Arizona Deer Population: About 180,000 deer in 2021, down from an estimated 197,500 in 2020. Drought has reduced recent deer populations. About 135,000 deer in 2014 when populations were devastated by drought. The 2009 populations was estimated at 150,000 The mule deer population has declined from a peak in the 1950s of an estimated 225,000 to 85,000 in 2021. The whitetail population has grown to a recent peak estimated of 105,000 in 2020.
Arizona Deer News
Chronic Wasting Disease not detected in Arizona March 28, 2023 KOLD
... Department officials said they did not find any cases of CWD in the 1,199 deer (mule and white-tailed) and elk that were sampled in 2022..,
Mountain lion spotted in Tuzigoot National Monument March 22, 2023 Arizona, Fronteras Desk
... The large cats, which mainly eat elk and deer, are rare in Arizona, but have been known to dwell in the Verde Valley, including within the monument’s borders...
Arizona Game & Fish changes rules for archery deer hunts January 10, 2022 Sedona Red Rock News
... For nonresident hunters, the changes include limiting the sale of archery deer non-permit-tags to nonresident hunters beginning with the 2023 calendar year. The number of archery deer nonpermit-tags available to nonresidents will be set annually at 10% of the average total sales of archery deer non-permit-tags for the most recent five years ...
Low fawn recruitment over past three years leads to fewer tags on Kaibab December 13, 2022 Arizona, Williams-Grand Canyon News
... the north Kaibab is home to the largest and most productive deer herd in Arizona ... the main reason for the drop in tags was in response to low fawn recruitment over the past three years... the department does ground surveys annually ..,
Early Kaibab deer hunt is not what it used to be, and here's why November 24, 2022 Arizona, Kingman Daily Miner
... the north Kaibab is home to the largest and most productive deer herd in Arizona... On the Kaibab, biologists are aware that it is not the summer range that limits the deer herd there. It is the winter range, and without sufficient moisture and food production in those areas, the herd can suffer and there can be a die off. This year the Kaibab received lots of rain and the winter range looks in good shape ..,
AZGFD asks hunters to bring heads of deer, elk for disease check November 21, 2022 Arizona, KTAR News
... Hunters are asked to contact AZGFD at 1-800-352-0700 if they see an animal that show symptoms of ... Chronic Wasting Disease ...
Mule Deer Foundation Partners with Arizona Game & Fish, Arizona Deer Association to Focus on Kaibab Plateau October 6, 2022, Arizona, Mule Deer Foundation News
... “The Arizona Strip and North Kaibab are legendary mule deer areas that have seen some population impacts due to years of extreme drought and declining habitat conditions,” commented Mule Deer Foundation President/CEO Joel Pedersen. “The Mule Deer Foundation is excited to work with our partners at Arizona Game and Fish and Arizona Deer Association ..,
TGen collaborates with wildlife officials to test for COVID-19 in both wild and zoo animals May 16, 2022 KNAU
... The Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen, has already begun testing ... Wild animals being tested include, elk, deer, mountain lions ...
Arizona Game and Fish Department teams with volunteers and donors to get wildlife water during drought May 6, 2022 NewsBreak Original
... Members of the Arizona Elk Society, Arizona Antelope Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation and Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society assist in maintaining catchments. Individuals also lend a hand by hauling water ..,
Miles of barbed wire removed to save Arizona wildlife March 10, 2022 KOLD
...“Some animals like deer, big horn sheep, mountain lions, they need to travel long distances in order to get the resources they need to survive, to thrive, to interact with others of their species so we can keep those gene pools robust and healthy for generations to come,” ...
Groups ripping out old barbed wire that blocks wildlife movement west of Tucson March 5, 2022 Arizona Daily Star
... A team of government agencies and conservation groups has launched an effort to take down old, barbed wire fences on public land in Avra Valley to ease the movement of deer, bighorn sheep and other animals...
Game and Fish Deploys Robotic Mule Deer to Catch Poachers March 5, 2022 Arizona Highways
... The robot is outfitted with a real deer hide and can turn its head from side to side ... donated by the Arizona chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation ...
As Arizona updates hunting guidelines, conservation groups focus on native predators January 29, 2022 AZCentral
... A week is being added to the youth-only deer hunting season. And the agency would also like to have the ability to more finely control the percentage of deer taken by bow and arrow hunters...
Narrow window now open for more hunting in Arizona December 1, 2021 Las Vegas Review-Journal
... Arizona is hoping the limited-entry permit tags will draw enough interest to generate revenue sufficient “to maintain current operations and limit or eliminate the need to increase license and hunt permit-tag fees.” ...
Locals have tough deer hunts on the Arizona Strip November 20, 2021 Arizona,
Kingman Daily Miner
... This huge unit located in the northwest corner of the state in Mohave County is known throughout the mule deer world as the place where giant bucks roam... over 8,500 applicants for these coveted deer tags in Unit 13B ... With only 80 tags being authorized ...
Mule Deer Fall Migration October 6, 2021 Arizona, KNAU Arizona Public Radio
... one deer journeyed 80 miles one way, one of the longest land migrations documented in the state. It was a doe, Number 9073, following an almost identical route every year between the Flagstaff area and the Grand Canyon...
AZGFD asks hunters to help keep Chronic Wasting disease at bay October 1, 2021 Arizona, White Mountain Independent
... Game and Fish has been testing for the presence of the disease in Arizona since 1998 and has tested more than 25,000 samples. While CWD has been found in the neighboring states of Utah, New Mexico and Colorado, the disease has not been detected in Arizona...
Wasting disease outbreak would imperil Arizona wildlife, lucrative hunting industry May 29, 2021 Arizona, AZCentral.com
... Arizona has yet to record its first case of chronic wasting disease in a local animal, but it borders states that have been dealing with the disease for years... “Our populations are already at risk because they are under stress from drier and hotter summers,” ..,
Navajo Nation prepares as surrounding states deal with chronic wasting disease May 29, 2021 Arizona, The Arizona Republic
... “It’s likely that there have been deer with CWD that have moved onto the nation at some point. Whether that has infected our resident deer or significantly affected our deer, I can’t say,” said Jessica Fort, a wildlife biologist for the Navajo Nation...
Mama elk fights off bear attacking her newborn May 27, 2021 Arizona, OutThere Colorado
... The cow elk delivers a swift kick to the bear after it attacks her newborn nestled under a tree branch. The bear swipes at the calf who can be heard screaming out for its mother's help...
New Study Advocates Reintroducing Jaguars in Arizona and New Mexico May 20, 2021 Field & Stream
... A new study published in the scientific journal, Conservation Science and Practice ... Arizona currently has an estimated population of 85,000 Coues deer, 105,000 mule deer, and 30,000 elk, while New Mexico has up to 15,000 Coues deer, 100,000 mule deer, and 106,000 elk..,
Arizona’s deer, elk clear of Chronic Wasting Disease April 23, 2021 White Mountain Independent
... Department officials did not find any cases of CWD in the 1,589 deer (mule and white-tailed) and elk that were sampled in 2020 — the most in more than a decade..,
Authorities searching for suspects in illegal killing of mule deer in AZ February 11, 2021 Arizona, TUCSON News Now Kold
... a $1,500 reward for anyone with information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible for the illegal killing of several mule deer near Congress, AZ...
Study: Wolves have plenty of great habitat – in Mexico February 5, 2021, Payson Roundup
... AZGFD Assistant Director Clay Crowder hailed the new study, saying “Mexico contained 90% of the Mexican wolf’s historical habitat, so it is unjustified to force recovery entirely in the United States... there are an estimated 163 Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico and perhaps 30 more in Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountain range..,
Arizona regulators to weigh ban on trail cameras for hunting January 31, 2021 Your Valley
... Animals can be deterred from using scarce water sources in drought-stricken areas because so many people place and check on remote cameras ... water holes with 30 to 40 cameras on them ...
Arizona Game and Fish Department conducts aerial surveys of wildlife through end of Jan. January 4, 2020 KOLD
... The Arizona Game and Fish Department is now conducting aerial surveys of deer and javelina populations in southeastern Arizona through Jan. 20. Helicopter flights lasting up to five hours ...
Hunter behavior has direct impact on public opinion November 6, 2020 Arizona, Payson Roundup
... we stand together for fair chase, which is defined by the Boone and Crockett Club as “the ethical, sportsmanlike, lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over such game animals.”...
Reward for information on bull elk poaching near Pinedale increased to $6500 October 21, 2020 Arizona, AZCentral.com
... Game and Fish officials said the elk was killed between the evening of Sept. 15 and the morning of Sept. 17 southeast of Pinedale, which is in northeastern Arizona. The elk's antlers were removed and the meat was left to waste...
Arizona Game & Fish rescues deer trapped in fencing in Flagstaff September 23, 2020 AZFamily
... The caller said the deer could barely move, and was accompanied by two fawns. The nearly-lifeless doe had a wire fence wrapped around her neck and her front legs, and was unable to feed her babies. Officers tranquilized the deer, and after she was asleep, they freed her...
Game and Fish asks hunters to help keep Chronic Wasting Disease out of Arizona September 9, 2020 Arizona, Arizona Daily Sun
... Hunters are encouraged to bring in the head of their harvested animal — especially bucks and bulls — and include accurate hunter and hunt information ...
Baby elk abound in Rim Country July 24, 2020 Arizona, Payson Roundup
... in 1913, one year after Arizona achieved statehood, when 83 elk were brought by rail from Yellowstone Park and released in Cabin Draw near Chevelon Creek. Arizona Game and Fish now estimates that Arizona’s elk population stands at about 45,000 post-hunt adults ..,
Wildlife making a run for it as wildfires rage across Arizona June 23, 2020 Arizona, AZFamily
... Fast-moving and intense flames are causing wildlife to flee... "We have black bears, deer, javelinas, bighorn sheep, some elk ... The vegetation that grows back after the wildfire is actually more nutritious for wildlife ...
Bighorn Fire is displacing wildlife, but most can reach safely and re-establish elsewhere June 13, 2020 Arizona, Arizona Daily Star
... A few days ago, a group of mule deer were spotting midday moving west of the general fire area by crossing North Oracle Road on a wildlife overpass near Catalina State Park. “You usually don’t see mule deer crossing in broad daylight ...
Groups on both sides track how Arizona's new border wall disrupts wildlife migration June 4, 2020 WWLP.com
... captured a 10-second video of a deer that approaches and sniffs the border wall from the Mexican side but is unable to cross... with about 15 of the planned 24 miles built through this valley, the number of animals are now starting to decline as they apparently are avoiding the heavy machinery noise ...
Western Wildway Wildlife Corridors May 27, 2020 Arizona, KNAU Arizona Public Radio
... ‘Western Wildway’. It’s a 6,000 mile-long wildlife corridor ... on sections of Highway 89 between Kanab and Page, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Utah Department of Transportation have been using guide fencing and modifying underpasses. That way, migratory animals, including the Kaibab-Paunsagunt mule deer, can cross safely...
Wild Mexican wolf numbers surged in 2019 April 24, 2020 Arizona, Payson Roundup
... The number of wolves in the wild has grown sharply in the last two years ... The 163 wolves included 76 in Arizona and 87 in New Mexico. The wolf population has increased at a rate of about 10% annually for the past 10 years, despite heavy losses. The census found at least 42 wolf packs at the end of 2019 ..,
Trump administration announces plan to open more wildlife refuge land to hunting, fishing April 9, 2020 Fox News
... plans to open 2.3 million acres of land for hunting and fishing at more than 100 national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries under a proposal unveiled Wednesday ... In Arizona, hunters would be able to go after mountain lions and mule deer at Cabeza Prieta and bobcats, fox, and mountain lions at Buenos Aires, both national wildlife refuges...
First Report of Adenoviral Hemorrhagic Disease in Three Mule Deer in Arizona SH Ferguson, JK Lee - Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 2020
... These cases represent the first known outbreak of deer adenovirus (Odocoileus adenovirus 1) in Arizona. Over the span of a month, three female captive mule deer were submitted to Midwestern University's Animal Health Institute for postmortem examination. All of these deer were from the same deer farm and historical findings were similar, consisting of acute presentation of hemorrhagic diarrhea and sudden death...
Judge overturns agency's OK for new copper mine in Arizona February 10, 2020 Washington Times
... Lawyers for the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity said federal agencies have failed to protect public land and resources in mountains that are home to endangered jaguars and cougars, black bears and deer...
Game officials offer reward for leads on killer of white-tailed deer doe found in Benson February 4, 2020, Arizona, Arizona Daily Star
... Edible portions of the deer were taken and the rest was discarded ... “This was the act of a criminal, a person without regard for the state’s most precious resource, its wildlife,” ...
Arizona Deer Archive: Population and Management, Deer in the News, Disease, Suburban Management, Transportation
Deer Data: In 2022 the state reduced tags on the north Kaibab as a result of three years of low fawn recruitment. About 180,000 deer in 2021. The state estimates about 85,000 mule deer in 2021 (80,000 - 90,000) down from about 97,500 (75,000 to 120,000) in 2012. An estimate of 95,000 whitetails in 2021 based on a decline in hunting data. The state commented in 2021 [p. 7] that "... statewide populations are stable to declining in most game management units; drought conditions are impacting recruitment." The deer kill fell by 34% from 2020 to 2021 due to falling deer populations and reduced tags to support th.
The population estimates in the chart below are mostly from Arizona Game and Fish for years 2009 to 2021 and based on hunting data for 2000 to 2008. The data. The deer kill from the hunt was about the same in year 2000 and 2021.
The graph below showing the results of the Arizona Hunt from 1946 gives an idea of the population trend for mule and whitetail deer. Data for the graph below and some population estimates. A researcher using estimates from the the state estimates a peak population for mule deer of 225,000 in the early 1950s compared to the state estimate of 85,000 (80,000 to 90,000) for 2021. The National Deer Association puts the whitetail (coues) population at 105,000 in 2020 which would be the historical peak.
About 197,500 deer in 2020. The state estimated 92,500 mule deer in 2020 with a range of 85,000 to 100,000. An estimate from the National Deer Association of 105,000 whitetails deer in 2020. Surveys from the Arizona Game and Fish indcate that deer populations were approximately stable in recent years.
Drought in 2018 reduced populations. Good rains in spring of 2019, but drought returned in the summer with high temperatures. No hunting data for 2018 given the low hunter response to surveys. All hunting tags in 2019 remained at $16.
A research paper gives a 2018 estimate of 105,000 mule deer and 85,000 Coues deer. The state estimated about 92,500 (85,000 to 100,000) mule deer in 2018. Using the state mule deer estimate brings the total to 177,500 for 2018. An estimate from Outdoor Life magazine for 2017 and 2018 of 110,000 mule deer; 90,000 Coues whitetails. The variability of these estimates from various sources give a sense of the confidence level for the numbers.
A fallow deer, native to Eurasia, was found dead near Nogales in 2017. A 2016 study found that predation accounted for 64% of fawn mortality in central Arizona. In 2015 the state reported that the mule deer population had increased by about 30 percent over the past decade. A 2015 Coues (white-tail) population estimate of 50,000 to 60,000.
Deer rebounded somewhat from the 2014 drought, worst in 110 years which devastated deer populations in some areas. About 135,000 deer in 2014. Deer hunt permits in 2015 totaled 43,326, 42,175 in 2014, and 43,716 in 2011. The post-hunt 2009 mule deer population was estimated at 75,000 to 80,000 [see p. 6, Hunt Arizona 2012], the white-tailed population was estimated at 70,000 to 75,000 for about 150,000.
In 2012 Outdoor Life estimated “85,000 Coues whitetails and 110,000 mule deer. Coues are up about 10 percent over the last decade thanks to fewer tags and a healthy herd. Mule deer continue to decline.” A series of droughts prior to 2012 since kept populations down. [Hunt Arizona, p. 7] Whitetails comprised less than 15 percent of Arizona’s deer harvest in 1961, nearly 40 percent in 1998 , and almost half in 2020. The 2013 deer survey found 23 mule deer bucks per 100 does, 26 whitetail bucks per 100 does.
Severe drought into 2006 after two decades of drought that reduced deer populations.
The all time high annual deer kill was in 1961 when hunters took 35,897 deer [see p. 7]. A second, more recent peak in the early 1980's with the deer declining through until about the year 2000. A few years of rebound, then a general downward trend since 2003. The states decision to go a buck-only hunt in 2000 had no appreciable positive impact on the population. In 2015 there were 43,326 hunt permit-tags issued, 42,175 in 2015, and 43,716 in 2011. From the early 1960s to 2006 the mule deer population in central Arizona declined from 11 deer/km2 to 2 deer/km2.
Despite a serious overpopulation of deer on the North Kaibab in the 1920s, deer numbers had declined dramatically from over hunting in the rest of the state. From the Arizona Daily Star, Friday, May 12, 1922: "Deer and other game became scarce for a while when human predators almost killed them off in the area, so a reserve was created where hunting was banned. " In 1929, the mule deer season was closed south of the Gila River, and even as recently as 1946, fewer than 5,000 mule deer were harvested. For reasons that are still unclear, deer populations began to increase, 1961 was the all time high. Poor fawn survival reduced the harvest to 16,000 by 1970.
Chronic Wasting Disease No cases have been found in the state as of the 2022-23 hunting season with 1,199 deer and elk No cases from 2020-21 hunting season with 1,589 deer and elk sampled. In 2016 more than 750 deer sampled. In 2017, 1,200 deer sampled.
Epizootic hemorrhagic disease, first detected in the west in 2017, killed about 30 deer in 2018.
Graphs below from the Western Association of Wildlife Agencies.
Elk, an estimated 45,000 in 2020.
Mountain lion population estimated at 2,500 to 3,000 in 2015.
Mexican Gray Wolf population estimated at 76 in 2019 and at least 64 in January, 2017. Estimated at 163 in Arizona and New Mexico in 2021.
Jaguar ... the last legally killed jaguar, a male, was taken by a deer hunter in the Patagonia Mountains, south of Tucson [in 1965] ... a single jaguar was captured on video in Arizona in 2016
Report Poaching: call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-352-0700
Deer Helpline: By texting CRITTER TO 41444, you are helping Arizona Game and Fish care for sick, injured, and orphaned animals at our Wildlife Center
Other useful links:
- HabiMap.Org a wildlife information system to help the state in conservation efforts, 300 layers of wildlife data and interactive maps
Arizona Game And Fish Department To Conduct Annual Survey Of Big Game January 6, 2020 KJZZ
... surveys, which are conducted using low flying aircraft, help maintain animal populations in the state... will help us determine how many hunting tags to let out in a given year ... focused on hoofed-animals such as deer, mule deer, whitetail deer and javelina. He also says those populations have remained fairly stable over the years..,
Game Officials Look For Mule Deer Poacher On Kaibab Plateau December 16, 2019 Arizona, KNAU Arizona Public Radio
... the buck was illegally taken between October 27 and 29 in Game Management Unit 12AW. The carcass was left to waste in plain sight...
Fire in the Superstitions: Effects of the Woodbury Fire on Wildlife December 2, 2019 Arizona, Apache Junction News
... In an AZGFD press release, Game Specialist Dustin Darveau, commented, “…we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of wildlife we saw within or adjacent to the burn area… We observed 81 white-tailed deer, a black bear, some bighorn sheep, a few mule deer ...we didn’t see any carcasses.” He stated that this could prove to be a beneficial burn for wildlife, but cautioned that, while some areas will recover quickly, maybe in 1-3 years, other higher burn intensity areas, “may take decades.” ...
Judge blocks copper mine project in Arizona national forest November 26, 2019 Arizona, Wellston Journal
... eastern slope of the Santa Rita Mountains ... Conservation and tribal groups on Thursday praised the ruling, saying it recognized that the Forest Service failed to protect public land and resources in mountains that are home to endangered jaguars and cougars, black bears and deer...
Authorities investigating poaching of a bull elk near Heber October 2, 2019 Arizona, AZCentral.com
... A reward of up to $1,500 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case. Authorities say an additional $2,500 reward is being offered by the Arizona Elk Society and $2,500 by the Arizona Deer Association ...
Drought and border wall endanger Arizona's wildlife October 1, 2019 NationofChange
... “As the drought has deepened, the waters that wildlife traditionally used are going away or have completely disappeared,” ... Water catchments in Arizona bring a resurgence of mule deer ..,
The Crazy Things Biologists Do to Track Animals September 30, 2019 Arizona, Inside Science News Service
... The first time Paul Krausman jumped out of a helicopter and wrestled a deer to the ground was in 1978. Another researcher had shot a net over the deer moments before ... has now made that leap well over 100 times ... a wildlife biologist at the University of Arizona ...
Arizona Game and Fish asks for donations for water for wildlife September 2, 2019 AZFamily
... The exceptionally dry and hot summer has major consequences for the wildlife... In the high country, deer, elk and bears use the catchments... "We've hauled over 90,000 gallons in just the last month and about a million gallons since the first of the year," ...
AZGFD asks hunters to help keep Chronic Wasting Disease at bay August 22, 2019 Arizona, GFD News
... Department officials did not find any cases of CWD in the 1,200-plus deer (mule and white-tailed) and elk that were harvested by hunters and voluntarily submitted for testing in 2018. Game and Fish has been testing for the presence of the disease in Arizona since 1998. While CWD has been found in the neighboring states of Utah, New Mexico and Colorado, the disease has not been detected in Arizona. CWD has not been documented to cause disease in people...
Weeks-old orphaned deer fawn gets new home Bearizona August 9, 2019 Arizona, KGUN 9
... The animal's mother was recently hit and killed by a vehicle in Safford...
Fifty years of deer August 9, 2019 Arizona, AZDailySun.com
... the Grand Canyon Deer Farm opened in Williams on Aug. 15, 1969 ... While some animals are born at the farm, many are rescues... “The ones that come as rescues, they need you and they really bond to you well,” ... opportunities for visitors to feed the fallow, coues, Japanese sika and mule deer “snacks” ...
AZGFD Tracks Mule Deer Movement Near Flagstaff July 29, 2019 Arizona, KNAU
... The data will identify wildlife corridors where deer travel from one place to another, and may eventually lead to highway projects that create safer roads for both drivers and deer...
Biologists collar deer in Flagstaff to track movement July 2, 2019 Arizona, Albuquerque Journal
... Twenty mule deer near Flagstaff have been outfitted with collars to study their movement...
Cow elk wanders into Kingman city limits June 24, 2019 Arizona, Mohave Valley News
... A cow elk made a spectacle of herself roaming into the Kingman city limits from the nearby Hualapai Mountains early Sunday...
Elk and deer antler growth should be good this year April 5, 2019 Arizona, Payson Roundup
... This year, the rains have been good and the areas below 3,000 feet are already blanketed in green with an abundance of wildflowers. This is a main food source for deer, elk and other wildlife..,
Poacher owes Arizona $16,000 for killing two deer April 2, 2019 White Mountain Independent
... and lost his Arizona hunting and fishing privileges for five years ... two counts of taking a mule deer with an unlawful method (bait) ...
G&F releases proposed hunt recommendations March 27, 2019 Arizona, Wickenburg Sun
... available for review at www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines ... comment by April 13 ...
Arizona Big Game Super Raffle offering "early bird" prizes March 26, 2019 Williams News-22 hours ago
... annually awards the raffle a total of 10 Special Big Game Tags, one for each of the state’s big game species — bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn ... Last year’s event generated a record $692,590 ...
Catching poachers may be the best thing we do. But we can't do it without you March 6, 2019 Arizona, AZCentral.com
... To compensate the state for the lost value of the unlawfully taken wildlife, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission imposes civil assessments. The $41,650 collected by the commission in 2018 was added to Game and Fish Department's Wildlife Theft Prevention Fund ...
Coveted Elk Tag Sells For $240,000 at Arizona Mule Deer Organization Banquet February 28, 2019 Arizona, Outdoor Wire
... Bidders were calling in from across the nation, and group organizers felt the amazing selling price was due at least in part to the wet weather and snow pack experienced in Arizona this off-season. Moisture is a significant contributor to antler growth in elk...