Mule Deer Habitat 7 in the Colorado Plateau Shrubland and Forest Ecoregion
THE AUTHORS : BRUCE E. WATKINS COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE 2300 S. TOWNSEND AVENUE MONTROSE, CO 81401, USA CHAD J. BISHOP COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE 317 W. PROSPECT FORT COLLINS, CO 80526, USA ERIC J. BERGMAN COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE 2300 S. TOWNSEND AVENUE MONTROSE, CO 81401, USA BARRY HALE NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND FISH 1 WILDLIFE WAY SANTA FE, NM 87507, USA BRIAN F. WAKELING ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT 5000 W. CAREFREE HIGHWAY PHOENIX, AZ 85086, USA ADAM BRONSON UTAH DIVISION OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES P. O. BOX 1016, PANQUITCH UT 84759, USA. (CURRENT ADDRESS: CARTER’S HUNTERS SERVICE P. O. BOX 250, CEDAR CITY, UT 84721) LEN H. CARPENTER WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE 4015 CHENEY DRIVE FORT COLLINS, CO 80526, USA DARYL W. LUTZ WYOMING GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT 3030 ENERGY LANE CASPER, WY 82604, USA Cover photo by: Bruce Watkins/ Colorado Division of Wildlife Suggested Citation: Watkins, B. E., C. J. Bishop, E. J. Bergman, A. Bronson, B. Hale, B. F. Wakeling, L. H. Carpenter, and D. W. Lutz. 2007. Habitat Guidelines for Mule Deer: Colorado Plateau Shrubland and Forest Ecoregion. Mule Deer Working Group, Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 THE COLORADO PLATEAU SHRUBLAND 4 AND FOREST ECOREGION Introduction 4 Description 5 Ecoregion-specific Deer Ecology 5 MAJOR IMPACTS TO MULE DEER HABITAT 7 IN THE COLORADO PLATEAU SHRUBLAND AND FOREST ECOREGION CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AND SPECIFIC 8 HABITAT GUIDELINES Excessive Herbivory 8 Successional Changes 25 Non-native Invasive Species 32 Water Availability 38 Human Encroachment 42 Energy and Mineral Development 46 SUMMARY 56 LITERATURE CITED 58 APPENDICIES 71 APPENDIX A Common and Scientific Names 71 APPENDIX B Important Forage Plants 71 for Mule Deer in the Colorado Plateau Ecoregion TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ule and black-tailed deer (collectively called The shrubs that deer heavily rely on in the Intermountain mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus ) are icons of the West are disappearing from the landscape, partially because American West.
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