Show Deer Range Study Passes Ten Year Mark Big game range inventory studies conducted by the Utah Division of Fish and Game primarily primarily marily to establish h deer winter winter winter win win- ter range limits is now in its eleventh year according to Floyd Coles project leader Jordan game biologist biologist biologist bio bio- logist is working with the project project pro pro- leader and they have a crew of nine summer employees assisting with the field work OBJECTIVES of the program are to establish winter range limits for all of the states state's deer herd units provide a description description description des des- of total available winter winter winter win win- ter range on state federal and private lands and to inventory I the types and amounts of forage forage for for- age available to deer in winter months Coles and also plot land ownership and major vegetation vegetation vegetation vege vege- tation types on maps for each herd unit and combine range information with migration patterns pat patterns terns of deer on each herd hud unit The range inventory project is a Federal Aid Program the Division of Fish and Game is 75 15 per cent of the money spent on the project i Completion date for inventorying inventorying invent invent- all of the 62 deer herd units is 1972 14 years after the first work began WINTER MONTHS are spent observing deer to establish Oe tte upper limits of the winter range and working on the Federal Aid report which must be written annually In the spring Coles and Ped Ped- erson will meet with Conservation Conservation Officers US U.S. Forest Service Service Ser Ser- vice men and Bureau of Land Management employees to become become be be- come familiar with the deer units to be studied and to assist assist as as- during range data studies conducted by the Fish and Game officers SUMMER MONTHS are spent collecting range data in the field checking county records to plot land ownership and reviewing reviewing re reo viewing range Information with the various land management agencies After completion of field fieldwork fieldwork fieldwork work the information collected Is key punched and run through computers IN ADDITION to range work on deer range Coles and Ped Ped- erson inventoried the Mountain Goat range potential In the Salt Lake area prior to the introduction introduction intro intro- of mountain goats in 1967 I Rocky Mountain bighorn I sheep ranges near Brigham City were also inventoried when these animals were released released re re- leased into this area from Canada Canada Can Can- ada and Wyoming Studies in 1969 will cover deer herd units 53 54 55 and I anI and WC MC |