s W-72-- STATE DQCUMFfTO *Yt1y i JOB COMPLETION REPORT INVESTIGATIONS PROJECT State of Montana Name Wildlife Investigations, District Two Project No. W-72-R-9 Title Big Game Surveys andInvestigations Job No. A-l District-wide PeriodCovered July 1, 1963 - June 30, 1961; ABSTRACT: Grass condition transects on some important elk ranges were examined. An improving trendwas found on the Bitterroot andBlackfoot-Clearwater Game Ranges, and onBaldyMountainnearLincoln. The Lewis andClarkPass area onAlice Creekwas invery poor condition and showed no improvement because of heavy elk use. Newly-established transects on the State Prison Ranch showed rough fescue to be in poor condition. Grass utilization checks showed light to moderate use on the Bitterroot andBlackfoot-Clearwater game ranges, BaldyMountain, RockCreek, Stewart Lake, andModesty-Antelope ridge. Excessive use by elk occurred at Lewis andClark Pass, the PrisonRanch, StonyCreek andRoss Fork. Horseback range inspections inBitterroot areas showed improvement in range conditions andmoderate use by elk onCamp-Reimel ridge, Shirley Mountain, Tolan ridge andSkalkaho Basin. Range conditions were unsatis- factory because of heavyuse by game or livestock onNorth Skalkaho, Little SleepingChild-Blacktail, East Fork Piquette Creek, OverwhichCreek and WarmSprings-Porcupine Creek. Browse utilization during the I963-6U winterwas greater than during the two preceding winters. Leader use (by frequency) averaged approximately 1*5 percent each in the Clark Fork, Bitterroot and DeerLodge units, and60 percent in the BlackfootUnit. Browse condition remained "poor" in the Clark Fork, Blackfoot andDeerLodge units, and "fair" in the Bitterroot. Totals of 395 elk, 219mule deer, and 22 blackbear were checked at Darby in 1963. These figures represent fewer elk, slightlymoremule deer, andmore bear than in 1962. At the Bonner station 156 elk,170mule deer, 125 white-tailed deer and5 bears were checked. These figures represent more elk, slightlymoremule deer, fewerwhite-tails, and the same number of bear as in 1962. Unseasonablymildweather throughout the hunting sea- son is believed to have curtailed the deer and elk harvest. Questionnaire data indicated a district-wide harvest of 6935 deer, 381*1 elk, 296 bears, 10 bighorn sheep, 9 antelope, 77moose, and 115 mountaingoats. The deer and elk harvestwas somewhat lower than in 1962, while the bear harvest was higher. Approximately the same number of goats and sheep, but fewermoose, were killed in 1963= MONTANASTATEi.BRaRY 930EastLyndaleAvenue -1- Helena, Montana 59601 ,, the sDamiestrasicti-nwi1d9e62,deerH-unhtuinntigngsucscuecscsessimwparsov1e*d8 pienrctehnetClianrk196F3or,kapanpdroBxliamcakt-ely foot units* anddeclined in the DeerLodge andBitterroot units Elk hunting success was 20 percent, district-wide, in 1963—approximate- ly the same as 1962, Both questionnaire and checking station data indicatedmore antlered mdaeteerlwyereequatlakneunmbtehrasn„anBtullelrslespsre.doBmoitnhatesdexeisn tohfeehlakrwveerset dtuarkiennginearalpyprosxeia-son periods, whilemore cows were taken during late seasonperiods Reports from guides and outfitters indicated the success of their clients declined for the second consecutive year. Classification count samples of live animals.consisted of 1120 elk, 91*2 white-tailed deer, and 901mule deer. Age ratios, during fall and earlywinter were 68 fawns per 100 does for white-tailed deer, and 58 for mule deer. Sex ratios during the comparable periodwere 25 buoks per 100 does for white-tails, and 53 formule deer. Age ratios for the entire winter period were 5U fawns per 100 adults for white-tails and i*3 formule deer. Elk ratios were 29 bulls per 100 oowS, 1*6 calves per 100 oows and 65 spike bulls per 100 olderbulls. Aerial elk counts were attempted chiefly in the portion of the Bitter- root drainage east ofHighway 93. A total of lli*9 was counted in this area, compared to 801 in 1963, and an all-time high of 1601* in 1958. Cursory aerial observations in the Blackfoot and DeerLodge units yieldedhigher elk counts than in 1962 and 1963, but lower than in 1958. Returns received from tagged indigenous elk were 2 from the Bitterroot Unitand 6 from the Blackfoot, Returns from transplantedYellowstone elk were 6 from transplants at Olson Gulch, 8 from the PrisonRanch plant, and 10 from the BrockCreek- Warm Springs Creek plants. Additional releases of Yellowstone elk weremade during the year at OlsonGulch (33) and on the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range (72), Trapping and tagging of native elk was resumed in the Bitterroot during the 1963-61*wintero Totals of 23 elk and 16mule deerweremarkedand released at the trap sites. Game damage to private propertywas more prevalent during the 1963-61* winter than during the previous year. Complaints of damage to haystacks, orchards, and other property involved 3 cases of deer damage and 8 cases of elk damage, OBJECTIVESg To obtain quantitative data for themanagement of big game species in District Two, Information concerning range conditions, big game distribu- tion, population condition and trend, andharvestwill be collected in a -2- : systematic manner. The datawill be tabulated and presented in reports for use by the Commission in setting big game seasons. TECHNIQUES USEDs Range surveys were conducted according to standardizedprocedures in the Department's Range Survey Guide0 General range inspections and appraisal of range conditions were performed in certain areas. Classified counts of deer and elk were made during the fall, winter and early spring to determine the production and survival ofyoung. Classifi- cation of elk was performed chiefly by helicopter counts. Aerial trend counts with fixed-wing aircraft weremade in some areas. Checking stations were operated in threemanagement units to collect data on harvest trend and sex-age composition. Total harvest figures forDistrict Two and each hunting district were obtained from statewide questionnaire returns. Additional harvest data were taken from outfitters' reports. A dead deer count was made in the 1;80 acre sample area nearSalmon Lake to ascertain the relative winter loss of deer. Inspections were made of proposed Yellowstone elk transplant sites, and two transplants weremade. FINDINGS RANGE GrasslandCondition andUtilization Condition, trend andutilization data for some of the key grassland elk ranges inDistrict Two are shown in Tables 1 and 2. The transect on the Bitterroot Game Range showed improvement inIdaho fescue plants from fair to excellent condition in two years. Utilization onthis transect has been light since it was established in 196l. The two transects on the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range showed improvement in the condition of rough fescue between 1961 and 1963. The lower transect, #27U, has sustained lighteruse, and showsmore improve- ment thanthe upper one, #2^5. BaldyMountain, south ofLincoln, has-been lightlyused during the past two years and the rough fescue conditionhas improved from poor to fair since 1957. The condition of rough fescue in theLewis &Clark Pass area of the Alice Creek drainage is very poor. This area had heavy elk use in 1962, very light use in 1963, and extremely heavyuse in 1961*. Cattle use in this area is now limited to theirpassage through it, to and from the AliceCreek bottomland. The top of the ridge between Telephone Gulch and the Pass roadwas the locationmost heavily usedby elk in 1961j. Pellet -3- s * ,„ groups numbered 1320 per acre on this ridge-top and 820 per acre at the transect site* Areas of exposed soil, with resulting erosion, are evident otnhethperevsaoiultihn-gfacsipnegciesslopoens,,theBlsuoeuthbunsclhopewsh,eatwasgraaslsso(Ahgeraovpilyyrounsesdplciantu19m6)1;, Three transects were established on the high parks on the State PrisonRancho The condition of rough fescue on two sites ratedpoor and verypoor, while Idaho fescue on the third transect rated fair* Utiliza- tionby elkwas excessive on all three sites in 1961;* Cattle use in the area was light in 1963= Utilization checks madeAugust lU showed less than 10 percentuse on all three sites„ The PrisonRanchmanagement is tolerant of the present elk herd, but does notwant any increase* The manager is trying to improve the rangeby reducing cattle use, Any increase in the elk herdwould tend to defeat this objective* For this reason no further transplants of Yellowstone elk shouldbemade until the elkuse ismuch lighter and the grass conditionhas improved considerably Utilization checks in other portions of the DeerLodgeUnit indicated moderate use of grass by elk onBig HogbackCreek (RockCreek), in the FredBurr-StewartLake area (west slope of FlintCreekRange) andModesty- AntelopeCreek ridge (north ofAnaconda)* Excessive use was foundin StonyCreek andRoss Fork (both in the Rock Creek drainage) Range Inspections Horseback range inspections of severalBitterroot areas weremade in cooperationwith the Forest Service and representatives of sportsmengroups These areas have a history of chronic over-use by game and livestock and they have been inspected'periodicallybyForest Service and Fish& Game personnel over a period of 10 ormoreyears* A summary of the 1961; observa tions follows North Skalkahos Portions of the Skalkaho-GirdCreek ridge hadheavy use by cattle dur- ing the summer, and by elk and deer during the winter and spring* The abundance ofweeds and annual grasses indicate unsatisfactory range condi- tions„ Browse, chieflybitterbrush, was heavilyused* The steep slopes in Brennan andCoffee gulches were inbetter conditionwith native bunch grass predominating,, Land ownership is private around the lower end of the ridge andNational Forest above the private land* Ridge tops and creekbottoms where cattle tended to concentrate were the locations most heavily grazed* Much of the game use occurs onprivate land* A pellet group count on a private pasture numbered 180 deer and1;0 elk pellet groups per acre* Bitterbrush in this area showed E>1 percent leaderuse, and $3 percent of the plants were heavilyhedged* SkalkahoBasing This elk summer range was visited inJune, 1963 and a range cage con- structed in a grassy basinnear a small shallownatural lake* The areawas revisited inSeptember andutilizationwas checkedby clipping inside and ocuagtesiwdaestbheuilctagea*pproThxeimarteesluyltsoneinmdiilceatesdoumtohdweersatteofustehe(f2i$r%s)t* cAangeadidnitional another grassy park* Utilizationwill be checked again inSeptember, 1961;* -u- Range conditions appeared to be better, and elk use lighter, in this area in 1963 than in 1962, when a similar inspectionwas made. Little Sleeping Child - Blacktails This area has beenheavilyused by game and livestock formanyyears. Range conditions were generally unsatisfactory, with considerable cheat- grass on south-facing slopes. Utilization ofbrowse (bitterbrush) exceeded 30 percent in JackCreek. Most of the area of heaviest use is on private land. Both deer and elk use the area in the winter. Considerable girdling of bitterbrush bymice occurred during the past winter. ShookMountain; Browse use by elk and deerwas excessive in the East Fork of Piquette Creek. Ceanothus is being killed out by game use inportions of the drain- age, and some die-back of this species because ofweather-kill occurred in the 1962-63 winter. Serviceberry and chokecherry were also heavilyused by game. Little evidence of livestock use was seen. The soil condition is poor onmany of the south slopes. Overwhich - CowCreek; Inside the JewMountain exclosure a slow, but noticeable recovery of the vegetation is occurring. Outside, a combination of horse use and elkuse on the south slopes is keeping the vegetation and soil in anunstable condition. The grassy southwest slope above Blue Creek showed very heavyuse by elk. Pellet groups numberedliOO elk and 10 deer groups per acre. Both old and new growth of blue bunch wheat grass and Idaho fescue hadbeen heavily utilized. Use on the higher parks onCowCreek was relatively light. On the lower portion of the ridge however, combined elk and horse use has been heavy enough during pastyears to eliminatemost of the bunch grasses. Recent utilizationhad also been heavy enough to remove most of lastyear's growth of vegetation. Camp - Reimel; Elk and deeruse was moderate over the whole area. Elk were still pre- sent and a new-born calf was found in the horse pasture. Grass clippings from range cages on Wallace ridge showedmoderate use (27 percent). Range conditions are improving and appear to be generally satisfactory. ShirleyMountain: Deer and elk use appeared generallymoderate, with some localized sites of heavier use. A pellet group count yielded 290 elk and 1*0 deer groups per acre. With the exceptionof the south exposures in Grouse Gulch, most of the range appears to have improvedwithin the past fewyears. Grass utili- zationby elk in Grouse Gulch was relatively heavy during the past winter. -5- TolanRidges Range conditions were fairly good, although some cheat grass was present on south exposureso Some ridge-top locations were used quite heavilyby elk and livestock* Elk use was heavier on the steep southwest faces of the lower parks* One such locationyielded a count of 220 elk and60 deer pellet groups per acre. Warm Springs; Heavy cattle use and light, but general, deer and elk use was found on the ridges andmoist sites on the Fire Creek burn. Browse was sparse and heavily used, A pellet group countyielded 180 elk and 60 deerpellet groups per acre. On the south-facing slope ofPorcupine Creek, moderate to heavyuse of grass and sedge byboth elk and cattle was found. Browse (serviceberry) was heavily hedged on the windswept ridges, but inbetter condition lower down the slopes. Browse Condition andUtilization The results of the 1961* browse surveys by individual transects are shown in Table 3° A summary, by hunting districts, is shown inTable 1*. Browse utilization during the 1963-61* winterwas relatively high. Heavy snowfall began inmid-January and lasted intoMay. The deep snow- cover, combinedwith a relatively lowharvest of deer and elk during the 1963 hunting season, concentratedmore use onwinter range areas than during the previous winter. Because of the deep, persistent snow, the winter was judged to be about normal, despite the lack of severe cold spells. Browse utilization exceed- ing 50 percent by frequency of the 1963 increment of leaders was therefore considered excessive. Average leader use for the Clark ForkUnit in 1961* was 1*6 percent, compared to 22 percent in 1963. The average browse condition in the unit rated "poor" in each of the threeyears, 1962-1961*. Hunting district 20 was the most heavilyused in 1961* with average leaderuse of 61* percent. Districts 21 and 22 had approximately 1*5 percent leader use. District 23 wasmoderatelyutilizedwith 3l* percent leader use. Browse condition rated "poor" indistricts 20, 21 and 22, and "fair" in district 23. Areas of excessive use by districts in 1961* were* % Class % Principal District Location 3 & 6 Use class of game 20 TamarackCreek 32 68 elk SPta.triRcekgisCreCuetk-off (2) , 5518* 8791 ddeeeerr BoydMountain (2) 38 91 deer Fourmile Creek 88 80 deer, elk Freezeout Gulch 1*1* 86 deer Nigger Gulch 81* 90+ deer -6- Areas of excessive use by districts in 196I4.§ (continued) % Class % Principal District Location 3& 6 Use class of game 20 EddyCreek Uo 69 deer KitchenCreek 50 82 deer Soudan 20 75 deer 21 Six-mile Creek 52 U8 deer Cayuse Hill 80 88 deer 22 ThompsonCreek U8 63 deer Whiskey Gulch 2h 58 deer TroutCreek burn 8h 87 deer JohnsonRanch 6h hi deer, elk DryCreek (2) 62 57 deer, elk ColdCreek (2) 18 53 deer, elk ThompsonPeak 8 5U deer 23 Wall Creek 8 61 deer Upper West ForkButte Cr, (2) 75 62 deer, elk CampCreek 72 52 deer Bear RunCreek 6 68 deer Burdette Creek (3) 56 70 elk The average leaderuse for the BitterrootUnit was 1;5 percent, com- pared to 13 percent in 1963= The average browse condition rated "fair", with a slight downward trend since 1962. Good annual growth in 1962, followedbyvery light use in 1963, probablyunduly affected the condition rating (excellent) given in 1963° Districts 2I4. and 27 both sustained leaderuse of approximately 3k percent. Utilization in districts 25 and 26 weremoderate. Browse condition rated "fair" in all four districts. Areas of excessive use in 1961;were; % Class % Principal District Location 3&6 Use class of game 2h LarryCreek 36 90 deer, elk SmithCreek Ik Ik deer, elk RoaringLion 20 53 deer, elk Lost Horse U6 80 deer BearCreek kk 71 deer 25 ChaffinCreek 50 56 deer, elk Trapper 16 75 deer, elk East ForkPiquette Creek 88 60 elk 26 Skalkaho Creek 52 51 deer, elk 27 East Fork (2) 38 72 deer Spring Gulch (Sula Peak) 8U 89 deer, elk Spring Gulch (RyeCreek) 2k 5U elk Harlan Gulch 12 71 deer, elk In the BlackfootUnit, the average leader use was 59 percent com- pared to 3k percent in 1963• The browse condition class was "poor" in each of the three years, 1962-61;, Utilization in each of the hunting districts was between 50 and 60 percent. The browse conditionwas "poor" in all of the hunting districts. -7- Areas of excessive use in 1961+ were? % Class % Principal District Location 3 & 6 Use class of game 28 Rattlesnake Creek 70 90 deer Marco Flat 68 59 deer Sheep Flats 61+ 95 deer LowerWoodchuckGulch 80 1+9 deer, elk Camp Nine (2 transects) 22 89 deer B-C Game Range (3 transects) 35 66 deer, elk SalmonLake Hills 1+1+ 81 deer ShanleyCreek 23 59 deer, elk OvandoMountain 32 66 elk 280 McCabe Creek 1+6 56 elk McDermottCreek 21+ 59 elk DryFork (2 transects) 11+ 71 elk 281 MarkhamMountain 21+ 80 deer LowerLincolnCanyon 76 77 deer 29 Nevada Creek (2 transects) 37 55 deer Nimrod 36 89 deer Rattler Gulch 81+ 55 deer HooverCreek 88 80 deer CarterCreek 96 53 deer WarmSprings Creek 92 55 deer LowerPoorman Creek 12 58 deer In the DeerLodgeUnit, browse leaderuse averaged1+6 percent com- pared to 20percent in 1963. The condition class was "poor" for each year, 1962-61+* Utilizationwasmoderate in districts 210, 213 and 211+ but excessive in districts 212 and 215. Browse conditionwas "poor" in districts 210 and 213, and "verypoor" in districts 212, 211+ and 215. Areas of excessive use in 1961+ were: % Class % Princi; District Location 3 &6 Use class of 210 Schwartz Creek 30 88 deer Kitchen Gulch 20 88 deer Welcome Creek 50 1+0 deer Picket Gulch 1+1+ 1+3 deer 212 BoulderCreek 92 89 deer RacetrackCreek 76 1+8 deer 213 LostCreek 1+8 53 deer 215 DryCottonwood (2) 90 78 deer Little Blackfoot 56 62 deer HARVEST CheckingStation Checking stations were operated at Frenchtown, Lolo, Darby, and Bonner during the fall of 1963* The data from the Frenchtown andLolo stations are shown in the A-2 report. -8- The number ofbig game animals cheeked through the Darby andBonner stations are shown in Table 5° Totals of 395 elk, 219mule deer, 3 whitetailed deer and 22 bearwere checked at Darby„ Fewer elk were checked in 1963 than in either 1962 or 196lo Slightlymore mule deerwere checked in 1963 than in 1962, but the number was stillmuch lower than in 196lo The number of whitetails checked was small, and declined from preceding years. The number ofbears checked (22) was considerably higher than inprevious years0 At the Bonner station, totals of 156 elk, 170mule deer, 125 white- tailed deer and 5 black bear were checked,, More elk, slightlymoremule deer, fewer whitetails, and the same number ofbear were checked in 1963, compared to 1962. The distribution of the big game harvest in the four segments of the upperBitterroot area are shown in Table 6. These data show that the elk harvest in the Triangle andWest Fork segments was somewhat higher than in the two preceding years. In the East Fork andRyeCreek segments, the elk harvest was considerably lower than in 1961 and 1962, The deer harvest has been stable in the West Fork andTriangle areas for the past three seasons, but itwasmuch lower in 1962 and 1963 in the East Fork andRyeCreek than in 1961, The distribution of the elk harvest by time periods in the upper Bitterroot is shown in Table 7. A majorportion of the harvest (35$) was takenduring the early season, A nearly equal portion (3U$) was taken during the late season. More bulls than cows were taken during the early andgeneral season, while twice asmany cows as bulls were killed during the late season. Approximately half the deer taken in the upperBitterrootwere killed during the early season andhalf during the general season. There was no late deer season. The sex ratio patternby time periods shows a reversal from that ofthe elk. Bucks outnumbered does slightly in the early season andmore than 2 to 1 during the general season. Composition of the elk anddeer kill in the upperBitterroot drainage is shown in Table 9° The 1963 elk harvest consisted ofU2$ bulls, 39$ cows, and 19$ calves. The calf-cow ratio was i;7 calves per 100 cows, the highest proportion of calves during the past 3 years. The composition of the Bitterrootmule deerharvest was 57 percent bucks, 3k percent does, and 9 percent fawns. At theBonner station, cow elk slightly outnumberedbulls, and calves comprised 19 percent of the harvest (Table 8). The mule deer harvest was 56 percent bucks, 3h percent does and 11 percent fawns. The whitetail harvest was lj2 percent bucks, 33 percent does and 25 percent fawns. Samples of significant numbers of elk and deer were agedby dentition at the Bonner station. These indicated that the bulk of the harvest of adults consisted ofprime andyearling animals. Only 2 percent of elk, and 5 percent ofmule deerwere classed as being of old-age. The proportion of old-agedwhitetails was higher (17$)° •/' -9- . . » Smaller samples from the Bitterroot also indicated lowpercentages of old-aged elk andmule deero Questionnaire Harvest Data The District Two 1963 big game harvest from questionnaire returns was 6935 deer, 38I4.I elk, 296 bear, 10 bighorn sheep, 9 antelope, 77 moose and 115mountaingoats„ The deer and elk harvestwas somewhat lower than in 1962, while the bear harvest was higher.. Approximately the same number of goats and sheep, but fewermoose, were killed in 1963 DeerHarvest Deer harvest data by hunting districts are shown inTable 12. The number of deer hunters was lU,itll, which is nearly 2000 less than in 1962, and 1000 less than in 196l» The number of hunters declined in all units except the Blackfoot, where hunter numbers increased,, The harvest of 6935 deer represents a hunting success ofJU8 percent This compares to U7 percent in 1962 and 68 percent in I96I0 Hunting success improved in the Clark Fork andBlackfoot units, and declined in the Bitter- root andDeer Lodge units,, The number of deer harvested increased somewhat in theClark Fork and Bilnagckdfiosottriucntistsshaonwidngdecilncirneeadseidn tdheeerBihtatrveersrtootweraend2D1,eer23,Lod2g8,e u2n9,its28.0 Haunndt- 281o Non-resident hunters took only 6 percent of the deerharvested in District Two. Harvest densitywas .69 deer per squaremile, compared to .77 in 1962. Districts 21 and 281 with kills of l.f> ormore per square mile had the highest harvest densities A distribution of the 1963 dates of deer kills is shown inTable lU. According to this tabulation, Oct. 29 - Nov. 11 was themost productive for hunters, as 38 percent of the deer harvest occurred during this period. The harvest patternwas similar to 1962, except that fewer deer were taken in early and late periods. This was because fewer areas were open to early hunting and there were no extended deer seasons in 1963. Antler class and species composition of the 1962 and 1963 deer harvest is shown inTable 16. In 1963, 29 percent of the deer shotwere antlered (bucks) while Ul percentwere antlerless (does and fawns). Sixty-five per- cent weremule deer, while 35 percentwere white-tails. These figures are almost identical with the 1962 data. ElkHarvest Elk harvest questionnaire data by hunting districts are shown inTable 13. The total number of elkhunters inDistrict Two in 1963 was 19,103, indicating a small decline since 1962, but still considerablymore hunters than in 1961. Elk hunters increased to 6619 in the BlackfootUnit in 1963, making it the heaviest-huntedunit in District Two. -10-