as those along the Kootenai River. To determine an average density 

 over time, the studies presented in Table 2 were used. The high 

 (Schmautz and Zajanc 1949) and low (Flath 1972a) density estimates 

 were eliminated from the analysis and the remaining four density 

 estimates were averaged to obtain a density estimate over time (x = 

 0.31 deer/acre). Using this density for the 11,000 acres of inun- 

 dated winter range, a loss of 3,410 deer was assumed. Combining 

 the loss estimates based on Zajanc (1948) with the above average 

 density, a range of 407 to 3,410 deer lost due to the project was 

 obtained, with the actual loss assumed to be contained within this 

 range. 



According to all available information, the Kootenai River 

 bottom has historically supported fewer white-tailed deer than the 

 lower Fisher River area; however, probably not as low as Zajanc's 

 estimates for the 1947-48 winter. McDowell (1950) reported den- 

 sity figures of 0.13 deer/acre in 1949 and 0.18 deer/acre in 1950 

 for an average of 0.155 deer/acre for a white-tailed deer popula- 

 ticn wintering in the Thompson River drainage. After five years 

 of research on white-tailed deer in the Swan River valley, 

 Mundinger (1983, pers. commun.) believes a density of 100 deer per 

 square mile (0.156 deer/acre) is a realistic estimate for winter 

 range. Therefore, a density of 0.155 deer/acre was assumed for 

 the Kootenai River valley prior to inundation, and a loss of 1,705 

 white-tailed deer was calculated (11,000 acres x 0.155 deer/acre). 

 The assumed density estimate was 50 percent of the average density 

 estimate for the lower Fisher River winter range. In order to 

 develop a range of loss estimates, a ±10 percent (40-60 percent) 

 was assumed. This assumption produced density estimates of 0.124 

 deer/acre (40 percent of 0.31) and 0.186 deer/acre (60 percent of 

 0.31). A range of 1,364-2,046 white-tailed deer lost due to 

 inundation of crucial winter range was calculated based on these 

 density estimates. 



Construction of Highway 37 resulted in a loss of 302 acres of 

 crucial white-tailed deer winter range. Using the range of density 

 estimates derived above (0.124 and 0.186 deer/acre), a range of 37 

 to 56 white-tailed deer lost due to the highway construction was 

 calculated. 



Crucial winter range lost due to the relocation of the rail- 

 road grade was determined to be 725 acres. Using the average 

 winter density for the lower Fisher River-Wolf Creek area (x = 0.31 

 deer/acre), a loss estimate of 225 deer was obtained. The original 

 railroad grade bisected approximately 22.2 miles (856 acres) of 

 white-tailed deer crucial winter range along the Kootenai River. 

 Using the density estimates derived for the loss due to inundation 

 of the winter ranges along the Kootenai River (0.124 and 0.186 

 deer/acre), a range of 106 to 159 white-tailed deer lost due to the 

 construction of the original railroad grade was calculated. Sub- 

 tracting the losses due to the construction of the original rail- 

 road grade from those created by the relocation of the grade, a 

 range of 66 to 119 white-tailed deer was calculated. 



23 



