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Show ESTIMATE 9704 HEAD DEER ON LOCALPRESERVE Survey Shows Range and Deer in Good Condition; Increase of 2216 Noted Over Count of Last Year There are approximately 9704 deer on the east portion of the Dixie game preserve, according to Ben Swapp, forest ranger, and Oliver Stratton, deputy game warden, who have completed a survey of the range. A total of 1213 deer were actually tallied while riding over what was estimated es-timated to be one.eighth of the range, which, according to the law of averages, would bring the total to the above figure. This, according to Ben Swapp, is -a very conservative estimate, as in compiling the figures, it is assumed that all the deer on the strip covered were seen. This is impossible, however, due to their habits of hiding, etc. and it is questionable if they saw more than 70 per cent of the number on the strip, but they might have found areas of greater concentration which in some respects would partially balance this 30 per cent difference. differ-ence. In 1931, 936 head of -deer were actually tallied on one-eighth one-eighth of the range, which, according ac-cording to the' same rule would make the total then 74SS, or 2216 les.s than this spring. In general it was found ihe deer are in excellent condition (Continued on page 2) DEER SURVEY (Continued from page 1 for this time of year, with no indications that would show any loss the past winter. In many instances the deer were forced to spend the greater portion of the winter on lower elevations than they have used in the past which resulted in an improvement improve-ment in the conditions of the range generally. Cropping of juniper was not so pronounced as a year ago, with some places showing evidence of heavy use of sage, cliffrose and browse. A number of mountain lion tracks were seen and three carcasses car-casses of dead deer were found as a result of lion kills, Nothing Noth-ing was found that would indicate indi-cate that game poachers had been at work until the Pinto area was reached. There, between be-tween Pinto creek and the Page ranch, it was found that cars had come over the Newcastle-Cedar Newcastle-Cedar City road and did some hunting. The wardens were unable un-able to locate their kills or remains, re-mains, but the tracks showed to be three to four days old, and had covered considerable country coun-try walking over the range. The deer counted were classified classi-fied as follows: Bucks, 44; does, 10 4; fawns, 151; unclassified, 913. It is to be noted that the term "fawns" relates to last year's fawns, as the young for this year will not be born until about June. Due to range conditions, it was impossible to make the annual an-nual game survey at a time when the greatest amount of data could be collected. During the past winter the mountains have had the heaviest snowfall in 25 years ,in fact, at Pinto accurate records show a total of. 108 inches in-ches since the latter part of November. No-vember. At ' the time the trip was made, it was so late that about all of the male deer had shed their horns, and a division of sexes could no the considered, except in instances where it was certain the animals were male, arid where a division of the does and yearlings could be made. However, there were a number num-ber of cases where the new growth of horn was from three to four inches, and also a few cases where males still had last year's horns. . . I Due to the fact that it was ftupossible to detei'min'e males front' others, and not being able to segregate does from males that had shed horns, nothing was classed as bucks unless horns were visible, and nothing was classed as does that could not be definitely distinguished from the fawns (yearlings) or bucks. No fawn was tallied as such, unless with its mother. The survey was started from the Cottonwood ranger station, and two days were' spent on that portion of the Diamond valley val-ley range east of Alger hollow,, and a total of 224 deer counted. count-ed. Two days were spent ' on the Leeds division, one west of Leeds creefc ,and one east, with a total of 440. Only one day was spent &a. . the Toquerville division between Wet Sandy creek and the Browse pasture road, with a total of 94 deer counted. I Three days were spent on the Pinto division, two- of these east of Pinto creek trorm the New-eastle-Page ranch road south to the dairy, and the" other west of the creek from the: road into Pinto to the Meadows ranch north to the head of the Big Cove and east of the divide, with a total of 455 counted!. Where it was feared that the cocmt might be duplicated, elimination elim-ination was made iiv this manner: man-ner: If a bunch of fiva was seen going in the direction the ran-gera ran-gera were headed', they were counted, but if another bunch of five was seen soon they were not: counted, or if a frcmch of seven was sighted soou; only two of the herd were tallied. Every possible chance of duplication was considered, and allowances 1 nmde. |