| OCR Text |
Show Game Evaluation Complete onRange' Game census and range inspection in-spection of Southern Utah's win-! ter game ranges has been completed. com-pleted. Inspections are made an-nuajly an-nuajly by representatives of the Bureau of Land Management. Forest Service, Fish and Game Department, and Sportsmen. The purpose of these studies is to; determine the condition of the range at the dose of the winter season, the effect of last season's hunts on the deer population, and to obtain important data as a basis for determining the kind of hunt for the coming hunting season. Census and studies of trend i areas were started on March 27. and were completed on April 10. Over 90 man-days were spent studying individual deer herds j from St. George to Bone Hollow! north of Paragonah. Drouth conditions during 1953 resulted in low forage production produc-tion and a decreased grazing capacity ca-pacity for the range in general. However, the light snow fall dur- j ing the past winder made it pos-sih'o pos-sih'o for game animals to use a larger area for winter range than is poss'ble under normal condl-j tions. The greater area of range! mnde more food available and, only normal losses were observed. observ-ed. Utilisation of the more Import, ant plants, plants upon which, the deer are dependent for winter win-ter food, was genrally heavy toi damaerl-if' on most areas. Numbers of deer observed on l the trend count areas In 19.r6 were commrahle to the number seen In 19rif. This Indicates that the harvest In 1955 was about eoulva.'ent to the natural increase in-crease of the various herds. In 19V anoroximately R2S0 snortsmen hunted deer on the Dixie. Enst Zion. Kolob. and Pirowrn deer herd areq with ttr: nf ihe hunters being vc-oecqfnl vc-oecqfnl In tr.klnr home a door This renresents a harvest of 6PS0 hc-d of rtwr. Tho ohiective of all Government Govern-ment aaencic! is tn manage the deer hrs rif this area on a sustained sus-tained vlld hisis and to bal-ncn bal-ncn Ibn numbers of game animals ani-mals with the available food sup-pi sup-pi v. Gam animals' are considered a renewable, natural resource of the ,';nd and need to be so managed man-aged that the croo is harvested Fover OKen. Forest Ranger of the Dix'e National Forest, stated that nrosnerts for a good hunt in 1956 arA favorable. I |
