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<br />°age 8 <br />years, the Moffat area could become more important as an area for cover <br />during the winter months. <br />From the observations that have been made over the last few years, it <br />appears that neither the permit area nor adjacent areas provide key <br />wintering habitat for elk or deer. However, due to the severity of the <br />current winter, elk movements and range utilization have been affected as <br />previously discussed. Whether or not this change in behavior is permanent <br />will be determined by future monitoring. <br />An entirely different situation occurs within the permit area during <br />the late spring through fall period. As shown by the data on Tables 2 and <br />3, there is high use of .the mine area by elk and deer from spring through <br />fall. There are, however, definite differences in the way the permit area <br />is used by the deer and elk. The deer are observed more commonly in the <br />Moffat area and in the mountain brush communities around the reclaimed <br />areas (especially east ridge) leaving early in the mornings to move into <br />the mountain shrub communities on the Moffat area or to the slopes above <br />Oak Creek for cover during the day. Until the summer of 1982, observations <br />(aerial and ground) showed little use of any portion of the Edna permit <br />area for fawning activities. As shown on Table 3, there was a significant <br />increase in the use of the fdoffat area by does for fawning and rearing <br />activities in 1982 even though similar habitat for fawning in surrounding <br />areas had remained unchanged. In 1983 higher numbers of does with fawns <br />were again observed utilizing the Moffat area. This was the second <br />consecutive year for higher numbers of does with fawns to be observed in <br />the Moffat area. It is still too early to draw any conclusions as to <br />whether the Moffat area is becoming mare important for fawning. Data <br />