Deer Management News
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Pennsylvania adds 12% more antlerless deer licenses to last year’s record allocation April 14, 2026 PennLive
... The Pennsylvania Game Commission will allocate a record-high 1,469,000 antlerless deer licenses statewide for the 2026-27 hunting season.
That represents an increase of 157,000, or 12%, from the previous record allocation of 1,312,000 licenses in 2025-26...
Minnesota's moose population has stabilized. A new effort seeks to grow their numbers. April 12, 2026 MPR News
... the state’s moose population has remained stubbornly flat since it declined sharply about 15 years ago... The Northern Moose Alliance ... , they placed GPS collars on 60 young moose ... “This project is aimed at really looking at what's happening with those younger moose,” said Michelle Carstensen, wildlife health program supervisor at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources ...
Pennsylvania CWD Regs Amended April 11, 2026 Pennsylvania Game Commission
... Hunters no longer will be prohibited from transporting harvested deer – including high-risk deer parts – between any two locations. But hunters statewide would be required to dispose of high-risk deer parts through their commercial trash pickup, and expressly prohibited from disposing of high-risk parts on the landscape after a deer is moved from the harvest site... Other changes include eliminating the regulatory prohibition on the use of cervid urine-based attractants in any outdoor setting – state law already was changed to make these attractants legal – and providing the Game Commission’s Executive Director with the discretionary authority to establish targeted restrictions on feeding deer and other wild cervids in relation to CWD...
Missouri weighs new limits on nonresident deer hunting April 11, 2026 AOL
... Over the past two decades, the number of nonresident deer hunters in Missouri has increased significantly... By last year, that number had more than doubled to about 42,000 nonresident deer hunters, representing about 9% of the total deer hunters in Missouri... Those interested can provide feedback online ...
Idaho Hunter Harvest Report: Elk and mule deer keep on climbing in 2025 April 10, 2026 Idaho Fish and Game
... Last year’s 19,702 whitetail harvest still sits right in line with the 10-year average, which despite a handful of EHD outbreaks during the past decade, still continue to flourish. Despite slipping a bit from the 2024 hunter harvest ... Harvest of muleys jumped 2.8% from 2024, or put another way, 691 more animals during this past year’s harvest. That’s worth noting, considering some of the state’s population had a rough go of it during the winter of ’22 and ‘23...
Mild winters support mule deer herd recovery, research shows April 10, 2026 Wyoming, Your Wyoming Link
... The Wyoming Range and Sublette mule deer herds recorded exceptional buck and fawn ratios this winter. That follows the brutal winter of 2022-23, which caused above-average mortality in both herds. Their recovery is supported by high over-winter survival, a result of several consecutive years of relatively mild, snow-free conditions on mule deer winter ranges...
Michigan considers '1 buck rule' to balance herd, better control population April 10, 2026 Madison Courier
... “We have a buck-centric culture in Michigan. Everybody wants their buck. And we have an aversion, a flat-out refusal, to shoot does by many people. That needs to change,” said hunter Dan Ulfig. “It’s obvious that the one buck rule will improve antlerless harvest.” ... curb overpopulation in the Lower Peninsula
Mule Deer Foundation Receives $500000 From the Salt River Project to Expand Forest Restoration and Watershed Resiliency in Central Arizona April 9, 2026 Outdoor Wire
... "This project represents the type of collaborative conservation work needed to address wildfire risk while improving habitat and water resources," said Greg Sheehan, President and CEO of the Mule Deer Foundation. "Generous support from Salt River Project allows us to scale meaningful restoration across a landscape that benefits wildlife, watersheds, and local communities." ...
This wealthy Colorado community is fighting wildfires with robo-mowers and 1000 sensors on trees April 9. 2026 The Colorado Sun
... The mowed fire breaks also support the elk, with the blessing of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Elk and deer flock to the rolling strips for tender grasses... golf course water features are carefully planned ... they have a shallow shelf around the edges allowing the elk to wade and drink easily ...
The Screwworm Fly is Back and Approaching Texas, Threatening Deer April 8, 2026 National Deer Association
... A monster that eats live deer ... In the last three years, this villain has reclaimed Central America and is now threatening to cross the Texas border into territory it hasn’t held for 60 years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is scrambling to block the invasion...
Mountain West lawmakers eye new funding for wildlife crossings April 8, 2026 Colorado, KUNC
... “The question isn't whether this works – it's how do we do more of it,” said Colorado state Sen. Dylan Roberts ... The proposal would add an optional $5 fee to vehicle registrations and renewals, unless drivers opt out. A similar measure with a mandatory fee failed last year...
Wildlife Commission raises concerns about proposed legislation affecting wild deer management April 7, 2026 Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
... The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission continues to express serious concerns regarding House Bill 3270. The bill, which provides for specific, statutory authorization of co-mingling of captive deer into wildlife populations ... The bill would allow captive deer with certain genetic “resistance” to be released into wild populations and would transfer authority to sell permits to private landowners wanting to stock game farm deer from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF)...
The interplay of habitat quality and temperature shape demographic patterns of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in North America April 7, 2026 Wyoming, Nature
... Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are declining in abundance across their broad distribution in western North America... We used location data from 1473 female deer over 22 years in Wyoming ... we show temperature had the largest effect on mule deer recruitment with age ratios declining following hotter summers and colder winters. Age ratios increased with higher proportions of habitat with high-quality summer habitat of particular importance. Given the likely increases in summer temperatures and extreme winter weather events, populations may struggle to increase recruitment over the next half-century...
Half of Colorado's Reintroduced Wolves Are Dead. Can the Program Survive Another Year? April 6, 2026
Outdoor Life
... and the release that was planned for this winter was canceled amid pushback from the federal government. Without a source for additional wolves, the state's voter-led restoration program is on thin ice. But Colorado Parks and Wildlife says it's still exploring new translocation options ...
Ground-based cameras show promise for measuring mule deer fawn ratios in certain areas of Idaho April 6, 2026 Idaho Fish and Game
For the past three years, Fish and Game staff in Southwest Idaho have been evaluating the effectiveness of remote cameras in Unit 32 to estimate mule deer herd composition, which is a key measure that helps wildlife managers understand recruitment and overall mule deer herd condition over time. The results so far have been promising: In each year of the project, these ground-based cameras in the Weiser-McCall mule deer population produced fawn ratios nearly identical to those from traditional aerial surveys, suggesting remote cameras could offer IDFG a reliable, lower-risk tool for monitoring certain deer populations... [Video Below]
Hunting tweaked to target mule deer departing the world’s most CWD-infected herd April 6, 2026 Wyoming, WyoFile
... One doe mule deer took off from the Pilot Butte area in the middle of the Wind River Indian Reservation and trekked roughly 90 miles northwestbound... “They’re eventually going to pick [CWD] up and take it out with them,” Wyoming Game and Fish Department wildlife biologist Zach Gregory said... “The change to a general season this last fall, our attempt is to maintain as high a harvest as we can on bucks,” said Daryl Lutz ...
How a Flesh-Eating Fly can Wipe Out Endangered Wildlife April 4, 2026 Florida, Yahoo
... In 2016, a parasite was discovered in the Florida Keys in the wounds of the endangered key deer ... were dying quite suddenly. They were not succumbing to predators or starvation, but to a fly: the New World Screwworm (NWS)... The flies wiped out 135 key deer, which was roughly 14% of their population ...
CWD, Here's what biologists want you to know about this wildlife disease April 3, 2026 Utah Public Radio
... Chronic wasting disease ... has been present in Utah since 2002... This year alone, state biologists tested around 2,000 animals. Eighty-three came back positive. Since detection began, 435 mule deer and 11 elk have tested positive across the state. ..,
Our tour of the Highway 17 Laurel Curve Undercrossing April 3, 2026 California, Environment America
... Highway 17, has some of the highest rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions in California, with a historical average of about 2 mountain lions and 10 deer hit there annually... Built in 2023, this undercrossing reconnects deer, mountain lions, and more throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains ...
Wildlife underpass project on US-30 to begin near Montpelier in April April 3, 2026 Idaho Fish and Game
... Construction efforts on three wildlife underpasses on US-30 are set to begin near Montpelier this month. This grant-funded project under the direction of Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will include the installation of two concrete box culverts, one bridge, and 6 road miles of 8-ft tall fencing ...
DNR Seeking Public Input On 2026 Deer Season April 3, 2026 Wisconsin DNR
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the state’s Citizen Deer Advisory Councils are seeking public feedback on Wisconsin's deer management, including harvest quotas, season structure and more ahead of the 2026 deer season...
Elk and black bear hunting permits open in Missouri in May Aoril 2, 2026 MSN
... Missouri’s black bear numbers are estimated at about 1,100 and continue to grow by roughly 9% each year. MDC says offering more permits allows for expanded hunting opportunities while maintaining population management... Missouri’s free-ranging elk population is estimated at about 325 animals..,
RMEF commits $3 million to wildfire restoration April 2, 2026 Montana, Powell Tribune
... “From the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest and into Alaska, 2025 was a devastating year for wildfires across the United States,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO... “Healthy forests produce healthy elk,” said Jennifer Doherty, RMEF managing director ...
DWR proposes increase in 2026 deer hunting permits, seeks public input April 2, 2026 Utah, TownLift
... Biologists are recommending 86,625 general-season buck deer permits, an increase of 6,425 from 2025... “Harvesting buck deer does not drive deer populations,” DWR Big Game Coordinator Mike Wardle said, noting that herd size is primarily influenced by adult doe survival and fawn production. [see articles explaining the problems of skewed sex ratios as in Utah]
BLM Durango-area closures remain in place April 2, 2026 Colorado, Bureau of Land Management
... These areas are closed annually from December 1 through April 30 to provide mule deer and elk with secure winter habitat... Mule deer and elk rely on these winter ranges to survive, and early spring remains a period of heightened nutritional stress...
North Dakota 2025 Deer Season Summarized April 1, 2026 Game and Fish News
A total of 36,353 North Dakota deer hunters took approximately 20,877 deer during the 2025 deer gun hunting season, according to a post-season survey conducted by the state Game and Fish Department. Game and Fish made available 42,300 deer gun licenses last year. Overall hunter success was 57%, with each hunter spending an average of 4.9 days in the field...
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Deer in the News
Biologists Surprised At How Healthy Three-And-A-Half Legged Elk Appeared To Be April 7, 2026 Montana, Cowboy State Daily
... the hearty appearance of the bull, and the cleanliness of the complete sever just below this bull's front left knee leaves us totally gobsmacked and wondrously puzzled ... The elk, which appeared to be at least five years old, was missing the lower half of its left front leg, right below the femur...
Deer in distress killed by environmental police in Lakeville April 6, 2026 Nemasket Week
... a deer with its head trapped inside of a plastic barrel ... It is not clear why the deer was killed instead of tranquilized and freed from the container. The Massachusetts Environmental Police did not comment on why the animal was shot...
Community and wildlife experts respond after video shows driver running over injured deer April 1, 2026 Wisconsin, NBC26
... "The deer may have been in an accident it may have been injured, it could have been a survivable injury. Not after the second time or the third time or the fourth time," Theys said... For some in the community, the video was too much to watch...
Environmental police search Lakeville for deer in distress March 30, 2026 Massachusetts, Nemasket Week
... A deer with its head trapped inside of a plastic barrel has been spotted in Lakeville ... head is completely trapped inside of a clear plastic container... “If it can't be found it will have a slow, painful death because of its inability to eat or drink,” ...
Video Below: Fire crews rescued a deer stuck on the ice on Cheshire Lake on Friday. March 29, 2026 Massachusetts
Poconos man killed 2 deer out of season, near townhouses ‘for fun,’ wardens say March 24, 2026 Pennsylvania, PennLive
... He allegedly killed the deer last Thursday and Friday by firing multiple times in the direction of the entrance to the Village at Camelback private townhouse development ... he documented the kill in text messages and videos sent to multiple recipients ...
Mountain lion kills a deer in Belmont: Early Tuesday morning March 21, 2026 California, San Mateo Daily Journal
... about 4:45 a.m. March 17 when a mountain lion jumped a running deer and tumbled to the ground on Makropoulos’ lawn. Within 15 minutes the deer was dead ... Mountain lion sightings aren’t infrequent in San Mateo County ...
Video Below: The deer was able to rest when the tide went down, according to the fire department. The deer walked away when the tide went back down. March 17, 2026 Maine
Fossil found in Toronto subway identified as an extinct deer from the Ice Age March 15, 2026 Canada, Earth.com
... Comparisons with ROM samples did not link the fossil to caribou, moose, elk, or living deer elsewhere in the collections. Instead, the fossil sat close to the branch that later split into white-tailed deer and mule deer... The new paper argues that this deer likely favored open ground, then lost that setting when dense woodland spread across the region...
Video Below: When a deer found herself trapped in a backyard in Smithtown, a local animal rescue helped free her. March 13, 2026
Around 100 white-tail deer found dead after train spills corn for roughly 80 miles March 12, 2026 Mminnesota, Local 12
... The DNR said the spilled corn can draw deer to the tracks, and rather than jump into deep snow along the railway, deer try to “outrun” the train down the tracks. Porter said train strikes do happen, but the situation is different when food is on the tracks during winter ...
This Tiny Florida Deer Lives Nowhere Else on Earth March 9, 2026 Yahoo
... The Key deer is a subspecies of the white-tailed deer, having evolved in isolation in the lower portion of the Florida Keys. Over thousands of years, limited resources and island life favored smaller bodies, resulting in the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer in North America... With only around 600 individuals left in the wild, the Key deer is one of the rarest deer in North America...
Video Below: A peaceful encounter with mule deer in the winter snow. This ambient 4K video captures the quiet beauty of wildlife grazing undisturbed in the foothills of the Colorado Front Range. This footage was captured on a recent winter hike in Hall Ranch Park near Lyons, Colorado. March 8, 2026
NJ firefighters rescue deer that fell through ice in canal March 6, 2026 New Jersey, NJ.com on MSN
... The jittery deer wouldn’t hold still, though, so firefighters moved to plan B — a combination of rope and an inflatable raft — and successfully removed it from the frigid water...
Bobcat takes down deer in residential area March 4, 2026 Colorado, Colorado Springs Gazette
... The initial online response was disbelief with posters emphatically suggesting it was a mountain lion who made the kill and stashed the deer. But the incident had been witnessed by Woodland Park resident Kelly Ragan, and photos of the bobcat dragging the deer surfaced...
Wildlife officer shoots off deer antler, saving 2 bucks with 1 shot March 4, 2026 Ohio, FOX 8 News on MSN
... A state wildlife officer successfully shot off the antler of a buck, saving the deer as well as another buck the animal had become entangled with ... The ODNR said one of the bucks had netting stuck in its antlers which entangled the other buck as well...
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