provide 

 food and shelter. 



It appeared that many more deer were observed in the western 

 half of the study area, although both halves were covered roughly 

 equally by plane, and much more time was spent in the 

 eastern half on the ground. The difference in mule deer 

 numbers between the two halves of the study area were estimated by 

 dividing the area in half along the 357000 M.E mercator line and 

 estimating area and deer numbers observed in each half. The 

 eastern half contained approximately 52% of the study area. Roughly 

 25% of the deer observed (332 deer) were in the eastern half. 

 The western half of the study area contained approximately 48$ 

 of the area and 75$ of the observed mule deer (993 deer). Average 

 group size for the totals of all seasons' observations were 4.2 in 

 the western half, 2.9 in the eastern half, and 3.8 for all 

 observations in the entire study area. The western half of the 

 study area definitely has a higher mule deer population than the 

 eastern half, probably due to the differences in vegetation 

 discussed earlier. 



Vegetation use: Mule deer made heavy use of ponderosa pine types 

 during the entire study (Table 115). Numbers of deer observed in 

 this type peaked during winter. Numbers of deer observed in 

 grasslands were highest during both springs, and lowest in fall. 

 High numbers of deer used riparian habitat, especially the deciduous 

 shrub type, during the hot. dry summer of 1980. Use of riparian habitat 

 was also high in summer 1981 and in fall 1980. 



Activity : The majority of mule deer observed were feeding in all 

 seasons except fall and winter, when they were usually standing 

 or laying (Table 116). This is similar to the behavior of mule 

 deer in other study areas. The highest numbers of bedded deer 

 were observed in winter, when they tend to lay out in the sun. 

 Bedded deer were probably underestimated during other seasons. 



Use of topography : The majority of deer were observed on dissected 

 mid-slopes (Table 117). The percent observed on dissected mid- 

 slopes tended to be lowest in winter. Use of mesa-butte tops and 

 steep side slopes was highest in winter and spring, agreeing with 

 the findings of Martin (1980) in the Otter Creek area. The low 

 use of the mesa-butte tops and steep side slopes during the spring 

 of 1980 was probably due to the lack of sightings in March and 

 early April, when deer are still on or near their winter ranges. 

 Numbers of deer observed on the flood plain or alluvium/terrace 

 features was highest in fall. 



Use of exposures : Mule deer choice of exposures did not appear to 

 follow a definite pattern (Table ll8). A large proportion of deer 

 were observed on southwest exposures during spring of 198O. 

 During summer, the highest percentage was observed on south-facing 

 slopes. This may reflect the higher visability of deer on the dryer. 



