Wyoming Deer News
Research helps move discussion of energy impacts on wildlife, scientist says July 26, 2014 Wyoming, columbusceo.com ... About 15 years ago, gas development started growing in a section of southwest Wyoming called the Pinedale Anticline... In 12 years, the numbers of deer wintering on the Anticline dropped 42 percent ... deer avoided well pads,” ... New study shows elk avoid areas of energy development July 26, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online ... The relationship between mule deer and energy development was previously documented in the Pinedale Anticline, where studies showed animals moving away from areas with increasing natural gas development... A new study by a team of researchers from the University of Wyoming suggests elk respond to energy development much like mule deer... Wyoming researcher focuses life work on energy, wildlife July 26, 2014 Casper Star-Tribune Online ... In the late 1990s, before anyone knew mule deer numbers would drop by nearly half in one of the state’s largest herds, Sawyer was putting collars on deer and tracking their movements... Helicopter net-gunning and GPS technology have revolutionized the way we study big game... Wyoming Game and Fish Dept. seeks input on deer July 24, 2014 CT Post ... public meetings to discuss management of the Sheep Mountain mule deer herd... Cheyenne meeting will be August 5 ... Laramie meeting will be August 6 ... Lander/Green Mountain mule deer group meeting on Wednesday July 21, 2014 Wymoning, County 10 ... will hold their second meeting at 6:15 pm on July 23 at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Lander regional office, 260 Buena Vista Drive... County Officials Review New Wyoming Pipeline July 18, 2014 Wyoming, KCWY 13 Where News Comes First ... The Bureau of Land Management needs your comments for the Riley Ridge Pipeline construction project in southwestern Wyoming. [ends Aug 1] ... “Designation of migratory routes for mule deer, sage grouse ... State says elk will persist in face of CWD July 15, 2014 Wyoming, WyoFile Drought, Drilling, And Fighting Wildfires Have Cut This Deer’s Population By Two-Thirds July 15, 2014 WyomingThink Progress ... deer populations in many states are actually in decline... In Wyoming, mule deer populations have declined by 168,000 or 31 percent since 2000 according to recent numbers released by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA). The report also highlighted significant declines in North Dakota, Utah, and New Mexico... Work together to protect mule deer migration route July 8, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune ... Between 4,000-5,000 deer travel the 150-mile path twice a year. They skirt a reservoir and subdivisions, and cross highways, fences, sand dunes and rivers. And, of course, they cross an invisible patchwork of owners and jurisdiction. That's why we call on government agencies -- both state and federal -- and private landowners to work together to protect the unique migratory route for mule deer... Wyoming men convicted of poaching mule deer July 3, 2014 KTVQ Billings News ... Rogers was ordered to pay $4,540 in fines and restitution and will lose his hunting privileges for three years. Fellows was sentenced by Park County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Waters to pay $8,040 in fines and he will lose his hunting privileges for five years... Mule Deer Foundation Seeks Professional for Wyoming Regional Director Position July 3, 2014 The Outdoor Wire The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF), one of the most rapidly growing hunting organizations in the country, is actively seeking applications for its regional director position in the state of Wyoming... The position description is available at www.muledeer.org. Game and Fish organizes Baggs mule deer group July 3, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune ... Game and Fish will hold two public meetings for anyone interested in the herd. The first is at 7 p.m. July 9 in the Valley Community Center in Baggs. The second is at 7 p.m. July 10 at the Bureau of Land Management Field Office building in Rawlins. For more information call Tony Mong at 307-380-8283 ... Researchers outline hurdles to preserving deer migration route in western Wyoming June 27, 2014 Casper Star-Tribune ... Between 4,000 and 5,000 mule deer travel the 150-mile route twice a year between the Red Desert in southern Wyoming and the Hoback Basin near Jackson in northwestern Wyoming. The route was discovered three years ago. It includes three to five highway crossings, hundreds of fences, a reservoir, rivers and sand dunes... FWP seeks big game hunting licenses auction proposals June 25, 2014 Wyoming, Laurel Outlook ... Montana Fish & Wildlife Parks (FWP) is seeking proposals from groups or individuals interested in auctioning a 2015 bighorn sheep, moose, mountain goat, deer or elk hunting license to raise conservation funds... For more information contact Neal Whitney, business analyst for FWP’s License Bureau, at 406-444-4715, or via email at nwhitney@mt.gov. 2 Cody men fined for poaching mule deer June 24, 2014 Wyoming, Billings Gazette ... The Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Forensics Lab matched DNA from one of the deer heads to a carcass that had been left in the field and found by investigators. Rogers then admitted he killed two mule deer bucks in 2012 near Ira Fellows’ property and that both bucks seized were the deer he illegally shot... Wyoming leases 3,900 pristine acres for oil and gas June 23, 2014 Post Register ... Conservation groups, wildlife agencies and some landowners opposed leasing of the area, arguing that development threatens crucial habitat for elk, mule deer and sage grouse ... you don’t trade it off for a $1 an acre,” said O’Toole ... The unbroken landscape is part of the reason the valley boasts large elk and mule deer herds ... Drawings Held for Resident Elk, and Resident and Nonresident Deer and Antelope Licenses June 16, 2014 Wyoming, WGFD News ... As is usually the case, a number of areas have licenses remaining. A total of 5,886 full price antelope licenses are available along with 6,504 reduced price doe/fawn antelope licenses. For deer, 1,615 full price licenses are available and more than 4,820 doe fawn licenses. Elk hunters who would still like a license should note that 2,855 full price licenses are available as well as nearly 12,000 cow/calf licenses.... White-tailed deer encroaching on mule deer June 16, 2014 Wyoming, Associated Press ... on the west slope of the Teton Range, near the Wyoming-Idaho state line, more white-tailed deer are expanding out of their traditional ranges and encroaching on areas where mule deer inhabit ... In eight of nine deer hunt units in and around Jackson Hole, hunters will be able to harvest doe and fawn white-tailed deer this fall... Deer Migration In Wyoming, Reasons for Decline of Mule Deer May 23, 2014 utahwildlife.net ... There's more deer on private ground than public ground by far. Same habitat. The number of hunters is limited, controlled, on private ground. In southwest Wyoming on public ground there's is no limit to the number of deer tags that can be sold, or filled.... Sooner or later there's no deer on public ground. Private land is an island of security for mule deer ... Game and Fish Seeks Comment on Sheridan Region Objectives May 23, 2014 Wyoming, Sheridan Media The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will hold public meetings to review and discuss big game herd management objectives in the Sheridan region... The first meeting will be held on Tuesday night (May 27) in Buffalo, at the Johnson County Fire District meeting room at 709 Volunteer Lane, and the next on Wednesday night (May 28) in Sheridan ... Wyoming Mule Deer Tests Positive for CWD May 6, 2014 archerywire.com ... A buck mule deer found dead in the north portion of deer hunt area 98 north of Rawlins has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) ... For more information on chronic wasting disease visit the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website at www.cwd-info.org ... Decreasing mule deer population to be focus of new state working group May 5, 2014 Wyoming, Daily Ranger ... Wyoming Game and Fish is forming a public input group to help guide management of mule deer in several local hunt areas... Across the whole region, the numbers of fawns born often was high enough to allow the population to increase, but the young mule deer have been less likely to survive their first year recently... Mule deer tests positive for disease April 30, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune ... A buck mule deer found dead north of Rawlins has tested positive for chronic wasting disease ... Volunteers needed for deer mortality surveys April 30, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online ... The Cokeville area surveys will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at the state line gravel pit, three miles southwest of Sage Junction on U.S. Highways 30/89. The Leroy surveys will begin at 9 a.m. May 10 at the Leroy exit off of Interstate-80... Mulies on the move April 28, 2014 Wyoming, High County News ... Sawyer, who has studied western Wyoming's deer and antelope migrations more thoroughly than anyone else, had expected this herd to roam year-round in the Red Desert near Rock Springs. So he was floored when, two years after that flight, radio-collar data revealed that the deer travel the same 150-mile-long corridor every year ... Wyoming game agency takes wolf hunt comment April 27, 2014 Casper Star-Tribune Online ... The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will hold public meetings next month in Jackson to hear comment on proposed 2014 gray wolf hunting seasons ... Seasonal Resource Selection and Distributional Response by Elk to Development of a Natural Gas Field C Buchanan, JL Beck, TE Bills, SN Miller - Rangeland Ecology & Management, 2014 ... during development elk selected areas with greater Rocky Mountain juniper cover, increased terrain ruggedness, and farther from CBNG roads than prior to development. Elk distributional changes resulting from avoidance behavior lead to a loss of high use areas by 43.1% and 50.2% in summer and winter, respectively. We suggest reducing traffic, protecting woody escape cover, and maintaining refugia within the energy development footprint to promote persistence of elk within energy fields. Group documents new mule deer migration corridor April 26, 2014 Wyoming, Laramie Boomerang · ... in the winter of 2011 on a study funded by the Bureau of Land Management, Sawyer equipped 40 mule deer with GPS collars designed to drop off in two years... “We thought they resided here,” ... It’s the longest mule deer migration ever recorded ... “It leads them to a place to maximize their fitness and reproduction.” ... ... Their journey is described in a detailed report that chronicles their adventures, which was produced by the Wyoming Migration Initiative... The Wyoming Migration Initiative is now working on an “Atlas of Wildlife Migration” that details all of the state’s ungulate migrations, in addition to creating an online database to make migration data widely available ... Volunteers needed to assess deer mortality rates April 24, 2014 Wyoming, seattlepi.com ... Wildlife managers with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department need people to volunteer to count deer carcasses in western Wyoming.... The Great Mule Deer Migration and What it Means for You April 24, 2014 Wyoming, Bowhunting ... they hope to raise awareness on both the federal and private levels. Federal funding does exist which can ease the man-made tensions along the route by adding gates to fences only to be opened at certain times of the year, and underpasses for the deer to cross larger highways. Wouldn’t you want it done for your deer herd? For more information visit their website at migrationinitiative.org. Seasonal distribution patterns and migration routes of mule deer in the Red Desert and Jack Morrow Hills Planning Area [PDF] H Sawyer - 2014 ... Mule deer in JMHPA region are part of the Steamboat herd unit - one of many herd units in the state managed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). The Steamboat herd unit generally overlaps with the Rock Springs BLM Field Office between Interstate 80 and Wyoming State Highway 28, and includes most of the JMHPA (Fig. 2). The herd unit is believed to support approximately 4,000 mule deer and, prior to this study, little was known about these deer in terms of where or if they migrate to various seasonal ranges. ... Longest Mule Deer Migration Ever Recorded April 22, 2014 Wyoming, Outdoor Life Magazine ... The muleys in the study traveled 150 miles from their winter grounds in the Red Desert to their individual summer ranges in the Hoback Basin. These new findings reported by the Wyoming Migration Initiative Pronghorn numbers drop; researchers look for answers April 21, 2014 Wyomng, Casper Star-Tribune ... Researchers know that hard winters and drought have played a role in lowering their numbers, but they also want to know to what degree the species' inability to migrate has contributed to the decline... Wyoming Migration Initiative connects science with the public April 20, 2014 Casper Star-Tribune ... “For a lot of our big-game populations, if they can’t migrate, they have to summer on low-elevation winter ranges, where they won’t get much forage,” ... As researchers and wildlife managers understand the importance of migration routes, they will be able to focus their energies on areas where animals spend the most time, which are areas that are the most important to conserve ... Researchers: Newly discovered Wyoming mule deer herd travels farthest in the world April 20, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune ... Each spring, a herd of mule deer leaves the Red Desert and follows a trail of greening grass and retreating snow along the western slope of the Wind River Range. Months later, the animals arrive in the Hoback Basin south of Jackson, more than 150 miles away... UW Researchers to Detail Newly Discovered Deer Migration April 19, 2014 Wyoming, Gillette News Record ... A team of researchers including University of Wyoming scientists has documented the longest migration of mule deer ever recorded ... The latest discovery of the 150-mile mule deer migration, detailed in a new publication led by Sawyer and produced by the Wyoming Migration Initiative, demonstrates the need for further research into the movement of the state’s most prized big game animals ... Mule deer workshop held in Lander April 16, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune ... The workshop will focus on the future management of mule deer in the south Wind River and Sweetwater deer herds. A public working group made of 12 people representing varied interests will be appointed ... Man befriends deer herd on PBS tonight April 16, 2014 Wyoming, Jackson Hole News&Guide Newspaper ... his film “Touching the Wild,” which will show tonight on Wyoming Public Television. As he is shown approaching a group of eerily calm deer, and then walking among them, he says that it took a while. “I’ve been doing this every day for six years,” ... Lander G&F Office to host mule deer Workshops April 14, 2014 Wyoming, County 10 ... The Lander Region of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is hosting a Mule Deer Workshop on April 24 at The Inn at Lander’s Fremont Room, 260 Grandview Dr. This workshop will begin at 6:00 PM and focus on the future management of mule deer in the South Wind River and Sweetwater mule deer herds. ... Wyoming shed hunters offer tips for training dogs to find antlers April 9, 2014 Casper Star-Tribune Online ... Training dogs to help look for sheds is a growing trend across the country... A brown elk antler in good shape is worth about $12 per pound this year ... Train them with sheds ... Wyoming Hunters Enjoy Near Record Elk Harvest March 20, 2014 Wyoming, WGFD News ... For the second year in a row, Wyoming elk hunters had a banner year with the elk harvest for 2013 topping more than 25,000 animals. Estimated harvest was 25,968 elk for the year, surpassed only by the record 26,365 elk taken in 2012. By comparison, in 1995, elk harvest was 17,695 elk, more than 8,000 fewer than the Wyoming harvest of the past few years... The increased harvest is a result of good habitat conditions resulting in increased population along with favorable hunting conditions ... Mule Deer Herd Declining March 19, 2014 Wyoming, Sheridan Media ... An official with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department says mule deer numbers are going down across the West... a substantial amount of research is being done, but no definitive answers have yet been found... Riverton man pleads guilty to deer poaching March 3, 2014 Wyoming, Daily Ranger ... A few days before the trial, Maloff and his attorney reached a plea deal ... $1,000 in fines suspended, $3,000 in restitution, one year of hunting privileges suspended and six months unsupervised probation... Wyoming Game and Fish Department wants public input for 2014 hunting season February 27, 2014 KGWN ... a public meeting and a series of open houses throughout the Laramie Region to address 2014 hunting season proposals for big game, small game, game birds, waterfowl, and bison... Written comments will be accepted through 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 1 at public meetings, Game and Fish regional offices or by mailing ... ... Platte Valley Mule Deer Initiative,.. 6 p.m. Monday in the Saratoga Town Hall... A tough time for mule deer February 12, 2014 Wyoming, Billings Gazette ... The cold weather has thrust the deer into a negative energy situation; meaning they can’t eat enough when the ambient temperature is 20 degrees or lower to replace the calories they are burning to keep warm. The deer are drawing heavily on their fat reserves to get through this cold snap and won’t be able to replace those lost reserves until the temperatures moderate... Try not to disturb the deer and keep from stressing them any more... Riverton man convicted of poaching a mule deer buck with help from two accessories February 10, 2014 Wyoming, Coiunty10.com ... a Riverton man pleaded guilty in the Ninth District Circuit Court in Riverton to poaching a buck mule deer in a closed season... sentenced Maloff to $1,000 in fines, all suspended, $3,000 in restitution, one year of hunting privileges suspended, six months unsupervised probation ... Deer traffic prompts sign on highway February 5, 2014 Wyoming, Cody Enterprise ... The Wyoming Department of Transportation placed two signs – one near Beacon Hill Road and another by Ralston – along Wyoming Veterans Memorial Highway (Powell Highway) recently alerting people to possible deer crossings for 15 miles in both directions.... Sportsmen leery of oil and gas development in pristine southwest Wyoming mountains January 23, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online ... “Habitat issues are a big concern of ours ... The well site is in crucial winter elk and deer habitat, and crucial antelope winter range is about a mile away.” ... Joshua Coursey, president of the Muley Fanatics Foundation, hopes whatever the outcome of the exploratory well, the public is and stays involved in the process.... Poll Shows Wyomingites Support a Hunting and Fishing License Hike January 22, 2014 Wyoming, Wyoming Public Media ... 63-percent of Wyoming residents would support a hike in hunting and fishing license fees if it meant paying to rescue the state’s many wildlife programs from a long-running fiscal crisis ... Baggs, Two deer killed near Baggs January 22, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online ... The two-point buck was found Jan. 3 shot in the back near Poison Basin Road. It was crippled and had to be euthanized. A dead fawn was nearby that had been hit by a vehicle ... call 307-383-2160... Burns knows hunting fee proposal a tough sell January 15, 2014 Wyoming, The Sheridan Press ... In the 2014 legislative session, Sen. Bruce Burns, R-Sheridan, will be pushing for an increase in Game and Fish hunting license fees ... “Game and Fish only makes a profit in three areas: antelope, deer and elk. They lose money in every other aspect of their operation,” ... Riverton man pleads guilty to poaching trophy buck mule deer with illegal ammunition near Lander January 8, 2014 Wyoming, county10.com ... Joseph A. Holdren, 28, pleaded guilty to knowingly and intentionally taking an antlered mule deer without a license, hunting private land without permission, and using an illegal firearm to take the deer... ordered to pay $12,340.00 in fines and restitution ... hunting and fishing privileges were revoked for the next 10 years ... G&F continues public discussion of Wyoming Range deer December 30, 2013 county10.com ... The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will again be visiting those local communities to discuss current research and progress on the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Initiative (WRMDI) that was created... The community meetings will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. at the following locations: January 6: Afton Civic Center. January 7: Marbleton Town Hall ... To learn more ... click on the following link: http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/wildlife-1000398.aspx. Game and Fish to offer new "Super Tag" December 23, 2013 Wyoming, Wyoming Tribune ... “Those tags can fetch anywhere from $9,000 to upwards of $100,000 to $200,000, depending on the organization that’s auctioning it off... Warden nabs deer poacher near Cody December 18, 2013 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online ... A Michigan man pleaded guilty recently to killing a buck mule deer west of Cody without a license.... call the Stop Poaching hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP Researchers monitor Mule Deer in two Southwest Wyoming herds December 17, 2013 SweetWaterNow.com ... Research projects continue in the Baggs and Wyoming Range mule deer herds... Biologists hide in a photography blind in front of the trapping site and wait for the deer to come underneath the drop net to feed on the apple pulp. When the deer are busy feeding, the release button is activated and the electro-magnetic-operated net falls on top of them... UW program seeks to minimize effect of development on wildlife December 13, 2013 Wyoming, Laramie Boomerang ... The Pinedale Anticline is one of the five largest natural gas fields in the U.S. It has enough natural gas to provide energy to 10 million homes for more than 30 years, according to the Pinedale Anticline Project Area Working Group website. The area is also crucial winter range for mule deer, which have been in decline since natural gas development began ramping up in the area, Korfanta said... Platte Valley mule deer projects approved December 11, 2013 Wyoming, Star-Tribune ... The Wyoming Game and Fish Department approved $112,864 from the Platte Valley Habitat Partnership Fund for five projects designed to help mule deer in the Platte Valley... Four Wyoming mule deer poached November 20, 2013 Casper Star-Tribune Online ... four buck mule deer illegally shot Nov. 2 or 3 outside of Dubois. They were found near the intersection of U.S. Highway 26 and the East Fork Road...call ... 877-WGFD-TIP ... Wildlife disease control gains more focus in Montana, Wyoming November 17, 2013 Casper Star-Tribune Online ... “I’ve only seen three does this year. I used to see a good 40 to 50 head of whitetail over here,” south of the Musselshell River ... It used to be when I was haying along the river, early in the morning, I’d see 200 to 500 head in the meadows.” ... epizootic hemorrhagic disease, sylvatic plague, bluetongue, brucellosis, chytrid, chronic wasting disease, West Nile virus ... the all-too-real afflictions threaten to reduce the populations of wild mammals ... Wyoming ranchers, outfitter say seismic exploration hurt wells, deer hunting November 13, 2013 Casper Star-Tribune Online ... Two south-central Wyoming ranchers and a hunting outfitter said seismic exploration on prime hunting land drove away deer, could harm water wells and hurt sage grouse protection... “These people have decimated our country, there’s no doubt about it,” ... Poachers convicted in Pinedale area November 6, 2013 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online ... charges related to the illegal shooting and abandonment of two trophy-class mule deer in 2012 south of Pinedale. Matthew Mulcare of Moorcroft was fined $5,840 and ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution ... | Search for news and information by keyword above or find links to state news stories organized by topic.
Wyoming data: In 2013 the state had an estimated 63,000 white-tails and 374,000 mule deer. The harsh winter of 2014 reduced the herd. A population of about 600,000 in 1991. Mule deer populations in Wyoming have been on the decline since the late 1980s. According to the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies mule deer populations "declined by an estimated 168,000 (31 percent) since 2000. After the 2011 hunting seasons, it was estimated there were 376,000 mule deer in the state." Harsh winters in 1978-79, 1983-84, and 1992-93, reduced populations, also a severe outbreak of EHD in 2012 reduced white-tail populations. A three year study is underway as part of the Mule Deer Initiative to explore why mule deer are not reaching their population goals. Some deer migrate 170 miles in the Wyoming range. Over hunting on public land, habitat loss and fragmentation, and energy development are all thought to be contributing causes of the decline. Mule deer populations are generally in better shape on private land. Antelope populations have been on a steady decline over the last few years. Hunting statistics ' - Platte Valley Habitat Partnership's (PVHP) Mule Deer Habitat Plan April, 2013 - Citizens for the Wyoming Range - Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality - Habitat Mission: Promote and maintain the availability of high quality habitat to sustain and enhance wildlife populations in the future. - Wyoming Migration Initiative. Advancing the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of Wyoming's migratory ungulates by conducting innovative research and sharing scientific information through public outreach. Tweet on this timeline using hashtags #Wyoming #deer Platte Valley Mule Deer: The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has begun a discussion with the public on the future of the Platte Valley mule deer herd--one of the state's most treasured herds. The video below explains some of the issues facing these deer and how you can get involved. Attitudes Toward Mule Deer Management in the Platte Valley This study was conducted for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to determine mule deer hunters’ opinions on mule deer hunting and mule deer management in the Platte Valley Mule Deer As habitat loss and fragmentation increase across ungulate ranges, identifying and prioritizing migration routes for land-use planning ... . This approach was applied to a migratory mule deer population in a pristine area of southwest Wyoming, where 2,000 gas wells and 1,609 km of pipelines and roads were proposed for development. Herd Population Management: "Wherever possible, biologists establish an “objective” for each herd, a target population size that has been set in cooperation with landholders, hunters, and other interested members of the public. Like identifying herds, setting population objectives for each herd can be a challenge. It’s hard to get precise counts of most big game herds; it may be even more difficult to measure the ever-changing relationship between animals and their forage, and different groups of people often have different ideas of how many animals they want. But choosing a specific number of animals for each herd— an objective—provides state biologists, federal land managers, politicians, landholders, and the general public with a benchmark for making decisions about big game management. ." Wyoming's Mule Deer Management Action Plan Apply the best available science, within budgetary considerations, to monitor deer ... |
Wyoming |