Fewer mule deer roaming the West

Western mule deer herds are in sharp decline, and scientists are working to overcome threats to reverse the trend.

Just 40 years ago, an estimated 2.3 million mule deer roamed the West. In Nevada, deer populations have dropped 27% over the last decade, and other states are reporting declines.

Mule deer are muscular critters with long ears similar to those of a mule.

“You can see deer winter ranges in the Sierra foothills, the Wasatch front and the front range of the Rockies have been developed for people, plus wildfire, drought and hard winters are taking a toll,” said Chris Healy of the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Fire is converting sagebrush to low-nutrition grassland and forest fire suppression hurts deer habitat because it prevents growth of plants that deer forage.

“A lot of factors don’t allow mule deer numbers to rebound to the same numbers they once did,” said Jim DeVos, research chief for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Biologists from the Western United States and Canada discussed deer threats and management strategies at the Mule Deer Foundation conference in Reno last week.

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Gary Polakovic