New projects are expected to provide important 

 management information for Montana's game. Mule 

 deer, one of the most important big game species, 

 will be studied intensively on the National Bison 

 Range at Moiese. This heavily harvested, completely 

 controlled mule deer herd provides an unusual 

 opportunity to study the effects of hunting. An accur- 

 ate census is obtained annually and the yearly re- 

 duction is carried out under controlled conditions. In 

 addition to this opportunity for harvest analysis it 



will be possible to get a lot of information on the 

 seasonal condition of mule deer. This will supple- 

 ment the data gathered from the mule deer herd in 

 Rattlesnake drainage near Missoula. 



The effect that a magpie control program may 

 have on a pheasant population is being studied in 

 the Bitterroot Valley. It is hoped that the results of 

 this study will provide some light for a controversy 

 that has generated an unusual amount of heat among 

 pheasant hunters for years. 



Research Projects* 



Harvest and Condition Studies of Mule Deer 



Seasonal Condition of Mule Deer 



Mule Deer Winter Forage Relations Study.. 



Aging of Fisher and Analysis of Reproductive Systems — 



Status 



New 



Continuing 



Completed 



Continuing 



Population Study of Canada Geese in the Flathead Valley Continuing 



Experiments with the Plastic Jesse-Knot Marker. 



Motion Pictures of Unit Activities 



A Physiological and Anatomical Study of Bighorn Sheep 



A Study of Lungworm Infection in Bighorn Sheep..... 



Quantitative Aspects of Raptor Predation 



Study of Alpine Ecology in the Northern Rocky Mountains 



Bighorn Sheep Population Study 



An Ecological Study of the Grizzly Bear. 



Completed 



._ Continuing 



Continuing 



Continuing 



Continuing 



Continuing 



Continuing 



Continuing 



Ecology of the Feeding Behavior of Black Bear in Northwestern Montana Completed 



Effect of Magpie Control on Magpie Population and Reproduction Completed 



A Study of Moose in the Rock Creek Drainage Completed 



Aging Mule Deer and Bison New 



Productivity of Redhead Ducks in the Flathead Valley Completed 



Effects of Magpie Control on a Pheasant Population New 



Factors Influecing Horn Growth in Pronghorn Antelope New 



Competition as a Factor in Habitat Selection Between a Sympatric Population of 



Microtus pennsylvanicus and M. montanus New 



Systematics of Blue Grouse in Northwestern Montana Continuing 



* Completed projects have been reported ori in journals or theses, and 

 projects have been published. 



segments of some continuing 



20 



