Wyoming Deer News

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 ...

... 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  ...

Feds indict Wyoming family members, others on wildlife charges October 30, 2013 Wyoming, Billings Gazette
... A federal grand jury has indicted a Newcastle ranching family on charges they participated in the illegal sale of landowner hunting licenses ... The same grand jury indicted three other defendants on charges ranging from falsifying interstate game tags to helping transport illegally killed animals...

Green River, The deer and grocery store blues October 25, 2013 Wyoming, Green River Star
...  The city did draft and pass an ordinance prohibiting the purposeful feeding of deer and other wild animals, which caused a major controversy between those who saw enjoyed watching deer feed on their properties and others who were tired of having their flower beds and vegetable gardens picked at by the hungry herbivores...

Information sought in killing of 3 mule deer October 21, 2013 Wyoming, Billings Gazette
... illegally shot and left to waste southwest of Byron, Wyo... near the intersection of Highway 32 and County Road 2. The deer are believed to have been shot on Oct. 12 or Oct. 13.... STOP POACHING hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847), ...

Mule deer group looking for votes October 16, 2013 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online
... a grant proposal to the Future Forward Fund for $25,000 ... The public votes on a favorite video to determine the winner.  All votes are due by Nov. 14. For more information, or to find the videos, go to http://contests.sportdog.com/fff  ...

Thermopolis, Urban deer still a problem in Thermopolis October 8, 2013 Wyoming, Wyoming Public Media
While deer numbers across the state of Wyoming may be down, Thermopolis has an urban deer population that seems to be holding close to steady ... The first two years the city applied for a take permit, called a Chapter 56, the police department destroyed fifty deer each year...

Wyoming wildlife crossings labeled success October 7, 2013 Casper Star-Tribune Online
More than 13,000 mule deer migrate safely through Nugget Canyon near Kemmerer because of six underpasses and deer-tight fencing ... Vehicles killed about 130 mule deer each year throughout the 1990s ... 

Book chronicles history of mule deer hunts in West October 3, 2013 Wyoming, Macon Telegraph 
... Moretti is now president and CEO of the Mule Deer Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to conserving mule deer and their habitat in the West.  Most hunters know about the decline in mule deer numbers... The biggest issue has been habitat, Moretti said.  Some of those bushes that replaced grassland are now old and woody and have lost their nutritional value. Invasive cheatgrass and junipers replaced edible plants burned by fires...

Man pleads guilty to poaching on National Wildlife Refuge September 26, 2013 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online
... A Green River man pleaded guilty recently to illegally killing a mule deer buck on the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge and transporting it off of the refuge.  Travis Price agreed to pay $4,000 in restitution ...

Information sought in mule deer poaching September 25, 2013 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online
An adult buck mule deer was illegally shot at about 10:50 a.m. Monday near Riverview Road in Riverton ... call the STOP Poaching Hotline at 1-877- 943-3847 ...

Wyo. Game Dept. seeks info about poached deer September 23, 2013 Wyoming, Seattle Post Intelligencer
... The deer was discovered in the Pole Mountain area on Saturday.... about 50 feet off the roadway, near the intersection of Happy Jack Road and Vedauwoo Road...  call the Stop Poaching Tip Line at 1-877-943-3847 ...

Early breeding makes life easier for some wildlife September 22, 2013 Wyoming, Exponent-telegram
... Male white-tailed deer, for example, are already shadowing groups of does... when the rut begins, does are only fertile for 24 hours every 28 days. Bad weather or too much human activity can disrupt deer behavior ... Deer pregnancies average about 200 days so fall mating is essential to insure that fawns drop with sufficient time to mature by the following autumn...

New study to track greater Yellowstone area elk migration September 22, 2013 Wyoming, Kitsap Sun
... Hundreds of years ago ...Antelope, mule deer and elk moved back and forth across Wyoming’s landscape... With people came habitat fragmentation...  The project begins by looking at the Cody elk herd. It is one of five migratory elk herds in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem... how animals function across political boundaries such as national parks, national forests and private land...

Sheridan region hunting licenses holding steady September 20, 2013 Wyoming, The Sheridan Press
... In spite of depressed numbers of hunting licenses in other areas of Wyoming — and more so in surrounding states like Montana and Colorado — the Sheridan region is holding its own, especially in regards to elk, antelope and white-tailed deer... the Wyoming Game and Fish Department did have to cut its budget by 6.28 percent for fiscal year 2014, dropping nearly $5 million from $76 million to $71 million...  projections that deer and antelope license sales would be down approximately $500,000 for the year for the state ...

Undercover investigators solve Wyo. wildlife crime September 19, 2013 Wyoming, SFGate
... In 2012, the unit closed one of Wyoming's largest poaching cases. A family outside of Ten Sleep was selling its landowner licenses to hunters without tags.  The landowners earned hundreds of thousands of dollars before a hunter finally reported the illegal process...

Rifle Hunting Season For Antelope Opens This Weekend September 11, 2013 Wyoming, K2 Radio
... Officials with Wyoming Game and Fish say antelope populations statewide have been in a steady decline over the past few years...

Disease toppling deer along rivers, EHD September 5, 2013 Wyoming, Billings Gazette 
... Wyoming and Montana agencies speculate that the deer deaths are probably because of epizootic hemorrhagic disease or bluetongue. Both diseases cause infected deer to go to water. The vector for the disease is a biting gnat - Culcoides variipennis ... I can recall an outbreak of EHD in the 1990s in the Sheridan area. It seemed about a third of the white-tailed deer population was killed by EHD.  Last year there was an outbreak in Eastern Montana, western South Dakota and western Nebraska ...

2013 Wyoming Big Game Hunting Season Forecast September 3, 2013 Wyoming, WGF
... JACKSON REGION:  Deer numbers increased over the last two years because of high over-winter survival. Bucks two years and older should be well-represented this year. Early spring green-up on winter and spring transition ranges allowed bucks an early start on antler production. Summer rains were timely and maintained forbs in a high nutritional state.
    CODY REGION:  While total deer numbers were down slightly, buck/doe ratios remained similar to previous years. That should translate to fair to good hunting conditions—similar to last year...  Elk numbers remain high on the western slopes of the Bighorn Mountains
     GREEN RIVER REGION: Green River region deer herds experienced increased fawn production this summer, with the exception of hunt areas 131 and 100. Overall deer survival was relatively good during the winter of 2012-13 and should result in a slight increase
    LARAMIE REGION:  Mule deer herds across the region experienced good over-winter survival rates and late-summer precipitation should contribute to both good body condition and antler growth
    LANDER REGION:  Similar to pronghorn, mule deer populations have continued to decline over the last couple of years due to poor fawn productivity. Of the six herds within the Lander region where wildlife managers have estimated population size, all continue to be below objective following the 2012 hunting seasons. Overall fawn ratios throughout the region, with the exception of the Dubois and Sweetwater herds, were down in 2012. Buck-to-doe ratios remained relatively stable in most areas.
     CASPER REGION:   following harsh conditions during the winter of 2010-11, subsequent mediocre fawn production, and losses from epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), white-tailed deer numbers are lower than during the early- to mid-2000s ...
    PINEDALE REGION:  The past several years’ liberal seasons for elk have been designed to drive populations down to management objectives while maintaining at least 20 bulls per 100 cows in post-hunt populations. A combination of mild temperatures and negligible moisture continue to hamper hunter success in the Pinedale region despite current hunting opportunities. The Piney elk herd has exceeded its population objective during the last several years. In an effort to reduce this herd, seasons have been liberalized. Hunters should check the elk regulations for season dates
    

Drought and rain may impact hunting season depending on the area August 28, 2013 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online
... Some animals in the northern half of the state look strong and healthy from a wet spring and green summer. ... animals in the southwestern portion suffering the effects of a drought that won’t quit... Most deer and pronghorns will be in better shape in the Casper region, though numbers are still down. Last year’s dry summer took a toll on females ...

Stricter hunt regulations aim to aid lagging mule deer herds August 23, 2013 Wyoming, Laramie Boomerang
“Across the West ... we're dealing with declines in mule deer population,” said Rick King, the regional wildlife supervisor ... Reasons for the decline are numerous — and perhaps not fully understood — but some include loss or fragmentation of habitat, drought, winter kill and competition with other species such as elk ...

5 Free Things in Southeast Wyoming August 22, 2013 ABC News
... Deer like Saratoga. They're all over town. They browse on shrubbery and mangle chain-link fences as they leap from yard to yard. Drive slowly and take care not to hit one.  Out in the open country, keep an eye out for herds of pronghorn, better known as antelope. They are North America's fastest land animal...

Hemorrhagic disease killing Montana, Wyoming deer August 15, 2013 Great Falls Tribue
... White-tailed deer are the usual victims, but hemorrhagic disease also can infect pronghorn antelope, elk, and mule deer ... a large outbreak could cause the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to restrict deer hunting  …The deer are dying of internal bleeding and tests at the Wyoming State Veterinary Lab in Laramie will determine if epizootic hemorrhagic disease or bluetongue is responsible...

Grizzly Bears Aided by Wolves in Yellowstone July 30, 2013 Wyoming, Net Newsledger 
... The researchers found that the level of berries consumed by Yellowstone grizzlies is significantly higher now that shrubs are starting to recover following the re-introduction of wolves, which have reduced over-browsing by elk herds. The berry bushes also produce flowers of value to pollinators like butterflies, insects and hummingbirds; food for other small and large mammals; and special benefits to birds...

Yellowstone wolves working with bears to bring back berries July 30, 2013 Wyoming, sciencerecorder.com ·
... In a study recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, wildlife researchers from Oregon and Washington identified a decline in elk grazing to more moderate levels, and they found a cause for it in the reintroduction years earlier of the elk-eating wolves.... bears were now enjoying a fruity bounty...

... The commission on Thursday announced it was seeking public comment on a rule to carry out the new legislation, which allows motorists to salvage antelope, deer, elk and moose accidentally killed in vehicle collisions... Comments are being accepted through Aug. 23 at Comment@mt.gov, or at FWP – Attn: Proposed Salvage Rule, Law Enforcement Division, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701.

... Mule deer numbers in the Platte Valley have been declining for decades, and Tom Ryder with Game and Fish says one of the reasons is that their habitat has deteriorated. That's due to human development, fire management practices, and other factors... has received $50,000 from the Mule Deer Foundation ...

...The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) recently pledged $50,000 to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Platte Valley Habitat Partnership (PVHP)... The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) approved $500,000 seed money for establishment of the Partnership ...

... the poaching of a mule deer buck. The buck was killed June 28, 2013 east of the Wyoming Honor Farm near Riverton. An arrest warrant ...Poaching reports may be made to the “STOP POACHING” Hotline: 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847) or 1-307-777-4330 for out-of-state “STOP POACHING” calls only.Violations may also bereported at regional offices or on-line at http://gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/enforcement/stoppoaching/submitTip.aspx.

Game and Fish faces $5 million budget cut July 12, 2013 Wyoming, Wyoming Public Media
... The department is funded 80 percent by license fees and was already dealing with a deficit when the fee hikes were voted down.  But lawmakers wanted the Game and Fish Department to be more efficient. ...

Game and Fish Commission approves millions in budget cuts July 9, 2013 Wyoming, Wyoming Public Media
...Robert Wharff of Wyoming Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife opposed license fee increases, saying that it would have made hunting and fishing too expensive for some ... Habitat grants have been reduced significantly as well ... 

Hunter Applications Increase in 2013 July 3, 2013 Wyoming Game & Fish 
... Game and Fish received 97,324 applications from resident elk, deer and antelope hunters compared with 94,736applications in 2012. In 2013, only 6,505 of the applications were submitted on paper forms. Last year 17,712 hunters sent in paper applications.  “Not only are hunters embracing the online application process as is evidenced by the increase in total applications,” said License Draw Coordinator Millissa Raner, “But the fact that the vast majority of hunters are applying online allows us to process applications quicker and speed up the drawings.”  Drawings were conducted June 18, about a week ahead of schedule. Beginning in 2014, paper applications will be eliminated and Game and Fish will accept electronic applications only...

Kagan hunts with buddy Scalia, bags deer July 2, 2013 Wyomimg, CNN International
...So we actually went out to Wyoming this past fall to shoot deer and antelope," Kagan said ... Sen. Jim Risch asked her about gun rights ... " ...  I told the senator if I was fortunate enough to be confirmed, I would go hunting with Justice Scalia," ...

Slideshow: Funding ideas for Game and Fish June 28, 2013 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online
... Facing millions of dollars in budget cuts, Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials have said they welcome ideas from the public... Change the ratio of high- and low-priced nonresident elk, deer and antelope tags ... Increase the percentage of tags given to nonresidents ...

UW researcher warns of virus decimating European livestock June 13, 2013 Wyoming, Billings Gazette
... The epidemiology of SBV is similar to one type of Blue Tongue Virus that found its way into the Big Horn Basin in 2007.  The outbreak, which proved fatal for sheep, antelope, white-tailed deer and mule deer ... SBV has moved through the British Isles, down the Iberian coast and now is in Russia, Turkey, the Baltics and other eastern European countries ...

... More than two dozen outdoor advocacy groups wrote the US Forest Service this week, asking it to remove almost 45,000 acres-worth of land in the Wyoming Range from consideration for oil and gas leases...  vital habitat for mule deer, moose ...

... an ordinance that would make the intentional feeding of deer and other wildlife illegal ... A number of exemptions are provided, including those engaged in normal feeding of livestock and other agricultural purposes.  An exemption fo bird feeders is also included ...

Monitoring Mule Deer Movement and Survival - May 20, 2013


...  National Geographic photographer Joe Riis ...documenting the migration of Wyoming's pronghorn antelopes.  The antelopes have been making the 200km trek _ one of the longest among land mammals _ every autumn from the state's Grand Teton National Park to their winter habitat in the Upper Green River Valley, returning in the spring.  The migration has been taking place for some 6,000 years, but as development has expanded, the antelope now face man-made hurdles, such as fences, roads and housing developments...

Meetings to discuss wildlife population targets May 15, 2013 Wyoming, The Billings Gazette
... The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is holding public information meetings in the Cody area to discuss herd management objectives:  May 21 — Cody, Big Horn Federal Bank, 1701 Stampede Ave. ... May 21 — Thermopolis, Museum and Cultural Center, 700 Broadway St., ...  May 22 — Worland, Washakie County Fairgrounds, 602 Fifteen Mile Road. ... May 23 — Greybull, Greybull Town Hall, 24 S. Fifth St., 

Chronic Wasting Disease closes in on Yellowstone  May 14, 2013 Wyoming, The Wildlife News
... A new map from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition shows the areas where the disease has been detected in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are within 45 miles of winter elk feedgrounds and about 40 miles from Yellowstone Park’s northeast corner. The 2012 information reveals the farthest advance west of CWD in deer in Wyoming yet. Last year, three mule deer were found infected with CWD in Green River, Wyo.; an infected moose was found near Idaho in Star Valley, Wyo., in 2008.

... A former law enforcement man himself, Councilor Buddy Spriggs asked who would enforce such a thing, adding that they’d have to “look in every old lady’s backyard.” ... Wyoming Game & Fish biologist Stan Harter [said] “It’s unfortunate that animals like that can be habituated to us ... But that’s how we domesticated animals.” ... There was no commitment by the council to draft a no feeding deer ordinance...

... We used data collected from global positioning system (GPS) collars fitted on female mule deer ... Resource selection by female mule deer revealed similar patterns between active (0600‒1800 hrs) and non-active (2100‒0300 hrs) periods. Deer selected most strongly for proximity to rock outcrops and shrubland, and average values of slope. Deer tended to avoid roads and grasslands; all other landscape features had minimal influence on resource selection (hazard ratios near, or overlapping, 1)... we developed two spatially-explicit maps that depicted probability of mule deer occurrence across the landscape...These maps offer guidance to managing mule deer populations, conserving important seasonal habitats, and mitigating development (e.g., wind energy) in areas identified as important to mule deer.

... The Platte Valley Habitat Partnership formed in May 2012 is a result of the Platte 
Valley Mule Deer Initiative that the Wyoming Game and Fish Department 
implemented in July 2011. The PVHP was developed to establish effective 
partnerships in order to maintain and improve mule deer habitat throughout the 
Platte Valley. The PVHP is comprised of private landowners, concerned citizens, 
hunters, outfitters ... One of the outcomes of the Partnership includes this comprehensive habitat management plan designed to be implemented collaboratively between all interested stakeholders...

Wyoming biologists are tracking pregnancy rates and radio collaring mule deer in the Wyoming range to better understand what factors are limiting the growth of this famous deer herd. - April 26, 2013



Game and Fish seeks volunteers for 2013 deer mortality survey April 25, 2013 Wyoming, Green River Star
Volunteers will assist the department in surveying if the winter was difficult for deer. These surveys will look at the Wyoming Range and Uinta mule deer herds in western Wyoming. The first survey takes place May 4 around the Cokeville area...

Volunteers Needed for 20th Annual Deer Mortality Surveys April 19, 2013 Wyoming, Kugrnews.blogspot
... According to Gary Fralick and Jeff Short, wildlife biologists and survey coordinators, the annual surveys are conducted on mule deer winter ranges to assess overall mortality for the herds, and to evaluate which age classes have been impacted ... For more information on the Cokeville surveys contact Thayne Wildlife Biologist Gary Fralick at 307-883-2998. For more information on the Leroy surveys contact Mountain View Wildlife Biologist Jeff Short at 307-782-6810.

... This week, it became legal in Montana to salvage and eat deer, elk, antelope and moose that have been hit and killed by cars. Similar legislation died in the Wyoming Legislature this year.

... approved and funded by the Wyoming Legislature and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust at $339,170.00.  This project, on 196,000 acres of private and public (BLM) lands near Eden and Farson in Southwest Wyoming, is in the fourth of five phases designed to enhance habitat for wildlife and livestock in a multiple-use agricultural community...

Researchers with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the University of Wyoming are studying a mule deer population near Douglas to better understand how Chronic Wasting Disease affects the population over time. - April 2, 2013


Search for news and information by keyword above or find links to state news stories organized by topic.
 
Wyoming data: Mule deer population of between 450,000 and 500,000 from 2001 to 2012. A population of about 600,000 in 1991. Harsh winters in 1978-79, 1983-84, and 1992-93.

The Stop Poaching Tip Line is 877-WGFD-TIP.  Or report online.

Other useful links:
 - Wyoming Mule Deer Plan
- MuleyFanatic.com Mule deer organization in southwestern Wyoming
' - 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.

Tweets about deer in Wyoming



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.

Platte Valley Deer


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 ...

Anadarko: Wyoming Wildlife Study