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Page 16 <br />Depth of snow is the primary factor which causes the animals to move. <br />During a typical winter snow buildup is gradual with snow depths ranging <br />from 2-4 feet on the level by mid-~.rinter in the Edna Mine area. This <br />reduces or eliminates most available forage and the animals are forced to <br />migrate to more suitable winter range. Thia movement would possibly not be <br />as great if the browse species in the r^,dna Mine 20 f4ile Park area were in <br />better condition. However, the majority of the browse is old and decadant <br />and supplies little available forage for the wintering animals. <br />Both previous winters, 1982-83 and 1983-84, were atypical both in <br />volume and timing of snowfall which affected the movement of elk from the <br />area. The early deep sne'~rs in conjunction with haystacks being left <br />vulnerable to the elk (no paneling) resulted in significantly higher <br />numbers of elk remaining in the Trout Creek drainage, (see Table I). <br />During the winter of 1983-1984, elk, especially those adjacent to the <br />Moffat area, were feeding or being fed from the haystacks west of Trout <br />Creek. These animals then utilized the mountain shrub communities in the <br />14offat area for bedding sites. <br />During November and December of 1984 sno:as were more nearly average <br />with depths ranging to two feet maximum and portions of many south facing <br />exposures being more or less void of snow. As a result the elk were not <br />restricted in their movements and more winter habitat was available. <br />Because of this the elk iaere found to be more dispersed throughout the <br />study area. Average herd size was less than ten with one exception. This <br />being a large herd of elk (350+) that moved onto the grain fields in 20 <br />Mile Park in late ?Tovember snd early December and remained. <br />From the observations that have been made over the last few years, it <br />