Habitat use on the Kootenai Falls bighorn sheep range is summarized in Tables 

 7 through 11. As previously mentioned, an observability bias was present which 

 likely influenced the data. A radio-tracking program would alleviate this type 

 of bias. Table 7 and Figure 10 reveal where bighorns were observed, by season. 

 From November through March, most bighorns were observed from just below the falls 

 (area 3, Figure 9), across Kootenai Mountain (areas 1 and 2). During spring and 

 summer (except for June) the majority of sheep were found on other portions of the 

 study area, upriver from the falls. During November through March the majority of 

 sheep were observed using the broken terrain type (Table 8) 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, sheep 

 were predominantly observed on south aspects during all months (Table 9). During 

 November through March the majority of sheep were observed using slopes between 10 

 and 35 degrees (Table 9), 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 feet) and 835 m (2800 ft.). After April, sheep appeared to be dispersed 

 at all observable elevations (Table 11). 



A partially paralyzed bighorn lamb captured on June 8 was suffering from a 

 larqe infestation of ticks and secondary afflications including wounds, pneumonia 

 and dehydration. Efforts to improve his condition were unsuccessful so he was dis- 

 patched on June 18. The carcass was sent to the veterinary clinic in Bozeman for 

 autopsy. 



Deer, elk and moose observations were made incidental to other activities. The 

 general habitat description and local distribution of each species are presented in 

 Table 2. Monthly distribution of 18 mule deer, 11 white-tailed deer, 21 deer 

 tracks, 11 droppings and 14 beds are given in Table 12 and Figure 11. Habitat type 

 and elevation information collected for each observation is presented in Table 13. 

 Two moose and one set of elk tracks were observed on the study area. 



Black bear, coyote, river otter and mink were the only species of carnivores 

 observed on the study area. General habitat description and local distribution of 

 these species are given in Table 2. All species except the coyote were observed by 

 other individuals in the area. The river otter was reportedly observed approximately 

 410 m (450 yards) upstream from the falls. 



Rodents observed, a description of the general habitat in which they were 

 observed and their local distribution on the study area are given in Table 9. An 

 active beaver lodge was discovered on the river's south shore, upriver from the 

 falls, below the powerline crossing, on the boundary of river sections M and N 

 (Figure 9). Den openings were in an undercut bank protected by a flexible barricade 

 of cut branches and shrubs which allowed secure access to and from the den regardless 

 of river fluctuation. 



A summary of small mammal trapping data is presented in Table 14. Eight 

 species of mammals were captured during the trapping program; a song sparrow was 

 also taken in a snap trap. Snap-trap data indicated that the total number of 

 captures, total number of species, and total biomass of captures were lower in 

 the riparian grassland than in adjacent coniferous forest. A large percentage of 

 all captures and biomass in the coniferous forest were of deer mice, which were not 

 taken in riparian grassland. Voles of the genus Microtus and meadow jumping mice 

 were taken only in riparian grassland, while the masked shrew, red-tailed chipmunk, 

 and red-backed vole were taken only in conifers during the snap-trapping program. 



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