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Show UiiilGO Rcrniioan Siniiy FauopoblG A recent survey of the high Uintas white-tailed ptarmigan ptar-migan release area yielded favorable results. This new game bird was introduced to the Uinta Mountains from Colorado during 1976 in two separate releases. A June release consisted of eleven mated pairs plus one extra female and a subsequent fall release included 32 birds. All were released at the head of Painter Basin near King's Peak. THE PURPOSE of the survey was to determ ine whether or not the transplant stock survived the past winter, and hopefully, to document possible production by the mated pairs released a year ago. The trip was successful on both counts. Searchers succeeded in locating seven males on breeding breed-ing territories and it was probable that each bird's mate was incubating a clutch of eggs in the vicinity. The location of three unhanded males substantiates that some production produc-tion was obtained from the June 1976 release. IN VIEW OF the vastness of the release area and adjacent ad-jacent drainages, the location of even this small number of birds was extremely encouraging. The probability of continued con-tinued population expansion appears excellent. Game managers say the outlook for white-tailed ptarmigan in Utah is optimistic. The apparent early success of this transplant program emphasizes the benefits that can accrue from interstate trades of wildlife species. Utah sportsmen already spend more time hunting introduced upland game birds than native species. If ptarmigan populations continue to grow, Utahns will have still another new and different recreational recrea-tional opportunity. |