Laserfiche WebLink
• Bi Game <br />Mule deer are the most abundant and widely distributed of the large mammals <br />in northwest Colorado. The White River deer herd is considered to be among <br />the largest migratory deer herds in North America (Boyd 1970). Deer from <br />this herd summer, and migrate through or winter within the study area. The <br />regional abundance and productivity of deer can be attributed to the extent <br />and pattern of interspersion of mountain shrublands and broken terrain <br />which are optimal for deer within the climatic regime characteristics of <br />the area. <br />Mule deer were abundant and widely distributed throughout the study area in <br />all habitat types during all seasons except winter (Figure 4-1). During <br />periods of snow accumulation, deer distribution is closely congruent with <br />that of the sagebrush shrubland and juniper-pinyon woodland habitat types, <br />below 7,600 ft where south, east, and west aspects are utilized. During <br />spring, deer distribution expands to snow-free areas, especially south <br />• aspects where vegetation greenup (new growth) is accelerated. Deer were <br />most commonly encountered at higher elevations above 7,800 ft in aspen <br />forest and mountain shrub habitats during summer. Based on limited <br />information concerning mule deer movements in the area (Bartmann and <br />Steinert 1981), it is commonly believed that deer from the White River herd <br />migrate through the study area during spring and fall migrations between <br />winter ranges downriver and higher elevation summer ranges (BLM 1980). <br />Observations of deer distribution recorded during this study suggest that <br />this migration is widespread throughout the region. It is also likely that <br />some deer are year-around residents of the study area. <br />No attempts to measure seasonal deer densities within the Danforth Hi11s <br />study area were made during this study. However, based on winter <br />helicopter surveys conducted during December 1983 through April 1984 and <br />November 1984 through April 1985, it was estimated that the number of deer <br />observed (during any one monthly flight) within the proposed affected area <br />was 75-150 animals. Higher deer densities were apparent during the winter <br />• of 1984-1985, when precipitation was near normal (Colorado Climate Center <br />1985), than during the winter of 1983-1984 when precipitation recorded at <br />4-5 <br />