University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1958 Summer range ecology of Rattlesnake Creek mule deer in the spruce-fir onez Keith Lynde White The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation White, Keith Lynde, "Summer range ecology of Rattlesnake Creek mule deer in the spruce-fir zone" (1958). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 6420. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/6420 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SUMMER RANGE ECOLOGY OF RATTLESNAKE CREEK MULE DEER IN THE SPRUCE - FIR ZONE by KEITH L. WHITE B.S., University of Wisconsin, 1950 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Montana State University 1958 Approved: Chairman, Board of Examiners Dean, Graduate School DEC 1 9 1958 Date UMI Number: EP37221 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT OMSortation PùWiahmg UMI EP37221 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuesf ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 - 1346 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is a pleasure to acknowledge my gratitude to Dr. Richard D. Taber, under whose direction this study was made;, for his advice, stimulating suggestions, field assistance and guidance throughout the study, and for his critical reading of the thesis. I wish to express my appreciation to Dr. John J. Craighead and the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit for having made this study possible. For technical assistance and advice I wish to thank the following: Mr, Don D. Baldwin, Mr, Robert F, Cooney, Dr. Gene S. Cox, Dr. John J. Craighead, Mr. Fred L. Hartkorn, Dr. Barbara J . Howell, Dr. Richard E. Juday, Prof. Melvin S. Morris, Dr. Howard E. Reinhardt, and Mr. Merle J. Rognrud. The Montana Power Company permitted use of i^s cabin in Lake Creek Canyon and entry into the area throughout the study. Personnel of the National Bison Range permitted experimentation on ^eer with the nicotine-salicylate dart gun. Permission to read Mr. Robert Ferguson*s M.S. thesis on the pellet count method in Utah was appreciated. I am indebted to Mr. Kenneth Greer, Director of the Montana Fish and Game Food Habits Laboratory, for the time consuming yet thorough analysis of the rumen samples used in this study. -ii- TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION ......................................... 1 Objectives, 1 Scope, 1 II o STUDY A R E A ........................................... 3 Location, 3 Land ownership, 3 Geology, 6 Topography, 6 Soils, 6 Climate, 7 Vegetation, 0 III. HISTORY OF GAME HARVEST AND LAND U S E ................. 12 Game hajrvest and land use by Indians, 13 Early game harvest and land use by Whites, 14 Recent game harvest and land use by Whites, 16 IV. METHODS............................................. 20 Records Field notes, 20 Phenology, 20 -iii- IV* METHODS (Continued)............... 20 Sample plots, 20 Range studies Botanical composition, 22 Herbarium, 23 Fecal-pellet count, 23 Browse production, 25 Forage quality, 25 Food habits, %5 Deer studies Deer observations, 26 Deer marking, 26 Deer Oonditlon, 2Ô 7. RESULTS OF RANOB STUDIES............................. 30 Botanical composition, 30 Range use, 35 Food habits, 39 Browse production and utilization, 47 Forage quality, ^9 Range condition, 51 VI* RESULTS OF DEER STUDIES............................. 53 Phenology, 53 Population size Observations, 53 Fecal-pellet count, 55 Schnabel method, 57 —iv— vio RESULTS OF DEER STUDIES (Continued)................. 53 Home range, 6l Productivity, 63 Condition, 64 Predators and predation, 6? Elk-deer relations, 6? VII. DISCUSSION........................................ 69 Methods Deer marking, 69 Sample plots, 70 Deer census, 70 Deer Numbers Historical, 71 Recent, 71 Deer Ecology Movements, 72 Food habits, 72 PrédationI 72 VIII. SUMMARY.................. 74 IX. Ï.ITERATÜRE CI T E D ................................. 77 X. APPENDIX .................. 82 -V* LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE I. study Area Cllmatological Data ........... 7 II. Increment Borings, High Falls Creek Study Area . 10 III. Flathead Indian Tribe Population Estimates ..... 13 17. Rattlesnake Creek Hunter Checking Station Data . 19 V. Character of Fecal-Pellet Groups and Position in Plot 24 VI. Frequency of Occurrence and Average Coverage of Study Area Plant Species ................ 31 VII. Topographic Characteristics of Study Area Vegetation iÿp«» ......................................... 33 VIII. Plan^ Speoles (With a Fraquency of 10$ or More) In Rank Order for Seven Study Area Vegetation Types . 34 IX. Range Use Indicated by Feoal-Pellet Distribution • . 37 X. Comparison of Temperatures in the Xeronhvllum/ Vaocinlum and Xaronhvllum/ Menziesia Vegetation %rpes 38 XI. Relative Rating of Observed Range Use of Vegetation ü ^ e s ..................................... .. 39 XII. Food Habits of Deer and Elk on the Study Area. .... 40 XIII. Collection Data for the Nine Rumen Samples Analyzed. 42 XIV. Ratio of Shrubs to Herbs in Nine Summer Range Rumen Samples. .................. 46 XV. Browse Production by Menziesia glabella and Vaccinium membranaceum .................... 48 XVI. Chemical Analysis of Forage Plants 50 XVII. Breeding and Fawning Dates Determined from Ages of Ten Fetuses. ...................... 54 -vi— TABLE PAGE XVIII. Comparison of 1957 and 1958 Pellet-Group Counts , . • • 56 XIX. Comparison of 1957 and 1958 Paired Pellet-Group Counts. 57 XX. Estimates of Study Area Deer Population Size by Three Different Methods .......... ............ 58 XXI. Deer Population Size (P) Estimated by Schnabel Method 1957 59 XXII. Deer Population Size (P) Estimated by Schnabel Method . 1958 60 XXIII. Size of Home Range in Mule Deer .................... 61 XXIV. Fetus Counts for Eleven Mule Deer Does Collected in the Rattlesnake Creek Drainage ....................... 63 XXV. Kidney-Fat Indices for Forty^nine Rattlesnake Creek Mule D e e r ............................................ 65 XXVI. Soil Analysis D a t a ........................... • • • 83 XXVII. Deer and Elk Population Estimates for the Missoula Ranger District • ............ 85 XXVIII. Days and Hours of Rattlesnake Creek Hunter Checking Station Operation.................................. *86 XXIX. Deer Hunting Regulations for the Area Including Rattle­ snake Creek, 1945-1958 87 XXX. Xerophyllum/ Vaccinium Vegetation Type Botanical Data • 88 XXXI. Xerophyllum/ Menziesia Vegetation Type Botanical Data , 90 XXXII. Xerophyllum/ Phyllodoee Vegetation type Botanical Data, 91 XXXIII. Xerophyllum/ Chrysopsis Vegetation Type Botanical Data, 92 XXXIV. Senecio/ Veratrum Vegetation Type Botanical Data . 93 XXXV. Carex/ Penstemon Vegetation Type Botanical Data . • • • 94 XXXVI. Phyllodoee/ Abies Vegetation Type Botanical Data . 95 -vii- LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1# U.S. Forest Service Map of Rattlesnake Creek Drainage .• 4 2. Map of High Falls Creek Study Ar e a .................. 5 3. View bf Study Area from South of Cliff L a k e ......... 11 U* Alpine Fir and En^elmann's Spruce on a Level Bench Beside Moose Lake . .............................. 11 5t Location of Sample Plot L i n e s ..................... 21 6. Botanical Composition Sample Plot Frame.............. 29 7. Deer No. 1917 from the July Deer C o l l e c t i o n ........ 29 S. Map of Study Area Vegetation Type Distribution...... 36 9. Heavy Browsing on Bush Type Menziesia................45 10. Dates and Locations of Doe A^ Doe G* and Buck A Observations ................. .62 11. Seasonal Level of Rattlesnake Creek Mule Deer Éidney-Fat I n d i c e s ................................... '•••.66 -viii- INTRODUCTION There is need for more basic knowledge of the ecological re­ lationships of mule deer to their range in western Montana. Because of this, intensive study of the Rattlesnake Creek mule deer herd was initiated in 1957. The Rattlesnake drainage was not Considered a problem area but rather an average range readily accessible from the University campus. This study was concerned with the summer range ecology of the Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) on a 400 acre study area in the Spruee-Fir zone. Objectives. Study objectives were to: 1. Describe the study area Spruee-Fir plant association to permit accurate comparison of Rattlesnake Creek deer ecology with that in other areas* Assess range use by deer in relation to the plant unions within the Spruee-Fir zone. 3* Assemble a phenological record for Rattlesnake Creek mule deer. 4 . Determine study area deer density and home range size. 5 . Describe deer food habits in relation to available forage. 6. Determine