Evaluation of winter habitats of roe (Capreolus pygargus L., 1758) as a basis of survival of the species in podtaiga of Angarskiy ridge

The aim is a detailed description of the place-ment of deer winter habitats by taking into account life activity signs. Accounting fecal piles and places of rest was held immediately after the melting of snow in spring. The work on transects was con-ducted over four seasons of spring 2011-2014. The total length was 309 km of transect. On the route of 256 km length annual winter trip for ac-counting traces was carried out. Biotops were characterized by age, composition and density of the forest and plant dominance in ground vegeta-tion and undergrowth. We identify and assess coef-ficients of confinement of life activity signs. The most attractive deer habitats are mature mixed for-est and thin forest with dry dead bottom branches with deciduous young trees, more often with rare undergrowth with grass or grass-cranberry, blue-berry-grassy ground cover. The majority of subop-timal habitats valued forest stands of different com-position, but with participation of fir. Also adjacent with optimal habitats territories with different com-position were studied. As avoided were estimated net mature birch, aspen, pine, fir, habitats with sphagnum, green moss and wild rosemary under the forest canopy, and without a living ground cover or in combination with a covering of bearberry. Species-specific to roe were marked birch with a part of pine, aspen and fir. In some hunting sea-sons the same locations were different in terms of attracting the roe. While prevalent in the assess-ment that the next season location could be subop-timal if it was previously estimated as optimal. This can be interpreted as a natural alternation of feed resources use. The index of grouping fluctuated from 1-2, after a sharp reduction in the population density after 2009-2010, when it reached 7-8 indi-viduals to 4-5 in 2013-2014 after its recovery.