. Ecology of sympatric populations of mule deer and white-tailed deer in a prairie environment. White-tailed deer; Mule deer. used and highly selected, while bunchgrass prairie received greater use during spring than other seasons in both data sets. In summer, hardwood draw, mesic shrubland, legume hayfield, and sagebrush grassland habitats were selected; badlands, bunchgrass prairies, grainfields received very little use and were avoided. Mixed prairies received moderate use, but overall were avoided. Hardwood draws and mesic shrublands were both heavily used, collectively accounting for 62%
. Ecology of sympatric populations of mule deer and white-tailed deer in a prairie environment. White-tailed deer; Mule deer. used and highly selected, while bunchgrass prairie received greater use during spring than other seasons in both data sets. In summer, hardwood draw, mesic shrubland, legume hayfield, and sagebrush grassland habitats were selected; badlands, bunchgrass prairies, grainfields received very little use and were avoided. Mixed prairies received moderate use, but overall were avoided. Hardwood draws and mesic shrublands were both heavily used, collectively accounting for 62% of all deer observed during aerial surveys and 80% of all radio locations in summer. Use of hardwood draws was greatest during June (Fig. 18). As with mule deer, use and importance of legume hayfields varied between summers 1983 and 1984 and may have been underestimated due to sampling bias. Legend EZl Hardwood draws E3 Bunchgrass prairies ^ Mesic shrublands m Legume hayfields E23 Sagebrush grasslands H Grainfields and Badlands E22 Mixed prairies. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 MONTH Fig. 18. Monthly patterns of habitat use by radioed female white-tailed deer on the Cherry Creek area, 1983-1985, relative to habitat availability. Habitat use and selection during autumn generally followed that for summer (Table 20), except that grainfields received increased use and were highly selected. This autumn shift to grainfields was the most significant change in habitat use by white-tailed deer through the year, and reflected movement of many deer to harvested fields to feed on waste grain. It involved large shifts in centers of activity and increased home range size among radioed females. Overall, hardwood draws continued to receive heaviest use; mesic shrublands received moderate use and were selected. Although sagebrush grasslands and legume hayfields also were selected, use of both was relatively minor. Mixed prairies, which received moderate use, bunchgrass prairies, and badlands were g
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