Mule Deer Populations on the Decline? By Dr. Michael Street

[Justin Crossley]

I think most hunters would agree that it seems like mule deer populations have been on the decline over the last few decades. But, is that reality or just how we feel based on our experiences over the years and hearing stories of "the good old days"? Are some states doing better than others? Does a higher population correlate to better trophy potential? Find out the answers to these and other questions you may have in the article below by Dr. Michael Street.

Mule Deer Populations on the Decline?

 

[jmav58]

Interesting read. Here in central MT, I work with farmers and ranchers and get the opportunity to go over quite a bit of private ground working with these guys. Having spoke with all of them quite a bit, they've almost all noted how there are quite a few more mule deer this year in comparison to years past. Decent winter this past year and good springs/summers the previous years seem to have allowed for growth in the mule deer herds here.

 

[highfastflyer]

With CWD, drought, too much hunting pressure for the available resource and increasing predator populations the future for mule deer is not bright.

 

[MtnW]

In Colorado in the 70’s there was over harvest of the very best bucks in the gene pool. Those areas never recovered .
Lack of protection of critical winter range has made recovery nearly impossible in many areas.
Add in the increase in predators and the mule deer are going to have a tough go of it.
There still are pockets in Utah and some other states where mule deer are still thriving , but these areas are very limited.

 

[highfastflyer]

Colorado still has great habitat and genetics, the best of any Western state. Due to an over harvested mule deer herd and extremely low buck to doe ratios Colorado went totally limited in 1999.
All Colo units went to draw in 1999. In the period from 1998 - 2002 there were only 46 typical and 13 nontypical bucks entered from Colo in the B&C books. In the 5 year period from 2003 - 2007 after all tags were limited there were 154 typical and 31 nontypical B&C bucks harvested in Colo. That's almost a 3x increase in B&C bucks harvested in only a few years after going to limited....WOW...didn't take long to see dramatic improvements!!!!



Even after the horrific back-to-back winters in 2007 and 2008 there were still 97 typical and 14 nontypical B&C bucks harvested in the 5 year period from 2008 - 2012. That's still almost 2x the B&C bucks! Every 5 year period since tags have been limited there have been 2x more B&C bucks/year harvested in Colo than when tags were general OTC.

 

[Rich M]

With CWD, drought, too much hunting pressure for the available resource and increasing predator populations the future for mule deer is not bright.

The hunting pressure is managed by states. Winters and droughts seem to be the primary wild cards.

 

[highfastflyer]

The hunting pressure is managed by states. Winters and droughts seem to be the primary wild cards.

Yet many states don’t do a very good job of managing the hunter numbers as they want to keep the license revenue high and for political reasons to keep the hotels, restaurants and gas stations happy with big revenue. In many cases the herds suffer more from over harvest than they do by weather related factors.

 

[5MilesBack]

In 2018 while bowhunting elk I saw more deer than I've seen in any single season since the 80's, and I saw several really good bucks that reminded me of the good ole days. I haven't seen that many deer in all my other seasons combined since the 80's. It was good to see.

 

[Rich M]

Yet many states don’t do a very good job of managing the hunter numbers as they want to keep the license revenue high and for political reasons to keep the hotels, restaurants and gas stations happy with big revenue. In many cases the herds suffer more from over harvest than they do by weather related factors.

It also depends on what the definition of overharvest is. Does it relate to herd carrying capacity due to lost wintering grounds or to how many trophy bucks are present.

Just that diff folks see stuff diff. Some guys would rather get a big one say every 5 years and someone else will shoot a small 2x2 every chance. Those styles conflict.

 

[MtnW]

Colorado still has great habitat and genetics, the best of any Western state. Due to an over harvested mule deer herd and extremely low buck to doe ratios Colorado went totally limited in 1999.
All Colo units went to draw in 1999. In the period from 1998 - 2002 there were only 46 typical and 13 nontypical bucks entered from Colo in the B&C books. In the 5 year period from 2003 - 2007 after all tags were limited there were 154 typical and 31 nontypical B&C bucks harvested in Colo. That's almost a 3x increase in B&C bucks harvested in only a few years after going to limited....WOW...didn't take long to see dramatic improvements!!!!



Even after the horrific back-to-back winters in 2007 and 2008 there were still 97 typical and 14 nontypical B&C bucks harvested in the 5 year period from 2008 - 2012. That's still almost 2x the B&C bucks! Every 5 year period since tags have been limited there have been 2x more B&C bucks/year harvested in Colo than when tags were general OTC.

Your definition of “History” is different than mine. Your statistics regarding Colorado are only going back to 1999.

 

[RCB]

I recall listening to a podcast (either Randy Newberg or Brian Call) where guest Jim Heffelfinger claimed that mule deer populations have, on the whole, been pretty much stable in the last 10 years or so. The declines were mostly prior to that. I suspect that there is geographical variation though. I could try to chase this down. EDIT this is mentioned in the OP article and references a study.

 

[highfastflyer]

Your definition of “History” is different than mine. Your statistics regarding Colorado are only going back to 1999.

1999 was a very important year as that is when Colorado went to a totally limited quota deer management system. Colorado surely had its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s but by the 1980s it was starting to really struggle and did so until it finally went to a total limited quota management system. With CWD, drought, issuing too many late 4th season licenses and an ever increasing predator population along with the introduction of wolves it will require further management and license cuts.

 

[MtnW]

Highfast, I agree what you are saying that going forward with a entirely limited quota deer management plan has made a major impact for the quality of the remaining herds. There will never be the numbers of big bucks in Colorado again like the 60’s and 70’s when one skilled hunter could go out and kill two 30” bucks , or a group of 5 skilled hunters could kill 10 30” bucks out of one camp in 5 days time. Those days are done. There are large private ranches that are being managed ,but they are few and far between. The habitat now is very fractured with limited amounts of winter range and migration routes being disturbed. Just drive around during a bad winter and you find the deer scattered all over the subdivided parcels of mini ranches feeding with the livestock, or worse yet you find them in the housing subdivisions.

 

[Goatboy22]

Don't forget the increase in elk populations since the "good old days " of mule deer. There weren't any elk on the Uncompahgre Plateau in Colorado until the 60"s I believe. Elk populations have exploded all over the west since the 60's, and in states like Nevada they were only in a few areas in the 80's. There may not be much dietary overlap, but I believe there is definitely some spatial competition. Scorched earth on all predators back in the 60's too.

 

[Bubblehide]

The hunting pressure is managed by states. Winters and droughts seem to be the primary wild cards.

Actually, the research exhibits that during drought years Mule deer tend to expand their range and fair better.

 

[mtnrunner260]

Actually, the research exhibits that during drought years Mule deer tend to expand their range and fair better.

Thats interesting, is it for more northern herds? I know AZ, SO UT etc have experienced significant fawn loss during summer droughts.

 

[Bubblehide]

Thats interesting, is it for more northern herds? I know AZ, SO UT etc have experienced significant fawn loss during summer droughts.

The research does not apply to extreme drought. But I am not aware of the western U.S. being in an extreme drought until recently (much to soon of a timeframe for the referenced articles research to be completed). Past research has indicated habitat loss and loss of winter range and the main cause for Mule Deer population declines.

 

[Jimss]

If you have cheatgrass on your winter and summer ranges I would highly recommend reading this article:

Cheating the Sage — Partners in the Sage

Cheatgrass and other invasive grasses loom as a major threat to mule deer sagebrush habitat. Now is the time for hunters and land managers to act!

www.partnersinthesage.com

Here's the first paragraph of the article:

"Many experts are now citing the number one threat to mule deer in many parts of the West isn’t carnivores, development, or disease. Rather, it’s a tiny little plant, thinner than a toothpick and much more delicate, but very tenacious. You probably have heard of cheatgrass by now, maybe even felt its seeds dig into your ankles while hunting in sagebrush country. This wimpy-looking exotic grass from Eurasia doesn’t look like much of a threat, at least at first glance, to the mule deer we pursue each autumn. But make no mistake, this invasive grass packs a nasty punch to sagebrush habitat."

We are gaining valuable knowledge from large scale research projects that are providing long-term strategies for cheatgrass control with almost immediate improvements to critical mule deer and other wildlife habitat! If you have any questions in regard to cheatgrass or cheatgrass control please send me a personal message. I would be glad to help out! The results are literally amazing!

 

[Bubblehide]

If you have cheatgrass on your winter and summer ranges I would highly recommend reading this article:

Cheating the Sage — Partners in the Sage

Cheatgrass and other invasive grasses loom as a major threat to mule deer sagebrush habitat. Now is the time for hunters and land managers to act!

www.partnersinthesage.com

Here's the first paragraph of the article:

"Many experts are now citing the number one threat to mule deer in many parts of the West isn’t carnivores, development, or disease. Rather, it’s a tiny little plant, thinner than a toothpick and much more delicate, but very tenacious. You probably have heard of cheatgrass by now, maybe even felt its seeds dig into your ankles while hunting in sagebrush country. This wimpy-looking exotic grass from Eurasia doesn’t look like much of a threat, at least at first glance, to the mule deer we pursue each autumn. But make no mistake, this invasive grass packs a nasty punch to sagebrush habitat."

We are gaining valuable knowledge from large scale research projects that are providing long-term strategies for cheatgrass control with almost immediate improvements to critical mule deer and other wildlife habitat! If you have any questions in regard to cheatgrass or cheatgrass control please send me a personal message. I would be glad to help out! The results are literally amazing!

I forgot about the Cheatgrass, thank for the reminder!

 

[Fatcamp]

If you have cheatgrass on your winter and summer ranges I would highly recommend reading this article:

Cheating the Sage — Partners in the Sage

Cheatgrass and other invasive grasses loom as a major threat to mule deer sagebrush habitat. Now is the time for hunters and land managers to act!

www.partnersinthesage.com

Here's the first paragraph of the article:

"Many experts are now citing the number one threat to mule deer in many parts of the West isn’t carnivores, development, or disease. Rather, it’s a tiny little plant, thinner than a toothpick and much more delicate, but very tenacious. You probably have heard of cheatgrass by now, maybe even felt its seeds dig into your ankles while hunting in sagebrush country. This wimpy-looking exotic grass from Eurasia doesn’t look like much of a threat, at least at first glance, to the mule deer we pursue each autumn. But make no mistake, this invasive grass packs a nasty punch to sagebrush habitat."

We are gaining valuable knowledge from large scale research projects that are providing long-term strategies for cheatgrass control with almost immediate improvements to critical mule deer and other wildlife habitat! If you have any questions in regard to cheatgrass or cheatgrass control please send me a personal message. I would be glad to help out! The results are literally amazing!

Are you doing research? What state?