A two-year study of the Rocky Mountain goat in the Crazy Mountains, Montana
by Jack W Lentfer
A THESIS Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of Master of Science in Fish and Wildlife Management
Montana State University
© Copyright by Jack W Lentfer (1954)
Abstract:
A study of an introduced mountain goat herd was conducted in the Crazy Mountains, southwestern
Montana, from March, 1952, 11 years after the first introduction, to October, 1953. Biological
comparisons were made between Crazy Mountains goats and goats from the herd which supplied the
original stock for introduction. Population data were secured by aerial and ground censuses. The
Methods are described and compared. Parturition period, kid/adult ratios, and numbers of single kids,
twins, and triplets are discussed. Examination for presence of sperm in males and corpora lutea in
females gave information on time of breeding. Live-trapped and dead animals were examined to obtain
data on dentition, weights, body measurements, and horns. Each is evaluated as a criterion for
estimating age. Seasonal movements are described. Distribution of animals from original release site is
delimited. Live-trapped goats were marked and released for movement studies. Effectiveness of
marking is discussed. Two observations on longevity are recorded. Other observations of activities and
behavior, pelage, moisture requirements, and adverse factors are described. A TWO-IEAR STUDY OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT IN THE
CRAZY MOUNTAINS, MONTANA
Jack W. L e n tfe r
A THESIS
Subm itted t o th e G raduate F a c u lty
in
p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t o f th e re q u ire m e n ts
f o r th e d e g re e o f
M aster o f S cience i n F is h and W ild lif e Management
at
Montana S ta te C o lleg e
Approved:
■tment
Chairman, Examining Committee
Beanf^ G raduate D iv is io n
:i
Bozeman, Montana
J a n u a ry , 1954
ljMlHl,,/
U / ,i
-
A t3 7 f
L^491
C *7f >
'
-2 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
A b s tr a c t.............................................................................................................
I n tr o d u c tio n .....................................................................................................
4
The Crazy M ountains......................................................................................
Methods...................................................
C ensusing and P o p u la tio n ...........................................................................
#
R ep ro d u ctio n .............................................................
H
P h y s ic a l C h a ra c te rs R elate d to AgeC la s s e s ......................................
18
Tooth Development and R eplacem ent............................................
19
Body W eights and M easurem ents.....................................................
21
H orns.........................................................................................................
^4
P e la g e ..................................................................................................................
^6
A c t i v i t i e s and B eh a v io r.............................................................................
26
Group S iz e s and M ake-up..................................................................
26
A g g re ssiv e n ess and P la y ...............................................
29
15
W arin ess...................................................................................................
Bedding..............................................
H
S easonal D i s t r i b u t i o n ..............................
31
Movements.................................................................................................
32
M oisture R equirem ents...............................................................
35
Adverse F a c to r s ......................................................
36
L o n g e v ity ................................................................................................
37
Summary................................................................................................................
37
L i te r a tu r e C ite d ........... ............................................................................. •
39
110364
ABSTRACT
A s tu d y o f an in tro d u c e d m ountain g o a t h e rd was conducted i n th e
Crazy .M o u n tain s,' so u th w e ste rn M ontana, from March, 1952, 11 y e a r s a f t e r
th e f i r s t in tr o d u c tio n , to O ctober, 1953. B io lo g ic a l com parisons were
made betw een Crazy M ountains g o a ts and g o a ts from .th e h e rd w hich s u p p lie d
th e o r i g i n a l s to c k f o r in tr o d u c tio n . P o p u la tio n d a ta were sec u re d by a e r ­
i a l and ground c e n s u s e s . • The Methods a re d e s c rib e d and compared. P a r tu r ­
i t i o n p e rio d , k i d / a d u l t r a t i o s , and numbers o f s in g le k id s , tw in s , and
t r i p l e t s a re d is c u s s e d . E xam ination f o r p re se n c e o f sperm i n m ales and
c o rp o ra l u t e a i n fe m a les gave in fo rm a tio n on tim e o f b reed in g .- L iv etra p p e d and dead a n im als were examined to o b ta in d a ta on d e n t i t i o n ,
w e ig h ts, body m easurem ents, and h o rn s . Each i s e v a lu a te d a s a c r i t e r i o n
f o r e s tim a tin g a g e. S easo n al movements a re d e s c rib e d . D is tr ib u tio n o f
a n im als from o r i g i n a l r e le a s e s i t e i s d e lim ite d . L iv e -tra p p e d g o a ts were
marked and r e le a s e d f o r movement s t u d i e s . E f f e c tiv e n e s s o f m arking i s
d is c u s s e d . Two o b s e rv a tio n s on lo n g e v ity a re re c o rd e d . O ther o b serv a­
t i o n s o f a c t i v i t i e s and b e h a v io r, p e la g e , m o is tu re re q u ire m e n ts , and ad­
v e rs e f a c t o r s a re d e s c rib e d .
INTRODUCTION
The Montana F is h and Game D epartm ent h a s conducted a program o f l i v e tr a p p in g and t r a n s p la n t in g Rocky M ountain g o a ts (Oreamnos am ericanus m isso u lae). in to Mhewn a r e a s .
Twenty-one were tr a n s p la n te d in to th e Crazy
M ountains, so u th w e ste rn Montana, a s fo llo w s s
two m ature fe m a le s, one ma­
t u r e m ale, and one y e a r lin g m ale, A p ril 16, 1941? th r e e fe m a les and two
m ales two y e a rs o ld o r o ld e r and one y e a r lin g fem ale A p ril 26, 1941; s ix
fe m a les and fo u r m ales two y e a r s o ld o r o ld e r , and one y e a r lin g fem ale
A p ril 17, 1943.
A ll were r e le a s e d a lo n g S w eetg rass Creek a few m ile s
above th e B rannin Ranch (F ig . I ) . ' Mr. B arney M. B ran n in , a ra n c h e r i n
S w eetg rass Canyon, re q u e s te d th e p l a n t .
He s o l i c i t e d h a l f th e n e c e s sa ry
fu n d s from r e s i d e n t s o f th e Crazy M ountains a re a and h e lp ed Game D epartm ent
p e rs o n n e l t r a p th e o r i g i n a l s to c k on Deep Creek w est o f Choteau i n th e
n o rth w e s te rn p a r t o f th e s t a t e .
Each y e a r fo llo w in g th e p l a n t s , Mr. B ran n in p la c e d b lo c k s a l t along
th e h ig h , rough r id g e on th e n o rth s id e o f S w eetgrass Creek and i n M illy
C reek, a t r i b u t a r y .
Each s u c c e ss iv e y e a r th e . s a l t was p la c e d a t low er
e le v a tio n s and each y e a r i t was u sed by g o a ts .
Mr. B ran n in re c o rd e d ob­
s e r v a tio n s each y e a r , m o stly i n May and June d u rin g th e k id d in g sea so n .
New k id s were o bserved each s p r in g .
H is d ia r y r e v e a ls a g ra d u a l in c re a s e
. I
i n num bers.
T his h ig h ly s u c c e s s fu l p la n t p ro v id e d an o p p o rtu n ity to conduct an
in te n s iv e i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f an expanding h e rd i n a new en v iro n m en t.
D ata
were sec u re d on p o p u la tio n s , movements, re p ro d u c tio n , and o th e r b io lo g ic a l
f a c t o r s from March, 1952, to O ctober, 1953.
The f in d in g s p ro v id e a b a s is
—5—
f o r com parison w ith o ld e r s t a b i l i z e d g o a t h e rd s o f th e s t a t e , c h ie f ly th o s e
o f th e C o n tin e n ta l U n it s tu d ie d by C aseb eer, e t a l . (19 5 0 ),
The w r i t e r e x te n d s g r a t e f u l th a n k s to th e fo llo w in g s
th e Montana F is h
and Game D epartm ent f o r f in a n c in g th e in v e s t ig a ti o n ; D r. Don C. Quimby o f
Montana S ta te C ollege who d ir e c te d th e s tu d y and gave v a lu a b le a id i n p re ­
p a rin g th e m a n u sc rip t; J . E. Gaab o f th e Montana F is h and Game D epartm ent
who a s s i s t e d i n s e t t i n g up th e p r o je c t and a id e d i n th e f i e l d ; Jack K.
S aunders, J r . , and P h il ip R. South f o r a id i n th e f i e l d ; th e B rannin Ranch,
whose members p ro v id e d in fo rm a tio n and h o s p i t a l i t y ; P r o f. H arold W atlin g o f
Montana S ta te C o lleg e f o r a s s is ta n c e i n h i s t o l o g i c a l e x am in atio n o f t e s t e s
and o v a r ie s ; and my f a t h e r , Henry H. L e n tf e r , f o r a id i n c a re o f specim ens.
• THE CRAZY MOUNTAINS
' The fo llo w in g g e o lo g ic a l d e s c r ip tio n s a re from th e works o f Weed
(1899) and W olff (1 933).
The Crazy M ountains, an i s o l a t e d g ro u p .o f con­
n e c te d peaks from 10 to 20 m ile s wide and 30 m ile s lo n g , s u rp a s s m ost o th e r
m ountains o f th e s t a t e i n e le v a tio n and ru g g e d n e ss.
The h ig h e s t peaks
re a c h an e le v a tio n o f o v e r 11,000 f e e t , o r 6,000 f e e t above th e su rro u n d ­
in g , open bench la n d s .
The m ountains c o n s is t o f sa n d sto n e s and s h a le s o f
l a t e C retaceo u s o r Eocene Age in to which th r e e g r e a t c o re s o f ig n eo u s ro c k
have been i n j e c t e d w ith th o u san d s o f a s s o c ia te d l a c o l i t h s , s i l l s , and
d ik e s .
The ig n eo u s ro c k s and sedim ents h ard en ed by c o n ta c t metamorphism
have r e s i s t e d th e g e n e ra l e r o s io n .o f th e re g io n to rem ain a s sh arp peaks
and r id g e s (F ig . 2 ) .
The m ountains a re b is e c te d by th e b ro ad h eadw ater v a lle y o f th e
S h ie ld s R iv er flo w in g w estw ard and th e e astw a rd -flo w in g American Fork.
-6 -
co fv tn.
7/7<7
Conic
© Hindu L. Trop
© Miily Cr Trap
F ig . I .
® Original R elea se S it e
t jr o
, 51>qle 3
4
5 Miiea
Map o f th e Crazy M ountains.
F ig . 2. Hindu Lake and summer g o a t ran g e from Hindu Lake
T rap. G oats were commonly seen alo n g th e r id g e s , i n th e c l i f f s ,
and i n th e s l i d e ro c k a r e a s . Wind blow ing o v er th e to p o f th e
rid g e formed deep s n o w d rifts , rem ains o f which a re shown i n th e
r i g h t s id e o f th e p i c t u r e . No g o a ts o r tr a c k s were found h ere
i n th e w in te r .
-8 -
The h ig h e s t peaks and m ost rugged to p o g rap h y o ccu r i n th e so u th e rn h a l f .
G reat numbers o f r a d i a l d ik e s form prom inent w a lls .
The n o rth e rn p a r t has
no sh arp a lp in e peaks a n d ,. e x c e p t f o r Loco M ountain, i s g e n e r a lly tim b e re d .
The m ountains re c e iv e heavy snows i n w in te r and fr e q u e n t r a i n s i n
summer, sometimes o f c lo u d b u rs t i n t e n s i t y .
Many snow banks l a s t a l l sum­
mer and f u r n is h w a te r f o r th e numerous sm all la k e s and a lp in e meadows i n
th e h ig h b a s in s a t heads o f d ra in a g e s .
D rainage i s d i s t i n c t l y r a d i a l .
A lthough th e so u th e rn p o r tio n p ro v id e s e x c e lle n t m ountain g o a t h a b i­
t a t a s d em o n strated by th e su c c e ss o f in tr o d u c tio n , th e a n im als a p p a re n tly
were n ev er n a tiv e t h e r e .
The absence o f g o a ts i n th e ra n g e s su rro u n d in g
th e Crazy M ountains and th e i s o l a t e d n a tu re o f th e Crazy M ountains them­
s e lv e s p ro b a b ly e x p la in t h i s .
METHODS
The two summers were s p e n t i n th e m ountains i n im m ediate g o a t h a b i­
ta t.
F ive t r i p s were made in to th e a re a d u rin g w in te r and s p rin g .
F ly in g
f o r c e n su sin g and o b se rv in g was done a t v a rio u s tim e s th ro u g h o u t th e y e a r .
. Two t r a p s were c o n s tr u c te d to l i v e - t r a p g o a ts .
One was on M illy
Creek, th e o th e r , f iv e and o n e - h a lf a i r l i n e m ile s away on th e m ain d iv id e
above Hindu Lake a t th e head o f S w eetg rass C reek.
w ith s a l t .
The tr a p s were b a ite d
The Hindu Lake t r a p was i n o p e r a tio n 24 days i n th e summer o f
1952; th e M illy Creek t r a p e ig h t days i n th e summer o f 1952, 30 days i n
th e summer o f 1953.
Of 21 g o a ts tra p p e d , 14 were marked and r e le a s e d , s ix
were t r a p c a s u a l t i e s ; one, a k id which l a t e r d ie d , was r e ta in e d to r a i s e
f o r stu d y p u rp o se s.
To mark in d iv id u a ls , p l a s t i c e a r m arkers o f d i f f e r ­
e n t shapes and c o lo r s (Johnson, 1951) and sheep b ra n d in g p a in t were u s e d .
-9 -
M arkers were p u t i n th e r i g h t e a r o f g o a ts cau g h t a t one t r a p and i n th e
l e f t e a r o f th o s e caught a t th e o th e r .
b lu e a t th e o th e r .
Red p a in t was u sed a t one tr a p ;
Large numbers and o th e r d ia g n o s tic d e sig n s w ere,
p a in te d on th e anim als (F ig . 3 ) .
Sex, w e ig h t, s ta n d a rd m easurem ents, h o rn developm ent, and c o n d itio n
o f i n c i s o r s were o b ta in e d .
The th r e e g o a ts i n t e n t i o n a l l y c o lle c te d and
th e s ix t h a t d ie d d u rin g tr a p p in g o p e ra tio n s p ro v id ed s k u lls and re p ro d u c ­
t i v e o rg an s i n a d d itio n to th e d a ta sec u re d from l i v e specim ens.
A s p e c ia l
h u n tin g seaso n i n th e f a l l o f 1953 p ro v id e d d a ta from 22, jaw s from 18,
and re p ro d u c tiv e o rg an s from n in e .
Two m ethods, ground and a e r i a l , were u sed f o r c e n su sin g .
One ground
count c o v e rin g th e n o rth e rn h a l f o f th e ran g e was' made i n A ugust, 1952,
by two' men t r a v e l i n g from n o rth to so u th w ith h o rs e s and a l i g h t camp.
Each covered a c e r t a i n a re a each day on f o o t .
By u s in g b in o c u la r s , i t
was p o s s ib le to examine much o f th e g o a t h a b i t a t .
P re lim in a ry to making an a e r i a l co u n t o f th e e n t i r e a r e a , s e v e ra l
f l i g h t s were made a t v a rio u s tim e s to e n a b le p i l o t and o b s e rv e r to become
f a m i l i a r w ith th e a re a , and to lo c a t e c o n c e n tra tio n s o f g o a ts .
From th e se
f l i g h t s , g o a t range was d eterm in ed and in te n s iv e c en su sin g lim ite d to Loco
M ountain, Lebo Peak and th e e n t i r e so u th e rn a re a (F ig . I ) .
The p la n e used
was a 125 HP Super Cub p i lo te d by James D. S tr a d le y o f th e G a lla t in F ly in g
S e rv ic e , B elg ra d e , M ontana.
The w r i t e r was th e o b s e rv e r on a l l cen su ses.
C ensusing was done by d ra in a g e s .
The rid g e o r r id g e s s e p a ra tin g , a
d ra in a g e from a re a s n o t y e t counted were flow n to lo c a t e g o a ts n e a r th e
to p which m ight move in to o r o u t o f th e a re a to be co u n ted .
The d ra in a g e
-1 0 -
F ig . 3 . A dult fem ale g o a t le a v in g t r a p s i t e . She was
tra p p e d August 6, 1952, a f t e r most o f th e long w in te r h a i r had
been shed. Numbers were a p p lie d w ith sheep b ran d in g p a in t.
-1 1 -
was th e n flow n a t contour, i n t e r v a l s .
A ro u g h , bro k en , c l i f f y a r e a , b r
a re a w ith scru b tim b e r, was flow n a t 3 0 0 -fo o t i n t e r v a l s and o c c a s io n a lly
a t i n t e r v a l s o f 100 o r 200 f e e t i f i t were e x c e p tio n a lly rough and g o a ts
were num erous.
I n t e r v a l s up to 500 f e e t m ig h t be u sed above a r e l a t i v e l y
smooth s h a le ro c k o r meadow ty p e .
W ider c o n to u rs could be u sed i n w in te r
above s lo p e s w ith unbroken, deep snow where no tr a c k s were v i s i b l e .
L evels
were h e ld by th e p i l o t re a d in g th e a l t i m e t e r . ..
O bserving was g e n e r a lly done by lo o k in g s t r a i g h t o u t and down.
At
tim e s g o a ts would s ta n d s t i l l o r even rem ain bedded when th e p la n e went
o v e r.
Most o f them moved, however, and many t r i e d to h id e by g e ttin g un­
d e r scru b tim b e r where a v a il a b le , o r by p r e s s in g th em selv es a g a in s t c l i f f s
o r la r g e ro c k s .
T his was accom plished i n a v e ry s h o r t tim e .
make th e m selv e s q u ite d i f f i c u l t to s e e .
They could
Complete a e r i a l c en su ses were
made i n A ugust, 1952, A p r il, 1953, and Septem ber, 1953.
O b se rv a tio n s , m o stly i n th e S w eetg rass drain ag e^ a id e d by b in o c u la rs
and 20X s p o ttin g scope, were made d u rin g p e rio d s n o t s p e n t on th e above
a c tiv itie s .
Animals were approached on f o o t , sometimes w ith in l e s s th a n
20 f e e t , b u t u s u a ll y w ith in s e v e r a l hundred y a r d s .
to two m ile s away were re c o rd e d .
i f p o s s ib le .
Some o b s e rv a tio n s up
Goats were c l a s s i f i e d a s a d u lts o r k id s
T h e ir lo c a t io n , a c t i v i t y , h a b i t a t ty p e , and o th e r p e r tin e n t
d a ta were re c o rd e d .
S p e c ia l c o n s id e r a tio n was g iv en to lo c a t in g marked
a n im a ls.
CENSUSING AND POPULATION
A com parison o f th e r e l a t i v e a c c u ra c y o f ground and a e r i a l co u n ts i s
a ffo rd e d by th e r e s u l t s o f cen su sin g . o f ab o u t o n e -h a lf th e g o a t ra n g e .by
-
each o f th e m ethods (T able I ) .
f o u r th s a s many a n im a ls.
12 -
The ground count gave o n ly ab o u t t h r e e -
The v a lu e o f t h i s com parison i s le s s e n e d some­
what by th e p o s s i b i l i t y o f anim al movements, b u t th e k id / a d u l t r a t i o sug­
g e s ts t h a t some m ature an im als a re m issed on ground c o u n ts .
These a re
p o s s ib ly s in g le s i n in a c c e s s ib le p la c e s .
The a c c u ra cy o f a e r i a l c en su sin g i s in d ic a te d by th e r e s u l t s o f th r e e
c o u n ts o f th e e n t i r e m ountain g o a t ran g e ( Table I I ) .
Only e ig h t l e s s
g o a ts were counted i n A p r il, 1953, th a n i n A ugust, 1952.
been c o lle c te d betw een c o u n ts .
Two a d u lts had
The k i d / a d u l t r a t i o was d i f f e r e n t f o r th e
two c o u n ts , b u t o b v io u s ly a more a c c u ra te f ig u r e was o b ta in e d i n August
when th e young were two months o ld th a n i n A p ril when n in e months o ld .
In
A p r il, t h e i r lo n g h a i r and s iz e made i t more d i f f i c u l t to d is tin g u is h
them from a d u l t s .
P o p u la tio n f ig u r e s o b ta in e d by th e t h i r d a e r i a l co u n t i n Septem ber,
1953, r e f l e c t e d a new k id c ro p .
The number o f a d u lts counted was 202'.
Four a d u lts were known to have d ie d a s a r e s u l t o f tr a p p in g and c o l l e c t ­
in g s in c e th e l a s t c e n su s.
Evi&e'^bly 38 were counted i n A p ril th a t, were
n o t counted i n September.,-' P o s s ib ly some were l a t e - w i n t e r c a s u a l t i e s .
The d is c re p a n c y may haye been due to a cen su s e r r o r r e s u l t i n g from a snow
and r a i n storm d u rin g th e Septem ber cen su s p e r io d .
were i d e a l th e f ir s t," d a y .
two d a y s.
F ly in g c o n d itio n s
The storm began t h a t n ig h t and c o n tin u e d f o r .
A s h o r t f l i g h t th e second day o f th e storm in d ic a te d t h a t th e
g o a ts had moved o f f th e h ig h exposed r id g e s to low er e le v a tio n s .
There i s
p o s i t i v e ev id en ce t h a t two g o a ts moved o u t o f th e a re a counted b e fo re th e
sto rm .
4
G oats marked »8» and ttIO n w ith sh ee p -b ra n d in g p a in t were seen th e
-1 3 -
T able I .
Date
8 / 5 to 8/12
8/20. to 8/25
R e s u lts o f a e r i a l and ground c en su sin g
o f th e same a re a i n 1952»
T o tal
Type
M ountain G oats
Census
A e ria l
163
Ground . ■ .126
T able I I .
Date
8 /5 to 8 /1 2 /5 2
4 /1 to 4 /H /5 3
9 /1 to 9 / 6/53
A d u lts
119
83
K id/A dult
R atio
. .37
.52
Kids
44
. 43
R p su lts o f th r e e a e r i a l c e n su se s.
T o ta l.
M ountain Goats
A d u lts
252
186
244
’ 278
159
202
.
Kids
66
85
76
- K id/A dult
R atio
.36
.5 4
.38
f i r s t day o f f ly i n g and a g a in when c o u n tin g was resumed fo llo w in g th e
sto rm .
se e n .
Number "8" was a lo n e a t th e edge o f th e counted a re a when f i r s t
He moved about 500 y a rd s in to an u n counted a r e a .
about th r e e a i r l i n e m ile s .
Number mIO w moved
He was a lo n e b o th tim e s o b s e rv e d .
These exam­
p le s show t h a t g o a t movements can be a so u rce o f e r r o r , b u t i f w eath er p e r­
m its f ly i n g e v e ry day u n t i l an a re a i s co u n ted , g o a ts in v o lv e d should f r e ­
q u e n tly be re c o g n iz e d by t h e i r lo c a t io n and group c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .
s u ita b le f o r tr a c k in g i s o f c o n s id e ra b le a id .
Snow
Coverage o f an a re a w ith o u t
i n t e r r u p t i o n should p ro v id e a re a s o n a b ly a c c u ra te c o u n t.
The v e ry c lo s e *
agreem ent o f th e A ugust, 1952, and A p ril, 1953, co u n ts s tre n g th e n s t h i s
c o n c lu s io n .
(F ig . 4 )•
Early-sum m er f ly i n g g iv e s th e m ost a c c u ra te k i d / a d u l t r a t i o
I t was d i f f i c u l t i n some c a se s to r e a d i l y d i s tin g u is h k id s from
a d u lts i n Septem ber.
m en tio n ed .
The d i f f i c u l t y o f A p ril k id d e te rm in a tio n h a s been
—14--
F ig . 4 . Female and k id June 19» 1952. Small k id s were
easy to d is tin g u is h from l a r g e r y e a r lin g s and o ld e r an im als
e a r ly i n th e summer. T h e ir g r e a te r s iz e and lo n g h a i r made
t h i s more d i f f i c u l t i n th e w in te r.
-1 5 -
REPRODUCTION
The e a r l i e s t known d a te f o r new k id s , May 30, 1953, was r e p o rte d by
fis h e rm e n .
The e a r l i e s t k id seen by th e a u th o r was on June I , 1953, h i s
f i r s t day i n th e m ountains s in c e March.
There was a g ra d u a l in c r e a s e i n
numbers o f k id s seen to ab o u t June 17, a f t e r which th e r a t i o o f k id s to
a d u lts was more c o n s ta n t.
May '26, 1948.
The e a r l i e s t k id seen by G asebeer (1950) was on
A G la c ie r N a tio n a l Park ra n g e r i s re p o rte d to have seen a
k id on F e b ru a ry 27, 1935.
Anderson (1940) i n W ashington o b serv ed th e e a r­
l i e s t k id on May 20.
A ll g o a ts seen from th e ground were c l a s s i f i e d a s a d u lt o r young
(T able I I I ) .
A lthough p ro b a b le y e a r lin g s were c l a s s i f i e d a s such i n th e
f i e l d , th e y have been in c lu d e d a s a d u l t s .
A y e a r lin g can be c l a s s i f i e d :
a c c u r a te ly o n ly a t re a s o n a b ly c lo se ran g e and i f accompanied by a k id and
m ature a n im a ls.
The f ig u r e s su g g e st an an n u al in c re a s e o f ab o u t o n e - th ir d .
Kids were l i s t e d a s t r i p l e t s , tw in s , s in g le s , o r u n c l a s s i f i e d (T able
IV ).
P e rc e n ta g e f ig u r e s f o r c l a s s i f i e d k id s should be c o n sid e re d minimums,
a s some u n c l a s s i f i e d p ro b a b ly f i t in to each c a te g o ry . ■ I f th r e e sta y e d t o ­
g e th e r and fo llo w e d one a d u lt c lo s e ly , th e y were c o n sid e re d t r i p l e t s .
T r i p l e t s seen i n M illy Greek d ra in a g e J u ly 8, 1953, were w atched f o r about
o n e - h a lf hour a s th e y moved slo w ly down a h i l l .
A s e t was w atched i n th e
head o f th e South Fork o f S w eetgrass Greek th e m orning o f August 27, 1953,
a s th e y fe d w ith o th e r g o a ts .
The fem ale and th r e e k id s were seen by
th e m selv e s l a t e r i n th e a fte rn o o n .
T r i p l e t s w atched O ctober 11, 1953, i n
th e head o f Rock Creek were seen a g a in th e n e x t m orning. A n o th er"case o f
'
. p ro b a b le t r i p l e t s was seen from th e a i r August 9, 1952, i n th e head o f
-1 6 -
Table I I I .
Rocky M ountain g o a ts c l a s s i f i e d from ground.
Date
3 /2 7 /5 2 to 1 2 /1 9 /5 2
2 / 2/53 to 1 0 /1 1 /5 3
3 /2 7 /5 2 to 1 0 /1 1 /5 3
Table IV.
A d u lts
295
604
Kids
127
899
311
1210
K id/A dult
R atio
.43
.30
m
.35
Rocky M ountain g o at k id s c l a s s i f i e d from g ro u n d .
Date
1952
1953
T r ip le ts
% of
No. T o tal
0
0
3 (9 )
5
1952-53
3 (9 )
Cascade C reek.
T o tal
M ountain Goats
422
788
3
Twins
% of
T o tal
No.
22(44) 35
25(50) 27
47(94)
30
S in g le s
% of
No. T o tal
26
33
98
53
131
42
U n c la s s ifie d
% of
No. T o tal
50
39
27
15
77
T o ta l
127
184
311
25
Two o th e r s e t s o f t r i p l e t s were re p o rte d by Game D epart­
ment p e rs o n n e l, having been seen J u ly 8, 1952, i n M illy Creek, and J u ly
21, 1952, i n th e N orth Fork o f S w eetg rass C reek.
I f two k id s appeared to b elon g to one a d u lt th e y were c o n sid e re d
tw in s .
Numerous c a se s o f tw in n in g a re r e p o rte d by Mr. B ran n in d u rin g th e
y e a rs p re v io u s to t h i s s tu d y .
Anderson (1940) s t a t e s t h a t i n t h e i r b e s t
co u n t i n W ashington, 18 n a n n ie s had one k id and th r e e had tw in s .
sm all sample i n d ic a te s t h a t 25 p e rc e n t o f th e k id s were tw in s .
This
C asebeer
(1950) s t a t e s , "o f 88 in d iv id u a l k id s o b serv ed , th e r e was ev id en ce f o r
o n ly one p ro b a b le case o f tw in n in g ” .
F ig u re s f o r th e Crazy M ountains
h e rd in d ic a te a much h ig h e r r a t e o f re p ro d u c tio n .
I n tr o d u c tio n from na­
t i v e range i n th e n o rth w e s te rn p a r t o f th e s t a t e in to th e p o s s ib ly more
f e r t i l e range o f th e Crazy M ountains a p p a r e n tly improved f e r t i l i t y .
Cheatum and S everinghaus (1950) found i n New York t h a t w h i t e - t a i l e d d e er
-1 7 on good range had h ig h e r in c id e n c e o f f e r t i l i t y and more embryos p e r doe
th a n d e e r on p o o re r ra n g e .
T e s te s and a tta c h e d ep ididym id es from e ig h t m ales and o v a r ie s from
six ' fe m a les were f ix e d i n 10 p e rc e n t fo rm a lin .
P o rtio n s o f ep id id y m is and
t e s t i s c o n ta in in g sem en ifero u s tu b u le s from each anim al were imbedded i n
p a r a f f i n , s e c tio n e d a t te n m ic ro n s, and s ta in e d w ith H a r r is ' h em ato x y lin
and e o s in .
Table 7 summarizes r e s u l t s o f ex am in atio n s f o r sperm .
were imbedded i n p a r a f f i n and s e r i a l l y s e c tio n e d a t 15 m ic ro n s.
t i o n s were saved and s ta in e d w ith H a r r i s ' h em ato x y lin and e o s in .
O varies
A ll sec­
P resence
o r absence o f c o rp o ra l u t e a was d eterm in ed by m ic ro sc o p ic ex am in atio n
( Table V I).
Corpora l u t e a were d is tin g u is h e d from G ra a fia n f o l l i c l e s h i s ­
t o l o g i c a l l y (Maximow and Bloom ).
A fem ale w ith one f e t u s c o lle c te d i n
March had one corpus luteum i n each o v a ry .
Of fo u r an im als ta k e n from
Septem ber 15*to O ctober 11, th r e e had no c o rp o ra l u t e a .
The o th e r , ta k en
Septem ber 15, had one corpus lu teum , i n d ic a tin g t h a t she had o v u la te d .
C e llu la r s tr u c t u r e was s im ila r to t h a t o f th e c o rp o ra l u t e a o f th e p reg ­
n a n t fe m a le .
No c e l l u l a r d e g e n e ra tio n had ta k e n p la c e .
B randborg (1 950), from d i r e c t o b s e rv a tio n s i n th e Salmon R iv er coun­
t r y o f Idaho, d eterm in ed t h a t b re e d in g o c c u rs i n November and p ro b a b ly con­
tin u e s u n t i l th e m iddle o f December.
The p re se n c e o f m ature sperm i n th e
ep id id y m is and a corpus luteum i n Crazy M ountains g o a ts d u rin g September
in d ic a te t h a t some m ight be cap ab le o f b re e d in g a t t h i s tim e .
P resence o f a corpus luteum i n th e 27^-m onth-old anim al in d ic a te s
fe rtility .
S ix y e a r lin g and f iv e tw o -y e a r-o ld fem ales were examined (June
to Septem ber) .
None were l a c t a t i n g .
The p re g n a n t fem ale was aged a t 3 4-
-1 8 -
m onths.
A fem ale aged a t 38 months was l a c t a t i n g .
These a l l in d ic a te
b re e d in g a t a p p ro x im a te ly two and o n e -h a lf y e a r s .
Table V.
R e s u lts o f e x am in atio n f o r sperm i n e ig h t Rocky M ountain g o a ts .
Date
C o lle c te d
7/ 2
9/15
6 /10
9/15
9/27
6/23
9/21
9/26
Table VI.
Age
13 mo.
mo.
24 mo.
39& mo.
40 mo.
4 y r. +
4 y r. +
4 y r. +
Av. Wt.
T e s te s (g m s .)
1 1 .2
25.3
1 6 .5
9 8 .7
149.1
90 .3
1 3 4 .4
100.0
Sperm P re s e n t
Sem eniferous
E pididym is
Tubules
D ev el.
+
+
D evel.
D evel.
+
+
R e s u lts o f ex am in atio n s f o r c o rp o ra l u t e a i n th e
o v a r ie s o f s ix Rocky M ountain g o a ts .
Date
C o lle c te d
7 /2 4
9 /15
3 /2 2
9/15
9/17
10/11
Age
14
27&
34
4
4
4
mo.
mo.
mo.
y r- +
y r. +
y r. +
Corpora Lutea
P re s e n t
I
2(1 each ovary)
-
PHYSICAL CHARACTERS RELATED TO AGE CLASSES
D ata c o n cern in g to o th developm ent, body s i z e s , w e ig h ts, and horn de­
velopm ent were u sed to determ in e th e m ost r e l i a b l e and e a s i l y u sed c r i ­
t e r i a f o r a g in g .
A fte r a l l d a ta were c o n sid e re d , g o a ts were a ssig n e d an
age based c h ie f ly on d e n t i t i o n .
O th e rs, in c lu d in g S ev erin g h au s (1949) and
R o b in e tte and Jen sen (1950), have found t e e t h to be r e l i a b l e f o r aging
o th e r b ig game s p e c ie s .
-1 9 -
Tooth Development and Replacem ent
A dult m ountain g o a t d e n t i t i o n c o n s is ts
12 3
M' j 2 5»
J
^
Cj
PM | 2 4
The i n c i s o r - l i k e lo w er c an in e i s c o n sid e re d i n c i s o r Lr i n t h i s
d is c u s s io n , fo llo w in g th e custom o f many a u th o r s .
c o n s is ts o f DI
2 Q DC ~
DM
The d ecid u o u s d e n t i t i o n
2
F o u rte e n i n c i s o r e x am in atio n s o f s ix k id s ab o u t th r e e days to fo u r
m onths o ld in d ic a te d t h a t DI^ e r u p ts a t a b o u t seven d a y s.
Dig ^ were p re ­
s e n t a t 14 days and D I. a t f iv e w eeks. Each o f fo u r s k u lls o b ta in e d from
4
June 25 to J u ly 27, a t ages o f ab o u t one to two m onths, had com plete de­
c id u o u s p rem o lar d e n t i t i o n b u t no m o la rs .
I n c is o r developm ent was no ted f o r 12 g o a ts c la s s e d a s y e a r lin g s (13
to 16 m o n th s).
I
was e r u p tin g d u rin g t h i s p e rio d . Four y e a r lin g s k u l l s
I
,
and two low er jaw s re v e a le d a l l d ecid u o u s p re m o la rs. M I were co m p le tely .
O'
e ru p te d , M | p a r t i a l l y e ru p te d . Lower cheek t e e t h ap p ear to come i n
s l i g h t l y ahead o f u p p e rs .
I n c is o r developm ent n o te d f o r seven a n im als c la s s e d a s tw o -y e a r-o ld s
(24 to 28 m onths) in d ic a te d t h a t I^ b e g in s to e ru p t a t 24 to 25 months and
i s f u l l y e ru p te d a t 28 m onths.
Three s k u l l s and one lo w er jaw in d ic a te d
t h a t perm anent p re m o la rs a re e r u p tin g d u rin g t h i s p e r io d .
s e n t and M 2 were a b s e n t o r i n v a rio u s s ta g e s o f e r u p tio n .
3 .
l e c t e d i n March and aged a t 33& months had I
DI
• I 2
3 4
3
M were n o t f u l l y e r u p te d .
M ^ | were p re ­
A g o a t c o l-
™iit “ill-
I n c is o r developm ent was n o ted f o r e ig h t g o a ts c la s s e d a s th r e e - y e a r o ld s (38 to 392 m o n th s).
S ix had I ,
and D I. on b o th s id e s . One, aged
12 3
.4
a t 39& m onths, d i f f e r e d i n t h a t I on one s id e was s t a r t i n g to e r u p t . . The
4
—2 0 -
i n c i s o r developm ent o f one fem ale aged a t 38 m onths, was ty p i c a l o f 26
m onthsj i . e . , I
DI
. Her w e ig h t, m easurem ents, and th e f a c t t h a t
12
3 4
she had a k id in d ic a te d h e r age a s 38 m onths. Seven th r e e - y e a r - o ld s k u lls
each had a f u l l complement o f perm anent cheek t e e t h .
In two, b o th
were n o t q u ite f u l l y e r u p te d .
E leven g o a ts c l a s s i f i e d a s f o u r y e a rs o ld o r o ld e r had com plete a d u lt
d e n titio n .
These d a ta can be a p p lie d to ag in g g o a ts d u rin g f a l l h u n tin g s e a so n s.
Kids have DI
„ , DM | |
Second f a l l an im als have I . D I. _ ,
1 2 3 4 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
DM - - - M ^ I w ith M | j u s t e r u p tin g . By t h e i r t h i r d f a l l , g o a ts have
I l g DI^
tim e .
Perm anent p re m o la rs .a re r e p la c in g deciduous p re m o la rs a t t h i s
V arious co m binations o f d ecid u o u s and perm anent p re m o la rs can pos­
s i b l y be e x p e c te d .
M ilk p re m o la rs when p r e s e n t a re b a d ly w orn.
DM. i s a
4
12
-i
th re e -c o n e d to o th , PM., tw o-coned. M - - a re p r e s e n t and M 4 n o t y e t
4
. 1 2
J
e ru p te d o r i n v a rio u s s ta g e s o f e r u p tio n . F o u rth f a l l a n im als have a
f u l l complement o f perm anent cheek t e e t h w ith v a rio u s co m b in atio n s o f
perm anent and d ecid u o u s i n c i s o r s , th e m ost common b e in g
I
12
DI
34
or I
1234
may a ls o be fo u n d .
2 3 ^4°
Complete perm anent d e n titio n
i s p r e s e n t i n su cceed in g y e a r s .
C asebeer (1950) o b ta in e d 18 i n c i s o r and e ig h t cheek t e e t h o b serv a­
t i o n s from g o a ts l e s s th a n fo u r y e a rs o ld , i n May and June, a month e a r T
I i e r th a n th e summer d a ta and fo u r to f iv e months e a r l i e r th a n th e h u n t­
in g seaso n d a ta o f t h i s s tu d y .
f o r th e two h e rd s i s in d ic a te d .
w ith o u t c o n f l i c t
S im ila r to o th developm ent and rep lacem en t
The two s e t s o f d a ta can be combined
-2 1 -
Body W eights and M easurem ents
Two m a le s, c a p tu re d when ab o u t th r e e days o ld , were h e ld by Mr. B rann in f o r s tu d y .
tiv e .
They were w ith th e nanny when caught b u t were n o t to o ac­
A man w alking could keep up w ith them .
T h e ir hooves were s t i l l
s o f t , t h e i r u m b ilic a l co rd s r e d d is h , somewhat t r a n s lu c e n t, and ab o u t s ix
in c h e s lo n g .
Twice a day an Angora g o a t was h e ld so th e y could n u rse and
tw ic e a day th e y were fe d s ix ounces o f Angora m ilk from a b o t t l e .
were q u ite a c ti v e a f t e r a week.
They
One d ie d a t f iv e weeks a p p a r e n tly due to
fe n c e i n j u r i e s and p o s s ib ly from i n j u r i e s i n f l i c t e d by an Angora nanny.
The o th e r became s ic k and d ie d a f t e r s ix m onths.
6 .2 5 and 6 .5 0 pounds when c a p tu re d .
The c a p tiv e s weighed
At IA days each weighed 9 .7 5 pounds.
S tan d ard m easurem ents ( t o t a l le n g th , t a i l , h in d f o o t, and e a r ) i n in c h e s
were 2 4 .4 , 1 .5 , 7 .1 , 2 .8 , and 2 5 .5 , 1 .8 , 6 .8 , 2 .8 .
m easurem ents were 1 5 .0 in c h e s and 1 4 .5 in c h e s .
H eight a t sh o u ld er
E ig h te e n w e ig h ts and te n
s e t s o f m easurem ents were o b ta in e d from th e c a p tiv e s and s ix liv e - tr a p p e d
w ild k id s from June th ro u g h Septem ber.
c re a s e (T able V II) .
These showed a p ro g re s s iv e in ­
The o l d e s t and l a r g e s t k id , examined when fo u r months
o ld , was th e c a p tiv e s t i l l a liv e a t t h a t tim e .
V II a re from t h i s a n im a l.
September d a ta i n Table
Kids a p p ro x im a te ly fo u r months o ld seen a t
c lo s e range i n th e f i e l d appeared to be f u r t h e r d ev elo p ed .
Table V II.
Range i n w e ig h ts (pounds) and m easurem ents (in c h e s)
o f Rocky M ountain g o a t k id s .
No. oi
No. o f T o ta l
Length
Kids W eight
Kids
June 12
6 .3 -1 6 .0
4
J u ly
5 1 0 .8 -2 6 .0
2 6 .3 -3 3 .0
5
S e p t. I 3 1 .0
I
3 5 .5
T a il
I «5—2 .3
2 .0 - 3 .8
2 .3
Hind
Foot
6 .8 - 7 .1
6 .5 - 8 .9
8 .3
Ear
2 .5 - 2 .8
2 . 8 - 3 .I
3 .4
H eight a t
Shoulder
1 4 .5 -1 5 .0
1 7 .5 -1 9 .0
1 9 .5
—2 2 -
W eights and m easurem ents o f g o a ts o ld e r th a n k id s show .a g ra d u a l i n ­
c re a s e w ith age ( Table V H I) .
Mean and extrem e w e ig h ts and i n g e n e r a l,
mean and extrem e m easurem ents o f each a g e - c la s s were h ig h e r f o r m ales th a n
fe m a le s .
T his i s more e v id e n t i n th e o ld e r g ro u p s.
Frequency d i s t r i b u t i o n s o f w e ig h ts and m easurem ents were p re p a re d .
The age o f in d iv id u a ls i n each g ro u p in g o f fre q u e n c y d i s t r i b u t i o n s was
checked by t e e t h .
Groups su g g este d by w e ig h t-fre q u e n c ie s were k id s , y e a r­
l i n g s , tw o -y e a r-o ld s , th r e e and f o u r - y e a r - o ld fe m a le s, and th r e e and f o u r y e a r - o ld s o f e i t h e r sex .
T o ta l le n g th , h in d f o o t, and h e ig h t a t sh o u ld er
fre q u e n c ie s su g g este d k id s , y e a r lin g s , tw o -y e a r-o ld s , and th r e e - y e a r - o ld s
o r o ld e r .
Groups su g g ested by t a i l and e a r le n g th fr e q u e n c ie s were k id s ,
y e a r lin g s , and tw o -y e a r-o ld s o r o ld e r .
Because o f an o v e rla p o f age
c la s s e s i n th e fre q u e n c y d i s t r i b u t i o n s and i n Table V III, w e ig h ts and mea­
surem ents a re n o t c o n sid e re d to o r e l i a b l e f o r a g in g , e s p e c ia ll y beyond two
y e ars.
They may be a v a lu a b le a id i n ag in g an im als t h a t have "u n u su al"
to o th developm ent; e . g , , r e ta r d e d i n c i s o r e r u p tio n .
C asebeer o b ta in e d w e ig h ts and m easurem ents o f C o n tin e n ta l U n it g o a ts
m o stly d u rin g May.
S im ila r d a ta from Crazy M ountains g o a ts o f "the-same
y e a r c la s s e s were o b ta in e d d u rin g June and J u ly .
The d if f e r e n c e i n
w e ig h ts p re v e n ts d i r e c t com parisons because' o f th e p o s s i b i l i t y o f a d d i­
t i o n a l grow th a n d /o r g r e a te r improvement o f w in te r body c o n d itio n o f th e
l a t e r c o lle c te d a n im a ls, b u t th e s e f a c t o r s could h a rd ly a cco u n t f o r th e
s u p e r i o r i t y i n s iz e o f Crazy M ountains g o a ts a s in d ic a te d by th e d a ta in
T ables V III and IX.
Whole w e ig h ts and h o g -d re sse d w e ig h ts ( v is c e r a removed) were o b ta in e d
—
I
Il
-2 3 Table V III.
Mean and extrem e w e ig h ts (pounds) anti measurem ents (in c h e s) o f
Rocky M ountain g o a ts from th e Crazy M ountains.
-----------1 -
No.
3
5
T o ta l
Length
4 5 .0 (4 3 .5 -4 7 .0 )
4 7 .3 (3 6 .0 -5 1 .0 )
2
2
4 8 .0 (4 7 .0 -4 9 .0 )
5 2 .0 (5 1 .0 -5 3 .0 )
3 .5 ( 3 .0 - 4 .#
3 .5 ( 3 .0 - 4 .0 )
2
2
5 6 .0 (5 6 .0 -5 6 .0 )
5 6 .5 (4 7 .0 -6 6 .0 )
2
5 3 .3 (5 2 .5 -5 4 .0 )
130.0
I
52.0
2
124.5(124-1 2 5 )
2
5 8 .6 (5 8 .0 -5 9 .3 )
M
2
234.0(223-245)
4
58. 0 ( 55. 0- 6 0 . 0 )
,.8 ( 4 .0 - 5 .3 )
1 4 .0 (1 3 .5 -1 4 .5 )
4 .7 ( 4 .5 - 4 .9 )
3 8 .5 (3 5 .5 -4 0 .0 )
F
M
2
2
1 57.5(103-2 1 2 )
180.5(151-210)
5
4
6 0 .8 (5 9 .0 -6 2 .5 )
7 0 .3 (6 4 .0 -8 1 .0 )
,.5 ( 4 .3 - 4 .3 )
1 2 .6 (1 2 .5 -1 2 .8 )
4 .6 ( 4 .5 - 4 .9 )
3 8 .8 (3 6 .5 -4 1 .5 )
4 2 .3 (3 9 .0 -4 5 .5 )
* n o t o b ta in e d
E stim ated
Age C lass
13 -1 4 mo.
13 -1 4 mo.
Sex
F
M
No.
3
5
152"—165- mo•
15&-16^ mo.
F
M
0
0
24&-26
24&
mo.
mo.
F
M
2
2
27g--28
mo.
F
0
33&
mo.
F
I
38
mo.
F
39&-40^ mo.
Over 48 mo.
Over 48 mo.
W eight
6 7 .0 (6 2 -7 6 )
7 7 .0 (7 0 -8 5 )
9 8 .0 (9 8 -9 8 )
103.0(97-109)
Ear
3 .9 ( 3 .8 - 4 .0 )
H eight a t
Shoulder
3 0 .0 (2 9 .0 -3 1 .0 )
3 1 .2 (3 0 .0 -3 5 .0 )
1,2 .0 (1
. 1 .5 -1 2 .5 ).
1 2 .3 (1 2 .0 -1 2 .5 )
4 .0 ( 4 .0 - 4 .0 )
4 .6 ( 4 .5 - 4 .8 )
3 2 .4 (3 0 .0 -3 4 .8 )
3 5 .5 (3 4 .5 -3 6 .5 )
4 . 0 ( 3 . 0 - 5 . Q& 1 2 .5 (1 2 .0 -1 3 .0 )
4 .0 ( 4 .0 - 4 .9 # 1 2 .9 (1 2 .8 -1 3 .0 )
4 .2 ( 4 .0 - 4 .4 )
4 .1 ( 3 .8 - 4 .5 )
3 4 .4 (3 3 .8 -3 5 .0 )
3 2 .8 (3 0 .5 -3 5 .0 )
T a il
nd Foot
f r 3 (1 0 .8 -1 1 .9 )
i i . ^ u u . 9 - n . 5;
3 4 .3 (3 3 .5 -3 5 .0 )
1 2 .0
3 .5
4 .3
3 6 .0 (3 5 .0 -3 7 .0 )
Table IX. Mean and extrem e w e ig h ts (pounds) and measurem ents (in c h e s) o f Rocky
M ountain g o a ts from th e C o n tin e n ta l U nit ( from C aseb eer) .
BI
T o tal
------------------T a il
Hind Foot
Length
3 .0
10.0
3 9 .0
3 7 .5 (3 7 .5 -3 7 .5 ) 2 .9 ( 2 .3 - 3 .5 ) 1 0 .4 (1 0 .3 -1 0 .5 )
Ear
4 .3
4 .3 ( 4 .0 - 4 .5 )
H eight a t
Shoulder
24.0
2 4 .5 (2 4 .0 -2 5 .0 )
I
2
46 .0
4 2 .3 (4 2 .0 -4 2 .5 )
4 .0
2 .6 ( 2 .5 - 2 .8 )
11.5
1 1 .0 (1 0 .5 -1 1 .5 )
4 .5
3 .7 ( 3 .3 - 4 .0 )
32.5
2 7 .3 (2 4 .5 -3 0 .0 )
104.5(101-1 1 0 )
102.0
2
2
5 3 .5 (5 3 .0 -5 4 .0 )
5 1 .8 (4 9 .0 -5 4 .5 )
4 . 8 (4 . 5- 5 . 0) 1 2 .5 (1 2 .5 -1 2 .5 )
4 . 1 ( 3 . 3 - 5 .o ; 1 2 .4 (1 1 .8 -1 3 .0 )
4 . 6 (4 .5 - 4 .8 )
4 .9 ( 4 .8 - 5 .0 )
3 2 .9 (3 2 .3 -3 3 .5 )
3 5 .5 (3 5 .0 -3 6 .0 )
146.0
I
6 0.0
5 .0
5.0
35 .5
E stim ated
Age C lass
11—12 mo•
11—12 mo.
Sex
F
M
No.
I
2
Weight
4 2 .0
4 4 .0 (4 3 -4 5 )
No.
I
2
23-24 mo.
23—24 mo.
F
M
I
2
6 2 .0
6 2 .0 (5 7 -6 7 )
35
35
mo.
mo.
F
M
2
I
47
mo.
M
I
IEp
13 .0
I
—24“
f o r seven an im als (one tw o -y e a r-o ld male and s ix th r e e - y e a r - o ld and o ld e r
an im als o f b o th s e x e s ) .
Average p e rc e n t o f w eig h t d re s se d o f f was 3 1 .6 .
Extrem es were a 24-m onth-old male (3 8 .1 p e rc e n t) and a male o v er fo u r
ta k e n i n December (2 7 .4 p e r c e n t) . ' The l a t t e r had a heavy p e l t , b u t v e ry
l i t t l e fa t.
G oats ta k e n d u rin g th e h u n tin g seaso n were e x tre m e ly f a t .
-
The anim al th o u g h t to be th e h e a v ie s t examined was a h u n t e r - k i l l e d male
o v er fo u r , w ith a h o g -d re sse d w eig h t o f 212 pounds.
I f i t d re s s e d o f f 3 1 .6
p e rc e n t, whole w eig h t would have been 310 pounds.
. .
Horns
Two k id s a p p ro x im a te ly th r e e days o ld had o n ly th e ' s l i g h t e s t o f p ro ­
tu b e ra n c e s where h o rn s would d e v e lo p .
A fte r two weeks i n c a p t i v i t y , round
knobs a p p ro x im a te ly o n e -q u a rte r in c h h ig h were p r e s e n t.
L i t t l e a d d itio n a l
grow th was made by th e "horns"'o f one c a p tiv e d u rin g th e summer.
su red o n e -q u a rte r to t h r e e - e ig h th s in c h i n S eptem ber.
They mea­
F ie ld o b s e rv a tio n s
in d ic a te d t h a t k i d s ' h o rn s m ight be a s much a s an in c h lo n g a t t h i s tim e .
O lder g o a ts show an in c re a s e i n le n g th o f o u ts id e curve and c irc u m fe r­
ence a t b ase th ro u g h succeeding, age c la s s e s to th r e e y e a rs ( Table X ).
g r e a te r c irc u m fe re n ce i s r e a d i l y a p p a re n t f o r m a le s.
A
The g r e a t e s t circum ­
fe re n c e f o r a fem ale was f iv e in c h e s ; o n ly one male two y e a rs o ld o r o ld e r
had a c irc u m fe re n ce l e s s th a n f iv e in c h e s .
g r e a t e r c u r v a tu r e .
Horns o f m ales a ls o have a
These c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s a re poor f o r d e te rm in in g sex i n
th e f i e l d u n le s s one i s f a i r l y c lo s e to and f a m ilia r w ith th e a n im a ls.
Horn m easurem ents were p la c e d i n fre q u e n c y d i s t r i b u t i o n s .
d iv id u a ls was d eterm in ed by t e e t h .
Age o f i n ­
Groups su g g este d by h o rn le n g th f r e ­
q u e n c ie s were k id s , y e a r lin g s , tw o -y e a r-o ld s , and th r e e - y e a r - o ld s o r o ld e r .
»
-2 5 -
Table X.
Mean and extrem e h o rn m easurem ents (in c h e s) o f Rocky
M ountain g o a ts . In c lu d e s r i g h t and l e f t h o rn s .
E stim ated
Age C lass
13 -1 4 mo.
13 -1 4 mo.
Sex
F
M
No. o f
Goats
3
5
O u tsid e
Curve
5 .3 ( 4 .9 - 5 .9 )
6 .0 ( 5 .6 - 6 .4 )
C ircum ference
a t Base
3 .4 ( 3 .3 - 3 .6 )
4 .3 ( 4 .1 - 4 .5 )
15^-16£ mo.
15&-16& mo.
F
M
3
2
6 .5 ( 6 .3 - 6 .8 )
7 .4 ( 7 .1 - 7 .5 )
3 .8 ( 3 .5 - 4 .0 )
5 .0 ( 4 .8 - 5 .3 )
24&-26
24t
mo.
mo.
F
M
2
2
7 .8 ( 7 .5 - 8 .0 )
7 .9 ( 7 .8 - 8 .0 )
4 .7 ( 4 .3 - 5 .0 )
5 .3 ( 5 .1 - 5 .5 )
2T&-28
mo.
F
3
8 .1 ( 7 .8 - 8 .4 )
4 . 0 ( 3 . 8- 4 .3 )
33£
mo.
F
I
9 .1 ( 9 .1 - 9 .I)
4 .0 ( 4 .0 - 4 .0 )
38
mo.
F
2
8 .5 ( 8 .1 - 8 .9 )
4 .5 ( 4 .2 - 4 .8 )
3 9 i-4 0 £ mo.
39&-40& mo.
F
M
2
4
9 .0 ( 9 .0 - 9 .I )
9 .3 ( 8 .8 - 9 .5 )
4 .5 ( 4 .5 - 4 .5 )
5 .3 ( 5 .0 - 5 .5 )
Over 48 mo.
Over 48 mo.
F
M
5
4
9 .0 ( 8 .0 - 9 .8 )
8 .6 ( 8 .0 - 8 .9 )
4 .3 ( 4 .1 - 4 .5 )
5 .5 ( 5 .0 - 5 .8 )
Groups su g g este d by c irc u m fe re n ce a t b ase were k id s , y e a r lin g fem ales,
y e a r lin g m ales and tw o -y e a r-o ld o r o ld e r fe m a le s, and tw o -y e a r-o ld o r o ld e r
m a le s.
The g r e a t e r h o rn c irc u m fe re n ce o f m ales i s r e a d i l y a p p a r e n t.
Al­
though th e r e i s some o v e rla p , d a ta su g g e st t h a t ag in g by h o rn le n g th s i s
q u ite a c c u ra te th ro u g h two y e a r s .
June and J u ly mean h orn m easurem ents f o r m ales and fem ales o f each
y e a r c la s s were compared w ith s im ila r d a ta o b ta in e d i n May from C o n tin e n ta l
U n it a n im a ls.
A ll b u t two mean m easurem ents o f Crazy M ountains g o a ts were
la rg e r.
These d a ta in d ic a te t h a t Crazy M ountains g o a ts a re l a r g e r and have
e a r l i e r h o rn developm ent th a n th o se o f th e C o n tin e n ta l U n it s tu d ie d by
-2 6 -
C ase b ee r.
I t h a s been su g g e ste d , u n d er th e h e ad in g "R ep ro d u ctio n ", t h a t
in tr o d u c tio n to new ran g e h a s in c re a s e d f e r t i l i t y .
P erhaps in tr o d u c tio n
from n a tiv e h a b i t a t to th e p o s s ib ly more f e r t i l e ran g e o f th e Crazy Moun­
t a i n s h a s a ls o caused t h i s a p p a re n t in c r e a s e i n s iz e and v ig o r .
PELAGE
The p e la g e and m o lt have been d e s c rib e d f o r C o n tin e n ta l U n it g o a ts by.
C asebeer (1 9 5 0 ).
Crazy M ountains g o a ts ap p eared to conform to th e same
p a t t e r n s o f shedding lo n g w in te r h a i r i n summer, b u t had lo n g e r h a i r
(F ig . 5 ) .
The 1953 h u n tin g season p ro v id e d s k in s from b o th a re a s f o r
com parison.
.
H air o f a 27-m onth-old fem ale from th e Crazy M ountains was.
o n e - h a lf to t h r e e - q u a r t e r s in c h lo n g e r th a n h a i r o f a 27-m onth-old male
from th e South Fork o f th e F la th e a d (F ig . 6 ) .
ACTIVITIES AND BEHAVIOR
Group S iz e s and Make-up
The e a r l i s t summer f i e l d o b s e r v a tio n s , s t a r t i n g on June I , showed
t h a t m ost g o a ts were w e ll d is p e r s e d a s sm all g roups o r s in g le s o v er th e
k id d in g a r e a .
Y e a rlin g s were sometimes p r e s e n t w ith o ld e r fe m a le s .
Three
groups o f tw o, f i v e , and f i v e were o b serv ed i n a sm all a re a on June A.
There were no k id s .
c e p ti o n a lly l a r g e .
S e v e ra l were th o u g h t to be y e a r lin g s .
P erhaps young, n o n - f e r t i l e an im als band to g e th e r d u r­
in g th e p a r t u r i t i o n p e rio d .
was seen on June 15.
None were ex­
The f i r s t la r g e group (14 k id s and a d u lts )
Most .g o ats seen d u rin g th e rem ain d er o f th e y e a r
were by th e m selv e s o r i n groups o f l e s s th a n t e n .
Group s iz e v a rie d dur^
in g th e day, and seemed to be l a r g e r l a t e i n th e day.
(40) was seen a t dusk August 21.
The l a r g e s t group
Groups were somewhat l a r g e r l a t e i n th e
-2 7 -
F ig . 5. Nanny and k id tra p p e d J u ly 25, 1952. Female has
n e a r ly f in is h e d sh ed d in g . I t appeared t h a t m ature m ales, ma­
tu r e fe m a le s, and younger an im als f in is h e d shedding i n t h a t
o rd e r.
-2 8 -
F ig . 6 . Two Rocky M ountain g o a t s k in s . Both were ta k e n
Septem ber 15, 1953, from anim als aged a t about 27^ m onths.
The s k in a t th e l e f t i s from th e South Fork o f th e F la th e a d ;
th e s k in a t th e r i g h t from th e Crazy M ountains. The South
Fork o f th e F la th e a d i s i n th e C o n tin e n ta l U n it, th e a re a
which su p p lie d th e Crazy M ountains s to c k .
-2 9 -
w in te r when ran g e was r e s t r i c t e d .
I t i s th o u g h t t h a t s in g le s were m ales
i n many c a s e s , b u t m ature m ales were a ls o found w ith n a n n ie s and k id s .
On
J u ly I , 15 g o a ts , fo u r o f which were k id s , were observed from l e s s th a n 50
fe e t.
Four a d u lts s ta y e d to g e th e r .
Two were la r g e m ales, one was a
s m a lle r m ale, and th e o th e r was p o s s ib ly a m ale (F ig . 7)»
A g g re ssiv e n ess and P lay
On s e v e r a l o c c a s io n s , g o a ts d is p la y e d antagonism tow ard o t h e r s .
m ales f r e q u e n tly charged o th e r g o a ts t h a t approached t h e i r k i d ( s ) .
o th e r o c c a s io n s th e y were t o l e r a n t o f i n t r u d e r s .
y e a r lin g were tra p p e d to g e t h e r .
tra p .
Fe­
On
A m ature fem ale and
The f e m a le 's k id rem ained o u ts id e th e
She k i l l e d th e y e a r lin g by g o rin g i t i n th e c h e s t c a v ity .
On an­
o th e r o c c a s io n , a k id was found gored o u ts id e a t r a p which h e ld a n o th e r
k id .
A .fem ale and y e a r lin g ra n from th e t r a p s i t e when o b s e rv e rs ap­
p ro ach ed .
A la r g e b i l l y k i l l e d by a h u n te r had an a p p a re n t h o rn wound i n
th e c h e s t c a v ity .
A h id e ta k e n from a m ature male c o lle c te d i n December
had s e v e r a l round s c a r s i n th e rump r e g io n , p o s s ib ly from h o rn wounds.
Kids a t p la y p o s s ib ly d is p la y e d a fo r e ru n n e r o f t h i s ty p e o f f ig h t i n g a s
th e y .w e n t round and round tr y i n g to b u t t each o th e r i n th e rump.
Kids a l ­
so p la y ed by. ru n n in g a t each o th e r , jumping on h in d le g s and throw ing
head s in to th e a i r , o r j u s t ru n n in g and jum ping.
snowbanks.
They o f te n p la y ed on
Two k id s p la y in g to g e th e r were m ost o f te n tw in s .
W ariness
• G oats o f te n d id n o t d is p la y th e w a rin e ss commonly a s s o c ia te d w ith b ig
game s p e c ie s .
ra n g e .
A co n cealed o b s e rv e r could f r e q u e n tly approach w ith in c lo s e
The a n im als appeared cap ab le o f d e te c tin g movement from a c o n s id e r-
-3 0 -
F ig . 7 . Three la r g e b i l l i e s which were p a r t o f a group
o f 15 g o a ts . A fem ale, k id , and a n o th e r g o a t a re i n th e r i g h t
background. The an im als had moved down a rid g e s in g le f i l e ,
w ith a nanny and two k id s i n th e le a d and th e m ales i n th e r e a r .
-3 1 -
a b le d is ta n c e b u t o f te n were n o t alarm ed .
a p p a r e n tly was n o t e a s i l y d is c e rn e d .
A p e rso n rem ain in g m o tio n le s s
Hhen g o a ts re c o g n ize d -h im a s some­
th in g d i f f e r e n t on th e la n d sc a p e , th e y d is p la y e d c u r i o s i t y and sometimes
came c lo s e r o r slo w ly c i r c l e d .
Goats came w ith in 25 f e e t o f f i e l d p erso n ­
n e l th r e e tim e s i n t h i s m anner; once th e y approached w ith in s ix f e e t .
As
a d u lt g o a ts became c u rio u s o r alarm ed, th e y o f te n s tru c k th e ground s o lid ­
l y w ith one o f th e f o r e f e e t and r a n t h e i r b la c k to n g u es o v e r nose and l i p s .
Human s c e n t l e f t on t r a i l s and a t t r a p s i t e s a p p a r e n tly d id n o t alarm them.
They lic k e d s a l t a t t r a p s i t e s even d u rin g p e rio d s o f t r a p b u ild in g when
th e a re a was c l u t t e r e d w ith r o l l s o f w ire , p o le s , and t o o l s .
A group o f
g o a ts and th r e e mule d e e r were observ ed a s th e y fe d tow ard each o th e r .
They were a l e r t a s th e y came c lo s e r to g e th e r .
g o a ts were ab o u t 30 f e e t away.
The d e e r r a n o f f when th e
The g o a ts c o n tin u e d fe e d in g .
Bedding
G oats s p e n t c o n s id e ra b le tim e bedded down and were seen i n beds a t
a l l tim e s o f th e day.
b a n k s.
They bedded on ro c k s , v e g e ta te d a r e a s , and snow­
They sometimes pawed th e s i t e i n s o i l 'a r e a s w ith th e f r o n t f e e t
b e fo re and when ly in g down, so t h a t d e f i n i t e beds were form ed.
These beds
were o f te n u sed by d i f f e r e n t g o a ts , a s o n e - would g e t up to move o r fe e d
and a n o th e r l i e down.
They were a ls o u sed th ro u g h o u t th e se a so n .
S easo n al D is tr ib u tio n
D uring th e A ugust, 1952, A p r il, 1953, and Septem ber, 1953, a e r i a l
c e n s u s e s , 51 p e rc e n t, 66 p e rc e n t, and 57 p e rc e n t, r e s p e c tiv e ly , o f th e
g o a ts counted were i n th e S w eetgrass d ra in a g e o r j u s t o v e r th e rid g e to
th e n o r th .
The in c r e a s e i n A p ril was a t t r i b u t e d to th e l e s s e r snow d ep th
-3 2 -
o f S w eetg rass Creek a s compared to Rock Creek and Cottonwood Creek, where
few g o a ts were see n .
None were found i n th e b a s in s a t h ead s o f eastw ard ­
flo w in g d ra in a g e s where th e w est wind had c a r r ie d snow o v e r th e to p and
d e p o s ite d i t i n deep d r i f t s .
G oats p re s e n t i n deep-snow a re a s i n th e win­
t e r were found a t h ig h e r e le v a tio n s th a n g e n e r a lly found d u rin g th e sum­
m er..
I t a ls o appeared t h a t g o a ts ranged somewhat low er i n a re a s o f normal
snow cover d u rin g th e w in te r .
E le v a tio n s , ta k e n from th e a l t i m e t e r , d u r­
in g two c en su ses b e a r o u t th e s e o b s e r v a tio n s (T able X I).
Goat wool l o s t
d u rin g th e w in te r was found i n th e summer below tim b e r l i n e i n th e b ru sh y
bottom o f S w eetg rass C reek.
low i n th e summer.
p e r io d .
There was no ev id en ce t h a t g o a ts came t h i s
Fem ales were on low er ran g e d u rin g th e p a r t u r i t i o n
No g o a ts were seen i n th e k id d in g a re a a f t e r ab o u t J u ly I .
No da­
t a ' were o b ta in e d on k id s b o rn on th e h ig h e r ran g e used th ro u g h o u t th e y e a r .
. Table X I.
Census
P e rio d
4 /1 to 4 / H
9 /1 to 9 / 6
E le v a tio n a l o c c u rre n c e o f Rocky M ountain g o a ts
d u rin g two census p e rio d s i n 1953.
Mean and Extreme
E le v a tio n s o f Goats
9600(7900-10,500)
9400(8000-10,500)
P e rc e n t above
10,000 F e e t
10 .3
2 .9
P e rc e n t below
9 ,0 0 0 F e e t
1 3 .1
1 1 .5
Movements
G oats had d i s t r i b u t e d th e m selv e s i n a s e m ic ir c le w ith a r a d iu s o f
e ig h t to te n m ile s from th e o r i g i n a l r e le a s e s i t e by th e tim e of. t h i s
s tu d y .
T his a re a in c lu d e s m ost o f th e ro u g h e r t e r r a i n o f th e Crazy Moun­
ta in s .
Ten a i r l i n e m ile s (Loco M ountain, head o f Cottonwood Creek) was
th e maximum d is ta n c e g o a ts were seen from p o in t o f r e le a s e (F ig . L ).
—33—
A female identified by the metal stock tag in her ear as one of the origi­
nal stock, was seen on Loco Mountain, July 15# 1952.
F o u rte e n an im als were liv e - tr a p p e d , marked and r e le a s e d .
Nine which
were seen a g a in p ro v id e d 19 s ig h t re c o rd s (T a b le .X II) . . Average d is ta n c e
g o a ts were seen from where ta g g ed was ab o u t 3 (0 - 8 .5 ) m ile s .
Average d i s ­
ta n c e o f f i r s t o b s e r v a tio n from where marked and su b seq u en t from p re c e d in g
o b s e rv a tio n s was 2 .2 m ile s .
D ata su g g e st d i f f e r e n t p a tte r n s o f movement.
S ix o b s e r v a tio n s o f Nos. 7, 8, 38, and 13 were made a s much a s a y e a r a f ­
t e r ta g g in g w ith in one m ile o f where th e a n im als were tra p p e d .
F ive ob­
s e r v a tio n s o f Nos. 10 and IA showed summer movements o f A-5-6 m ile s from
th e M illy Creek t r a p to h ig h e r e le v a tio n s n e a r th e m ain d i v i d e .
Goats 13
and 25 made summer movements o f 1 -1 .5 m ile s to h ig h e r e le v a tio n s on M illy
C reek.
S ix o b s e rv a tio n s o f Nos. 8, 17# 9, and 25 su g g ested no p a r t i c u l a r
p a tte rn .
No. 9# a y e a r lin g , m ale, was seen th e g r e a t e s t d is ta n c e from
where r e le a s e d .
C o n sid erin g an im als i n d iv id u a lly gave in fo rm a tio n o f movements f o r
lim it e d p e r io d s .
No. 1A, a y e a r lin g m ale, was seen th r e e tim e s between
August A and Septem ber 5 i n an a re a o f ab o u t 0 .7 5 m ile r a d iu s .
No. 10, a
y e a r lin g m ale, was seen on August 6' ab o u t 0 .5 m ile from where seen on
August A.
No. 13, a y e a r lin g fe m ale, was seen on August 23 ab o u t 0 .5 m ile
from .w here seen on August 16■.
No. 17, a y e a r lin g m ale, was seen on A p ril
A ab o u t 0 .7 5 m ile from where seen on A p ril 2.
No. 25, a tw o -y e a r-o ld f e ­
m ale, was seen on Septem ber A i n a d i f f e r e n t d ra in a g e a b o u t th r e e m ile s
from where seen on Septem ber I .
No. 8, a n in e -m o n th -o ld m ale, was: seen
from th e a i r th e m orning o f A p ril 2, w ith a group o f 19 g o a ts .
T h e ir back
-3 4 -
Table XII. Sight records of marked goats. K, Kid; HLT,
Hindu Lake Trap; MCT, Milly Creek Trap; HL, Hindu Lake; CwC,
Cottonwood Creek; SIP, Sunlight Peak; MG, Milly Creek; ML,
Moose Lake; SC, Swamp Creek; HBT, Head of Big Timber Creek.
Marked
Goat
P lace
No. Sex Age Date
M K 7 /2 6 /5 2 HLT
7
8
17
F
M
K 7 /2 6 /5 2
I
7 /2 8 /5 2
HLT
HLT
Loca­
tio n
Date
9 /2 5 /5 2 HL
Observed
D istan c e
D istan ce
from P lace
from Where
Marked
L ast Seen
( a i r l i n e m ile s )
0 .2 5
9 /2 5 /5 2
4 / 2/53
4 / 3/53
8 /1 3 /5 3
HL
HLT
CwC
HLT
0 .2 5
0
3 -3 .5
0
0.2 5
3 -3 .5
3 -3 .5
8 / 6 /5 2
4 / 2/53
4 / 4/53
SlP
MG
MG
2 -2 .5
4 .5 -5
4 .5
4 .5 -5
0.7 5
38
F
4+ 8 / 6 /5 2
HLT
8 / 7 /5 2
ML
0 .2 5 -0 .5
9
M
I
6 /2 9 /5 3
MCT
9 / 4/53
SC
8- 8.5
10
M
I
6 /2 9 /5 3
MCT
8 / 4/53
8 / 6/53
ML
HL
4 .5 -5
5 -5 .5
0 .5
7 /1 6 /5 3
7 /2 3 /5 3
MG
MG
1 -1 .5
0 .5 -1
0 .5
8 / 4/53
9 / 1/53
9 / 5/53
ML
ML
HL
4 .5 -5
4 .5 -5
5 .5 -6
0
1 .5
9 / 1/53
9 / 4/53
MC
HBT
1 -1 .5
3 .5 -4
3
13
F
14
M
25
F
I
I
2
7 / 8/53
7 /1 1 /5 3
7 /2 3 /5 3
MCT
MCT
MCT
~35“
ro u te o f p ro b a b ly th e n ig h t b e fo re was tr a c e d n o rth f o r 2 ,5 m ile s .
T h eir
tr a c k s were fo llo w ed so u th th e n e x t m orning u n t i l th e marked g o a t was seen
3 -3 .5 . m ile s from where seen th e p re v io u s day .
These o b s e rv a tio n s and ,
o th e r tr a c k s seen d u rin g th e s tu d y in d ic a te d movements d u rin g th e. n ig h t,
m o stly alo n g rid g e to p s .
Some were alo n g s id e h i l l s , and a few a c ro s s
d ra in a g e s .
E ig h te e n o f n in e te e n s ig h t re c o rd s o f g o a ts seen a f t e r m arking were
re c o g n iz e d by symbols o r numbers a p p lie d w ith sheep b ran d in g ' p a i n t .
P a in t
had to be a p p lie d o v e r o ld h a i r on an im als tra p p e d b e fo re about. June 20,
so was e f f e c t i v e f o r a p p ro x im a te ly a m onth.
Enough h a i r was u s u a lly lo o s e
a f t e r t h i s d a te t h a t i t could be p lu ck ed from a sm all a re a and a symbol
a p p lie d to th e new c o a t.
The l a r g e s t and m ost e a s i l y .d efin ed symbols were
p a in te d on an im als co m p le tely shed.
P a in tin g on to p o f th e back, i n ad­
d i t i o n to m arking on th e s id e s , a id ed i n d is c e rn in g marked a n im als from
th e a i r .
Red symbols were more e a s i l y d e fin e d th a n b lu e .
t i n c t on two g o a ts a f t e r e ig h t m onths.
P a in t was d i s - '
One anim al was re c o g n iz e d more
th a n a y e a r a f t e r ta g g in g by i t s p l a s t i c e a r m a rk e r.
Due to p o s itio n s
assumed by head and e a r s o f g o a ts , a p l a s t i c m arker fa s te n e d to th e in ­
s id e s u rfa c e o f th e e a r i s more v i s i b l e th a n one on th e back o f th e e a r .
MOISTURE REQUIREMENTS
Snow and snow w a te r c lo s e to th e snow banks p ro b a b ly fu rn is h e d most
o f th e m o is tu re r e q u ire d by g o a ts .
As snow a t lo w er e le v a tio n s m elted in
th e s p rin g , g o a ts were, found h ig h e r c lo s e ly a s s o c ia te d w ith th e "perm anent*
snow b a n k s .
They som etim es bedded, p la y e d , and walked on th e s e banks and
o c c a s io n a lly appeared to e a t snow.
Snow banks were so numerous t h a t most
-3 6 -
g o a ts seen d u rin g th e summer were l e s s th a n 500 y a rd s from snow.
A lso,
d u rin g th e summer s e v e r a l in s ta n c e s o f g o a ts d rin k in g i n stream s were
n o te d and tr a c k s were seen around some o f th e la k e s .
ADVERSE FACTORS
Remains o f th r e e dead g o a ts a l l l e s s th a n fo u r y e a r s o ld were fo u n d .
Cause o f m o r t a lit y was n o t known.
One could have been k i l l e d by a snow-
s l i d e 5 one had been washed down M illy Creek, p o s s ib ly a f t e r d e a th ; one re p ­
r e s e n te d by a p o r tio n o f s k u ll and th e h o rn s had e v id e n tly been found and
p la c e d alo n g th e t r a i l by someone.
Snow slides were a p o s s ib le cause o f
m o r t a lit y a s g o a ts were seen i n sn o w slid e a re a s d u rin g th e w in te r .
The
o n ly in s ta n c e o f a g o a t a c t u a l l y lo s in g i t s b a la n c e was .noted i n August
when a k id s l i d down a 50- f o o t snowbank b u t re c o v e re d i t s b a la n c e i n th e
ro c k s l i d e a t th e bottom .
Golden e a g le s were f r e q u e n tly seen i n g o at hab­
i t a t b u t g o a ts r a r e l y p a id any a t t e n t i o n to them .
would lo o k up when an e a g le fle w o v e r.
in g g o a ts was n o te d .
O c c a sio n a lly an a d u lt
Only one case o f an e a g le m o le s t­
During a e r i a l o b s e rv a tio n s on March 7 , 1952, an e a g le
was seen d iv in g a t seven g o a ts (fo u r a d u lts , th r e e young) which had a lre a d y
been f r ig h te n e d by th e p la n e .
The e a g le l e f t when chased by th e p la n e .
C asebeer s ta t e d t h a t m ost n a tu r a l lo s s e s o c c u rre d i n w in te r when w eather
enhanced s u s c e p t i b i l i t y to p r e d a to r s , p a r a s i t e s , d is e a s e s , and a c c id e n ts .
He l i s t s e a g le s a s p ro b a b ly th e most im p o rta n t p re d a to rs and c i t e s s e v e ra l
c a s e s o f e a g le s p re y in g on g o a ts .
A fem ale w ith a la r g e re d so re on her.
t h r o a t was seen i n th e Crazy M ountains l a t e i n June.
C asebeer m entioned
re d d is h -h u e d p a tc h e s on t h r o a t and neck i n May, p o s s ib ly due to excrem ent
from t i c k s .
I n j u r i e s i n f l i c t e d on g o a ts by each o th e r have been d is c u s s e d
-3 7 under the -heading "Aggressiveness’1.
LONGEVITY
A fem ale r e le a s e d i n 1941 .and h e r k id were seen June 27, 1950, by Mr.
B arney B ra n n in .
She was re c o g n iz e d by th e s w a llo w ta il e a r mark which some
o f th e a n im als r e le a s e d t h a t y e a r were g iv e n .
y e ars,
Her minimum age was 10
A fem ale i d e n t i f i e d a s o f th e o r i g i n a l sto c k by h e r m e ta l e a r ta g
was seen J u ly 15, 1952.
I f r e l e a s e d 'i n 1941, h e r minimum age was 12
y e a r s ; i f r e le a s e d i n 1943, minimum age was 10 y e a r s .
Both o f th e s e
a n im als were p o s s ib ly o ld e r a s o n ly one o f s ix fem ales r e le a s e d i n 1941
and one o f seven r e le a s e d i n 1943 were y e a r lin g s .
SUMMARY
I.
A mountain.goat herd originating from 21 animals released in the
Crazy Mountains, southwestern Montana, in 1941 and 1943, was studied from
March, 1952, to October, 1953.
The Crazy Mountains are among the highest
■and most rugged in the state.
2".
Two m ethods, ground and a e r i a l , were u sed f o r c e n s u s in g .
Census-
in g was done by w orking from one end o f th e ran g e to th e o th e r a s r a p id ly
a s p o s s ib le .
A e ria l c o u n ts were made by f ly i n g a d ra in a g e a t co n to u r i n ­
t e r v a l s o f from g e n e r a lly 300 t o . 500 f e e t .
3.
K id /a d u lt r a t i o s o f ground and a e r i a l co u n ts su g g e st t h a t some
m ature a n im als were m issed d u rin g th e ground c o u n t.
In a e r i a l cen su sin g ,
th e m ost a c c u r a t e .k i d / a d u l t r a t i o s were o b ta in e d d u rin g th e summer.
s u i t a b l e f o r tra c k in g ,-w a s an a id i n w in te r c e n su sin g .
Snow,
The l a r g e s t t o t a l
c o u n t, 278, was o b ta in e d by an a e r i a l census i n Septem ber, 1953.
4«
The e a r l i e s t d a te r e p o rte d f o r new k id s was May 30.
No new k id s
-=
38—
were re c o g n iz e d a f t e r June 17.
5.
K id /a d u lt r a t i o s su g g est an an n u al in c r e a s e o f about o n e - t h i r d .
6.
S ix c a s e s o f p ro b a b le t r i p l e t s were seen d u rin g th e s tu d y .
Of
a l l k id s c l a s s i f i e d from th e ground, 3 p e rc e n t were t r i p l e t s , 30 p e rc e n t
were tw in s , 42 p e rc e n t were s in g le s , and 25 p e rc e n t were n o t c l a s s i f i e d .
7.
T e s te s from e ig h t m ales and o v a r ie s from s ix fem ales were c o l­
le c te d .
The p re se n c e o f sperm i n th e e p id id y m is o f two m ales and a corpus
luteum i n th e ovary o f one fem ale i n S e p te m b e r-k ille d an im als in d ic a te d
t h a t th e s e an im als m ight be cap ab le o f s u c c e s s f u lly b re e d in g a t t h i s tim e
The fem ale w ith a corpus luteum was ab o u t 27g- months o ld .
fem ales examined were n o t l a c t a t i n g .
n a n t.
T w o-year-old
A fem ale aged a t 34 months was p re g ­
A th r e e - y e a r - o ld fem ale was l a c t a t i n g .
These d a ta in d ic a te t h a t
fem ales f i r s t b reed a t a p p ro x im a te ly two and o n e -h a lf y e a r s .
8-.
L iv e -tra p p in g , c o l l e c t i n g , and exam ining h u n te r - k il le d an im als
gave d a ta on d e n t i t i o n , w e ig h ts, body m easurem ents, and h o rn s .
9.
Tooth developm ent and rep la ce m e n t ap p eared to be th e b e s t c r i t e r ­
io n f o r a g in g .
10.
Y early age c la s s e s were e s ta b lis h e d to f o u r y e a r s .
W eights, body m easurem ents, and h o rn s in d ic a te t h a t g o a ts from
th e Crazy M ountains a re l a r g e r th a n th o s e from th e C o n tin e n ta l U n it.
Crazy M ountains g o a ts a p p ea r to have lo n g e r h a i r th a n C o n tin e n ta l U n it
a n im a ls .
11.
k id s .
Fem ales g e n e r a lly d id n o t t o l e r a t e o th e r g o a ts c lo s e to t h e i r
Kids were observed a t p la y .
G oats o f te n were n o t to o wary and
could be c lo s e ly approached.
12.
Gogts appeared to move from deep snow a re a s to l e s s e r snow a re a s
-3 9 -
d n rin g th e w in te r .
More wefre found above 10,000 f e e t and b e lo w 9 ,000 f e e t
'I
d u rin g th e w in te r th a n d u rin g th e summer.
Fem ales and younger an im als
were d is p e r s e d and a t low er e le v a tio n s d u rin g t h e ' p a r t u r i t i o n p e rio d .
13.
G oats had d i s t r i b u t e d th em selv es o v er m ost o f th e rough a re a o f
th e Crazy M ountains i n th e 11 y e a rs fo llo w in g in tr o d u c tio n .
Ten a i r l i n e
m ile s was th e maximum d is ta n c e th e y were found from th e o r i g i n a l r e le a s e
■s i t e .
14.
S ig h t re c o rd s o f an im als which had been l i v e - t r a p p e d , marked,
and r e le a s e d gave in fo rm a tio n on movements.
made w ith in a m ile o f where tr a p p e d .
S ix o b s e rv a tio n s o f fo u r were
F iv e o b s e rv a tio n s o f two in d ic a te d
summer movements o f 4*5^6 m ile s to h ig h e r ra n g e .
su g g este d no p a r t i c u l a r p a t t e r n .
S ix o b s e rv a tio n s o f .f o u r
C o n sid erin g an im als in d iv id u a lly gave
in fo rm a tio n o f movements f o r lim ite d p e rio d s .
1 5.
E ig h te e n s ig h t re c o rd s were o b ta in e d by re c o g n iz in g numbers o r
symbols p a in te d on th e h a i r w ith sh ee p -b ra n d in g .p a in t.
a f t e r e ig h t m onths.
Two were o b ta in e d
One s ig h t re c o rd , made a y e a r a f t e r ta g g in g , was p ro ­
cured by r e c o g n itio n o f a p l a s t i c e a r m a rk e r. '
1 6.
O ther o b s e r v a tio n s .o f a c t i v i t i e s and b e h a v io r, p e la g e , m o istu re
re q u ire m e n ts , and a d v erse f a c t o r s a re d e s c rib e d .
LITERATURE CITED
Anderson, N iilo A. 1940. M ountain g o a t s tu d y .
Game, B io l. B u ll. No. 2.
S t. o f Wash. D ept, o f
B randborg, S te w a rt M. 1950. The l i f e h i s t o r y and eco lo g y o f th e moun­
t a i n g o a t i n Idaho and M ontana. Unpubl'. M.S. T h e s is , U niv» o f
Id a h o .
—
40
“
G asebeerj R obert Loj M erle J , Rognrudj and S te w a rt B randborg. 1950. The.
Rocky M ountain g o a t i n M ontana. Mont. F ish and Game Comm.,
B u ll. No'. 5.
Cheatumj E .L ., and C.W. S e v e rin g h a u s. 1950. V a ria tio n s i n f e r t i l i t y o f
w h i t e - t a i l e d d e e r r e l a t e d to ran g e c o n d itio n s . T ran s. 1 5 th N .A ..
W ild l. Conf. s 170-190.
Johnson, Donald E. 1951. The b io lo g y o f th e e lk c a l f Cervus can a d e n sis
n e l s o n i . J o u r. W ild l. M gt., 15,(4); 396-410.
Maximow, A lexander A ., and W illiam Bloom. 1952. A te x tb o o k o f h is to lo g y .
W.B. Saunders C o., P h ila d e lp h ia and London.
R o b in e tte , W. L e s lie , and W allace Je n se n . 1950. A s im p lif ie d method f o r
d e te rm in in g th e age o f mule d e e r . U tah S ta te D ept, o f F is h and
Game, D ept. In fo B u ll. No. I .
S e v e rin g h a u s, C.W. 1949. Tooth developm ent and w ear as c r i t e r i a o f age
i n w h i t e - t a i l e d d e e r . J o u r. W ild l. M gt., 1 3 (2 ); 195-216.
Weed, W.H. 1899. L i t t l e B e lt M ountains, Montana, i n G eologic A tla s o f
' th e U n ited S t a t e s . U .S. G eol. Survey, f o l i o 56.
W olff, John E. '1938. Igneous ro c k s o f th e Crazy M ountains, Montana.
B u ll, o f th e G eol. Soc. o f Am erica, 4 9 (1 0 ); 1569-1626.
; - ;
C’ - ) J
i;
:v ,
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