184 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



directly concerned with the welfare of deer in California than any 

 other State agency. A second State institution whicli has been directly 

 concerned in ascertaining- definite facts concerning the deer of Cali- 

 fornia is the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of Cali- 

 fornia. Not only have the facts thus obtained been a real contribution 

 to science, but practical and direct use of them has been made by the 

 writer and others. The United States Forest Service and the State 

 Chamber of Commerce have recently shown outstanding interest in 

 deer as a recreational asset of California. 



In addition to sportsmen, stockmen and ranchers, there are other 

 people directly interested in the welfare of deer, particularly in our 

 national parks. These are the average citizens who, perhaps, prefer 

 their deer alive rather than as venison. The recreational and inspira- 

 tional value of deer in our national parks is becoming more and more 

 recognized by an increasingly large number of people. The presence 

 of living deer under natural conditions in the national parks and in the 

 national forests may satisfy certain human wants just as truly when 

 the deer are alive as when they are killed and eaten by the hunter. 



Many ranchers who have suffered damage from deer have been 

 forced to take an active interest in the solution of the problems and, 

 in like manner, stockmen whose flocks and herds compete directly with 

 deer for food are also taking an increased interest in these animals. 



The author has hunted and studied deer in most of the mountain 

 and foothill counties of California. Furthermore, the observations 

 here presented cover a period of thirty years. During the ten-year 

 period, 1920-1930, as Economic jMammalogist in the Museum of Verte- 

 brate Zoology, I made a special study of the deer of California. 

 More recently, opportunity has also been utilized to study mule deer in 

 Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. As a result, it was found 

 that in these other regions habits of mule deer differed considerably 

 from those of these animals in (California. It was therefore deemed 

 important that the data here given as applying to California be 

 restricted to facts found and observations actually fnade in and known 

 to apply to mule deer in California. 



Because of limited space, necessitating a fifty per cent reduction, 

 many extensive notes and detailed descriptions covering seasonal color, 

 skull and teeth characters, nomenclature, bibliography, and dis- 

 cussion of other scientific details, have been eliminated from this paper, 

 which deals with the living animal in its native habitat. On the other 

 hand, special reference has been given here to the ecology, life history, 

 and food preferences of mule deer in California. It is my firm belief 

 that any adequate game management is directly dependent upon a 

 thorough knowledge of these fuiidamental factors. Our game manage- 

 ment will be no better than our real knowledge of these vital require- 

 ments of the deer. 



It is becoming obvious that the time is rapidly approaching when 

 an equitable division of forage between wild game and domestic stock 

 will be a serious question in certain of our national forests. On the 

 one hand, we have the hunters and sportsmen of the State who are 

 insisting that every protection possible be afforded the deer, and on the 

 other hand we have the orchardists, the vineyardists, and stockmen who 



