Wyoming Deer News

'Like spokes on a wheel': Researchers map elk migrations in Greater Yellowstone January 27, 2015 Wyoming, Helena Independent Record
... The initiative’s study tracks nine major elk herds into Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Migrations range from 30 to 90 miles, with the Northern and Cody herd's traveling the longest distances... “Another question we’re asking is whether we can use camera trapping placed along those migration bottlenecks to conduct these surveys,” ...

An unlikely conservation champion January 25, 2015 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune 
... John Eddins, who retired last month after a 27-year career with the Wyoming Department of Transportation ...On behalf of the hundreds of deer and antelope whose lives were directly saved by his actions, their many descendants, and the thousands of animals who will benefit from the surge of new wildlife crossing structures in Wyoming and neighboring states in the years to come, the Wyoming Migration Initiative thanks John Eddins for his contributions ...

... This meeting will be held on January 28, 2015 at the Harold Jarrard Park community building in Kaycee beginning at 6:00 pm...

... This survey will be conducted using a helicopter and will require about 60-65 hours of flight time ... This is a valuable piece of information to independently verify the population estimates Wyoming Game and Fish produces annually based on classification and harvest information...  in 2014 yearling buck/doe ratios were good ...

High Country News
... The Sublette Mule Deer Herd has seen a 20 percent decline, he says. But the portion that winters on the Pinedale Mesa has fared worse.  “The Pinedale Anticline has seen, at one point, a 50 percent decline,” he says. “It’s rebounded to a 40 percent decline.” ... Boiled down, research seeks to understand the relationship between nutrition, habitat and mule deer behavior, Dwinnell says... 

Research seeks reasons for demise of mule deer January 20, 2015 Wyoming, High Country News
...  “Mule deer are declining across Wyoming and the West.” ... Matt Kauffman, University of Wyoming professor of zoology and physiology, who with his crew, caught, wrangled and released 175 deer one week last December.  Wyoming Game and Fish Department strives for a population of 564,150 mule deer, but the last statewide estimate was 374,400 ...

... 17 co-defendants to be sentenced in this case, which has now brought over $30,000 in fines and restitution ... FWP investigators discovered over 30 illegally taken deer and elk ...

... On December 15, 2014, a father and son from Hudson and Riverton plead guilty in the Ninth District Circuit Court in Lander to the wanton destruction of two, two-point buck mule deer...

Muley Fanatic Foundation accepting funding proposals for 2015 January 14, 2015 Wyoming, SweetwaterNOW.com
...  The deadline for project submission is March 1, 2015. Any and all proposals for projects located in Southwest Wyoming that address the mission of the Muley Fanatic Foundation will be considered...

Northern Wyoming Mule Deer Migration January 8, 2015 Wyoming, Eastmans' Official Blog
...  in the Bridger Teton Wilderness north of Jackson...  In the early 70’s they had a large population of mule deer that summered throughout this country ... they traveled well over 100 miles, over the Continental Divide ... If they didn’t get over the top, it meant starvation ... There is speculation that too high of a harvest of the older mature bucks results in the younger bucks not learning how to migrate back to the Jackson Hole side...

Chronic deer disease marches closer to Yellowstone January 6, 2015 Wyoming, WyoFile
...  Wyoming Game and Fish identified seven new deer-hunt areas in 2014 where deer are infected with Chronic Wasting Disease, including one area within 40 miles of Yellowstone National Park.  The number is almost double the normal annual increase ...

Photographer follows big mammals into Yellowstone backcountry January 5, 2015 Wyoming, Ravalli Republic
... Using migrating elk data collected between 2000 and 2013 by state, federal and nonprofit researchers, Middleton assembled 2.7 million GPS locations from 271 individuals in eight herds to build a map.  “This database of GPS movements will facilitate comprehensive reporting on the migrations ... Cody elk that do migrate manage to trek 25 to 85 miles through steep, rocky drainages ...

Baggs Mule Deer Working Group meets Jan. 6 December 31, 2014 Wyoming, tsln.com 
... The Baggs Mule Deer Herd (BMDH) Working Group will hold their next meeting at 5:30 p.m. on January 6 at the Bureau of Land Management Office, located at 1300 N. Third Street in Rawlins ...

Deer rescued from icy waters December 31, 2014 Wyoming, Green River Star 
... residents reported seeing her fall through the ice...  The ice rescue team used a a number of ropes, along with special ice rescue suits and an inflatable device known as a nebulus to conduct their rescue...

UW Hires Excellence Chair in Conservation Economics December 28, 2014 Wyoming, County 10
... In 2013, the Knobloch Family Foundation contributed $2 million to the Haub School toward a conservation economics endowed chair... Dr. Albers’ research on the interactions of private and public resource manager/users in the production of ecosystem services will inform strategies for protecting landscapes in Wyoming and the West ...

... The recent discoveries put the disease as far west as Meeteetse and Lander... Wildlife managers and advocates are wary that the disease might infect elk west of the divide where many are concentrated on feedgrounds in the winter...

Lander Game and Fish Asks Dog Owners for Help December 24, 2014 Wyoming, Wyoming Public Media
... keep their dogs away from deer, moose and other large game. The county has seen an increase in dog and wildlife conflicts ...

Baggs mule deer population joins in statewide studies December 18, 2014 Wyoming, Rawlinstimes
... Mule deer are affected by a combination of many factors, including fire suppression, oil-gas-mineral mining, habitat fragmentation, spread of invasive plants, drought, competition between species, livestock management and Chronic Wasting Disease...

Game and Fish working to support sheep mountain mule deer December 20, 2014 Wyoming, Laramie Boomerang
... Statewide, mule deer populations have been in decline for years ... a public meeting Tuesday evening to discuss progress on the Sheep Mountain Mule Deer Initiative, a big-picture effort to increase the herd size ... disturbances such as controlled burns and aeration are tools land managers can use to improve habitat by promoting new growth ...

Wrong deer species costs Cheyenne man $4,010 December 19, 2014 Wyoming, tsln.com 
...  must pay $4,010 and lose his hunting privileges for two years for shooting a mule deer buck during a closed season... Rangitsch said he thought the deer was a white-tailed deer when he shot it...

Hunters are now welcome in one of Wyoming national park's private land December 13, 2014 Wyoming, Bio & Tech Insights
... According to Game and Fish spokesman Renny MacKay, the new rule affects the hunting of elk and bison on private lands...  the National Park Conservation Association said they disagree with the reinterpretation of the rule...

MFF pledges $1.3 million to deer research project. The laboratory will be in Southwest Wyoming. This will benefit surrounding states and many others. The mule deer populations are in a record decline. December 11, 2014



Wyoming Game and Fish probes Pinedale poaching December 11, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online
... the deer were killed Nov. 13 in the Long Draw area near Little Prospect Mountain ...



Study discovers new Jackson Hole deer migrations December 10, 2014 Wyoming, Jackson Hole News&Guide
... Grand Teton National Park biologists are in the early stages of studying at least three newfound mule deer migrations that link Grand Teton National Park and the Shoshone and Wind River basins... The process of protecting the mule deer migrations would require amending the Bridger-Teton forest plan ...

... Govenor Matt Mead said too many wild horses can harm habitat used by other wildlife species, including sage grouse, deer and elk... Wyoming claims the U.S. Department of Interior has failed to follow federal law in controlling wild horse populations...

Deer in Cody pose problem for town, officials December 5, 2014 Wyoming, goHUNT
... Wyoming Game and Fish officials are counting deer in Cody and administering an annual survey that could help the city determine how the herd is managed... one thing that everyone can agree on is that no action should be taken until officials have an accurate count of the number of deer...

Police Kill 18 Problem Deer in Sheridan December 5, 2014 Wyoming, Sheridan Media 
... deer hunts were not conducted in any one part of town, but there were some problem spots they made sure to check out. As part of the Chapter 56 program, he said, the department was issued a state permit for the lethal removal of deer ...

Dog attacks deer in Lander December 4, 2014 Wyoming, County 10 
... the dog had fled before they arrived. While the caller indicated it was a pit bull, that is unconfirmed. The deer was located, alive, suffering from only minor injuries ...


Mule deer poached in Johnson County November 26, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune 
...  killed Nov. 19, along the Schoonover Road about one mile west of the Powder River... STOP POACHING hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP 

CWD Found in Two New Wyoming Hunt Areas November 25, 2014 Wyoming, archerywire.com
... The deer was from deer hunt area 123, northeast of Lovell. The elk was from elk hunt area 108, which is southwest of Rawlins.... 

Mule deer four-legged works of art – or pests? November 24, 2014 Wyoming, Cody Enterprise
... Game & Fish Department staffers will fan out around Cody in early December to count mule deer ...  the 2011 deer count of the in-town herd registered 307. The count was 261 in 2012, and 292 in 2013.  Those numbers indicate the population is “fairly static” and he doesn’t expect to see any major difference in the results in December...

Public reports poaching of mule deer, violators caught November 24, 2014 Wyoming, oilcitywyo.com 
... four Wisconsin residents were arrested south of Wright, Wyoming after the discovery of an antlered mule deer that was poached on November 18, 2014...

New Mapping Project Details Big Game Migrations in Wyoming Wilderness November 19, 2014 University of Wyoming News
... The mapping project is part of the Atlas of Wildlife Migration, a comprehensive, ongoing effort to document the historical and current long-distance migrations of big game species between summer and winter ranges in Wyoming. Using modern GPS collars to follow the animals and new cartographic techniques, the Wyoming Migration Initiative, which Kauffman directs, conducts research ...

Chronic Wasting Disease Crops Up November 19, 2014 Wyoming, K2 Radio 
... found the disease in a doe mule deer from deer hunt area 123 northeast of Lovell. It also found it in a cow elk from elk hunt area 108, southwest of Rawlins...

Study: Non-hunters contribute most to wildlife November 18, 2014 Wyoming, Wyofile.com
... Wyoming Game and Fish Department says 55 percent of its budget comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and fees, and that hunters contribute even more through taxes on guns and ammo. Since 2005, however, the agency has received general fund money appropriated by the Legislature, now amounting to 6 percent of its budget. That opens the door for others to demand representation in wildlife management decisions....

National Elk Refuge Cautions Drivers November 18, 2014 Wyoming, Wyoming Public Media
... “114 Mule Deer and 35 elk are killed every year on Teton County Wyoming Roads," ... Large numbers of Elk have been seen migrating near Jackson and across major roadways last weekend. The National Elk Refuge is urging drivers around the Jackson area to be especially careful ...

More than 800 roadkill salvage permits issued in first year November 16, 2014 Wyoming, The Missoulian
... a year after Montana initiated a method to legalize collection of roadkill ... Reflecting Montana's wildlife population, the majority of the roadkill retrieved were whitetail deer – more than 550; followed by mule deer – nearly 150; elk – 120; and 33 moose...

Game wardens report sharp increase in wasted game animals November 14, 2014 Wyoming, oilcitywyo.com 
...  in the Evanston area this past hunting season. In the Evanston area alone, some nine buck mule deer and one doe pronghorn antelope were abandoned and or wasted between October 3 and October 22. The trend is both disappointing and unethical and game wardens are asking for your help in solving these poaching cases...  call the Stop Poaching Hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847) ...

My Day as a Mule Deer November 12, 2014 Wyoming, Nature Conservancy Blogs
... I watch as the buck and three does leap the fence that divides federal and private land... After this fence, there are more than a hundred between here and their destination. Some have been modified by landowners to comply with “wildlife friendly” specifications. Some have not and will catch their share of animals that become ensnared and eventually starve to death ...

Mule deer management, habitat discussed in Meeteetse on Nov. 18 November 10,2014 Wyoming, Cody Enterprise
...  during the last two decades, mule deer populations have declined in Wyoming and much of the Rocky Mountain region and those interested in mule deer and mule deer hunting are increasingly concerned about the herds...

Wildlife bridges offer deer, antelope safe passage over highways November 8, 2014 Wyoming, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle News 
... From October 2012 through December 2013, at least 36,071 mule deer and pronghorn have moved through the new crossings... From their perspective, the bridge's surface looks just like the prairie on either side of the span. Thanks to the 4-foot high berms on the edge of the 150-foot-wide overpass ...

Mule deer poached in Jeffrey City November 6, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online
... an adult buck mule deer shot Oct. 22 ... a rifle shot at about 6:45 p.m. and saw a four-point buck fall ...  A gold Ford Super Duty truck ... call the Stop Poaching Hotline at 877-WGFD-TIP

Wyoming mule deer meetings set for Nov. 17, 18 November 5, 2014 Billings Gazette
... management of mule deer and their habitat in the Meeteetse and Thermopolis ... 

Man ordered to pay $30240 in mule deer poaching November 5, 2014 Wyoming, goHUNT
... Thanks to a tip ... Clark admitted to killing a mule deer buck each year from 2010 to 2013 and each time without a license. When the investigators asked him about the social media photograph of the antelope, he confessed ...

Wyoming harvest survey uses email for first time November 4, 2014 Billings Gazette
... The Wyoming Game and Fish Department contracts with a company named Tetra Tech to conduct the large surveys for antelope, deer, and elk. In the past week 37,000 emails and 43,000 postcards were sent to resident and nonresident hunters asking them to complete their harvest survey online ...

BLM and WGFD Initiate Wyoming Range Mule Deer Habitat Project November 3, 2014 BLM News
    The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pinedale Field Office and Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) initiated several steps as part of the first year of the eight- to ten-year Wyoming Range Mule Deer Habitat Project along the eastern front of the Wyoming Range in Sublette and Lincoln counties, Wyoming.  The nearly 30,000-acre project includes phased vegetation treatments to improve crucial winter and transition habitat for mule deer.... For more information, click here

Efforts to minimize wildlife-vehicle collisions showing success November 1, 2014 Wyoming, Laramie Boomerang
... Efforts began with warning signs; then flashing lights were added, Hall said. Such methods did little to reduce the carnage in that section of highway — which crosses big game winter range and bisects a major migration corridor ... However, building wildlife-friendly underpasses with fencing to funnel the animals toward the structures was successful. Deer-vehicle collisions were reduced by 85 percent ...

...  the tip lead investigators to a social media site where 47-year-old John Clark had posted photos of the animals he shot ... never purchased a hunting license ... charged with four counts of taking mule deer without a license; two counts of taking antelope without a license ...

... discussions about the management of mule deer and their habitat in the Jackson and Pinedale regions... Public meetings will be held:  November 5, 6:00pm, Pinedale Game and Fish office (432 East Mill Street, Pinedale),  November 6, 6:00pm, Jackson Game and Fish office (420 North Cache Street, Jackson),  November 12, 6:00pm, Marbleton Town Hall (10700 Highway 189, Marbleton),  November 13, 6:00pm, Afton Civic Center (150 South Washington Street, Afton) ...

Shutter speed is the most important element to stop movement when photographing animals. Specifically when capturing images of deer in Grand Teton National Park. Doug Gardner shows you tips and techniques on how to use your shutter speed at the right moments - October 29, 2014



... CWD presence has now been confirmed in the lab and visually in the field in all the hunting units adjacent to the core of the Greater Yellowstone in NW Wyoming. ... detailed in the Jackson Hole News and Guide, CWD keeps creeping closer to feedgrounds... It is hypothesized that wolves are as close to an ideal way of taking out infected deer and elk just beginning to show symptoms as any natural method possible. Wolves, disproportionately target sick ungulate prey...

... CWD is a contagious neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose... 100 percent fatal...  it has a long incubation period of 17 months or longer... The first recorded CWD infection was identified in 1967 in captive mule deer at the Colorado Division of Wildlife Foothills Wildlife Research Facility in Fort Collins, Colo...

Baggs mule deer working group meets October 22, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online
... 5:30 p.m. Nov. 3, at the Valley Community Center ... The meeting is open to the public ... 

Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Two More Deer Hunt Areas October 20, 2014 Wyoming Game & Fish Department - State of Wyoming
     LANDER - Testing by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has found chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk and moose, in a deer from Fremont County in Deer Hunt Area 36. This brings the known total of CWD deer hunt areas in the Lander Region to five; areas 36, 87, 97, 98 and 157...  Hunters who wish to have their deer, elk or moose tested for CWD outside of the department’s CWD surveillance program can to do so by contacting the Wyoming State Veterinary Lab at (307) 766-9925. While CWD surveillance helps the Game and Fish monitor the disease, it also enables hunters to determine whether their harvested animal has CWD...

Lander mule deer working group to meet next week October 17, 2014 Wyoming, County 10 
... 6:15 p.m. on October 20 at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Lander regional office ... open to the public ...

Three Deer Poached in Sheridan County October 16, 2014 Wyoming, Sheridan Media
...  a white-tailed doe was shot and left near Beckton Road west of Sheridan, and two buck mule deer were shot, one on the grounds of the Sheridan County Sportsmen Club and the other on state land north of Clearmont... reward ... 1-877-WGFD-TIP or 1-877-943-3847.

Cody, G&F frees deer with stuck cage October 15, 2014 Wyoming, Cody Enterprise 
... A mule deer wandering around with a tomato cage stuck in its antlers received assistance from Game and Fish on Tuesday... They were able to dart and tranquilize the yearling buck...

... found chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk and moose, in a deer from Fremont County in Deer Hunt Area 36. This brings the known total of CWD deer hunt areas in the Lander Region to five ...  Hunters who wish to have their deer, elk or moose tested for CWD outside of the department’s CWD surveillance program can to do so by contacting the Wyoming State Veterinary Lab at (307) 766-9925.

Game and Fish probes suspected deer, moose, pronghorn poachings October 12, 2014 Wyoming, Laramie Boomerang
... Regional game wardens are investigating four suspected poaching cases, involving a total of five big game animals ... a bull moose, three buck mule deer and a buck pronghorn ... One of the mule deer was described as a “trophy” by Game and Fish ... call the Stop Poaching Tip Line, 1-877-943-3847 ...

... The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will establish chronic wasting disease (CWD) collection sites during deer and elk seasons this fall in the Douglas area to continue to monitor CWD in the Laramie Range.  The primary purpose of collecting these samples will be to monitor the prevalence of CWD in deer and elk populations. The Game and Fish encourages elk and deer hunters to take advantage of these sampling opportunities throughout the hunting season to help collect valuable data for wildlife management. While this CWD surveillance also enables hunters to find out whether their harvested deer or elk has CWD, hunters should know that their test results may not be available until a few weeks after submission (well after meat processing)...

Rawlings, Mule deer poached in Rawlins city limits October 10, 2014 Wyoming, County 10 
... an adult buck mule deer illegally shot within Rawlins city limits in the Sunnyside area between the cemetery and fair grounds...  likely occurred on October 7 or 8... Stop Poaching Hotline at (877) WGFD-TIP ...

... Moose populations are in steep decline in North America, in their normal habitats from Montana, Wyoming and British Columbia, to Minnesota and New Hampshire... Scientists think warmer winters and longer summers may be weakening the heat-sensitive moose and giving wolves more time to hunt them... Then there’s the brain worm... This tiny parasite coexists happily with white-tailed deer ...

Game and Fish seeks mule deer poaching information October 9, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online
... near Medicine Bow... shot the buck with a rifle Saturday ...  call ... 877-943-3847

... Vandeberg says these were possibly the worst ethical violations he has ever seen in his career, and that these poachers showed total disregard for private landowners and Wyoming's wildlife... 

Muley Fanatics Foundation Banquet October 7, 2014 Wyoming, KGWN
... Volunteers in the organization have helped with several fence projects with the Wyoming Game and Fish and USFS to help migration and habitat protection for wildlife...

... A joint poaching investigation last November between the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Nebraska Game and Parks netted four Nebraska residents for poaching mule deer near the Wyoming/Nebraska stateline...

... Wildlife managers with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department organized a new citizen-working group in Casper to explore, discuss and make recommendations to address factors affecting mule deer and their habitat in the Bates Hole/Hat Six mule deer herd (Deer Hunt Area 66).  “Mule deer have declined across Wyoming and the western United States ...

Sage Grouse Conservation Also Helps Mule Deer Migration Routes, Study Finds September 29, 2014 Wyoming, University of Wyoming News
... Measures taken to conserve sage grouse in Wyoming also benefit mule deer migration routes, according to a new study published today (Monday) in the online journal Ecosphere.  The research was conducted by scientists from The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the University of Wyoming, Western Ecosystems Technology Inc., the University of Montana and the U.S. Geological Survey. The paper:  Conserving migratory mule deer through the umbrella of sage-grouse

Group Hopes To Raise Funds To Protect Mule Deer Migration Bottleneck September 26, 2014 Wyoming, Wyoming Public Media
... Mule deer numbers have been dropping drastically in the last few decades and protections of the route are one of many efforts being made to help the species...
Public Meeting Planned for Wyoming Range Mule Deer Projects September 26, 2014 Bureau of Land Management
... The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. on Oct. 6 at the LaBarge Town Hall, 228 LaBarge St., in LaBarge, Wyoming, to present two approved mule deer habitat projects being implemented along the eastern front of the Wyoming Range in Lincoln and Sublette counties, Wyoming.
     The Wyoming Range Mule Deer Habitat Project includes phased vegetation treatments to improve crucial winter and transition habitat for mule deer through mowing, aeration, seeding, pitting, Spike® herbicide, fencing, conifer thinning and prescribed burning over a period of eight to ten years. The nearly 30,000 acre project area is located on BLM and state lands extending from south and east of LaBarge, Wyoming, to northwest of Big Piney, Wyoming...

National Geographic Mule Deer Photo Exhibit September 26, 2014 Pinedale, Wyoming
... Recently, the longest mule deer migration ever recorded was discovered where thousands of deer migrate 150 miles ... The exhibit showcases at the Museum of the Mountain Man through October 31.  Read the University of Wyoming's Mule Deer Migration Assessment

... Wyoming Wildlife – The Foundation, along with a handful of other groups and individuals and the Bureau of Land Management, started replacing 45 miles of fence recently on crucial pronghorn and mule deer winter range. It is one of the largest fence replacement projects in Wyoming and should be finished by 2015...

Mule deer working group forms in Casper September 24, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune
... Some of the issues facing the herd include habitat degradation and poor fawn production and survival, according to a news release from the department... 

Three trophy mule deer poached near Dayton September 22, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune
... The deer were killed late Sept. 15 or early Sept. 16 on the Sheeley Ranch about five miles north of Dayton ... killed strictly for the antlers ... call the STOP POACHING hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP ...

Hunting conditions favorable this fall September 19, 2014 Wyoming, Laramie Boomerang
...  in southeast Wyoming ... Mule deer herds are in good condition and had strong survival rates last winter... Habitat conditions should contribute to good fat reserves and survival rates this winter ... “Hopefully, if we can get a good winter — a mild winter — they should do pretty well,”  ... Most elk herds in the Laramie Region are above their population objectives ...

... The Conservation Fund has launched a three-month, $2.1-million drive to buy 364 private acres in Sublette County that’s a bottleneck on the longest known mule deer migration route... The parcel was the top priority for preservation along the route, said members of the Wyoming Migration Initiative ...

New Fences to Prevent Deer Accidents September 18, 2014 Wyoming, KULR-TV
... Wyoming's Department of Transportation is putting in new fences for two projects near Cody to reduce the chance of deer and pronghorn getting trapped on fences or hit by cars... "A fawn gets separated from a doe. It gives them a chance to go underneath the fence."  Pronghorns often prefer to crawl under a fence, too...

Sheridan, Deer Management Plan Continues September 16, 2014 Wyoming, Sheridan Media 
... The Sheridan Police Department in conjunction with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department implemented the plan in 2007 with the goal of controlling the population of deer within Sheridan city limits. 

Odds increase in fall that you might hit a deer September 15, 2014 Wyoming, Kotatv
...This year, the odds of hitting a deer in the Cowboy state are one in 110. Last year it was one in 97...

Hunting Forecast For The Casper Region September 10, 2014 Wyoming, K2 Radio
... following harsh conditions during the winter of 2010-11, subsequent mediocre fawn production, along with losses to EHD, white-tailed deer numbers are still much lower than those of the past decade. As such, hunters can again expect to see reduced densities of white-tailed deer in the Black Hills this fall. Fortunately, fawn production and winter survival improved somewhat in 2013-2014 ... the Department will implement a 3-point or better season in Hunt Area 66 ...

Deer shot in head with arrow treated, released September 10, 2014 Wyoming, Cody Enterprise 
... Crane, game warden for north Cody, responded to a call about an injured male buck that was shot in the face... They loaded the injured deer in the back of a pickup and headed to the Animal Care Clinic... residents report the recognizable buck is doing fine. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Travis Crane, 587-4304...

2014 Elk, Deer, Pronghorn Hunting Season Forecast September 8, 2014 Wyoming, Wyoming Game & Fish Department
... Deer numbers have increased over the last four years because of high over-winter survival. The two-plus year old bucks should be well-represented during fall hunting seasons this year. The early portion of the winter allowed animals to remain dispersed on winter ranges and overall the population experienced low winter mortality. Summer rains were timely and maintained forbs in a high nutritional state and, as a result ... similar to 2013...

...  Of the 6 herds within the Lander Region, all are estimated to be below objective following 2013 hunting seasons. Overall fawn ratios throughout the region were down in 2012 and 2013, as compared to previous years. Buck-to-doe ratios remained relatively stable in most areas...

... One extremely important project in play that can help is the Wyoming Migration Initiative (migrationinitiative.org). The initiative was formed by a team of researchers, including University of Wyoming scientists who have documented the longest migration of mule deer ever recorded - the latest development in an initiative to understand and conserve ungulate migration in Wyoming... Fremont Lake is a top concern for mule deer migration ...

Addressing The Decline Of Mule Deer August 28, 2014 Wyoming, Wyoming Public Media
...  There were once over 500,000 mule deer in Wyoming but the population has plummeted to around 375,000... In the 70’s and 80’s, hard winters impacted mule deer numbers, but the species rebounded quickly. In the early 90’s, numbers dropped again but haven’t recovered since...

... The Deer-Elk Ecology Research (D.E.E.R.) project – a collaborative venture of the Muley Fanatic Foundation, the University of Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department – aims to learn exactly what factors are hurting mule deer numbers ....

Development, CWD weigh on diminishing deer August 26, 2014 Wyoming, WyoFile 
... “Within the historic endemic area, the prevalence of CWD [chronic wasting disease] in deer was similar to the 2007 and 2009 levels of 37 percent,” ... specialists at the Inaugural Wyoming Mule Deer Summit had their own views of the causes and solutions to mule deer declines, industrial development in the form of sprawling gas fields emerges as a significant contributor...

Chronic wasting disease found Muddy Gap hunt area August 21, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune 
... The animal was killed by wardens after being reported as acting strangely west of Muddy Gap. Hunt area 97 borders deer CWD endemic areas 87 and 89 to the east. Hunt area 89 became positive in 2002 and 87 in 2007...

Pronghorn, deer numbers down but elk doing well in NW Wyoming August 19, 2014 Wyoming, Billings Gazette
... For the past few years, these deer populations have struggled with harsh winters along with yearly outbreaks of hemmorhagic disease ... It will likely take a couple years for these populations to rebound, barring anymore disease outbreaks ... For the northern portion of the Bighorn Mountains, buck numbers have been holding steady with a slightly decreased buck harvest in 2012, and a slight improvement in 2013...

Help sought for ravaged mule deer August 19, 2014 Wyoming, WyoFile 
... Their numbers have dropped 36 percent since 1990. Fawn production has declined 20 percent in the last quarter century.  Mule deer habitat has been sucked dry by drought, invaded by development, cut apart by highways... they number about 374,400 today ...

... bringing the known total of CWD areas in the Lander Region to four; areas 97, 98, 157, and 87.  A mule deer doe from hunt area 97 was confirmed CWD positive ... For more information on chronic wasting disease and regulations on transportation and disposal of carcasses please visit the Game and Fish website ...

Wyoming Deer and Elk Archery Seasons Begin Sept. 1 August 12, 2014 The Archery Wire
... There is an archery section in Wyoming's hunter safety course, but completion of a hunter safety course is not required to archery hunt in Wyoming... You may put up a blind on public lands, but the blind must be removed once the archery season is over...

Shameful deception on Chronic Wasting Disease August 9, 2014 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune 
... The press release did not reveal that the study also suggests that Chronic Wasting Disease will end elk hunting in Wyoming as we know it.... Wyoming now has the dubious distinction of having the highest rates of CWD infection in wild elk and deer of any place on earth ... from the study:  modeling the free-ranging elk herd without hunting or differences in survival by genotype resulted in a near extinction decrease in elk numbers over a 100-year period.

... Populations of mule deer across the West have been declining for decades. Numerous suspects are potentially responsible for these declines, including habitat loss, harsh winters, energy development, barriers to migration and predators... held at the Daniel Schoolhouse in Daniel, Wyoming, on Aug. 6 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ...

... 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...

... public meetings to discuss management of the Sheep Mountain mule deer herd... Cheyenne meeting will be August 5 ... Laramie meeting will be August 6 ...

... 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
... The paper ... feedgrounds are a key component in sustaining population numbers that allow hunting ... CWD won’t devastate feedground elk said Scott Edberg, deputy chief of the Game and Fish wildlife division...

...  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...

     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 ...

... 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...

... 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 ...

... 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...

... 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 ...

     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 ...

While fishing at Sibley Lake, Wyoming. What to our surprise a young buck came right up to us and wanted food.... May 6, 2014


... 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.” ...

Amazing Mule Deer Migration Discovered in Wyoming April 25, 2014 Care2.com
... 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....

... 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.

... 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...

... “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 ...

... 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 ...

Wyoming data: In 2013 the state had an estimated 63,000 white-tails and 374,000 mule deer, 369,000 mule deer in 2012.  The harsh winter of 2014 reduced the herd.  A total population of about 578,000 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 (resulting in a population crash), 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.  Reasons include drought, development, chronic wasting disease, and poor fawn production which has declined by about 20 percent in the last 25 years.  To sustain hunting the herd needs about 66 fawns per 100 does, but the ratio has been below that since 1990.  In 2012 it was at 63.  The state is about 35 percent below objective.
      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
     Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first discovered in 1979 in deer at the Wyoming Fish and Game Department’s Sybille wildlife research facility.  The first recorded CWD infection in 1967 was among captive deer at a Colorado Division of Wildlife Research Facility in Fort Collins, Colorado.

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

Other useful links:
- Wyoming Mule Deer Plan  - 2014 Mule Deer Migration on Pinedale Anticline 
- 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    - BLM Mule Deer Habitat Program
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department    - Facebook page
- 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. 

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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.

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.