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• Because deer, unlike elk, do not concentrate in certain areas to bear their young, no key deer <br />fawning areas are known to exist; however, the large number of does with fawns commonly <br />observed throughout the early summer in or near dense stands of oak and service berry <br />indicates there is high usage by the does of these areas. In addition, most doe and fawn <br />observations are made near water ponds located on the site, along Taylor Creek and near the <br />springs in upper Streeter Draw, because the does do not like to move considerable distances <br />to water when the fawns are very young. From this observation, it appears that those areas of <br />good cover within one-fourth to one-half mile of water are key areas for fawning. <br />Data collected from 1974 to 1977 indicated that browse use by deer, elk and cattle, both past <br />and present, was excessive. This was evidenced by the "hedged" and "decadent" condition of <br />the majority of the browse found in the study area. All browse species (e.g., oak, <br />serviceberry, sage, rabbitbrush, snowberry, and bitterbrush) showed signs ofover-utilization. <br />The net result of the past browse use was a reduction in annual growth with less available <br />palatable forage. In addition, species such as oak and servicebeny have grown taller, with <br />palatable growth limited to those portions of the shrubs that are out of reach to all but the <br />largest elk. In some instances, even the larger elk are unable to reach the growth. <br />As the oak and serviceberry have grown taller, they have created large windbreaks. In the <br />winter these dense areas of cover hold the snow, which becomes deep enough to limit all <br />access by deer and elk. The serviceberry-snowberry transects showed low use for both 1974- <br />1975 and 1975-1976. The snowberry bushes which were completely covered by deep snows <br />• showed no use. The use of the serviceberry has been limited to bushes near the edges of the <br />stands where less snow buildup occurs. <br />During the winter of 1975-1976, deer use of some areas changed from the winter of 1974- <br />1975. The big sage transect showed a higher use in 1975-1976. The snow cover was much <br />lower in 1975-1976 and 19761977 than in 1974-1975, and a result the deer were better able <br />to utilize the big sage. <br /> <br />2.04.11-12 <br />