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As Tables 1 and 2 indicate, mule deer concentrate nn the wr_s[ern portion of the mine plan area and the area just west of [he mine plan area during the winter months. As snow depth increases, deer are forced f~.~rther west onto the Iles Mountain area or the south facing slopes of the Williams Fork Mountains south of • the mine plan area. Snow depth is a major influence oii r.~ule deer activity. Loveless (1967)found that snow depths of 10 to 12 inches seemed to impede move- ments of mule deer and that depths of 20 to 24 inches essentially preclude the animals' use of an area. Gilbert et al. (1970) found that snow deeper than 18 inches essentially precluded mule deer use. Snow course data for the Trapper Mine mine plan area, Table 3, reveal that cn L'he overage snow is generally at least deep enough to i,.pede deer moveTants and is cften deep enough to preclude deer use on a:uch of the proposed trine plan area. Obviously during severe win- tors, snow depths are greater than average and severely restrict deer use. As snow depths accumulate in late February and 1•!arch, deer usage usually increases on the south facing slopes south of Trapper's mine plan area. Aerial surveys of these areas do not effectively illustrate this fact. This may be due to L'he roughness of the terrain, pinyon-juniper vegetation type, the low visibil- ity of deer and the short critical use period of this area by mule deer. Occa- sional mild winters permit deer to browse the north facing slopes of the mine plan area, thereby reducing the grazing pressure on vegetation on the south Eac- • ing slopes. Prior to heavy snows each winter and soon after major thaws, deer use on the north facing slopes increases, reducing pressure on the south facing elopes of the Williams Fork Mountains. The definition of critical or important winter range therefore excludes almost all areas affected by Trapper Mine. The snow depth data demonstrate that the mine plan area is not accessible for deer use in severe winters. It is possible that establishing more fortis and grasses on the reclaimed areas which would be available for spring, summer, fail and occassional winter wildlife use, might improve the ability of wintering deer herds to survive oii nearby critical range. ELK Elk are common residents of the mine plan area in the late fall, winter., and early spring. On an area-wide basis, however, elk use of the mine plan area is relatively low. The elk using the mine plan area typically spend ttie summers in • -16-