March 5, 2024 |
Photo – Mule Deer – by Jim O’Reilly Bigfoot99
You may not be seeing as many mule deer in Wyoming as you have in the past.
A summary report from Game and Fish published at the end of February indicates that as many as 19,000 mule deer may have died during the harsh winter of 2022-2023.
An aerial population survey conducted by the state wildlife agency of the Wyoming Range mule deer found the current herd to be around 11,000 animals. That’s down from an estimated population of 30,000 two years ago.
Another alarming factor from the survey is the ratio of bucks and does. This year’s total was the lowest on record, with 24 bucks for every 100 does.
The Deputy Chief of Wildlife for Wyoming Game and Fish, “Given the unprecedented winter of 2022-2023, regional mangers decided it was important to obtain an accurate and full picture of this herd’s population.”
The urgency to establish up-to-date numbers pushed the agency to conduct intensive aerial surveys two years in a row—an expensive operation for the state game agency given the high costs and flight time involved.
A graph of the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Herd states the simple and shocking reality in the field. The mule deer population stands at 10,000, a third of what it has been since the year 2,000. In the early 1990s, the mule deer population in Wyoming stood at 50,000 and higher.
Earlier this winter, biologists and game wardens flew over portions of winter ranges in a helicopter and tracked the number of observed fawns, does, yearling bucks and adult bucks.
Fewer fawns were spotted, which biologists say will result in a shift of the age structure of the population. The buck ratio was observed to be 24 bucks for every 100 does, one of the lowest on record. According to the report, Game and Fish has been managing the herd for a goal of 30-to-45 bucks per 100 does.
The good news in the report is that range is healthy for the populations that survived. Abundant forage coupled with less competition could help the mule deer survive the deadly impacts of last winter. Overall shrub growth was very good this past summer, which was expected given the amount of moisture received.
Shrub leader growth from plants like mountain mahogany, sagebrush and bitterbrush was approximately double the average across winter ranges for both the Wyoming Range and Sublette mule deer herds.
Biologists agree that what the herd needs now to continue its recovery is favorable weather.
The Wyoming Game and Fish report can be found here:
https://wgfd.wyo.gov/News/Wyoming-Range-mule-deer-population-declines-after
