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~~- <br />r, <br />carrying capacity for deer has become more important. <br /> The area from approximately the Hayden Divide north to <br />~~~ the Yampa River is a prime area for mule deer fawning. <br /> During sui:¢ner, deer browse throughout the area south of <br /> the Yampa River, but are more concentrated in the Williams <br /> Fork Mountains because of extensive agriculture in the <br /> Yampa River Valley. The size of the herd in the area <br />~ south of the Hayden to the Williams Fork River was esti- <br />~~- mated by CDOF7 in 1975 to be around 6,000. In 1976 this <br /> herd increased to around 5,000. The Division of Wildlife <br />_ plans to increase this population through adjustments in <br />.: <br />hunting pressure. <br />~~ <br />~ 3.0 Game Species and Forbearers <br /> P,lthough sage grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, band- <br /> tailed Pidgeon, and mourning dove are all game birds <br />~' occurring on the study site, the only game bird which is <br /> regularly hunted is blue grouse. Harvest figures for <br />r- blue grouse are not availa*~le for the Willia.~¢s For?t <br />'. Mountains but hunting success varies from year to year ' <br /> due to the cyclic grouse population fluctuations. <br />~^ <br />I Game mammals hunted on the site include Nuttall's <br />'~ cottontail, deer and elk. Success of rabbit hunting in <br />r;-...: <br />~ <br />~ the Hayden Gulch area is variable, again depende~it on <br />cyclic population fluctuations. Snowshoe hares are a <br />r~ game species but because of their low densities in the <br /> Hayden Gulch area, hunting of this species on the site <br /> is negligible. The Hayden Gulch area and the divide ridge <br />~~~- of the Williams Fork Mountains provide excellent big game <br /> hunting, due to the ease of access and high deer and <br /> elk densities. CDOW game management Unit 13, which con- <br />''~1~.; twins the study site, has recorded some of the highest <br />°~~ annual harvest's, in~comparison to other ga.~ne manage_*nent <br />~-• Units, for the last 20 years. <br />i <br />.' Two forbearing animals, beaver and long-tailed <br />-_ weasel, are trapped regularly in the moist riparian <br />i'1 areas of Hayden Gulch near tze study site. Trapping <br />~~ success for these valuable pelt species is reported good <br /> in the area, but the study site itself is probably not <br />r include3 in the trapping zones. Raccoon and bobcat are <br /> <br />~ also forbearers in the vicinity of the study site, but <br />" they are evidently not tranne3 in the Hayden Gulch are_. <br /> <br />~~- e <br /> 4.0 Endanc <br />red Species <br />Z Fouz endangered species have been listed by t':e <br />!i- U.S. Fish and ~Rildlife Service which have distribution ' <br />' . <br />- -I3- <br />z <br />