The distribution and movements of sharp-tailed grouse during spring and summer in relation to
rest-rotation grazing
by Chris A Yde
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE
in Fish and Wildlife Management
Montana State University
© Copyright by Chris A Yde (1977)
Abstract:
A study of sharp-tailed grouse distribution and movements was conducted on two types of grazing
systems in Phillips County, Montana from 1975-1976. The results from a four pasture rest-rotation
system were compared to those from two pastures within a deferred-rotation system. Twelve
permanent and two transient dancing grounds were located during the spring of 1976, with eighty-nine
grouse trapped and marked on ten of the grounds. Brood size averaged larger for 1975 than for 1976,
with the West Hotchkiss Unit (rest-rotation) averaging 1 and 2 additional chicks per brood for 1975
and 1976, respectively, than the East Garland Unit (deferred-rotation). Cover board readings initiated at
dancing ground sites in 1976 demonstrated a difference in vegetational cover among pastures, among
sites within the pastures, and among months, with the greatest variance occurring among the months. A
continual decrease in vegetational cover was observed from June 1 to September 30, with one
exception. Photo plots taken in conjunction with the cover board readings illustrated the same trends,
and allowed for the identification of the plant species responsible for the differences between readings.
Photo plots within deciduous shrub thickets illustrated that intense grazing caused deterioration of the
vegetation within the thickets, less intense grazing caused slight damage, and rest allowed for some
improvement. Cover board readings taken at grouse observation sites within the grass-uplands
indicated that the sharptailed grouse were selecting for areas of better vegetation than that located at the
dancing ground sites. The general pattern of grouse use was extensive use of the grasslands in the
spring with a movement toward the shrub thickets during the summer, and then increased use of the
grasslands in the late summer and early fall. Twenty-two of twenty-five observations of marked grouse
were made within one mile of the dancing ground on which they had been marked. The other three
were within two miles of the respective dancing ground. There was no observed difference in
movements of sharptails within the two types of grazing systems. September sharp-tailed grouse food
habits were determined for the two years of study, with a higher percentage of animal material present
than usually reported for the fall. There was also a shift in the species composition of the plant material
noted between the two years. STATEMENT OF PERMISSION TO COPY
In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the
requirements.for an advanced degree at Montana State University,
I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for
inspection.
I further agree that permission for extensive
copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by
my major professor, or, in his absence, by the Director of
Libraries.
It is understood that any copying or publication of
this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my
written permission.
THE DISTRIBUTION AND MOVEMENTS OF SHARP-TAILED GROUSE DURING
SPRING AND SUMMER IN RELATION TO REST-ROTATION GRAZING
by
Chris A Yde
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
of
MASTER OF SCIENCE
in
Fish and Wildlife Management
Approved:
Iommittee
ad. Major Department
Graduate Dean
MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bozeman, Montana
Mayj 1977
I
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
To the following, among others, I wish to express my sincere
appreciation for their contributions to this study:
Dr. Robert L.
Eng, Montana State University, for project planning, technical super­
vision, and guidance in the preparation of the manuscript; Dr. Richard
W. Gregory and Dr. Richard J. Mackie, for critical reading of the
manuscript; Dr. Stephen. R. Chapman, for assistance with the statis­
tical analyses; Dr. John P. Weigand, Montana Fish and Game Department,
for assistance in aging and sexing of wings; Mr. Jack D. Jones,
Bureau of Land Management, for project planning and field assistance;
Mr. Frank M. Gjersing, Montana Fish and Game Department, for field
assistance; Mr. and Mrs. Bud Bradley, for very generous hospitality
extended during the periods of field study; personnel of the Bureau
of Land Management, Malta District Office, for their cooperation and
assistance; my brother Eric, for field assistance and assistance in
the preparation of figures.
During the study, the author was
supported by the Montana Fish and Game Department under Federal Aid
Project W-120-R.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ii
VITA
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
ill
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
ABSTRACT
vii
.
INTRODUCTION
DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA .
Vegetation Types
Grassr-Uplands Type < .
Grass-Shrub Breaks . .
Breaks Sub-type I . . .
Breaks Sub-type II . .
Breaks Sub-type III . .
Sage-Grass Creek Bottoms
5
9
9
10
10
11
METHODS
12
RESULTS
19
Breeding Population ......................
Production and Brood Activity ..................
Grazing Pattern ......................
Vegetation Response ............................
Summer-Fall Grouse Responses to Vegetation . . .
R o u t e s .................................... .. •
Marked Bird Observations .......................
Food H a b i t s ..........................
19
27
32
35
40
49
51
54
D I S C U S S I O N ........ ............................... ..
58
APPENDIX
61
........................................... .. .
LITERATURE CITED
67
V
LIST OF TABLES
Table
1.
2.
3.
Page
SEASONAL AVERAGE NUMBER OF MALES AND TOTAL
GROUSE OBSERVED ON EACH DANCING GROUND 1976 ................................................
NUMBER OF SHARP-TAILED GROUSE TRAPPED AND
MARKED ON EACH DANCING GROUND - 1976 . . . . ....
13
. .22
LOCATIONS OF DISPLAYING SHARP-TAILED GROUSE
THAT WERE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH AN ESTABLISHED
DANCING G R O U N D .........................
24
4.
SUMMARY OF BROOD DATA FOR 1975 AND 1976
28.
5.
GRAZING ALLOTMENTS BY PASTURE FOR EAST GARLAND
AND WEST HOTCHKISS UNITS - 1975 AND 1976 . . . . . . .
34
ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE FOR THE 45-DEGREE COVER BOARD
READINGS TAKEN AT THE DANCING GROUNDS - 1976 .......
37
ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE FOR THE 30-FOOT COVER BOARD
READINGS TAKEN AT THE DANCING GROUNDS - 1976 . . •.■ . .
37
VARIANCES WITHIN PASTURES FOR COVER BOARD
READINGS TAKEN AT DANCING GROUNDS - 1976 . ...........
37
SUMMER AND EARLY FALL SHARP-TAILED GROUSE
OBSERVATIONS BY VEGETATION TYPE - 1975 AND
1976 ................................................
43
6.
7.
8.
9.
. . . . . . .
10.
COVER BOARD READING MEANS FOR GROUSE OBSERVATION
SITES COMPARED TO THE RESPECTIVE PASTURE MEAN
AND ADJUSTED M E A N .................................... 45
11.
SUMMARY OF SHARP-TAILED GROUSE OBSERVATIONS ON
ESTABLISHED ROUTES - 1976
50
SUMMARY OF MARKED BIRD OBSERVATIONS DURING
SUMMER AND EARLY FALL -1976 .........................
52
12.
vi
V
LIST OF TABLES
(Continued)
Table
13.
Page
SUMMARY OF SHARP-TAILED GROUSE SEPTEMBER
FOOD HABITS - 1975 AND 1976 ........................
56
14.
TOTAL ACREAGE OF THE VEGETATION TYPES
WITHIN THE AREAS OF S T U D Y ............................62
15.
BI-MONTHLY COVER BOARD READING MEANS AND
ADJUSTED MEANS FOR THE PASTURES WITHIN THE
AREAS OF STUDY - 1976 . ..............................
16.
17.
63
SUMMARY OF COMBINED ADULT AND JUVENILE
SHARP-TAILED GROUSE FOOD HABITS - SEPTEMBER
1975 ........................ . . ....................
64
SUMMARY OF ADULT AND JUVENILE SHARP-TAILED
GROUSE FOOD HABITS - SEPTEMBER 1976 ................
65
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
Page
1.
Map of the two areas of study .............. ..
3
2.
West Hotchkiss Unit showing vegetation types
....
6
3.
East Garland Unit showing vegetation types
........
7
4.
Diagram of photo plots and cover board reading
sites established at the dancing g r o u n d s .......... 16
5.
Study areas showing dancing ground locations
6.
Percent of seasonal maximum male and total
grouse attendance on the dancing grounds spring 1976 ........................................
21
West Hotchkiss Unit showing spring grouse
observations in relation to vegetation types
....
25
East Garland Unit showing spring grouse
observations in relation to vegetation types
....
26
Frequency distribution of the hatch by
weekly intervals
..................................
30
Grazing treatments by pastures for 1975
and 1976 . . .......................................
33
West Hotchkiss Unit showing summer and early
fall grouse observations in relation to
vegetation type . . ..............
41
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
A.
East Garland Unit showing summer and early
fall grouse observations in relation to
vegetation type ......... ..................
. . . .
. . .
20
42
viii
ABSTRACT
A study of sharp-tailed grouse distribution and movements was
conducted on two types of grazing systems in Phillips County, Montana
from 1975-1976. The results from a four pasture rest-rotation system
were compared to those from two pastures within a deferred-rotation
system. Twelve permanent and two transient dancing grounds were
located during the spring of 1976, with eighty-nine grouse trapped
and marked on ten of the grounds. Brood size averaged larger for
1975 than for 1976, with the West Hotchkiss Unit (rest-rotation)
averaging I and 2 additional chicks per brood for 1975 and 1976,
respectively, than the East Garland Unit (deferred-rotation). Cover
board readings initiated at dancing ground sites in 1976 demonstrated
a difference in vegetational cover among pastures, among sites
within the pastures, and among months, with the greatest variance
occurring among the months. A continual decrease in vegetational
cover was observed from June I to September 30, with one exception.
Photo plots taken in conjunction with the cover board readings
illustrated the same trends, and allowed for the identification
of the plant species responsible for the differences between
readings. Photo plots within deciduous shrub thickets illustrated
that intense grazing caused deterioration of the vegetation within
the thickets, less intense grazing caused slight damage, and rest
allowed for some improvement. Cover board readings taken at grouse
observation sites within the grass-uplands indicated that the sharp­
tailed grouse were selecting for areas of better vegetation than
that located at the dancing ground sites. The general pattern of
grouse use was extensive use of the grasslands in the spring with a
movement toward the shrub thickets during the summer, and then
increased use of the grasslands in the late summer and early fall.
Twenty-two of twenty-five observations of marked grouse were made
within one mile of the dancing ground on which they had been marked.
The other three were within two miles of the respective dancing
ground. There was no observed difference in movements of sharptails
within the two types of grazing systems. September sharp-tailed
grouse food habits were determined for the two years of study, with
a higher percentage of animal material present than usually reported
for the fall. There was also a shift in the species composition of
the plant material noted between the two years.
INTRODUCTION
The range of the sharp-tailed grouse (Pedioeeetes phasi-ccnetlus
jamesH) has been reduced (Aldrich 1963) with a subsequent reduction
in its populations. Much of this reduction can be attributed to the
implementation of intensive agricultural practices and livestock
grazing.
The detrimental effect of overgrazing on sharptail
populations is well documented (Marshall and Jensen 1937, Hart et at.
1950, Brown 1966b, Pepper 1972, Sisson 1976).
Rest-rotation grazing
(Hormay and Talbot 1961) provides for systematic rest from grazing
with the long-term goal of range improvement.
This grazing system
is being implemented in an increasing manner on National Resource
Lands, but the effects of this system on sharp-tailed grouse popu­
lations has not been well documented.
This study was initiated in
June 1975 to determine how a four pasture rest-rotation grazing
system affects the distribution and movements of the sharp-tailed
grouse.
Field work was conducted from mid-June to mid-September
1975 and mid-March through September 1976.
DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA
The study was conducted on the Cottonwood Grazing Association,
located approximately twenty miles north of Malta, Phillips County,
Montana (Figure I).
The West Hotchkiss Unit (Study Area) consisted
of approximately 26,000 acres, divided into five pastures, ranging
in size from 2120 to 7060 acres.
Although this unit contained five
pastures, it was treated as a four pasture rest-rotation system with
pastures one-east and one-west undergoing the same treatment within
a given year.
A second area, the East Garland Unit was divided into
four pastures, two of which were used for comparison with the study
area.
These two pastures were approximately 2400 and 2800 acres,
respectively.
This unit was administered under a deferred-rotation
system but, because of limited availability of water, irregular
rather than systematic grazing periods were employed.
The study area consists of uplands which drop off, through
rolling to sharply rolling.land to the major drainages which bisect
the area.
The area is dominated by northern grasslands with sage­
brush creek bottoms as described for the glaciated plains of eastern
Montana (Payne 1973 and Ross 1976).
The soils of the area are
dominated by loams to clay loams overlaying a clay subsoil (Southard
1969).
Topography and soils of the East Garland Unit are basically
similar to those of the study area, but the unit contains many deeply
To Canada
West Hotchkiss Unit
East Garland Unit
LEGEND
—
S te iy
Area Betm daries
— » Feece
—
H ighway
=
S r iv e I Road
A
Figure I.
Map of the two areas of study.
242
Ie te r m it te e t
S tre am
-4entrenched breaks which creates more of a badlands appearance
(Gieseker 1926).
The climate is characterized by low rainfall, great temperature
extremes, and a large number of sunny days (Gieseker 1926).
The
climatological data were recorded at the towns of Turner and Whitewater, and the station Forks■4 NNE (U. S . Department of Commerce
1975-76).
The mean annual temperature is 40.0 F and the mean annual
precipitation is 11.65 inches.
Below normal temperatures occurred
in 1975, while above normal temperatures occurred in 1976.
Above
average precipitation was received at all three stations in 1975.
In 1976, Turner received below average, Whitewater approximately.
average, and Forks 4 NNE, slightly above average, precipitation.
The entire area is used primarily for cattle production.
The
systems within the Cottonwood Grazing Association Allotment are
grazed from approximately May I through October 31.
a history of moderate to heavy grazing by livestock.
The area has
As the
Association purchased private land, management plans were written
and revised to include the majority of the public and private land
within the Association boundaries.
The East Garland area was
originally placed within an allotment management plan in April 1969.
New water improvements are being planned so that this deferredrotation system may ultimately become a rest-rotation system.
The
-5private land within the West Hotchkiss Unit was purchased in 1973.
A rest-rotation system.was implemented during the 1974 grazing
season, and will continue under current management plans.
In 1976
many new water impoundments were established to provide water
throughout the pastures, and to distribute the grazing more uniformly
within each pasture.
Vegetation Types
Vegetation characteristics and the topography were used to
classify the vegetation of the area into three types similar to
those described by Martinka (1967) and Dusek (1971).
The.extent
of each major type arid subtype is shown in Figures 2 and 3.
A
reference plant collection prepared by Dusek (1971) aided in
identification of the vegetation comprising the various types and
subtypes.
Booth (1950) and Booth and Wright (1959) were used as the
basis for the common and scientific nomenclature.
Grass-Uplands Type
This type was found on the benchlands within the area.
Topography ranged from flat to rolling, characteristic of glaciated
areas.
There was evidence of old abandoned croplands present in
various locations, however, all but one had reverted to native
vegetation.
The one exception, approximately 60 acres located in
LEG EN D
G ra ss -u p lan d s
:& :*
Breaks Sub-type II
y/// Breaks Sub-Type III
f H 4 S ag e-g rass C reek Bottom
Figure 2
West Hotchkiss Unit showing vegetation types
Illlllilul
7
LEGEND
G rass-uplands
~ ~ ~ Breaks S ub -type I
Breaks S ub -type I
LLLL
Figure 3.
S age-grass Creek
Bottom
East Garland Unit showing vegetation types
—8—
the northwest corner of pasture one-rwest was a hayfield that had
been planted to pubescent wheatgrass {Agvopyron trichophorum) in
1973, and was opened to grazing in 1976.
This was.the only acreage
within the area of study that was associated with any agricultural
practice other than grazing.
The predominant grasses present were needle-and-thread (Stipa
oomatd) , blue grama (Bouteloua QvacilrIs), junegrass (Koetevia
crlstata) , and plains muhly Qiuhlenhergia auspidata) .
Sedges .
(Carex spp.), clubmoss (Selaginella spp.), and lichens were also
present in varying amounts throughout this vegetation type.
Among
the forbs present were fringed sagewort {Artemisia frigida) , broom
snakeweed {Gutierrezia sarothrae) , silverleaf scurfpea QPsoralea
argophylla) , prairie pepperweed {Lepidium d ensif l o n m ) , pointloco
{Oxytropis spp.), milkvetch {Astragalus spp.), curlcup gumweed
{Grindelia squarrosa) , and spiny goldenweed {Haplopappus punctata) .
Yellow sweetclover Qtelilotus officianalis) was present, particu­
larly on disturbed areas.
Silver sagebrush {Artemisia cand) was the most abundant shrub
and was present in scattered locations throughout the grass-uplands.
Big sagebrush {Artemisia tridentata) was present within the grassuplands of the East Garland Unit.
Skunkbush sumac QRhus trilohata)
-9and creeping juniper (Juniperus hoTtsontaUs) were found in isolated
areas of the grass-uplands.
Grass-Shrub Breaks
This vegetation type occurred on the gently to sharply rolling
land between the uplands and the creek bottoms.
Due to differences
in topography and vegetational composition, this major type was
divided into three sub-types.
Breaks Sub-type I
The topography of this sub-type was of deeply entrenched side,
drainages with sandstone formations exposed by extensive erosion.
The major grasses present were western wheatgrass (,Agropyron
smithii) and blue grama.
The predominant forbs were fringed sage-
wort, Hoods’ phlox (Phlox hoodii) , prairie pepperweed, plains
pricklypear (Opuntia polyoanthla) , and yellow sweetclover.
Big
sagebrush, silver sagebrush, and greasewood (Saroobatus vermioulatus)
were the predominant shrubs.
Creeping juniper was abundant,
particularly on the steeper slopes.
Common juniper (Juniperus
communis) and Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulonm) were
found on scattered locations.
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
was found around mesic sites in scattered side coulees.
-10Breaks Sub-type II
This sub-type was of gentle to sharply rolling topography, and
included many of the coulee heads associated with the breaks subtype I.
The majority of the grass-shrub breaks type was of this
sub-type.
The major grasses present were western wheatgrass, green needlegrass (Stipa vividula), little bluestem (Andropogon soopaidus),
prairie sand reedgrass (Calamov-ilfa longtfoli-a) , and needle-andthread.
The principal forbs were fringed sagewort, broom snakeweed,,
wild licorice (Glyoynrhtza leptdota), yellow sweetclover, and
goldenrod (Soltdago spp.).
Shrub thickets were well dispersed within this sub-type.
Buffalo-berry (Shepherdta argehtea) , common snowberry (,Symphortoarpos
albus), western snowberry (Symphortoarpos oootdentalts), and rose
(Rosa spp.) were the important shrubs within these thickets.
Creeping
juniper often formed an understory for the thickets, and was also
located on the steeper slopes.
Silver-berry (Eleagnus oohmutata'),
chokecherry (Prunus vtrgtntana), and golden currant (Rtbes aureum)
were also present, but were not as common as the rest of the shrubs.
Breaks Sub-type III
This sub-type was found mainly on the steep slopes between the
grass-uplands and the sage-grass creek bottoms.
Grasses were
-11predominant , particularly needle-and-thread, little bluestem,
junegrass, and blue grama.
Forbs were present and of the approx­
imate composition as the grass-uplands.
A few scattered shrubs
were present within this sub-type, namely silver sagebrush, buffaloberry, snowberry, and rose.
Sage-Grass Creek Bottoms
Silver sagebrush was the predominant shrub, with rose, common
snowberry, and an occasional buffalo-berry also present.
wheatgrass was the major grass present.
Western
Other wheatgrasses
(,Agropyron spp.), blue grama, needle-and-thread, and junegrass
composed the rest of the grasses with sedges also abundant.
Fringed
sagewort, yellow sweetclover, curIcup gumweed, and plains pricklypear
were the predominant forbs occurring in this type.
An occasional
plains cottonwood (PopuZus deZtoides) was present in the major
drainages.
METHODS
The majority of the field season in 1975 was spent in recon­
naissance and becoming familiar with the study area.
All trails
were plotted as a basis for establishing regular observation routes
tentative vegetation types and composition were defined; and the
major grouse use-areas were delineated.
Throughout the study, all grouse observations were recorded
to include the location, date, time of day, weather conditions,
vegetation type, and approximate distance to the nearest change in
cover.
Systematic coverage of both areas was conducted during late
March and April for the purpose of locating all active dancing
grounds.
Stops were made every one-quarter to three-quarters of a
mile, depending upon wind conditions.
Five to ten minutes were
spent at each stop listening for dancing grouse.
After the entire
area had been covered at least twice, emphasis shifted to censusing
and trapping grouse on the active grounds.
Census data were tabulated as average total males, and as
average total grouse observed (Table I). When possible, grouse
observed at a dancing ground were classified as to sex.
However,
when the birds flushed before a complete classification was made,
or when unobserved birds flushed from the area after the birds
had been classified, an unclassified count was recorded.
Only 47
TABLE I.
SEASONAL AVERAGE NUMBER OF MALES AND TOTAL GROUSE OBSERVED ON EACH DANCING
GROUND - 1976.
Average Number of Males
Dancing
Ground
A3
B
C
D3
E3
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
Number"*"
Of Counts
Average
I
4
6
2
4
5
5
5
5
7
4
8
5
I
3.00
6.75
10.83
32.00
4.00
23.80
9.40
16.80
21.00
26.43
11.25
11.13
16.40
5.00
S.E.2
Average Total Grouse
Range
___
0.957
2.714
2.828
1.414
3.421
1.140
4.549
5.477
5.094
0.957
1.356
3.507
—-
6-8
8-15
30-34
3-6
18-27
8-11
13-24
15-28
19-33
10-12
10-13
11-20
—
Number-*Of Counts
Average
S.E.
Range
I
4
8
4
4
7
6
6
7
8
5
8
6
2
4.00
7.75
10.63
35.00
4.00
27.14
9.17
19.67
25.85
28.25
12.00
12.00
18.67
7.50
2.012
2.387
4.546
1.414
3.338
1.169
7.229
5.610
6.065
1.225
1.690
5.278
0.707
6-10
8-15
30-41
3-6
21-31
8-11
13-32
15-32
19-37
10-13
10-15
12-27
7-8
^Number of counts with birds present under favorable conditions.
^Standard error (standard deviation of the mean).
Transient grounds.
-14hens were observed and they were included within the total
unclassified counts.
Only counts that were made within two hours
of sunrise and under favorable weather conditions, were used in
the final tabulation.
From the second week in April through the third week in May
trapping was conducted on ten of the fourteen dancing grounds.
Two 50 X 100 foot cannon-nets were used singly or as a double-net
set on grounds selected for trapping.
Captured grouse were fitted
with aluminum leg bands and colored poncho markers (Pyrah 1970).
The markers were color-coded for each, ground, with, the combinations
determined by the color of the poncho and the number.
Some of the
more visible combinations were used more than once, when the distance
between grounds negated the possibility of overlap in movements.
Brood routes were established in areas of brood concentration
where the broods could be observed.
A concentrated effort was made
to count all the chicks within.a brood, and record the vegetation,
time, and weather conditions at the time of observation.
The brood
routes were driven through mid-July of both years, at which time the
brood use shifted mainly to the deciduous shrub thickets within the
breaks sub-type II.
A brood was so designated when the young were
associated with a single hen.
If more than one adult was present,
the flock was classified as mixed adults and juveniles.
I
-15Routes to determine grouse distribution were established within
the grass-uplands and sage-grass creek bottoms.
These routes were
driven in their entirety at least twice a month during the morning
and evening activity periods.
Grouse were counted and compared on a
per-mile basis between the four pastures of the study area, and
between the study area and the East Garland Unit.
This allowed for
a comparison of grouse use, particularly in the uplands, as the
vegetation was altered by growth and grazing.
Cover board readings were initiated in 1976, to determine the
characteristics of the vegetation at grouse observation sites within
the grass-uplands and grassy coulee heads.
The cover board as
described by Jones (1968), and used extensively by Pepper (1972)
was used in the vegetation analysis.
of nine sites.
Two readings were made at each
One site was at the center of activity, with the
others at five and ten feet distances along each of the cardinal
compass directions away from the center.
The two readings at each
site consisted of a 45-degree reading from approximately 6 feet and
a second at 30 feet, sighting 6 inches above the ground.
If the
grouse were scattered over a wide area, the nine sites were
located randomly throughout the area of use.
In order to reduce the
bias when placing the cover board, one side always faced west.
areas other than the grass-uplands and grassy coulee heads, the
In
—16vegetation providing the majority of the cover was recorded as to
height and relative abundance.
Vegetation photo plots and cover board readings were estab­
lished at each dancing ground site.
Photo plots were established
100 yards from the center along the four compass directions (Figure
4).
This distance was determined to be out of the area of influence
-H 60 F t K
N
100 Yds-
Figure 4.
Diagram of photo plots and cover board reading sites
established at the dancing grounds.
of the dancing grouse.
Each photo plot consisted of three stakes—
the two end stakes 20 yards apart with the third stake in the center.
These plots were photographed three times during the summer of 1976
in relation to cattle movements from pasture to pasture as deter­
mined by the management plan.
One cover board reading was also
-17taken at the center stake of each photo plot, plus one reading at
the center of each ground.
These were then compared in order to
determine differences in vegetation height and density between
the various grounds.
The cover board readings recorded at the dancing ground sites
were considered to be fairly representative of the grass-uplands
within a given pasture.
Therefore, the cover readings at other
grouse observation sites within a pasture were compared to those
of the grounds to determine if the grouse were selecting toward
areas of better vegetation within a pasture.
In pastures where
only one dancing ground occurred, additional sites with similar
characteristics/to the dancing grounds were selected for vegetational
measurements.
These sites were distributed throughout the pastures
to further insure that the readings were representative of the
entire pasture.
In 1975 fifteen photo plots were established along side coulees .
and coulee bottoms to monitor the effect of grazing and associated
trampling on the vegetation present, with particular emphasis on
the deciduous shrubs.
These plots were photographed in mid-September
1975, and in conjunction with the other photo plots in 1976.
Since field research was conducted during the first part of the
hunting season in both 1975 and 1976, crops and wings were collected
-18from harvested birds for later analysis of food habits and sex and
age composition.
Information collected with each harvested bird
included the date, time, and location of kill, as well as, the
vegetation type from which the bird flushed.
Crop analysis was
completed by air drying the contents and then segregating and
measuring volumetrically by water displacement, each food species
within the crop.
The aggregate volume method described by Martin
et at. (1946) was used to tabulate the results.
The adult and
juvenile wings were separated using the criteria described by
Ammann (1944).
By measuring the length of the fifth primary of
the adult wings they could be classified to sexes (Brown 1968b).
The approximate age of the juvenile sharptails was determined by
the criteria described by Pepper (1972).
into weekly age classes.
They were categorized
By back dating, the peak of the hatch,
and the peak of female attendance on the dancing grounds could be
determined.
RESULTS
Breeding Population
Fourteen sharp-tailed grouse dancing grounds were located on
the areas during the spring of 1976 (Figure 5).
Censuses through
May indicated that 12 of those grounds were permanent (persistently
used by displaying grouse throughout the spring) and 2 were transient
(received only sporadic use).
mid-April.
One transient ground was used until
While dancing was observed on the other only once,
droppings observed at the site indicated that it was sporadically
used during most of the spring.
Daily counts were expressed as a percentage of the seasons
maximum male and maximum total grouse attendance.
These daily counts
were averaged and plotted by weekly periods (Figure 6).
This graph
illustrates the peak of both male and total grouse attendance was
during the first two weeks in May.
Six additional dancing grounds were known to exist in close
proximity to the areas of study (Figure 5).
Three of these grounds
were located along the Milk River south of the West Hotchkiss Unit
(pasture 3), and were monitored by the Montana Fish and Game Depart­
ment as part of their spring trend routes, while another was located
north of this unit (pasture one-west).
The remaining two were
To Canada
West Hotchkiss Unit
i(
K)
0
1
Figure 5.
Study areas showing dancing ground locations.
of Maximum
Males
Total
Attendance
Weekly Interval
Figure 6.
Percent of seasonal maximum male and total grouse attendance on the dancing
grounds - spring 1976.
-22ad jacent to the East Garland Unit, one to the northwest and one to
the southeast.
During the spring of 1976 a total of 89 grouse were marked
and released (Table 2).
Success in trapping on a given morning
was greatly influenced by wind conditions.
There was no observed
TABLE 2.
NUMBER OF SHARP--TAILED GROUSE TRAPPED AND MARKED ON EACH
DANCING GROUND -- 1976.
Dancing
Ground
Males
Marked
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
0
0
2.
121
0
11
4
10
14
17
5
5
8
0
TOTAL
88
Juveniles
Adults
2
3
0
7
2
3
4
5
13
0
3
4
9
I
6
9
4
5
2
4
39
47
Females
Marked
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
Juveniles
Adults
0
1
0
1
Ages for 2 grouse were not recorded
movement, either through recapture or observation, of marked grouse
between grounds, which concurs with observations reported by Brown
(1968a).
Marked birds reobserved on the dancing grounds were always
-23observed in the same general area from which they had been trapped.
This indicated that territories had been established, agreeing with
Evans (1961) and Lumsden (1965).
In addition to dancing activity observed on established grounds,,
displaying grouse were also observed in areas not associated with an
established ground (Table 3).
On three occasions grouse left the
dancing ground and displayed in an area within 100^-200 yards of the
dancing ground.
On two of these occasions they were flushed from
the ground by the observer and actively displayed a short distance
away.
On the third occasion they were observed to undergo sporadic
dancing while feeding in a large grassy swale approximately 200 yards
from the dancing ground.
Throughout the spring period (mid-March - June I), grouse were
observed frequently in the grass-uplands type (Figures 7 and 8).
Within the study area, observations in this type constituted 62.3%
of 61 observations, with 24.6% in the breaks sub-type TI, and 13.1%
in the breaks sub-type III.
Within the East Garland Unit 62.5% of ■
16 observations were located in the grass-uplands, 18.8% in the
breaks sub-type I, 12.5% in the breaks sub-type II, and 6.25% in the
sage-grass creek bottom type.
The majority of these observations
were made incidental to other work, and were in areas adjacent to .
roads, trails, and dancing grounds.
However, the large number of
TABLE 3.
LOCATIONS OF DISPLAYING SHARP-TAILED GROUSE THAT WERE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH
AN ESTABLISHED DANCING GROUND.
Distance to Nearest
Dancing Ground (miles)
Date
Location
04—06—76
T33N R31E
Sec 3 NW%SE%
1.19
One male and one female. Male was
actively displaying while the
female fed in the area of an old
corral.
04-20-76
T33N R30E
Sec 32 SW%NW%
0.75
Two males were observed displaying
during a light rain. No female
was observed in the area.
05-01-76
T32N R30E
Sec 4 SW%SW%
0.80
Dancing activity was very audible,
however, the vegetation of the
creek bottom prevented any obser­
vation of the grouse.
05—12—76—
05-15-76
T32N R30E
Sec 10 NE%NE%
0.63
One to three males were observed
displaying in the presence of
suspected females on each of the
four mornings. This site was
located in the yard of a ranch
house.
Comments
I
M
V l
I
Grass-uplands
%%
Figure 7.
B reaks
Sub-type M
Breaks
Sub-type III
Sage-grass Creek
Bottom
Observation Site
West Hotchkiss Unit showing spring grouse observations in
relation to vegetation types.
-26-
LEGEND
S age-grass Creek
G rass-uplands
------ Breaks
Figure 8.
S ub-type
I
X
Observation
Bottom
Site
East Garland Unit showing spring grouse observations in
relation to vegetation types.
-27observations in the grass-uplands indicates the importance of this
type during the spring.
Production and Brood Activity
The number and size of broods recorded along routes between
mid-June and mid-July of both years, as well as those observed
incidental to other activities are listed in Table 4.
Broods
located in 1975 averaged considerably larger than those in 1976.
The West Hotchkiss Unit produced larger broods than those of the
East Garland Unit.
In 1975 and 1976, the broods from the study area
averaged about I and 2 additional chicks per brood, respectively,
than those from the East Garland Unit.
During both years the broods located off the study areas were
compared to those located within.
In 1975, the five broods located
off the areas averaged larger than those of both the study units.
This larger average may have been partially due to the small sample
size, and two unusually large broods of 16 and 18 chicks.
These two
were possibly composite broods, although only one hen was observed
per brood.
The broods located off the study areas in 1976 were classified
as coming from areas under rest-rotation grazing, or from areas
where no grazing plan was practiced or which were under some form
of cultivation.
The average brood size from areas under rest-
TABLE 4,
SUMMARY OF BROOD DATA FOR 1975 AND 1976
Year
Unit/Pasture
Total Broods
Observed
Total Young
Observed
Average
Brood Size
Range
S.E.
East Garland Unit
East
West
SUB-TOTAL
5
4
9
55
32
87
11.0
8.0
9.67
565-16
16 4.06
9 1.41
3.39
1975
West Hotchkiss Unit
One-east
One-west
Two
Three
Four
SUB-TOTAL
Off Study Areas
TOTAL
East Garland Unit
East
West
SUB-TOTAL
West Hotchkiss Unit
One-east
One-west
Two
Three
Four
SUB-TOTAL
Off Study Areas
Rest-rotation grazing
Other grazing or cultivated
SUB-TOTAL
TOTAL
2
I
I
5
9
22
10
9
53
94
—
11.0
10.0
9.0
10.6
10.44
8-13
8-13
2.51
1.88
5
23
65
246
13.0
10.69
8-18
5-18
4.00
3.17
7
3
10
34
16
50
4.86
5.33
5.00
1-10
3-8
1-10
2.90
2.52
2.67
—
—
—
—
7
—
49
—
—
'7.0
—
—
—
—
0.0
—
—
—
—
—
4-11
—
—
2.89
—
4
6
17
23
48
120
5.75
8.0
7.06
3-9
4-14
3-14
2.50
3.74
3.07
7
6
13
40
48
32
80
250
6.85
5.33
6.15
6.25
3-11
2-10
2-11
1-14
3.24
3.14
3.16
3.04
l
-29-
rotation grazing compared favorably with that of the West Hotchkiss
Unit, and was above that of the East Garland Unit.
The brood sizes
from areas with no grazing plan or which were under cultivation,
compared favorably to those of the East Garland Unit, but were
smaller than those of the study area.
One possible explanation
for the small brood size on the East Garland Unit may have been .
the intense grazing pressure applied to the Big Cottonwood Creek
bottom adjacent to the southern edge of this unit.
This pressure
was experienced during May and June which were the sharp-tailed
grouse nesting months.
According to Christenson (1971), range
utilization by cattle lowered the hatching success through removal
and trampling of cover.
The juvenile wings collected during the 1975-76 hunting
seasons were assigned a weekly age class following the criteria
described by Pepper (1972).
These were then back-dated to provide
a hatching peak for the two years (Figure 9).
was approximately 1.5 weeks later than in 1976.
The peak in 1975
This may have
been related to the weather patterns for the two years.
During
.
the spring of 1975 precipitation was 186.9% of the average, while
in 1976 it was 48.9%.
A second peak suggesting renesting was
evidenced during both years.
Brown (1967a) and Christenson (1971)
both reported the occurrence of renesting in sharp-tailed grouse.
Percent of Hat
-30-
Interval
Percent of H atch
Weekly
In terv al
Figure 9.
Frequency distribution of the hatch by weekly intervals.
-31Christenson (1971) also found that renesting attempts were more
successful, due mainly to an improvement of cover as the nesting
season progressed.
By back-dating from the hatching peak in 1976, the approximate
peak of hen attendance on the dancing grounds was calculated as
the first week in May.
This agreed with the observed peak in
dancing ground attendance (Figure 5).
During the 1975 season, broods were closely associated with
abundant stands of yellow sweetclover through the month of July,
after which they were found mainly in the heads of coulees within
the breaks sub-type II, and also in the closely related grassuplands.
These numerous sweetclover stands provided excellent
brood habitat, i.e., cover, shade, and an abundant food supply in
the form of grasshoppers.
Photographs taken in 1975 of selected
stands of sweetclover when compared to the stands present in 1976,
illustrated a very marked decline in this species.
This decline
was probably due to below normal precipitation during the 1976
growing season.
Only two broods were associated with stands of
sweetclover in 1976, with the breaks sub-type II and the related,
grass-uplands providing the majority of the brood habitat.
-32Grazing Pattern
Rest-rotation grazing was implemented on the West Hotchkiss
Unit in 1974.
The general form of rest-rotation grazing... con­
sists of four basic steps in the following sequence: (I)
Graze the range for maximum livestock production (GL);
(2) Rest the range until plant vigor is restored (RV);
(3) Rest the range until seed ripens, then graze for
maximum livestock production (RS); and (4) Resty the
range until reproduction becomes firmly established (RR)
(Hormay and Talbot 1961).
As used on the study area, the treatements during 1975-76
consisted of (Figure 10):
GL
Graze with livestock from May I through June 15,
and move the cattle into the next pasture.^
RV - Graze with livestock from June 15 through August I,
and move the cattle into the next pasture.I
RS - Graze with livestock from August I through October
31, and remove the cattle.
RR - Complete rest.
■^Return of livestock to a pasture was permissible under .
the grazing plan.
This basic formula was adhered to in 1975 with some exceptions made
in the moving dates.
The overall stocking rate for the West
Hotchkiss Unit was 81.9% of the maximum surveyed capacity (Table 5)
In 1976 there were again exceptions to the moving dates. However,
for this year the overall stocking rate was 122.4% of the maximum
surveyed grazing capacity.
-33-
W EST
H O T C H K IS S
U N IT
ONE - EAST
O N E -W E S T
TW O
FOUR
THR EE
EAST GARLAND UNIT
W EST
EAST
Figure 10.
Grazing treatments by pastures for 1975 and 1976.
1Grazing treatments for 1975 are at the top of each
pasture; 1976 at the bottom.
-34TABLE 5.
GRAZING ALLOTMENTS BY PASTURE FOR EAST GARLAND AND WEST
HOTCHKISS UNITS - 1975 AND 1976.
Date
Year
Surveyed
Aums^
Aums
Used
Unit/Pasture
Treatment
In
Out
East Garland
East
West
Deferred
Deferred
10/23
9/18
11/3
10/27
855
633
11/3
855
633
1179
1900
1140
1354
0
732
1281
1424
4954
4056
1975
9/18
TOTAL
West Hotchkiss
One-east
One-west
Two
Three
Four
RV
RV
RR
RS
GL
TOTAL
5/31
5/31
—
7/25
7/25
—
8/27
5/3
8/27
11/5
6/17
11/3
5/3
11/5
1976
East Garland
East
West
Deferred
Deferred
TOTAL
West Hotchkiss
One-east
One-west
Two
Three
Four
TOTAL
Animal unit months.
GL
GL
RV
RR
RS
8/5
6/27
8/18
8/4
855
484
6/27
8/18
855
484
5/15
5/1
6/20
6/6
6/20
6/5
7/19
10/21
407
614
772
1151
2513
0
1786
6064
7/19
10/30
1140
1354
1281
5/1
10/30
4954
— — —
— ----
-35—
The two pastures of the East Garland Unit which were admin­
istered under a deferred grazing plan, were subjected to grazing
intensities below the surveyed capacity in both 1975 and 1976
(Table 5).
The grazing in 1975 was 74.0% of the surveyed capacity
and in 1976 56.6%.
This light to moderate grazing was mainly
attributable to the relatively small, number of water sources that
were present within the area.
Even with these stocking rates
there were heavily grazed areas, particularly around available
water.
A general pattern of grazing was observed during the two
summers of study.
The cattle usually grazed the sage-grass creek
bottoms first, with some coincidental use of the grass-uplands.
Following heavy use of the creek bottoms, the majority of the
grazing occurred in the grass-uplands.
There was continued move­
ment between the two types, with the more open, gentle sloping .
coulees acting as avenues;
In areas where breaks sub-type II was
predominant, extensive, grazing
was usually confined to the open,
grassy hillsides.
Vegetation Response
The cover board readings were recorded for June I, August I,
and September 30, 1976, at all dancing ground sites plus six.
additional sites with similar characteristics.
These readings were
-36then analyzed using statistical methods from Snedecof and Cochran.
(1973).
A nested analysis of variance was used to analyze the
readings (Tables 6 and 7).
These indicated that there was a
significant variance among all the levels measured, including
pastures, sites within pastures, and time (months).
The least
amount of variance occurred among the sites within a pasture at a
given time period, and the greatest within a pasture among the
months.
It is apparent that the vegetation between and within the
pastures was not uniform, and was definitely affected by the time
v
of the year.
The variances within the pastures were calculated for the
entire season (Table 8).
For the 45-degree readings, the least
amount of variance between sites occurred within pasture west.
(East Garland Unit) and pasture three (West Hotchkiss Unit).
The
30-foot readings illustrated the greatest degree of variance within
the pastures, with pasture one-west (West Hotchkiss Unit) being the
I
■
most uniform among sites.
■
-
Pasture one-east contained only one site
and did kot contribute to the site within pasture component of
total variation.
Pasture east (East Garland Unit) demonstrated a
high variance between sites for both readings because one site
located on a rocky ridge with poor vegetation was compared to two
other sites that were located within the grass-uplands.
Pasture
—37—
TABLE 6.
ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE FOR THE 45-DEGREE COVER BOARD READINGS
TAKEN AT THE DANCING GROUNDS - 1976.
Source
Sum of
Squares
Degrees of
Freedom
Mean
Square
Total
Pastures
Site/Pasture
Months
Error
1838.54
106.22
192.45
135.69
1404.18
299
6
13
2
278
17.70
14.80
67.85
5.05
TABLE 7.
3.50
2.93
13.43
ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE FOR THE 30-FOOT COVER BOARD READINGS
TAKEN AT THE DANCING GROUNDS - 1976.
Sum of
Squares
Source
Total
Pastures
Site/Pasture
Months
Error
TABLE 8.
F
Degrees of
Freedom
Mean
Square
299
6
13
2
278
1300.40
881.60
2986.90
162.88
70517.00
7800.86
11460.81
5973.80
45281.53
F
7.98
5.41
18.34
VARIANCES WITHIN PASTURES FOR COVER BOARD READINGS TAKEN AT
DANCING GROUNDS - 1976.
Pasture
45°
30'
East Garland Unit
East
West
60.95
0.01
3471.21
425.63
West Hotchkiss Unit
One-east
One-west
Two
Three
Four
-6.70
7.26
2.51
12.01
99.20
321.31
645.15
438.76
—38three, the rest pasture, had very little variance between sites
for the 45-degree readings, but a very large variance for the
30-foot readings.
This was largely attributable to the readings
taken at dancing ground E=
Pasture two and four in the West
Hotchkiss Unit demonstrated intermediate variances for both
readings.
Mean cover board readings for each pasture obtained for each
time period (Appendix Table 15) were evidence of a negative change
in cover value of vegetation as the season progressed.
All
pastures - excluding one-east - demonstrated the loss of vegetational cover for grouse during periods of no grazing.
This was due
largely to residual vegetation from the previous year becoming ground
litter, and the desiccation of the current years growth of grasses
and forbs.
Pasture one-west (June - August) was the only pasture
showing an increase in cover between two readings.
This was due
mainly to the growth of scurfpea, particularly in the vicinity of
dancing ground E.
The growings season in 1976 was very poof as a
result of below normal precipitation.
Above average precipitation
in June allowed for growth of some forbs, but was too late for good
growth of the majority of the grasses within the uplands.
The mean
values for pasture four were lower than those for pastures one-west
and: three because of silver sagebrush at two of the dancing grounds
-39within this pasture and the excellent residual vegetation located
at a third.
Dancing ground M, located partially within pastures three and
four, was subjected to rest and grazing treatments simultaneously.
However, all readings for this ground were included with those for
pasture three.
They probably should have been excluded completely
as they were not representative of either pasture.
They added to
the variance between the sites and the means for pasture three.
The photographs of the plots taken in conjunction with the
cover board readings were also compared and showed the same trends
in vegjetational cover.
The photographs also permitted the iden­
tification of plant species which caused the changes in the cover
board readings.
The photo plots established within the deciduous shrub thickets
provided an evaluation of the effects of grazing on the vegetation
within these thickets.
All the plots, except those in pasture one-
west which were poor to good, showed good to excellent cover
available in September of 1975, with very little evidence of
trampling by cattle.
During 1976 the effects of grazing were
evident within all grazed pastures.
The plots within the East
Garland Unit evidenced the removal of adjacent grass cover with
some trampling of vegetation noted within the thickets.
The
-40removal of vegetation was evident in heavily grazed pastures two and
four of the West Hotchkiss Unit.
The plots within pasture one-west
evidenced some regrowth during the period of no grazing.
The two
plots within pasture three evidenced a slight improvement during
1976.
Thickets that were located along coulee bottoms and side.
coulees that provided avenues to available water underwent extensive
trampling.
It was evident from the photo plots that periods of rest,
especially for the entire season, allowed for some regrowth within
these thickets.
Summer-Fall Grouse Responses to Vegetation
All sharp-tailed grouse observation sites for the summer and
early fall periods of study (mid-June - mid-September 1975 and
June I - September 30, 1976) were recorded in relation to vegetation
types (Figures 11 and 12).
The majority of the sites were located
within the grass-uplands, and none within the breaks sub-type III
(Table 9).
Brown (1966b) in Montana, and Hart et at. (1950) in Utah
determined that sharp-tailed grouse use the grasslands through late
spring and into the early summer, after which time they tend to be
associated with areas containing a mixture of shrubs and grass.
The cover board readings taken at grouse observation sites
within a given pasture were divided into the respective time periods.
The mean values for these readings were calculated and compared to
I
•fs
H
I
LEGEND
Grass-uplands
Y//
>
Brood 1975
Breaks S u b -ty p e
Il
I
Brood
Breaks S u b -ty p e
III
>
General Observation 1975
)
General Observation 1976
f-fji Saae - grass Creek Bottom
Figure 11
1976
West Hotchkiss Unit showing summer and early fall grouse
observations in relation to vegetation type.
42
LEGEND
Grass - uplands
—
Breaks
Breaks
m
S u b -ty p e
I
S u b -ty p e Il
S a g e -g ra s s C reek Bottom
Figure 12.
b
Brood
1975
B
Brood
1976
5
General Observation
1975
0
General Observation
1976
East Garland Unit showing summer and early fall grouse
observations in relation to vegetation type.
TABLE 9.
Year
SUMMER AND EARLY FALL SHARP-TAILED GROUSE OBSERVATIONS BY VEGETATION TYPE 1975 AND 1976.
Unit/Pasture
Grasslands
Observations
%
Vegetation Type
Breaks
Breaks
Sub-type II
Sub-type I
ObserObservations
%
vations
%
Sage-Grass
Creek Bottoms
Observations
%
1975
East Garland
East
West
TOTAL
3
2
5
27.8
3
—3
20.4
2
4
6
16.7
3
5
8
12.2
6
24
30
2
— — —
44.4
2
11.1
1976
East
West
TOTAL
5
5
10
3
—
61.2
3
6.1
1975
West Hotchkiss
One-east
One-west
Two
Three
Four
TOTAL
—
—
3
2
— — —
—
—
—
7
12
---- —
37.5
2
3
4
9
18
-
—
—
—
I
—
I
2
56.25
1976
One-east
One-west
Two
Three
Four
TOTAL
___
15
3
9
6
33
___
—
— — —
— ---—
40.2
___
___
9
3
24
13
49
—
— ---— — —
—
59.8
6.25
—44—
the respective pasture mean and adjusted pasture, mean (Table 10)'.
The adjusted pasture mean was calculated without the values for the
cover board readings from the centers of the dancing grounds.
These
readings were omitted because they were definitely influenced by the
dancing activity of the grouse.
A sign test was used to determine
whether the grouse were selecting areas within a pasture that were
significantly different from those of the dancing ground" sites. A.
z-value equal to 3.8 (p
001) was calculated indicating a significant
difference between the two means.
Since 88% of the 45-degree and
30-foot means for the grouse observation sites were greater than the
respective pasture mean, it was determined that the grouse were
selecting feeding and loafing areas within a pasture that contained
better vegetation than the dancing ground sites.
Jones (1968)
reported this same type of selection with Columbian sharp-tailed
grouse (JPedLoecetes phasianellus ootvmbianus) in Washington.
The use of shrubs during the summer was primarily for shade and
cover.
Shrubs that were used by sharp-tailed grouse consisted
primarily of buffalo-berry, with snowberry and rose also present in
varying amounts.
Chokecherry, silver-berry, and golden currant were
sometimes present, but were not abundant within the study areas.
A
variety of forbs and grasses were present in the understory, which
usually contained a carpet of creeping juniper.
The type of thicket
-45TABLE 10.
COVER BOARD READING MEANS FOR GROUSE OBSERVATION SITES
COMPARED TO THE RESPECTIVE PASTURE MEAN AND ADJUSTED MEAN.
Pasture
Month
Pasture Mean
(45-degree 30-foot)
East
August
72.07 - 27.6
71.33 - 24.67
September
73.60 - 41.4
73.33 - 38.83
West
September
73.65 - 31.2
73.81 - 30.63
One-west
August
73.57 - 31.33
73.34 - 29.71
September
73.93 - 38.33
73.75 - 36.0
Two
August
74.27 - 34.4
74.27 - 47.0
74.08 - 32.0
74.08 - 45.67
71.1 - 24.8
72.0 - 23.2
68.6 - 21.0
Three
August
72.75 - 30.68
72.53 - 30.0
69.3
61.5
71.2
57.5
74.2
-
5.4
12.2
29.4
12.2
35.1
Four
August
73.58 - 24.45
73.28 - 21.81
September
74.05 - 32.2
73.88 - 29.31
70.9
72.6
75.0
70.95
-
13.1
23.25
60.8
3.95
Adjusted
Means
Observation
Means
70.2
73.4
69.2
71.2
-
15.7
17.5
7.0
8.5
68.2 - 6.9
66.8 — 24.6
73.05
71.90
71.5
73.2
73.1
72.5
73.1
-
27.65
9.85
9.55
15.7
13.9
25.6
26.6
—46—
seemingly preferred by the sharptails consisted of a dense overstory
and ground cover with an open to semi-open condition between them,
allowing air circulation and providing escape routes for loafing
grouse.
During late summer.and early fall the: general pattern was
for increased use of the grass-uplands.
Baumgartner (1939) in
Michigan found a similar pattern of grouse movements through the
summer and into the fall.
During the fall the coulee heads that contained good stands of
grass were used extensively by sharptails.
Areas containing little
bluestem and prairie sand reedgrass were of particular importance,
with those containing western wheatgrass and green needlegrass also
used when available.
Prairie sand reedgrass, although not widespread
on the study areas, formed dense stands of residual cover, and was
of particular importance when associated with the more abundant
stands of little bluestem.
These two species of grass probably
provided excellent residual cover for nesting.
The grouse tended to be associated with areas containing more
than one type of cover, i.e., a brushy thicket within a grassy
coulee, or a brushy thicket adjacent to the grass-uplands, Or in
the grass-uplands adjacent to a coulee head or patch of silver
sagebrush.
\
.
This interspersion of types caused an increase in the
■
amount of edge present (Leopold 1933), therefore, increasing the
—47suitability for sharp-tailed grouse,
Edminster (1954) believed that
brush was one indispensible cover type for sharp-tailed grouse, and
that the density Of brush should be a minimum of 5% and a maximum
of 50%.
Hamerstrom (1963) found that a mixture of grasslands and
shrubs was necessary for productive shafptail brood habitat in
Wisconsin.
Summer and early fall observations made in 1976 in the West
Hotchkiss. Unit suggested four types of areas which received con^
centrated grouse use: (I) areas adjacent to the.dancing grounds;
(2) pastures that were rested (pasture three) or received heavy
grazing early in the season and then rested (pasture one-west);
(3) adjacent to the hayfield in the northwest corner of pasture
one-west; and (4) the borrow-pits along the highway which bordered
the study area on the west.
The hayfield was near a dancing ground, and in the absence of
any- quantity of brushy thickets nearby, provided suitable substitute
cover.
The heavy use of the borrow-pit was especially noticeable
in an area where the breaks and associated brushy coulees were near
the highway and provided avenues of travel from the tall vegetation
of the borrow-pits to the thickets within the breaks.
During the 1975 season the observation sites were concentrated
around the dancing grounds and along the borrow-pits.
There was no
—48observed movement away from the grazed pastures.
During the 1975
grazing season the West Hotchkiss Unit received only 81.9% of the
maximum grazing capacity.
This stocking rate combined with a good
I
growing season may have contributed to the apparent lack of movement
away from grazed areas.
There was no observed concentrated use
adjacent to the hayfield in pasture one-west which may be partially
explained by the reduced grazing pressure in the northern half of
this pasture.
The cattle were temporarily confined in the southern
half of the pasture for breeding purposes.
The observations within the East Garland Unit illustrated
distribution of grouse around the dancing grounds during both years.
The concentration that occurred in the northwest corner was
apparently due to the presence of a dancing ground and a wheat
field adjacent to the area.
The grouse observation sites that were located within the grassuplands type-were usually in proximity to scattered stands of silver
sagebrush.
This shrub provided cover for loafing, with the adjacent
grasslands available for feeding.
within the sagebrush patches.
Many roosting sites were observed
These were apparently used by adult
grouse as no broods were observed using the grass-uplands adjacent
to silver sagebrush.
The remainder of the grouse use of the grass-
uplands was usually limited to the areas of taller vegetation assoc­
iated with the trails or depressions and swales.
-49Grouse were often observed walking out of thickets into the
adjacent areas.
If they were not alarmed they would continue into
the grass-uplands immediately adjacent to the coulee.
Conversely,
when the grouse were moderately disturbed while feeding in the
uplands adjacent to a coulee, they would quite often walk or run in
a low, crouching posture until they reached an area of sufficient
cover.
Hart et al. (1950) found that the Columbian sharp-tailed
grouse preferred walking to flying although they seldom ran.
If
approached too close, or if a great distance was to be covered,
flight was used.
In this study the pattern of walking was also
observed in the spring, particularly around the dancing grounds.
Grouse would often fly to and from the dancing ground, however,.
large numbers of birds were also observed walking.
Routes
Grouse observations made on the regular routes that were driven
during the summer and early fall period in 1976 (June I - October I)
were compiled (Table 11).
The general pattern within the grass-
uplands was little use during June and July, with increased use in
August and maximum use in September.
Only two observations of
grouse, were made within the sage-grass creek bottom type during
this period, both of which were in the east pasture of the East
Garland Unit, and were not observed on a regular route.
The creek
TABLE 11.
SUMMARY OF SHARP-TAILED GROUSE OBSERVATIONS ON ESTABLISHED ROUTES - 1976.
June_____________
T o t a l G rouse
G ro u s e /m ile
O bserved ( I )
R oute
R oute
2
2
I
I
G rouse O b s e rv a tio n s
____________ J u ly ____________
___________ A u g u s t___________
T o t a l Grouse
T o t a l Grouse
Observed ( I )
O bserved ( I )
G ro u s e /m ile
G ro u s e /m ile
R oute
R oute
R oute
R oute
2
I
2
I
2
2
I
I
U n it/ P a s tu r e
A verage
M ile s
D r iv e n
E a s t G a rla n d
E a st
West
1 2 .8
2 0 .5
5 (1 )
0
0
0
0 .3 9
0
0
0
2 (2 )
0
0
0
West H o tc h k is s
O n e -e a s t
O ne-w est
Two
T h re e
Four
1 2 .8
1 8 .4
1 5 .7 5
2 0 .2 5
8 (2 )
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 .6 3
0
0 .0 6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3 (2 )
0
0
0
1 4 (4 )
0
0 .1 4
0
2 (2 )
3 (2 )
TOTAL
1 0 0 .5
KD
M o n th ly A ve rag e 2 0 1 .0
(I)
= N u mb e r
of o b se r v a ti o n s .
14
0 .0 7
5
0 .1 6
0
0
0
0
0
0 .0 2
0 .0 2
__________ S eptem ber
T o t a l Grouse
Observed ( I )
G ro u s e /m ile
R oute
R oute
i
2
I
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2 (1 )
1 9 (3 )
0
1 7 (1 )
0 .1 5
0 .9 3
0
0 .8 3
0 .2 3
0
0
0
1 9 (3 )
0
2 3 (3 )
3 (1 )
0
0
1 1 (1 )
0
1 .4 8
0
1 .4 6
0 .1 5
0
0
0 .7 0
0
2 2 (5 )
3 (1 )
2 3 (5 )
5 (1 )
3 (1 )
2 (2 )
0
0
1 .7 2
0 .1 6
1 .4 6
0 .2 5
0 .2 3
0 .1 1
0
0
0 .0 3
4 5 (7 )
1 1 (1 )
0 .4 5
0 .1 1
7 4 (1 6 ) 2 2 (4 )
0 .7 4
0 .2 2
56
0. 28
96
0 .4 8
I
Ln
O
I
-51bottoms were heavily grazed, and sagebrush was the main shrub present
for good interspersion.
Sharp-tailed grouse made minimal use of
sagebrush in dense stands.
A comparison of grouse use within different pastures revealed
that pasture one-west and pasture three experienced the greatest
use of the grass-uplands.
Pasture three was the rest pasture in
1976, and pasture one-west received grazing pressure from approx­
imately May I to July. 19.
Few grouse were observed on the routes
in pasture two which was grazed heavily from June 6 to October 21
and pasture four, which was grazed from July 19 to October 30.
The difference in observations between pastures was partially
due to the location of the routes within the pastures.
The trails
were not always located in equal proximity to the "edge" of the
cover types.
Nonetheless, the comparative observations between
pastures suggests the negative effects of grazing, especially heavy
grazing, on sharp-tailed grouse distribution.
Marked Bird Observations
During the summer and early fall of 1.976, .25 observations were
made of marked sharp-tailed grouse (Table 12).
Included were obser­
vations made during regular field activities and tagged birds
returned by hunters.
Marked birds were difficult to observe.
TABLE 12.
U n it
SUMMARY OF MARKED BIRD OBSERVATIONS DURING SUMMER AND EARLY FALL - 1976
D a n c in g G round
M a rked On
P a s tu r e
M a rked
O b se rve d
Number
Age
i
4
8
9
10
10
12
—
J u v e n ile
A d u lt
A d u lt
A d u lt
A d u lt
F
25
25
27
28
—
A d u lt
A d u lt
J u v e n ile
A d u lt
G
12
12
—
J u v e n ile
J u v e n ile
D a te
O b s e rv e d
A p p ro x im a te D is t a n c e
From G ro u n d ( m ile s
E a s t G a rla n d
East
East
East
W est
1-w
1-w
D
—
—
—
—
A p p ro x im a te
D is t a n c e B etw een
R e o b s e r v a tio n s
2
9 -1 8 -7 6
9 -1 1 -7 6
9 -1 1 -7 6
9 -1 1 -7 6
7 -1 6 -7 6
9 -1 1 -7 6
9 -1 1 -7 6
6 - 4 -7 6
0 .8
0 .8
0 .7
0 .5
0 .8
0 .8
2 .0
9 -1 1 -7 6
9 -1 8 -7 6
9 -2 9 -7 6
9 -1 5 -7 6
8— 8—76
0 .1
1 .6
0 .1
0 .5
1 .8
6 - 7 -7 6
7 -1 5 -7 6
7 -1 5 -7 6
0 .6
0 .6
0 .6
W est H o t c h k is s
—
—
2
2
H
—
—
8 -1 9 -7 6
0 .8
3
3
M
—
— —
—
—
8 -1 6 -7 6
9 -1 9 -7 6
1 .0
0 .6
0 .1
0 .1
0 .7
0 .5
0 .5
0 .5
4
4
3
I
J
L
B ughouse
B ughouse
A d u lt
10
47
J u v e n ile
J u v e n ile
8 - 9 -7 6
8 - 9 -7 6
8 - 3 -7 6
5 -2 4 -7 6
2
45
A d u lt
J u v e n ile
9 - ? -7 6
9 -1 2 -7 6
—
——
2To
th e n e a r e s t 0 .1 m i l e .
Bands w e re re c o v e r e d i n th e f i e l d
-
lo c a tio n o f k i l l
u nknow n - h o w e v e r b i r d
was f i e l d
d re s s e d 0 . 5 m ile s
fr o m d a n c in g g ro u n d D.
-53
especially in flight.
On many occasions ponchos were observed, but
numbers were undiscernibIe.
Three marked grouse (12% of the total observations of marked
grouse) were made more than one mile away from the dancing ground
on which it had been marked.
Twenty-two (88%) were one mile or
less from the danciiig ground on which they were marked.
This
was in line with the concentrations of observations in the
I
vicinity of the dancing grounds.
Aldous (1943), Peterle (1956),
Klett (1957), Pepper (1972), and Sisson (1976) found very similar
results for movements of marked sharp-tailed grouse.
Marked grouse in pasture one-west showed two of the longer
movements.
These two grouse had both moved to an area that con­
tained good deciduous shrub thickets, which were not as abundant
as in the other pastures.
One of these grouse was observed in the
grasslands adjacent to ground F on the opening day of the hunting
season.
The following weekend it was shot 1.6 miles away.
This
seemed to be an atypical movement for that time of year, when the
males should have been moving back to the grounds. Hunting
pressure was light in the area.
The marked grouse observed in pastures two, three and four
were all located within a 1-mile radius of the ground on which
they were marked, with nine relocations averaging approximately
one-half mile.
The two marked grouse observed in pasture three
(rest pasture), however, did show a movement away from the two
adjacent pastures that had been grazed.
The observations of marked grouse within the East Garland Unit
were typical of those of the West Hotchkiss Unit, with one excep­
tion.
This grouse, trapped on ground D, was observed feeding at
the head of a small coulee 2.0 miles to the southwest and 0.5 miles
west of ground B.
This may indicate that this bird had not attended
the ground nearest his summer range during the previous breeding
season.
In addition to the grouse marked oh the areas of study, 12
males were marked on the Bughouse dancing ground, which was in a
rest-rotation pasture system.
Two of these marked birds were
harvested during the regular hunting season within 6.5 miles of
the. dancing ground.
Food Habits
Sharp-tailed grouse food habits for September were determined
for the two years of study.
The crops were analyzed with the
results initially tabulated for each year by age class and the •
pasture in which the bird was collected.
Small sample size pro-
hibited the breakdown by pastures for both years and age classes
for 1975.
The results were tabulated (Appendix Tables 16 and 17) ■,
-55with a synopsis of the major types of foods consumed presented in
Table 13.
There was no shift in the percentages of total plant and
animal material noted between the two years.
Insect material composed a higher percentage of the total
within the adult cohort, than reported by Kobriger 1965, Pepper
1972, and Sisson 1976.
This may have been partially due to the
abundance of grasshoppers within the area, and the lack of
cultivated crops.
The relatively high percentage of insect
material within the juvenile cohort was also probably due to
availability.
Various authors have demonstrated that the per­
centage of animal matter within the diets of juvenile sharptails
declines by early fall to a level comparable to that of the adults
(Kdbriger 1965, Pepper 1972, and Sisson 1976).
Harris (1967)
found a low percentage of animal material in the crops of Minnesota
sharp-tailed grouse, while Aldous (1943) in North Dakota found the
percentage of animal material in fall collected sharp-tailed grouse
comparable to that found during this study;
The plant material noted in the crops did demonstrate a change
between the two years.
There was a definite shift from buffalo-
berries in 1975 to juniper berries in 1976. . This was definitely due
to availability, as buffalo-berries were plentiful in 1975 and almost
non-existent in 1976.
Cultivated crops - wheat and alfalfa - were
-56TABLE 13.
SUMMARY OF SHARP-TAILED GROUSE SEPTEMBER FOOD HABITS 1975 AND 1976.
Item
Animal Material
Orthoptera
Coleoptera
Homoptera
Other
SUB-TOTAL
1975
Combined
44.7
0.8
0.1
45.6
Plant Material
Cultivated Crops
Wheat
Alfalfa
SUB-TOTAL
Berries
Buffalo-berry
Juniper
Rose
Snowberry
Currant
SUB-TOTAL
Percent Total Volume
1976
Juvenile
Adults
56.1
0.3
30.1
0.8
0.3
0.1
31.3
44.2
0.5
0.1
0.2
45.0
0.3
7.9
0.6
8.5
3.8
0.3
4.1
0.1
56.5
0.3
45.0
1.2
1.5
0.2
5.4
53.3
0.3
37.7
2.9
0.8
42.9
9.1
3.7
0.2
40.1
5.7
2.1
41.7
55.7
48.1
0.2
T
0.1
0.3
0.9
0.8
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.6
0.3
0.5
1.0
4.5
68.7
0.5
0.3
0.2
0.7
2.8
55.0
100.0
100.0
Vegetation and Seeds
Creeping juniper
Buffalo-berry
Compositae
Unidentified leaf
fragments
Unidentified seeds
Dried grass
Other
SUB-TOTAL
TOTAL VEGETATION
1.0
54.3
0.4
0.4
T
0.1
1.3
43.3
TOTAL
99.9
99.8
26
37
Sample Size
Combined
0.3
0.2
0.3
40
77
-57consumed by grouse located along.the periphery of the study areas
These crops were planted adjacent to the study areas, and located
near two areas of fall grouse concentrations.
Hamerstrom and
Hamerstrom (1951) stated that "where they are conveniently to be
had, grains seem to have become a standard item of the fall diet"
DISCUSSION
Rest-rotation grazing systems are designed to allow overall
improvement of the range.
Pastures which are rested the entire
year and those grazed early and then rested should provide residual
cover for breeding and nesting grouse the following spring such as
described for waterfowl by Gjersing (1975) and Mundinger (1976).
The importance of residual vegetation to sharp-tailed grouse was
observed by Brown (1966a) and Sisson (1976).
Christenson (1971)
observed that residual vegetation and growth during the spring were
both important factors in determining the hatching success of
sharptails.
During this study, observed movements of sharp-tailed grouse
from spring to fall were usually less than one mile from the
dancing ground on which they were trapped.
This movement pattern
suggests the need for secure cover within this radius, both for
males, as shown in this study and nesting females which also show
a relationship between the dancing ground and the nest site
(Edminster 1954 and Pepper 1972).
Certain grazing treatments
during years of poor grazing conditions could feasibly reduce
ground cover, making this area of established use unsuitable for
sharp-tailed grouse.
The movements of two marked grouse from
Dancing ground M, when related to the general observations,
-59indicated a movement away from heavily grazed areas if more suitable
habitat was available within the usual cruising radius.
The use of grass-uplands during the summer and early fall, as
determined from the general observations and regular routes, was
greatest within those pastures that received no grazing or were
grazed and then rested.
The grouse also tended to choose areas
within the grass-uplands that contained better vegetational cover
than was found at the dancing ground sites.
The dancing grounds
were frequently located within areas of high use by cattle, arid
may have represented below average vegetation conditions for the
overall pasture.
However■, because of the differential grazing by
cattle (Hormay and Talbot 1961), areas of better vegetation existed
nearby and were apparently selected for by the grouse within the
grass-uplands type.
Grazing intensity, within a given pasture to
permit uniform removal of a majority of the vegetation, may prove
detrimental to a segment of the grouse populations.
Sisson (1976)
believed that pastures should be of sufficient size to allow for
non-uniform grazing.
Sharp-tailed grouse in this study and another in Montana
(Brown 1967b) showed a preference for a mixture of grass-uplands
and broken topography.
The present study showed that dancing
grounds were often associated with the edge between the grass-uplands
—60“
and the breaks.
Pasture four which contained a high ratio of
breaks to grass-uplands also contained the highest number of
dancing grounds.
In establishing a management plan, grazing of
pastures of high value grouse habitat should be adjusted to prevent
uniform grazing intensity throughout the pasture.
Controlled water
sources and/or moderate stocking rates are two possibilities.
APPENDIX
TABLE 14.
TOTAL ACREAGE OF THE VEGETATION TYPES WITHIN THE AREAS OF STUDY
Pasture
Sage-Grass
Creek Bottoms
Grass-■Shrub Breaks
I
II
III
51
143
194
1043
1114
2157
One-east
One-west
Two
Three
Four
TOTAL W. Hotchkiss Unit
652.8
704.0
729.6
153.6
876.8
3116.8
—
TOTAL
3310.8
East
West
TOTAL E. Garland Unit
—
—
— —
—
—
2157
192
324
516
—
364.8
GrassUplands
Total
1134
1216
2350
2420
2797
5217
2099.2
4684.8
5395.2
7347.2
6931.2
26457.6
31674.6
1894.4
1548.8
1292.8
2931.2
7667.2
505.6
307.2
268.8
1446.4
1081.6
2086.4
2611.2
5593.6
2854.4
14227.2
8183.2
1446.4
16577.2
-
TABLE 15.
63
-
BI-MONTHLY COVER BOARD READING MEANS AND ADJUSTED MEANS
FOR THE PASTURES WITHIN THE AREAS OF STUDY - 1976.
Mean
Unit/Pasture
Adjusted Mean
45°
30'
Month
45°
30'
June
Aug.
Sept.
69.87
72.07
73.60
20.1
27.6
41.4
68.63
71.33
73.33
15.54
24.67
38.83
June
Aug.
Sept.
71.65
72.75
73.75
17.6
28.0
31.2
71.56
72.75
73.81
18.00
28.19
30.63
June
Aug.
Sept.
73.1
73.2
74.5
15.1
15.4
15.6
72.63
72.75
74.38
17.88
18.25
18.50
One-west
June
Aug.
Sept.
72.57
73.57
73.93
35.43
31.33
38.33
72.21
73.34
73.75
31.21
29.71
36.00
Two
June
Aug.
Sept.
72.87
74.27
74.27
27.6
34.4
47.0
72.54
74.08
74.08
24.17
32.00
45.67
Three
June
Aug.
Sept.
73.48
72.75
73.45
30.7
30.68
33.5
73.31
72.53
73.31
28.84
30.00
32.50
Four
June
Aug.
Sept.
72.10
73.58
74.05
21.23
24.45
32.2
71.38
73.28
73.88
16.63
21.81
29.31
East Garland
East
West
West Hotchkiss
One-east
-
TABLE 16.
64
-
SUMMARY OF COMBINED ADULT AND JUVENILE SHARP-TAILED GROUSE
FOOD HABITS - SEPTEMBER 1975.
Item
Percent
Frequency
Percent of
Total Volume
Animal Material
Orthoptera
Coleoptera
Homoptera
SUB-TOTAL
84.6
38.5
19.2
44.7
0.8
0.1
45.6
Plant Material
Buffalo-berry (berries)
Golden currant (berries)
Rose (hips)
Creeping juniper (berries)
Snowberry (berries)
Unidentified leaves
Unidentified seeds
Compositae head
Dried grass
SUB-TOTAL
65.4
3.8
7.7
19.2
11.5
19.2
7.7
3.8
19.2
45.0
5.4
1.5
1.2
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.3
54.3
TOTAL
Sample Size
99.9
26
-65TABLE 17.
SUMMARY OF ADULT AND JUVENILE SHARP-TAILED GROUSE FOOD
HABITS - SEPTEMBER 1976.
Item
_______Juveniles____
Percent
Percent
of Total
Frequency
Volume
________Adults______
Percent
Percent
of Total
Frequency
Volume
Animal Material
Orthoptera
Locustidae
Gryllidae
Coleoptera
Arachnida
Homoptera
Hemiptera
Hymenoptera
Lepidoptera
SUB-TOTAL
91.9
2.7
43.2
10.8
37.8
8.1
21.6
56.1
T
0.3
0.1
T
T
T
67.5
30.1
40.0
2.5
7.5
2.5
12.5
2.5
0.8
T
0.3
T
T
0.1
31.3
12.5
7.9
2.5
0.6
8.5
67.5
47.5
37.5
42.9
9.1
3.7
56.5
m t Material
Cultivated Crops
Wheat
(Tritiaum aestivum)
Alfalfa
{Mediaaqo sativae)
SUB-TOTAL
5.4
0.3
0.3
Berries
Juniper
Rose
Snowberry
Buffalo-berry
SUB-TOTAL
78.4
32.4
27.0
2.7
37.7
2.9
0.8
0.3
41.7
55.7
—
TABLE 17.
66
-
(Continued).
Item
Juveniles
Percent
of Total
Percent
Frequency
Volume
Adults
Percent
Percent
of Total
Frequency
Volume
Vegetation and Seeds
Creeping juniper
Buffalo-berry
Compositae (head)
Unidentified leaf
fragments
Unidentified seeds
Dried grass
Biennial sagewort
{Artemisia biennis)
Aster
{Aster spp.)
Eriogonium
{Eriogonium spp.)
Rush skeletonweed
{Lygodesmia juneea)
Western snowberry
Silver-berry
Yellow eriogonium
{Eriogonium flavum)
Lichen
Point loco
{Oxytropis spp.)
Goldenrod
{Solidago spp.)
Common salsify
{Tragopogon dubius)
Woody stem
SUB-TOTAL
TOTAL VEGETATION
TOTAL
Sample Size
13.5
10.8
5.4
T
0.1
0.3
20.0
30.0
7.5
0.9
0.8
0.4
40.5
27.0
29.7
0.4
0.4
T
35.0
10.0
32.5
0.6
0.3
0.5
2.7
T
5.0
0.1
5.4
0.1
12.5
0.2
7.5
0.3
2.5
7.5
5.0
0.1
0.1
T
2.5
0.1
2.5
T
2.5
T
10.8
2.7
T
T
2.7
T
1.3
43.3
0.1
T
4.5
68.7
99.8
100.0
2.5
2.5
37
40
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___ _
ct. tc
iiNTVFBSmr LIBRARIES
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