Relationships between Fires and Winter Habitat of Deer in Idaho

Abstract

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) preferred unburned Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)/ninebark (Physocarpus malvaceus) habitat types in winter, except during February, when the unburned bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum)/bluegrass (Poa sandbergii) habitat type was preferred. Mule deer (0. hemionus) preferred burned Douglas-fir/ninebark and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)/bluebunch wheatgrass habitat types. White-tailed deer preferred sites that had the shortest average distance to cover, whereas mule deer selected sites that had significantly less cover. Relatively unpalatable species, including ninebark, were eaten more frequently on burned sites than on unburned sites. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 44(2):372-380 Wildfire, a major ecological influence, has been reintroduced into several wilderness areas and national parks (Aldrich and Mutch 1973, Kilgore 1976). Its effect on wildlife populations in different habitat types will provide insight into use of fire as a management tool outside these natural areas. The effects of forest fires on mule deer and white-tailed deer populations in western Montana and northern Idaho have received little attention. Studies elsewhere reveal regional differences that may be related to habitat (Pengelly 1961, Vogl and Beck 1970, Kramer 1972, Loope and Gruell 1973). The objectives of this study were to test the hypothesis that white-tailed and mule deer respond to fire-induced vegetation change in different ways and to define the differences. Our investigations were initiated in May 1975 and extended through July 1976. We thank personnel of the Northern Forest Fire Laboratory and the Bitterroot National Forest, and Mr. and Mrs. G. Matteson and Mr. and Mrs. K. Wolfinbarger of the Selway River for cooperation and hospitality during this study. This project was funded jointly by McIntireStennis Project MS-22, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Range Sciences, University of Idaho; and the Research, Development, and Application Project, Northern Forest Fire Laboratory, U.S. Forest Service.