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HomeMy WebLinkAbout84-6 DEER HERD COMMITTEE 14 OF 33Table Reported Buck Kill Moor o toa,rn Herd ,1958-1982 'r Year 1958 407 1959 494_ 1960 550 196 622. 1962 45 1963 460 19b4' 595 1965 464 1966. 68 1967 338* 1968 465* 1969 , 49 1974. 530 ' 1971; � 501 1972 557 1973 450 .1974 292 ' 1976 ' B88 1976 298 1977 414 1978 X94 1979 4816 1980 371 1.981.... 487 1982 3,10 * Self validat 01% or to �' should have beeca A isuaaiuB a 33% docze a is PProxiraa tdl1 r 450* a Self val.idatiota 04 #g tritiuz=ct>n s the kill tzago. 843dd da 1969-72 it m easumod that; huutotc "Dusted 1.967 kill axi to d >Coporteid 111,1,1 dor r4 g tutu ca Wad �ar�a.r t�orm a 1, i. Faw ding peaks in early Julys rut some are dropped fVOm.about Jane 10 to early August. This indicates th4t breeding; begixis in; the first; half of November, and lasts to late December, 7. Mortality A* Illegal Kill 644 Crip,plilag Goss In Season 1 It was C timated in 1952 (Longhurst) that -the AVOr"ge crippling loss was 30% of the Legal buck; take in Oal.ifo"La herds. Pio fiield stork has been accomplished for the su,bjett 'herds tai ,deter- 1 abid whether a 30Z loos is s roasonaable 84t$Ut4te, Since the herds ante not hutited as heavily aa many others, #4d dense ,Veger tatiOn limits long, range shooting, a 20% etipptiag ,lass UUy be closer to reality. A few hunters takd advantage of dtev season to. kill d'eat other than legal bucks, add. some deer avd killed by ,;ii,ataka. Although r aro data is availasb.tal reports from hunters and ;gaaxo o4rdens gg 4 g negl gible, i,i ogaal killsu es�v that the illegal kill is not and crippling loss combined may be 30% of the reported back take: b: Poaehittg Poaching, as refarrred to in tbia plan, is tho out of setasaai deet kills No detailed datil on the proble'd is aVail'able fest thar�o hatdao but local field Personnel feelthea the poddhitig W ss a t letaat equals the, Veptartaad tak-ai. While muct of this loas is to iadiV i fuAls_ for Person41txde, noire POAdhers haave : he:ott srrasted far l,od aal. aua'tketing of chaeta rdleat, X12 Of fit teen does radio collared in Butte County, two were known Poaching victims, txo others disappeared and are thought to be poaching victims, another tagged deer 'was reported to b3 a known poaching loss; these losses all occurred within two years of the deers'' capture, Field personnel detect at least 10 poaching looses in Butte County a year wi,,. ,iu the boundaries of the herdai. If this represented p nted a 27. detection rate as indicated by ttg4jes in California and .` Jaho, About 500 deer are posacharl in tfie Butte County portion of the herd ranges. Road Rill Past studitis in California have shown that the kno�m statewide road kill may equal the reported statewido huutar tape. It is ' reasonabl'a to assume that there is at laaat -Otte. uarepor-ted road kill for each doer reported mood Kill since many injured deer art able to l.teairet the road area before dying. A proliferation of roads, along With improve�nenta: in exia ting' mads 3 'poses a teal 1%z and to both herds. The road kill on rp Highway 70, from Jarba Ga to she Greenvillel is given. U i +► table 5; this represonts a loss equal to 17% of the reported: I take,SlUd this in a 'reported kill for on arze s egiuent of the i• ta;iageN it is assulned that the actual roan kilt, is more than doubles the H ghway► 70 kill, ?or both herds, 4 roiad kill exceed Ing 34% of the reported bucktake is adbi,tatedw N, x Table 5 STATE HZMAY 70 REPORTED DEER Kx1.L BUCKS MOUNTAIN. HERD Year Deer 1967 96 1968 76 1969 69 1970 56 1971 , 52 1971 63 _ 1973 34 1975 41 1976 3 1477 3: 1'78 28 1979 r 40 "14 d, Weather' f" Indirectly, weather may be one of the main fractors regulating, deer herds. Relative to the herd population and general condi- tion of the deer, many factors determine weather impacts'; storm frequency and duration, temPerature, forage condition and avail- ability] etc. Given enough unfavorable factors, fawn lost cava occur from respiratory and,other diseases brought on, 'by Weather strew (Wallmo 1581). Pawn survival from fall to spring Has near-Iy 1007; for the Bast Tehama hard during the 1975-76 and 1976-71 drought Bears. The herd pias at a population low* 1975 and 1176 store,, ex( ;5llant oak mast years, and the winters were extremely cail.d, An increase in the state buck take occurred from 1977 to 1979 which reflects r the high tavt survival, t y by contras kj the 1978-79 winter _season had signif icau-t fawn rtintar mortality. Oak malt w4a not good$ green :feed was '. untivailabld. until Februarybc�caus a of little sll rsnj and hard populations were up. Rain came in heavy avtounts in January mad robruAryj and temperatutas tore lora.. Landovndtb reported. nuaer- OU4 dead dear in f'abtuary. It is not known whether i hucka Mountain and MdoretoAu, herds. experienced this abovo rmspoases to voather. Rdported buck take i for the herd,a suggests that there is some covro;latiot Another pos;sibld weather related impact is a cool spring and early Summar: The gas t `ieh4ma herd has had aoma years of, poor Lawn aurvivaly from drop time to fall composition counts. This has occurred. when. good summer er range feed conditions havo boon �! , late becauset of lower than. usual May and June temperatur�ady In years like 1983, some high elevation areas are not, frt!,A of anew until duly or August. This. condition. may result In poor fad condition at birth as does may be maltaourizhad, Arid prodatiou My be greater i.f croodiug occurs on available fawn. Ag aareas because Of Ahiov covered range. j Urowniag Canals and reservoirs forma barriers to deer movemdut, and deer _1 . crossing these barriers aam atimes drown;. ften Lalt Oroville first fillod:, both herds faced a now bawler on. tapira path to winter range. 'Reports of dear swimming the litka were widespread In 1567-68baser still cross soma arms of the take, and as few � have ui leged,ly been run down by boaters and drovaod. No doubt., I it £esu old, weak, or young dean: drown daring #:aka arotasaingrs. The M iper's ,Ranch Canal *n the mooretown 'winter range has had about 15', deer droaninga reported annually since 1975 half of thdsO deer mby bct xesidrAnt. ' Ditch tenders cram that mtmy of the dro"td deer entered then st Adta whale trying to oacaapc dogs, Potential for canal losses also a;ists in, they pucka: Mountain gunge f. There have been no si,gu ficah>* take of deer un,dc-. doptodation permit for dither herd. In moat years, the few de s"' edation permits iassued probably pertain to, resident dee : on the winter i:ange:� 1,0 xt is known that marijuana growers often booby tragi their patches, and may shoot or poison wildlife attracted to marijuang plants. There is no way to determine the Portent of this cause of wildlife lose. S ince a large number of mari j um,z a growers, operate in Butte County, they may be rdspousible for consider- able local deer losses. g. Natural predators are frequently identified by sotuc public ale- uzamts 9AA some. wildlife managers as the main, if not sole,, cause of deer pogulatioza de9cliues lidwever, deer did mAtAga to exist in nursbe.�a, despite the: presence of predators prior to settlesment, :if th a 'land by turopean humans Numerous studies have been conducted in regard to thm Impact of predation on I big game (Vallamo t 1981), in sono cases it taaas concluded that predators had a significant izapact oia big gaczea . populations, and in other cases there 048 little of u,o impact. More troacarch is tioeded since many e-tudi,eas havA not. been_ thorough! g 'experimental control groups were o.fteta lackiz'igi or sample sites were small, or other factors such as basic food conditions and availability of other prey spscioa Bore nOL considered. Radio teslematty OtUdies in Callforn34 have found high mortality crates from predatiO (NeAl, 1981 and 5lperelt, 1983). Tu both instanc* ratifier snitall simple sited Otto' used,, And no other comparative (e.g", dont°rol group) aspects. Frere ex4mintd some of the above references Indicate that predaators may take over half of all fawns and many adults. Losses of this mragniw tude could W411 cause population declines. It is r4t4 that 01Y one factor is wholly responsible for the declino of A prey poPU- lation, so predation must. be ccusidared in the tout wt of all mortality factors,. NaC>. ral predators of these dear are mainly tbugAt, cadyntOG, bobcat, and black beat* Cougar populations aaco oxpandin,g con- siderably based on reported aightinga axed inctaasod'depredation complaints. Coyotea and bobcuta seen to b4 doing atoll dospitix being subjected to �=bearer and depodaa'tion trapping,, black bear p+opulationra are prob9bly low to moderate aaa thoy appear to b,a subjected to hi*avy hunting and poachiug* Many 1i estot owrta3rta and IoJ0 ,d people conai.dor ft" roaming dogs to be & adtioug problt a for deer in Buttd and Yuba aouutios. Pre* roataing doge are d coli OU aright. A mea 'living on Basteru Mama Hard vi.nt,er range has,, complained of losing. p Y oge dogs vera traapped oxo seven dogs to txa � In c►ncs ear; th t ang4lr►nd tato to fivca uAles fTOM the mauls resideuca. 3hila i'hd d tett loss (e.g , kill -ad by' doge)' of deer may tot be greats the indirect loss by d�ro4nit�igs, Stra:gs, a c must be :onnideraxble rex the winter range Of both horda ao this tame has suffdr6d hea ably from mural, resi douti;al rapraw l.. hi Disease Uitett steadies Of disease iud"ehcd and pa vdaLtiasi are laactti'Ag tot either dear 'herd. liaitagamatia't pe rsonnel in than ares focaa old { that, disease is not a major source of mortalit y.'Browning ct al (1973) found a heavy incidence of .lungworms in the Rail Road Flat herd (a west slope Sierra Nevada here) approximately 100 miles south of the Mooretova Herd. They found that the infection lowered tha overcall condition of individuals,, parrtic+u larly duritg late winter-early sprig (during gestation). ,ung worms may be a factor in lowering fawn survival by lowering, the condition of Joe s prior to parturition, and by direct infection of fawns thereby increasing stress and energy demandso T'hase parasites rare a pezOnAIal problem Zor rosident dee, in ra&tly parts of the Sacrt{Liento 'Valley, As previously wentiotted iu Section d. weathor, respiratory diseades any cause soste load. fteumonia has occasionally been identified as the cause of death in resident doors in Butte and Yuba 'countieb; the di,saase is of ten a secondary itfectiot► brought on by parasited, Weathdr dtresd, etc. 8. Eeandmic Value of User'' Placing a dollar_ value on cfildlife species � must be dans cautouaxy, as methods used to arrive at monetary north need refining. lti Addition, indivi,duala who are onlyconcerned with large profits from abort"'tom dpeaulatiou, may well be Willing to "buy" wil4lifo to re aiisu chaos Profits. dot pier for-gets uses Vh ch sh rai: i rg . Feder '�i awnagem - oul.d lRa coerdw inated with other uAtural resouxct used such aniq - �xa �, itrg' Xatxg- tot ra Profits from natUral reaourcdd Should Outweigh the abort*toren profits r r of land speculation.. i Dear hunting produces income in a number of way:d including acaiOSS fans for landQwneta, Ianufacture and sale of hunting equipments travel 'expenses .eta. in the plan for the Eastern Tahamm herds Ramsey ;(1483) estimated an expenditure of $501 per hunterday* ylsh and Gale hunter survey$ in 1981 indicate that each hun er spent 4T)OUt six days in each of the Bucks Mountain and MooretoutL 'hard$. With 180 Bucks Mountain and 487 "Hoo'retowu doer taken-s the coag; pox deer taken would be $397 And $41.1 sospettive'ly Plumes i;ational forest wildlife biologist Art ltohrb achor arrived at a consumptive value of $380 par dear (using Foreat se%-'rice coat l� F Tui g it ts. HO felt analysis) for the Oro�rl�lo and parte razi er dist�c this es timate to be tua.so able when compared to the Dyd Creep. preserve fee of $400 per dear hunter which does not include othar hunter expenditures, �towaver the true valud of ricer must consider noxa co nsump ti doer use which added to consump'tivd doer use which gxcatly intVMsas the dollar value of a door, & Vildlifa economics study ou the `Caribou rational Forest (5pillett# 1984) derived a' 'glue of $2,688 for each deer on the Parust when capital value of un-havVesteddear (those needed to sustain productiva capmei ty►) was adddd, to conaut,ptivra. and non-consump tiva values, Further, the valod of the breading stoat rematniug of tsar hunting take +4a.,3 placed at $3)200 per doer. �.3C 1 p B, Herd Range Description and History L. Topography Both herds occupy quite similar terrain, Altitudes range from approximately 150 to 7,,500 feet, Deep canyons of the Feather and Yuba river systems foi-it a generally steep, rugged topography. Ridge Systems run generally from southwest to northeast. Only, in the Mooretown winter range does, the topography moderate into fairly lou foothills. 2. Sails, Soilb of the Sierra Nuvada are, ahallou to modorately deep (10-40 inches) and generally have A sah#r—loan, texture with rook content ranging from 0-35t, Mont soils are largely of igneous origin (granite, basalt, etc,,) with occasional ftaetaatorph 4 or raodimonitriry M brise soils in ceIrt.aia areas. Coon qu&iit1+ soit odours throt 4h much Of the range,, With some smAli baands of .serpe tind.soiim ti rally, -- .poor got plaits) found eapeciallt in the Bucks Mtn, range 3. Climate ChAracteriutic weather 'Vv4tterud ard cool, wet Winti!rg, summers4 Substantial precipitation May occur as dAzly ca Sepkawbor or as late as Januatjr, but uouo " ty oteurg by Novombmr, Annu4l pveci. i pi t.a tion rivdrages ftom 1S iiadho (750 foot tlovA tion level) to about 65 itches at 30000 feett and extrotaes range from abou. 13 inches to 1Qb�- inthea. Sno,4611 is frill udnt abo 4 vo 40000 feet« Summer temperature highs range from 1106-4at 7�0 edtt to 90° at 7,000 filet with normal highs tav'aragitIg about 554P and 80 "PI 1�` respectively. Vinta:rtemperatures grange. Erom lb F (750 t tet) to subzero At high elevation. On the average, wine ix loris raanga from About 25'F to 400F`. 4. Land Use and Ownership Pa. Bucks Mountain Herd Summer Range About 90% of the range is administered by Plumxs 'National Forest.. Most of the rewaiuiug land :is owned by timber companies h small psvoontage is privately 014ued land and oted for g7rattng (especially msadows)► mining, rgoideiatial or recreational purposes. b. Bucks Mountain Hard XtIterwediate Range This p`lummn and LAssau UatioOAI Foresta eox taiu about: 60% of the, range. `limber companies dein the bulk of the, romaini'ng actoa,go Other private used include mindagy gratingi xestdentialy or recreational. c. Pucks Mountain Nord Vint?l r Range Leas th4a l0% a,f ttho tango is publicly ovud: Ndtiodal Fo'iresty bUvdaai of Lund Management* or California Fhrks and Rdtre ation, I Umber companies control .a diMLIsr amount, , _ r The rewainder of tbd wiAter r,aage to privately ownedo ft jor uses aro vesido-ati41, 4nd 3tacitg. Usidential couadotration areas ata: Paradi.ae) Concowe Ug Beady Vatkol d 16illa Ch,azokao Brush Cteeky Berry Creek., and B414 Rock. of 2000600 ,nems of i this rsngey. 28 (55j500, acres) hove, been lost to rural tasi;detn» list ezacxor�chtnodt. , 6. Forage a. Winter Runge F(,%rage conditions have been relatively static since Loughurst (1152) considered range, conditions to be fair to poor with n downward trend. 'mere have been no significant ttildfire or range improvomen. pro j acts. Shrubs tend to be in the mature tc _ old age class. Comae avallability liar 4ecreased significantly p From habitat losses to rural s rntal, fueltaood cutting, qtr,. Favored, t, rage. species :(tared Appendix 3 for genmrtd Mines) Ord oaks and i►cornax buclebrush,, 'poisati oalk$ mnhoganyo silictaosal deerbruah, forbaeaa eciall Broom s .� and grasses,liaxra ( p. y Va"rics seasonally; grasses and forbe are Mont he4Vily utiliztid in Bate winter and spring, wh. ile browse ,and acorns predominz►te in late summer andfall. b., Yntermediata Mange d;,ogging and reforestation has caused extensive alterations of thin ra particularly in the last t n years on private liadda .v i th a trend taRard mototypic habitatthe 'provid ne brot am. 1 i little I Soma short-term forage benefits may be gained wkaen inten,aiva e i� eradication of natio conifeiraui:+ s «acisa does nat fof;la re'£ores to tion. f , glad oaitts are ,the (A*tO camretsa►ly �eerbiush Y.einmar; Caenot.�ltte utilized bro,ose: Ava labillty of grasses And ,sorbs to gouetally loan. Aeorraa Art important, in the fall. -24- c. SummerRange This range has essentially the same impacts frons and reforestation as in the intermediate range. ReforestaL!,OU of brushfields rill, cause a long-term decli-ae in browao. availability. Browse condition following logging ar TOOOrusta tion is good 'when shrubs are permitted to grow. Mountain whitethorn and deer -brush are the MOOt important 'broe r -r—, species, and, Pr� urkad , y, are a favored food when AV4tl,able. Potba ' are heavily utilized, and grasses and villous care used arotand i meadow and riparian areas. Browse quality And avilability On the Moorattowa r4ugo to significantly higher togV.6ted to Bucks Mountain range, HODU'tALh whitathorn Chows rather Light utilization on many parte of the hcoretrown range, Sueka h.ount.ain range had 116190 favOrahls- successional chaulsob for browse speacieg, 7 . Water The whole 'range is generally well watered during' tho period* of `uses byo migratory' herd. pdv areas occur where water it not Available, wig'.'Xn one half mile, Low ralufall during fall, and early viater can raatxict wrtex xange Vater tuPPIIeAo especially where aural sp raw occie neer, streams and spri,ugs, a Vitt cis tory 'The, i.,odurte nde: of fires greater that' 10 acres has greatly dim#n� shad sinro 1160 (stiles 6 and 7') because of lmpVovod firo, fighting and fire psre YOUtian cnrapaigns.' capability, :a proliferation of toads, Prior to 1960, mouy large fires occurred which cV0A t'Ad early successional stages of vegetation which rens productive deaar habitat Tire benefits these fires provided for deer have long since boou lost through plant succession and increasing old F en decadence oe browse planta. Between 1911 and 1980, over 114,400 acres of the Bucks Fountain deer ivas National Forest Zone of influence WdVO: hard range its the Plu burned by firoa 40 acres or larger, Prom 1960 to 1980, only 110375 acted were burned in 'iarge wildfires; this is about 10% of the totAl burned area since 1911, and represents about 1 of ther Bucks Moun.tAin deaf range. Firaa on the Maoretown rauga portion: of the Plumeas National Forest have burned only -5% of the Orest Zone total Acreage'since 2 ' Since the largest fit* dab 161 acme;, firt3 has had inn ludignif!(;&At ,affact on the, ranges. Some; favorablo fire benefits have occurred (since 197a) on a small - scaler where fire tuns been used to al can up areas fo llovi ng logging or i reforestation. About 1000atrta of Wintdr raugo ptdocribe4 bux-nin8' by Plumaa N.F* has occurred ern mdortatova rraugdi and 1500 44V06 Of Bucks Mountain winter rangy wtare burned on Pluoos NX, IAnd TABLE 6 FIRES GREATER THAN 40 ACRES ON THE BUCKS HOUNTAXN DEER HERD RANGE IN THE PLUMAS NAT -OVAL MPEST Period �__._.. Fires bares Burzt«ad 191.-19 14 9,839 1920-2'. Zig 49 j;126 1930-39 12 9,748 1940-41) 2 978 1950-59 9 13 4n0 19b0a6?i 8,:711. 1970-79 2 '94G 1980 6 4± TOTALS' 76 11400 TAHLE 7 FIRES GREATEEl THAN 20 ACRES ON 'THE HOORETOVN DEEM FIERD RANGE IN THE 'PLUMS NATIONAL ,FOREST Period- Fizz acres Burned' 1550 10 478 1960-69 7 398 1910'.79 5 .. X52. 'TOTALS 2 1�:13s w27w Early explorers and settlers in California noted that baltl1e Americans' set iirt° to 'the wintat range as a 'means to :impvove habitat conditions. cats p ay f0 the le and shoe teachers burned deer r8X1� Iate 1800's into the 1920's. Wil:dfirem occurred occa siou4llyr and are believed to have 'b+een important in the evolution of thapa,rral Records of ,fire outside of National Foust lands Ore. I%ot av+silabld so no acreage comparisons can, be made. Few fi>~ne OvOlt 20 atres in Oxtdat ha'v4_occurred since 1960. Y., Li:astbit Within the P lumats National F'oras t zone of luenee t 'tb"se arre V- tion of 13 gV621ng, allotments on, tuck -d Mountain dear barn rdnee Lig ls'itoctc bse. pr one to 1 20 is poorly documented. During the 1420' 6 arok� n 18 t000 sheep And2,500 cattle wave -grazed 'within the. bound- i�rrlea of th. a Bucks Hountain doers hatdw Substantial roduttionas in both sheep and rattla numbers Vere Wade by 1940. T,iveutock nueihera continued to dacline to leant than SSO haad of c4ttle: :in 1981 (Table 7 and Table 8) . ` `hen 1,400 hd'd vote on the No sheep havegrazed tho area s.>nceLr74 Round Valley allotment. For all practivAl, purpOuaa), sheep had teased to be a maaJot coarponent of total livostO4 use raut•11 earlitto The last sheep wore run on Batty Crook, Bear dtetlto Ma" allotments in Claa grid 1'920'rso S crani a'.h Peark in eX�e 1�l30'sy Smarr: ault:ix, p In 1937) and P7.;inch 0zeolt+ itr 19400 Lives taa cls u66 p attatts ora the Hootdtcr41 VktIe h4vt haft siaU"" to those ail. the sucks houatain rati ge. t' regewt 1164 �Tx' bl'(' 10), da,eo tot { TABLE 8 PRESENT LIVESTOCK USE ON THE BUCKS MOUNTAIN DEER HERD SUHMER I,tANGB IN THE PLUMAS NATIONAL FOREST 1 Estimated Allotment Nuwber of Cattle Season Permitted AUW S Capxci _q (A.UHI L- Besar Creek ' 60 6-1. to 9-30 317 396 Bucks Creek 333 6-1 to 9-30 10758 1049 Bufferfly Val1ay 'Vacant 0 180° j thaem Pddk . Vacant 0 180 F Granites Basin Vacant 0 475 Graver V4chnt. 0 565 Mosquito' Vacant 0 553 Round Valley: Vacant 01 Z . TOTALS l 0075 6002 * Cacludal px vatl laud with n the allotments. TABLE 9* PRESENT L VESTOCK USE ON THE BUCKS MOUNTAIN HERD INTERMEDIATZ RANGE PLUMAS NATIONAL FOREST Za timated Allotment 'Number of Cattle Season Permitted AUM'S C��aoi ty iAUM�S� Bear Gulch 30 6-1. to LO -15 178 1,010 Barry Creek 17 6-1 to 9=30 90 198 FlSA Valley' 200 6-1 to 1p-15 -1X188 1479 French Czoek 5O 5-16 to 10-15 330 1,13$ Mi.,ll Creek 15x: 2 , 5-16 to 10-1$ ,1„ y003 Ij333 TOTALS 449 2x789 -4.,955 *Incladee private land within the allotmentlgk -30w r TABLE 10 k' RESEN'T LIVESTOCK USE ON THE HOORETOUN HERD ILANGE IN THE pLUMAS WTIONAL 'FOUST Estimated Number of Cattle Season Permitted AUW S Ca„ Allotment 'Rived 35d •21 to9 28 - 1o72�. Fall Fillmore 120 6-20 to 11-25 480 -480 Mount Little Grads Valley Vaunt Oniou 'Valley vacant Strawberry' 1&116Y. t 250 5-b to 10-10 400 l 0O0 r s occupy all allotment areas. This may reflect the economic difficul- ties facing 1iva tock ovuer3, soma of which have gone out of business or have reduced operations. The majority of livestock .forage, below 5,500 feet eleV tion is browses principally p y C©.an.othus . There is ci uaiderable forage overlap between deer and cattle, a cow consumes 4 to 5 times as much btatts a as deer. Public land agencies have, boon; ordarad is increase rad swat production by tis% under the. Redgdn admiuiat'rAtion. outaide than Plumas National Vb est tha3 Xivdstock u46 history fibra not aaeu wall documerited. Livestock Ude on the Winter rants 14 princi- pally bojLo," :. az feet elevation. Based ca rough es,'t'i tos provided by county 4gricultural cor ia- sionets, about 12,000 cattle u.t the, vinter x4age and S,,OOO use the tucks hountaiu Whiter irau,g i this use xa ZnNtly from November into April. Sheep use islou and probably insignificant. Goats are popular with foothill reaidauts, but aro: not numerous. Perhaps 1,000 hordes ,bra grazed os writter range ltd both herd rangers. 1 10'. Logging , togging uith n tho, herd vntiged tugaa In. the 1850's. siueo thea r essentially til virgin at4n s of titabor havo. be -e.0 cut, and little truly old grouth timber vamOUS, Most logging, hob bOOU fear conifers l owievor, there hes bden a growriug detraiud lots hardvood aavlogs duct i the past tO yenrsa particularly for black oaks X52= Moat timber cuts have 'beexa 'selective for Large sauloZal but as mill r ng techniques heave improved and large trees are scarcer, trees sari young as 60 years are being taken. Foresters expect to be able to cut on 80 year cycles or less in high quality ac lt$ and cle=ar cutW mmon. Thinning and salvage cuts' .axe tear ting is becoming move co other logging practicao used. L1: Reforestation � '.Moat tef ores t.a tion ha3as occurred on summer and intermediate rangers i and has resulted in Significant g s of brushltand � g cunt acres a conversions since 1965. 04 aul mdr range,sion�i ha -been Wide- bxuashfieLd convex spry' ad. Intermediate range reforestation had mostly involved bard- xood 'orad tutioAp especiasily tanoak: stands. Furt'har courrersiona can be, expected to occur until nearly all class I to 3 soda ars support« ;.. tog conift ra { 1 . Vater Impouxidments a Sucks Xountain Range sats alye3y, Mound Valloyo bucks taakel ai>ad Lo�iesr Huck' Lake reservoirs hate inundated about 41400 acted oe Summer raguge. 9udke'Lake (about 10300 acres lost) impatctod a part colasygood far+ning, a sd feeding area includL` 6doua� y rrzea i,akal ixtundaated over, 141000 Aram (1% Of the total) o saisx <ar range:; moat of this sass cxitical winter range. Anothet 700-e a4rea be0o lost to small tedevoird e bw Moore town Range Little Grass Palley Reservoir inundated about 2,000 acroes of suer range. This was a good fanning ;area of tsetrsdeyhta and feed* Sly Creek, host Creek, and Bulla rd's Bar readervotrs inundated 1,400x- acres of intermediate range. "+ Luke droville inundated about 60000 acres of vioterr raahgai ttaost of it was critical winter tangd. Bullard's Bar cnusod a 'no tla4ar 1;300+ Acre 108A of da'int:e3tr rAnge.r C. Hmrd Population Limiting Ztoctovs 1. Rural sprawl ' IAS 10' considered to be the tftajor limiting factor for both th»eackr Mssuntai,nt And MoozetQeu hardo. Residential tadrorachmout has caueadd a, siguiticant long of deer mange in Buttes County, Cotaa;idc rjvg present ts;ettd.� another �,�� o� the ri {ouhnitig aeiuter tang+ may loot in Butte County, within 20 years, The situation on winter mange in Yuba County is trot much bettare and is potentially lworse. Nitild reaitieenstial encroachment bas bsen leans extensive than it Butte Countyt o80antially all of the Wither range is zoned for five acre parcel&. i chile the Mooretown hard, hail had iz 26 populAtim declits+s, spate Butte i County portions of the Tanga ohera rural aptawl has beau aignificaUt i have had sharp rr detr,;line- a., "xhd Craig and porboutova Attars have had a b+SX decrease it "buck to%e. Most of thin 4aar't4so in oxaess of N o=vibtatll head population deel,ine t4 attributed to hatbitrat .losaat dog 1 predation, poaching, etc. associated with the rapid increase of the area°s human population since 1967. 2. Reforestation, and Btush 'Management Long-term impaata of reforestation have the potent -.1,41 of being o serious limiting factor, particularly if winter rangy trends atabi- \ lixe or improve. T.sarg,e acressed of summer range brush fields are being or have been convarted to conifer plantations, and large acre- ages of intermediates ran,' a have beer, , naved of hardwoods so .:that conifers: could be planted* intunaive foll-04-up aAnageWant, and conifer growths could virtually preclude the preseincKa of deer browse i; t' growths ` 3. Loss of Oaks h one lose cause is through logging. A growing deftod for hardwoods has brought about hdavy inroads ou blas};, oaks. As an example` the Plumas National Forest is panning on the removal of odarty 411" merchantable black. oaks over several, huudred sorsa of iuterztdiate range in the trench Graeck area, of the :Buck's Houutain hard. 'Louisiana Pacific, has cleared oaks from hundreds of acres of MooreM town intermediate ranges in rile Fes then Pallb area] wontly for toui (At plantations. The prepondntanca of oast totdvad was t U oik, but other oak azd havdobod epaeei ea were, taken. There has balm aomt re1nov41 of blue and siva oaten from 'both fainter ranges :as an Alleged 'mdana of iarprovi#g' grazing far cattle. 'This practice may boo-6mo serious on both herd ratrgta bescaot of the Value raf the oaks for fireWood rather than alleged range improyemeT.,t benefits. part of: the concern for oaks is the reduced acOM ava: 11abl"t•y. Poor winter fawn survival has often occurred when acorn trop:o Fera poor'• In adaitiOnL, deer ars tsno6ra to utilize fallen. black o laavt,s its the fall. Sprouting oaks; "pec.ially blacks* provide good forage' Oak loan to euelwood cutting is mntici.pated to becoraa o�tr$x�ely ar�xi pus if pressont trends continue. Vhilen some aoodcuttor areol.rking coacate�ecially, a zrowin$ humans population locally hdtl Oct' a Vo—ab increases ,tr fuelwood cutting for persotjl ttsa. individual jdt ie; not well conttollerd, aad a significant good theft problem exista' F,ccotd ing to the Department of r. -astxy h nd timber tOMV4ni0r. Out% n.x�tlaer company plana to (steove all black C41t3 ou. a portion of: 3utlta 1 �t sntaitt range to ptecluda the: man etury loss d by taaod th"L"Y"' 44 Ioade props 1.5 to 6 aeras of habitat ere dobtroyed for os.ch ssile (12 to 50+ feoi: wido) of road e."Struction . Although tkntt Vood %iata" o the range is unkuown,, LOS great, enough tb a,ccoun.t ;dor aaveral thousand gores Of la.ri.d. Vehicular disturbaUCC furthor treciutta habitat ritili.tatido. goads Significantly +compound the poacchi., 6 probi'dsn by causing easy and Vidas ptead access to dater. Road 111 ean called a conaidetabla long (sae A4. . t. abo�re7 The patat 10 yel ra ha'a seer, 4 proliferation of road tonstrjtt! :i and icnproventaut. Summer rangy din pattioular bale bene' subJ4ttad o � i increased road impacts; the bulk oL the rood activity is for logging Purposes. All too frequently these roads are, or have bezen, cost - u strutted through meaddwa, or immediately adjacent to 'them, thus reducing or eliminating the meadow as a feeding or E*Vni,ng area. This meadow degradation is mostly oaut ed by private logging roads, and public highHays and roads. 5. Vire Suppressions The efficiency of firefighting techniques has brouglI: about a -Virtual dLJ3apPd&ranCd of wi,ldf ren of Ouf Fieient size and fres#lumncy to he ec natural means of range improVom out. Cousequently , 44V1'4nai 'n$ plant suceelosi.ou and age has ;caused a loss of browse quantity and quality in brushfiel.ds. This problem in especially bad on Winter cringe Private load where there is littla or no mt3 ,haui.cdl, activityg+� (�, logging) to cause browso regeneration,, 6 Water IMPOundwonta; A'ermanent loss Of rain a occurs f Permanent � rots resorvor inundation,, and tlimam y coons sizeably loriaos at mentioned. Additional impaicta water projects will occur as; Moro reeeT"iTs are plaaned. Since :water is considered to' ble the eon trolling factor for huada population growth to the Vealt4 preaaurs four additional water projocta Vil.l occur, , 1. Grazing Overgrazing oa ttintar range may big severe if year 10 ossa is involved. Some lmnd in the Aron or g portion of the Moo'tdtm, 'range is nearlydevoid of a oraer� aro z grasses z#bd forbri where, h g�:ta�ed, th+nau same lands also suffer fr"- erosion caused by overgraxzI,iig, Moet of this problem occurs in the summer and fall when tliyrc is no ra3ass grnprth to replace the grazing 1,688, 8e Poaching Poaching M41Y be a major limiting factor on poaeions of tho fiord ranges widespread t� It is wider Well n u,laat ad on range, and atC Sts$ vroraat nea tome PC P ed areaGo it may well be the main rrunnatnr4Ll daortality factor. Areas of then Mooretowtn range Uhi.ch ouca 'Lod high rtesported door kill have had almost no reported kill in, vetout y+sare� Anbas ao t�sny rQ- viotrsl,y mentioned, this loss array co�areivt�bl� p .� an 500 dear on winter Tanga, 9= Predation, Most °nodezu biolagiats believe that prtly speciars abundance regulate Predator n Ulatiorls not vice s��rt+z _ Nstnranl h p ' predtatiou, ;MAY bit som.A- what of a ,limiting factor fur the stebjact hords; but wbcu COUVi4ere d n canteXt With otherwrtaility faictotso Most of which aro itcrs,ta cauaesd, prodati.on is not belielved to Lin soriousw ancontrolleid dogs art aa. signifiotut factor. xhisir impact may bn Y ra's,usizz,g stress, gp,ctial redrlotioz�a �ia�oamings, el indirect b larg �, etc. the doh ,problem is 'cotnssi,dorable on w°intoa• teen e ray � haz~e zany people► let therir dogs run frde; ; little if early of the vinter rouge it free Of +sncrantxollod dogs. Peoples Uvi'tng in door winter Tango y e:om ` laain p of that dog losses to trapoo In Ovidnrx4trxtzcaa! to f7.'e uentl A fotathill 'r��nidesnt loots sevens do � in a y oast sell oi' Which were taught ��g� in traps several miles away where the local landowner bad p rablewa I wahh dogs running cattle and deer, 10. Hut tin Bucks only hunting is not known to be a regulating factor for dear herds. Severely 'depleted buck ratios may have the potenitial, oto limit deer numbers, but regulations seem to have avoided this problem, Xt'* in possible that herd vigor is affected by the taaidiancy of hunters to take the big bucks; however, this may not occur except uhare `buck ratios are extremely low. Also, hunting. pressure- during the aeason causes disturbances to all deer. Crippling losses and iR'mes.son illegal kill may btt somewhat suppres- Siva for deer populations when overall mortality ;is considared. It<_ i may not be a notable .factor In, heats subjected to :lov hunter I pressure;, 11. Vdathez feather can produce flucuhtiots in herd populatioae. This, natural fActot 'has always bean plreSdsrnt, and should not long- terns iriflu• I i i 'InCes in itself un1e44 a mAjort lutag-vtd rm climatic change occUra 'II, MANAGEMENT UNIT COALS The statewide goals for California deer herds are to restore txxd maintain healthy populations and to provide for high duality, diversified usa'of the herds. Where possible, 1965 populations levels were consid(lVad as the restoxa, , tion level to be attained. tint Char the Bucks Mountain or Madi,a toed herds can be expected to attain 190p p a ulat on ldvela, The ,huge amoilatr; of winter rangy habitat lost (over 40% and most of it since 1965) prealudos tb-4t possibility) and it ie anticipated that furtlso*& larges scala habitat losseo 'will occur within 20 Yeats. gveu where land is kept open other activities eu04 as reforestAtLono grating, etc. will be, given priority over wildlife concoms, i To maintain present ,population levels Will be difficult considering present land use priorities and tends. Pedeta.1 (o.g» Sykes Act) and 5tra,to prograrA4 for wildlife have not been lundtd, or fundal monies ha'vd been diverted elsewherd. Both State and Federal agencies have had ,persortn.e_1 cutbacka _ttt+at'- - have renderedimpossible ant y ant ensive vjlc,life mandagementl increasing .. workloads, and 'further personnel cuts will aggravate the siturttioo. The following arm the goals for the Bucks Mountain and 1460retown daet heads: Ai Mucks Mountains Herd Coale 1. Alan Iain a herd popula,tion average of at '14ast 4,000 deer,. Thid would 'be an increasa rbf about 5% over ctttrertt astinaatc�s. Should currdnt eetiUtes provd to ba low, the desired average shell raised. 2. Muidtaio a minimum fail buck, to doa ratio of 2.0:1019. 3f "A449e hab't" sod th" heed Mutation for a aging fawn ratio of 45 to 55 per 100 does, 44 Hand dither soap deer .tun is on a quota bas is to Improve herd condi ioua as ttedded when* a, It can be deteriained that the carrying capacity of tho raxoga, or portions thereof, is exceeded. As poor fawn aurvival muy l A the only basis for that determination, faun ratioD lags than 35/100 does+ occur in two successive years would be uaod as an above currying capacity indicator, b.'The buck i,j doe ratio is less than 14:100 for ciao aucceasive Yeats. C The herd population exceada 4,,000 daer, and tbexa is a publie demand for such hunts. I 5i Avoid serious depletion of dear from any portion of the rangi 6« Maximize public utilization of the hard to Um extant it does not r interfere with the 'herdp well being. B, Moatetaean Herd d0A16 Excepting the pope lei tion level i the goa.is are thu suite au above i The population goal is '71600 deet, an inevease of 7% ,above Present 0-stimate1%, _This goal mould be adjusted upward if cur��nt p pul�tion �atimataaprave to tie Lou. C Hibitat Goals 1. Preserve the adve-agal ne0a8ctry, throughout the winter M19e, to ia.tsin* tain population gosils, or higher populations if feasible 26 l:nc'reaas forage quality and quantity throughout hard ranges * ,r bbUin MitigAtlbn nenassstY to colnpanobte fdt projoct iutpAtts caudilie habitat loss or degradation racticeis t�hich 'uc 4:« Avcirl p gild eliminate habitat cotapt rants from hdtd xxrtgem 5, g mcet t ct altar ottuctutal inftingeoidats which adversely impact habitat or dant b4havi"* .41+s .. HANcEMENr PRoBLEms „ 2hrce s3gp,ificant1 problem,e faceanY art empt p to manage a wildlife gpec3as 1) lack of Land use Control by ldlifn managementagenciaer trolb, outside , 2) political. con.• the agent which may be boacid on emotion s and bias rather logic;' 3) a lack of Moneta;Y thou nuppart.: V3rtuuLl Y till laud within the range Of the herds I$ trolled b p Y public rivatalY atloed:r or con* agencies which usually give wildlife Y• Priv pr3orit cor�diderstiona► l,ac�` ►ata landowners seldom , have mal incentives to to Are ancoura' "3atain th�sir land for 4ildlife re0ouxce benafi is o Public rat mandated blit agencies ge th r frequently g i.s;tzati.e aert3� n ac tivi ti;;� throw -gh le i�s lrt ti v+� or �d�in p lira -. s uu�avoar4ble for wi,ldxi fe an empi~dia K F'iequ(lllt]. Y: managemant ctecisionu by w3ldlifa political coutrold Which weu�nc�geatexet by Outsides g aloe are n litos ced cions and polidlej. p.,3' VOult in biologically unnou4d ,tegulc- camr�la� the Board of supervisor. of many have ay' Counties veto powar over, proposed sutlerleres doer seasons in io a tate; agerwiscr which hos an Seiir countits. it Y biolog3�l esrpe�tiso usually uu<de on thew of input from thn3r dbe:iaiq a'rei biased rather than logical p his is;ton emotJOUAl, and �e Public arhic hudg®t and personnel curdy usuoLl oral. are�ree y Y at the tield aged �e greatly reduced rite ability of ,p3ah s.nc# eaat arch l,e��r�ci ha a deet to tetipond to idtlu `� management ueadcd to. to elee� g wor'�londr�, InEunsi, ex hords it not „ these Cuts r and lean so because o 0 f tither ncrea$1bg comms' le iCh ro .. : tees � eai,b is The same p em d face d by other fade3tal aria auto s¢cnc3ed el, ooi Program nhich could be bdoofioial `ta wildlfe„ tin tresl send or leas there its a bort -42,y �. realist budget and personnel distribution b+�tt�een Admini G:ratinn rand iron £iasld no effecriva ZU field tagemeat can acoun A. Herd Biology Investigative Needs 1. Additional documentation of herd `r 1 grat:ianel and sdaaiontal use patterns is needed. . Herd composition or age ati.-uetu" data is needed 3m ion a Reproduction 1e. p d recruitment data. is not available. t�. A,', mortality factory natd &ddit onAl. study and documfsntaticn» 5 Food hlbitb infoteraation should be upd4tad 6. Competition with dowedtic animats and non natiVO (c. �r turkeys) wildlife npoina needs furt'har st'udy., 7, Ruiaali disturbance of .dear behavior neisd further def'n tiom atxd documautAtion including hunting impae'tn. F g , prreferrod nae area$ on all ranged Arta no"t cotap7 catel.y kanovu h,r Habitat 1.Utenaive amounts of winter range b lyd 'been lost or aegvaded by rutasl, rddident al encroachment, Road coUbtruct on liaa destroyed ani doagriaded largo aol'eagaa of 411 rattgeo t and has incr haded to all raugasa» yualwno+3 'cutting is eau i n oonaidarmbld loan of lib rdOoOdso F�eforeett►tion ,diad brush gesmekrxt tmnda tea crdatdmouotygt habitats k unproductive► for dearo and moat other wil.dlifd npecims. 5, Reservoirs hc'vd inundtated large waountn of deer h&b tAt.y mid othdr hydroaleGtrio projects have resulted in liabitat 1066 dud 'dagta'd"'O"» b tc'tard14 6. Fixe dupotboa oti htas tedriced laxoraoe quantity nttd quality by lrirowiae r69en""ion and permittitaglimzos vcg«xtatiou tarunlu lone :vire ahcceaeou 7.: Small parcel sizes On winter range Compound the inability to Manipulate 'habitat, 8. Federal and state programs which permit habitat im ro p , Yelrtent projects are frdquently poorly £undedt and some not at all.. 9. Overgrazing hall occuz-red, on. portions of winter range,,and could become a problem on other ranges. C. Utilization I. There ars cont li,cting huntoT use demands betseeu high and 1W alti- tude ,bun teas x pvrer31zesd deer toned prevent marxagement on a herd bamia to the detriment of public utilization. 3. Biologically sound Oanaageanent dtol,aioJW aro difficult to GhtAiu be:csuee of political cons trainta r ouch las County veto powor ov^nr either :sex hunting* 4# public ignorance of biology roaultS in s lack of suppcxtt ata,i fre« gueutiy opposition to$ taildlifca. ron�d rezagrsaeaaxt acedy. The "public is generallyignorant, gnora tt of fish and Camos capabilities and cbUstrati€ata. S. Many hunters feel, that deet 'hunting Opportunities and quaatrtty are atead,iLy dr;tcriore,tiu�, t3. communication 1. There !.so p or diatsibution of biological inform4tioti in the Department x. The pubtio tae A poor tn►dexataeadizag of Department togatraiitt4t proble►uSt VOdponsi`ailjtieaa and operations. w44*. , V. WAGEMENT SOLUTIONS AND PRZscRIpTIONS A Inventory and-xr%vestigati:on; 14 Radio telemetry and tagging projects shall be continued to further document herd migration and seasonal use patterns, 2 Herd composition counts will be initiated to datermine hard composi- tion, rectuitment, and fawn survival, Whereas winter range coun" I for the Hooretowa herd should be feasible, summer rid ea counts for the Bucks Fountain herd will, be made as terrain 404 access on winter range is difficult: Age structure information Unnot feasibly be obtained due to ihq scattered nature of the kill in time and 'locality, and- the lack of manpower. Unless such information included fdtraaalO sampleas, such information is not applicable to the Whole hard. 3. Reproductiox' rates May be determined through axa urination of dead does during field checks if either sox jiun;ts occur, 4. An update of food habits will be madd pasudi,ng the Illotment of fund8. S. Prior to the introduction of exotic uild,l;ife s ecies or si nifi p B caan increases in 11vt4toak use, all possible adverse Imptacts causad by such introduetions or increases should be identified-. if it i determined that exotic rail dlifeouid compliate with dei7r, such species crust not be tatr'6duc6d», bi.vostock use in,c,roaseat should be based ou habitu ImprovrarAent to mitigate the increased compet# tiotia. Humdu distua:baned impacts on deer pray be determiced tyt a. Reference to publishod doauMdnts and ougoi'tag studies in aha Depa r krncrn;t, a Land use restrictions mentioued in the ,preceding :t►oction ►nay' help to keep poaching from reacing it's full potoutial. Basad closures where possible on public lands should %educe poaching which occurs mostly along roads. Al.sa, dog training should be, prohibited on sutMat range excapt duringhooting seasons: This action 'could reduce fawn stress and poaching losses Habitat improvement progzags can reduce we�atharo dianaao, f. prada:tion, and disturbance induced mortality by -increasing heard Vigor through better putrition« C. Habitat 1M Rural resident' mpdets on vriuter range may be reducad s:l e#�ae~roasrhmaut i by a. Supplying ,local goveraraett with available data Cu duet" uet which illua'trates the "04 for range ptot€ertion via lurid UAG gmttaarml plate. - IdealBoverumanta in daVelopiAg plans lic &Ad po ins t4 b. Assi.utiug , protect deer raugr Guth as iii than "exnrnple. girraa in 4ppradiX 4 which has beau AUbmtttOd to gutter County. c. AdvocAtit g 40 Bore Olinim" parcel sizes orx critical dear range°'► and 20 at'rs minimuas on the reiaait"ng Tanpe. local govveramiet is igtiorO utildlife: nooda thu 'dish and: Cattily onr.tt title legal recoar sa sa provided by "C CA; Sgbdivisibe 'Hap Aat, att, tet eta tbi.ishd einotoatic Value for deer %ay way land us+- iecision makers to a More t avera�al.�s tril d:li vievtipoint i 2. Road construction impacts on, all ranges can be reducaId by a. Recommended measures in C.l. above. I b. Installation of uadercrosslug's and fencing ,on high speed roads �, t�,•aasecting 'm:L@;ration routes and high use areas C, Reduce or limit roads to two miles por section, d. Forbidding the use of salt on road beds, e. Removing existing roads from meadows+ and ro:ttxuz parManout i roads 300 yards or more from meadows and riparian areas. £. Rdvegatatioix dud closure of logging roads when regular manages- mantc use is not planned within 10. years g.A Ovoid routing toads through hig:4 use deer areas. h, t;dav,e acreeniogvegetation ai,ouS goads to reduce didturbtuaa and t poaching. r 3» F"uelwood cutting should be governed by amendments to the CAliforaid Forest Froaticas Act vAeb. would, control Oak recgoval ou pr3'vate land r: Xddi F.LOual funding fo, the lbepal:tment of Forestry inty be needed_ for } Mbte 'duforetmen't against wood thieves. On federal lands, cat ttolli:ng agencies should insure by policy and enfovcament stat to area be deplatad of ha.rdgodds tc the extent that 6 wildlife use is digu fioAuLly rede.00d. This should Include Ojiniaturt tree Cove.rjg0 per acre as tdoocmmended in Qe6 following section 4. $, Reforestation J pacts can 'be reduced by,, a Reten,ti,ou of hardwoods as in Appendix 5, ,ptaaeribed P b. Brush control should preferably, be limited to mans. ierdai'.aida applications, if used, should be wades ;krosn 'tho ground,.. and limited to the it mg4iate i.ttf'luence zone, of the lip--Lesto be protected. c. BrovOelan'ts should be seeded in forage age defici.out ureas wtithin three years of tree s'tookiug. Swed sources Aoaad to bo ii developed. it d Leaving islands of o.c sti.ng forage and cover dot z5% of the � aonvarsiou area. , e. Retain `high vzalue dear areas and administfw thorn ea such, 5. Reseryair and hydroei sat'ric project iopfacta should ba "raduced by i a. In kind habitat replacement; Leith acreages of equivalent valoo: for the life of the projeet. 1 b. 'Thorough pre-projett study to determiva all impacts on door and implemanting appropriate mitigation. measures. r `i 5igni£icant habitat im roweotuts 6. p through fire use can W abtaindd bya a► Permittiq; wildfires to burn up to 40 acres of habitat wheaa that fire ,poses no threat tai life or high valua property►, b. use of prescribed burAing 'thtuuph Catiforaia's Vogetation r Hanagament Program and pri-vast hands Aldl,ife Management, progrwA on private land. e. Utad of praascr' ja biiarn ng for wildlife ieutfits xn publid lAndai vin the Sikes and dV Aetsv This m4thod should be utilized for brush 'waaiaagaament in relation ob eire 'CO.'atrai and, raforest>ation. � Hadhon c:al tathniques tilay bd feasible when f raa is mots r a i 7. There is no easy tolutior to habitat improvemqut:, pVgj,) :ema aauadd by small parcel sizes. Adaption of B.l.c. above would haalp Laeal gaverament Adoption of large, open space and teagource caciaaxv'a* tion land use elements in general plats offer tie beat po 'entiaal: for meaningful habitat improvement. 1 8, I.ittl:e or no funding for faderal and ata4te babttAt Improvtoont pro- grains is a serious limitation, particularly for lnt;or-*6diaater aand suuwdr ra3ng0s: Only, publicsupport far sual proAr4a��o oata altar 'Maas present situation. Agatacy piataonnol alao need to praeonnt a; battatr crass for taiLdlife meds to federal and state. md�alniatriaEibfla 4. Habits t C"an be retained by a) Raitention of public lauds as such. y b) A dquiri.aag hand through purchase or trade. c) AaquiAitioti of couaarvAtior, easatuents. i 10. leducbiou of ava,argrati ig ou Viutor tango will be dLtampted by working with local agricultural tommiasiorifars and farm advisors. Sail Cahsarvation Serwice involVumaiaat may. be h6lpful. i 11. Public ageaucian gill be Urged to rcmov'e ar6dVeaatioahl facilitias and Y buildings but of And away from maadows. r ' 3. The veto power of Boards of Supervisors over hutting ragulrations must ba revoked so that wildlife management will 'frees of prdjudicns caused' by emotion and personal bias, 4. Hunter opportunities and hunting quality can be increaaed ox" improved by: a, Use of antleresa deer hutting whan herd levels can sustain such. hutting; without significant population reduction; b. Eiunter access on private lath should be increaaad by providing, r incentives to landowners through access fens, private lauds management, tax,breatta, and reduction of accident liability. Tho Private %andsWildlife 'Nanagement Program oftira the opporw . tunicY to provide private land access. Comfauhication k 1. public ignorance of wildlife biology and Ue' artme'nt capabilities and *onatrai#ts'-could be zoduced byt. a. Ddpartnieftt sponsored seminars throughout the state in coopers+.* tion 'kith other, agencies. b Improved use of rsublid inftirmatiOd officers within the T�eparttent c. dote fraquatit use of Ilii: n6va media by fieldperst►nnel. d. '8cology courses in public schools.. 2, 'Che bepartmant tt,uat require a full te'port after the camptetion of biological stiidids (a.&,) tddio 'telatootry). All rapoXts Muunt be circulated within the Departrdent, and made available to other b. Fish and Game laws should germitl a Destruction of any uucantroll,ed dogs harassing ally wildlife k species an public land. on private Land unedat-rolled dogs should be destroyed for harassing wildlife except f�Y Mdepredating Speciest b.. Doi' owners should have to compens.ates for any wildlife loosen. G 'Itevi,ev and Upda taw Objective. Maintain this plan such that the inl dtmAtIociAnd re commep'da- tions are curreut and mec;t spatcific MMdd ate alld long-+ 0%14 treads in th* herd unite !.nua:l!v review the plait and updata a& 3„ e,ppropr,iat t Input 1,11to the review will be obtained frog Dapartr ro:t persoanel including unit: And regional personnel, the Flutuas slid Lassen Natio"I potestso and ` interested pubjAesm Ha1i.Void't, held compositiana anal range statsta I aMtorrmmtizn wi11 be raatnts tned and added to the plsny in addition to new tnt•`ozmatiau dexived drum spacial studies 2: As a V41hicle of public input .into the plan a qudstiounaira 4tlould be formulated a114 distributed to huaters> to 1601 sportAmeris 9Tottpai spud to other J%iter4ated, pubUca, VI. ALTERNATIVES some alternatives to this plan exist. They are axrently infeasible betA ado of legislative mandate, land use priorities, lack of funding) or essentially irraversible adverse impacts on the vauge+ A. status qua There '1s littla ttaU gement pres4utly and moat of It di"Otad toward regu- lation of use. Thar lack of a management plan giving pol)cy dirOct- ion toward goals, and current political and funding restralata' provide a haphazard a toach to doer taanageameutTb. _ g would not pp dt3 legislative mandate would be fulfilled. H'ithotrt a Commibtmadt to protecting deer hea=d's, and frith irtdbda steut managemeatt deer popula><tikin trends can be oarpeatad to declind-o liabttat lana and dotdtioraatiou wouXd catxtittud to tilt' po=int of irreversibility. <, Public dissatisfaction raoiild increase to then extent that bapattmenk - credibility may cease. $ Habitat and Population ThdTeasd to 1965 Levels if this alternativecould' be obtAiuesd despite habitat losses and bumuaa population increaadso mmjar land. apse changes vould have to Oder. 4LId- life needs would have; to tea ceivQ top pt�iosrity:, Exteusi.vo cbnvtmt ions of fore=st; rural; and grating laarid to pt'itatg deer habitat wOuld hatva to occur o Large budgets 6r b4bi.tat iiuprovoMIAt programasy aitudioe l aid sddi banal personua► uoula have to be avai`labl'e »5b» VII kErtRENCES Asheraft, G. C. 1976. Dear Propagation Units and Population (Aataters. North Kings Deer Herd Cooperative Management Project. CalitOrAl,ai Department of Fish and Game. Browning, H., R. W. Schuleaberg, and 0. Brunetti. 1573. Rail Road -slat Dear Study. California De:partmeat of Fish and Game, Fed, A,id to Vildlife Rest. Proj, W52 -R. Wildlife Management Administrative Re'ppvt #73*1 Foular, G. S., and R e. Wagner. 1982, The Blue Canyon Deer HoW Management Plan. California Departmsut at Fish and Game. l,onghurst, W. hi., A. S. Leopoldi and R. Y. Danmacn,. 1552, A buxvoy of California 'Dear Herds. Theyir Ranges ,and M=Agemvnt Prbbl6MS, California Department of Fish and Game. Bulletin #6. 136 pg, 'Naal, D, L. 1981. pawn Mortality it the 'North Kings Datr Bard- Soni,' Ptdliminary Results. Cali-NeV4 Wdlif e Transaati6g$, RamsOYt T. E. 1981. Eadtarn Tehama Deer Herd plan Californlar Departmenn of Fish and Game. Siparak, .T. 1983.,Y611a Nally Doer Hord :Management plan. California Department of Fish and Gawe Spillett, Joan, 1.084, Values be Dear and Elk Oil e Chtibo N tioWildlife ld e o at. #bbd Pot Thought. The Habitat Sxpress oto. . Management 'Staff. Intermountain Region, U.S. Forest Sorvica. k Wallmo, 0 C., ad. 1951. , Mule and BlActcrtailed Deer of North Amerir.a. Uoivetsity of Nebraska Press. 554 pp r L 1 _ i i Appeudix 1. HOORE'TOWN DEER HERD TELERE'TRY STUDY PROGRESS REPORT Ob ac tiv® To Provide up-to•date documentation Of hard boundaries and migrbory iivameiut. Recent klanning efforts by �'ederalr St and 'local agencies involved in land use considerations have rxptossed a need for raceut documsntst ott on local duan make appropriate decisions in id%Avd to wildlifa. may herds in,order that they The same teed 1=4 been t"ognized in dear `hard ma agement platin. 1 uinE praparred by the bQpartment ptdceduteg clover 'traps) waa Initiated iu �r Pebruaz Winter range deer trapping (utilizing .and December 19$0 at Sunset Hill i + 'Bette county. Additional 'trapping occurod e in February 193.x. Thede lodationg .are on Plumna Zi F. made i n at Irie�.ds Ride; y the upper portion of Wintat range Vote available for placerlent upon adult does. All Six �ta din taleldetry units vith ad 1ok and alumi dear trapped gevd ear., ye llba `T-�nium oar tags Host inf ormabian gathered Vag through monitoring radio ttle'Utry uniW byair and ground. too V13ual sightings OZ other marked deer hove bean riscaivad sxcept .Tor ono buck which WAS Y , tho hunting taken b a hunter gear trap site dura Sentjon after 'the buck's dap turn by PIUV as O,F. otc onion of the tojaet a person><xal dffort etas t>ai plie d p ,� mai p biolo ists, Art Aobohav and 'bee AAndat:ono of the L,rDaxtd ilaogar l iatriut. g i ' liay t ore bsaentially espousihile forthe tVapplt and did coxrSida�rablm telemetry ground twnitoting- roat equipmonr and aircraft for aerial. mouito'ri'n{� xrapping,nd taLgry supplied S`Y the Department, 'Results Deceaiilaa: i` 9o; only three lines near Sunset till ware. run in February Trap ht on, Vi:elds hidgo. in dear btaj:e caught each season, 'dight doer were caug r ebrub ry 1�?82 `Che, 3rtached tri"Bgi'sg form $'"6 spe�ei,> is in formation ex exiecod each ssaaOn, Most oil t1Ye ro tt�re succ'eso rate was p A ln► ,,ap Periods. One doe iu a trtsp wee eather duri'ag the trapping wtxa fair, warm w f t. turned 10066 by a `�AC� craw when thoy ctuud a trap with the doth in i d�ux asuht �roxe adult daeo, Five: oi; the sig roved t;n bo migta - ix of 11� cn tufa an4 was doe (dad could not be fr,uud subdequeuc to p tory, The. sixth awed af,t reaching probably a poachin vi.ct i near trap site, Doe LO ;disapp sotmitar rause in JIu11a L� SiJ as�otiier poaci�int'� vi,otiaalDae 3, 'ws�+ taken by to aacher it Novo,mbor 1.952 on 'rintae ran�a s�i�or-tiy after r et,.xtii.s�► from sumsanr P �r bills tho fr,Llow rangng Mary', ®, Her tqI. radio collar WAO found Ili�'i�,�pp Monitored movements (Odes ateni~hed map) as�car tauged tAV6tory routes already detevh ned y p ll maga ons► field obaerv'atio�s, some ��vaa�oxit:s �,doaa �� also that rxok d11 d t +r b sat 'k1 o rids a system tc9 aoth�sr shod ag iaa 1► ? f tom s, tna x ,,lgrai+a old just one v0d9u system. r don 3 wAde 1�5i gpriYxg 'holding 4tea was detecfcd oto MOOTov'illd l� hdgo wtt�a �� 'tutor `bat One � Darn to be another r ainplm all dClays' nd� 4 aPp ai ant does, not utilize a holding rule. a d39 Doe 5 was found dead (eauae undetermined) at the; base of Sly Creelc Dam on Tuna 110 1982. She had been in that area since May 4 and died about .lune S. Spring migration movement began in late April ar_d early May in 1982 and Was about two creeks later in 1983, Timing correlates with drying up of winter range. The two week, delay in 1983 was, anticipated as the wiling Ua,I wetter and cooler thau in 1982- Similar timing hat been observed in the a*vtj northerly gaa t Tehama herd., Vail migration began late September to mid-gctober. Several r+jin atotens in lata September, early ;Octobetr 1981 appeared to have little affect on deer movement, Doe 4 did cove down a little faster than she went up V111ch is the reverse ot most deer observed so far. 11 ,as 2 and k did not return to within a half mile ` of trapsite (for the 1982-83 winter) but remained two to three miles fUVtfier upridga` It is li:k'Alar ;that the Audw and cold of 1981-83 had pushed thend doer to the trap site hz, x hovevear, they may have p, yttsdted to new graWth vegetation, in the tVae plantatiunrs where they wintered In 1982-83 k6commennded,Action Pro�ett domp'letion trill depend upon the lifeof the radio trIlametry units. Txapping effortssay, cotitinuel through the 1984-85 Veathrer, if vat4oua iwnditions provesnt an earlier Completion Vint er range trapping may occur to 1083'-8A at part: of a stjady p dttercnina r46i4dntial Wttoachmerst impacts of migratory deer, Such trappiang will be the result of a need to supply Jptrcific, up-to-date information to tounty pIlanners� �btl« i_ "'' C6UUty a� Species .-., DceY 1n 1u � ng Tag __— thxu Trapping Sites A Sunset Hill C A ,Fieldm Ride Tag Antle *0 Live Date Trap T-Lok Pteq. Other Ne, Sex R 1 Age mit. Trap ed Site No., s _ Chantal %den"t. Remarks Yellow 159.420 1641 F-13-8i A5 187 9 retop A3 1,642 9 2-14-50 ." 188 12,14-80 159.4;15 1643 1? A +, A6 189 10 Yellow 1769 H F 35 11-24-80 Al 231 Yells 1770 H 1 1 Y 73 12-24-80 A2 232: Ye11o0 177'1 H 1- 1. Y 75 13-?1_80 A5 x33 Yellow 1647 H 6 1.2852 Al 210 1,685 F A 95 2-02-82 32 191 2 159.36p 1649' A 73 ��, B4 192 5 159.33q 1630 �' A 78 t5 19.3 3 1701 P Y 53 M 194 169.345 17152 Fb8„ A big �� 191 4 Y�tllow 1703 A 9,/ 2-05-81 B5 209 1104 F 42 2"0041 B3 208 -62" _ Appandlx 2 HERD COMP.OSITXON COUNTY COMPARISON 1957-PRESENT BLUE CANYON AND PACIM DEER HERDS 'FALL _ SPRING Fawns-.100 Burlcal:lOt1 Female Female S ample S1ze FAkraa;lbQ Female Snmplc Size Year BCDH* PDH* BCDH PDH BUR PDH BCDH PDH BODH PDH 1957-58 47 33 63 77 130 144 �* 108 .v 183 1958-59 46 36 66 92 156 41; S 60 148 338 159 1.959-60 47 86 $6 97 67 186 .. , 56 266 1960-61 45 48, 61 56 139 314 - , 43 w-w 369 1961-62 41 _ 28 59 53- - 234 190 -47 45 304 344 1962-63 23 41 42 35 185; 167 55 49 200 251, 1963-64 Q� 27 .. 16 134 94 a-- 300 1964.65 -- q* .»- 47*' a:-� 332ry rw 57.:. rww. 186. 1965-66 .,0 43- 59 rim 154 =w 64 165 1966-67 .. 50 -.,.. 347 3 46 - 87 «.-«. 179 ..- 38 .,w 115 1968«69 ; . 18_ 28 76 78 178 124 65 _ 48- 271 370 0 1969-70 -- 24 »- 90 90 66' .,- 244 07041 30 35` 53 67 104 111 86 _ 66 272 238 1971-72• 16 33" 41 59 119 18S 43 150 1972-73 21 31 4a 43 117 191 »- 49 438 1973.74 .. 26 55 -»- 174. 50 188 197.4-75 ..., 30 -- 61 -a- 252 w, 60 196 1975-76, W 37 85 --i 133 - 70 1d3 1976-77 20k* 36 104 197746 21* 58 227 1918-79' 28 58 w w 149 32 °*800 ' Blud d6ty0ti beet Herd Paciuic Deov Hevd. k*OdwLi ty t.Aken 1Atd) cpilaldeted uarel3.4'bld ***touht not taken *+���bate it+�t av►Ai1$b1e at dine d� �rzit3.ng =63- _ APPENDIX 3 PLANT COMMUNITIES BUCKS MOUNTAIN AND MOORZTOWV DEER HERD mANAG'EMENT UNITS A. 'Blue Oak SaVaanah TreeA Shrubs. Crasnes. F'orbdi Blue oak - uarcusdou�la�sii Buckbruoh - Ceaanothus cuv Avenasp ttur -alovar Hed� ictaga higpida BMAUS lip. Br Digger Pine - Oak Treaa ShralrA" bigger Pins Blue oak N"nz nit,a, w Ar ttei : -"ta -Loo ., op. Canyoti live oak uarcue ch - ,a ire Interior live Dark � """'�� ..'�'.. Q. ifllizenii Wes t raabud - Cezcis occidatttnlis. California buckt;ya - Aesc tlua taa�.ifoaaica Maunctn tAi�n Mahogany cocaar�us, batu'loidas Sorub ock -uazcus du�rorse Cal.i'forrtia Lortx` l ,Um e u aria moria Poison eAk - Rhus iversi oba Cali�ora,ie cow �b�arry� � Rh z� culi � c Chaparxa ' Shruba Niut, r Ran .e) Hanzntti te►'` Mountait► Nhitethorri bee;rbrush Saowbush - Ceainothus velutinun Wastdtn chokechar7ry "- Fxttnu�m irgittiatia ��itberchexy .reir�inxta ri3i Ht!dkleber%7 oak » cercusvacciMifolia Sita chinqutapit . Castaanopsin C. Blaick. Oak -Woodland Bleck nak .. itarcns keno ui Cuxyon ]�vo oek Tanoak ,Li thota _ ,densiflor,a Si 1444 Nadroua Arbu � toAcer.. p� y um l ur s Manziesii Mott lie h,spaood nuht B ed�rug Itacensd ceder Libocdec...... a. ]7bug.4ar .�........,.�....r: Poo daroae fit Ps�u au a m Lo eaii. int - pinus po�darasa ---------» �*64� ArPEUDIX 3 (CONTINUED) A. Black Oak Woodland contituedl Shrubs Uearbtush ul. ,Monn�i l poison Galifotnia coffeeherryRhtuurA li�osuiCa Lommon teduothus E. .Mountaiu, 14eadow Trses Grasses and Ftrbe Wi llnw - 5ali�t ap. cyp4taceae dundaceae hldor - A1�, nes gyp. Lodgapole pine - piinue iut rxaya Osaatix�rx,e j,� .+ F Ripfair Shrub a Tx"rb"w 11 M11 .�.'" iilaankb$a7cy . Rum yittolita Willow W ilAldlo Wild grape "Vitt Eallf rn'SA gdAkLug Aspen ow tine s � Blank cot'tunraaod - tii,,Y,,,a....rRa� prerAont cottonwood P. f emou'tii calif bn a syca ora pla,tunua aceiaos : Big.leai h1aPln di mixed dohifez Shxuba Tree Sugar pine � pig lawbm�tiana t7eerbruah houtAtain vthitethdi's�, Pondaroma p#no concolor toe toga aexvidebatx Amalat�rl iax alviifolie .. .."`....�..�.. �..-.s.....�...,.. 'gig WhitWUii�a �"S. r »Avian e Goosebev y M apt a fit t)dinc+anbe Mantanira calla t uok oak �. Ei. 'gull F'i SI Treae i ,,►bice ma nifica Red �. - Gooscbe.xtry White ftiay - Pr Lt—a i hbutxtain vshitethoxn Ja pine W®8tdru 4hite One k' maatiatla, � Lcdgnp�la puna -65-