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"~lb2;r;s WILDLIFE About 500 elk use the high, cool portions of Encampment Unit between June and October. A few spend the winter on the Unit south of Encampment, but most 'Winter" at the lower elevations west of the Continental Divide. Hog Park, Commissary Park, Ryan Park, and the small parks along the East Fork and main Encampment are important calving and nursery areas for elk in late May to early July. Mule deer inhabit the Unit in summer, and some winter range is found on the Unit south of Encampment. Private ranch land outside the Unit provides most of the winter range for deer, however. The deer population is presently the lowest in years, apparently because of the severe winter die-off in 1972-73. The basic food for the elk herd is the rich variety of grasses and weeds found in the high parks in summer, and on the brush and grass slopes at lower elevations in winter. Under severe snow conditions they will drift onto ranch lands and feed on haystacks. Elk also browse on brush such as mountain mahogany, bitterbrush, and sagebrush, and will chew the bark from aspen trees at times. They like aspen twigs, often pushing or "riding" small trees down to reach the tips of the branches. Deer, being much smaller, cannot survive under conditions as severe as elk can withstand. They are basically browsing animals, prefering brush to grass or weeds. Deer cannot survive on a steady diet of hay, as their stomachs require a certain amount of rough browse to function properly. Normally, one or two fawns are born to a doe each year, so a deer herd can build up rapidly under good conditions. Both deer and elk populations must be kept in balance with their food supply. Summer and fall grazing and browse supplies in the Encampment Unit are abundant, but the winter and spring range capability is limited due to the heavy snowfall which covers the grass and brush. A few antelope inhabit the Unit southwest of Encampment and an occasional black bear or mountain lion is reported. Blue grouse and ptarmigan are present but little is known about their numbers or distribution, although fair to good blue grouse habitat is abundant. Osprey have been reported, and one nest is known near Hog Park Reservoir. Bald eagles winter along the North Platte River, no doubt entering the lower part of the Unit along the Encampment River from time to time. Hunting seasons for large and small game are set by the Wyoming Fish and Game Commission and the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The Forest Service is primarily responsible for management of the game habitat, and works with the respective state agencies to cooperatively determine the condition and trend of the game ranges and whether game populations are too large for the available food supply, too small, or at the proper level. , g ~ ~ ~. ~