Deer, Drought, Development and Roads

[Tikka]

I only counted 29 confirmed road kills this morning from Orem to Vernal.... Just think about that for a minute, you make it through winter and your carrying a fetus... Then to only get waxed by a vehicle... Thousands upon thousands killed by vehicles a year... then throw in developments...

How severe droughts have factored into a decline in Utah's deer population

While there are far-reaching impacts that droughts can have on water infrastructure, they can also factor into wildlife habitat conditions.

www.ksl.com

 

[hossblur]

I have no data. But a lot of the roads I travel have been there 50+ years. It sure seems like there is a lot more deer by roads, and thus road kill than years ago. The development, IMO seems to be concentrating them into less ideal habitat, meaning near town, near roads. Seeing road kill in town, is getting more common, here. And I grew up here.

 

[ruger1022]

It all plays a factor. There are a lot of variables playing into declining mule deer populations. Between road mortalities, drought, loss of habitat, stress from hunting/recreation, predators, loss of migration corridors, etc, I’m surprised it isn’t worse.

On a hike this weekend, I found 3 dead fawns from this winter. I don’t believe they were lion kills as they weren’t stashed, but hard to say.

 

[slamdunk]

Highway mortality is a major factor in our deer numbers declining.
More vehicles on the roads, more roads, and faster vehicles really add up the numbers.
The good news is this is being tackled by fencing and crossing projects throughout the state, and also in other western states.

 

[ruger1022]

Highway mortality is a major factor in our deer numbers declining.
More vehicles on the roads, more roads, and faster vehicles really add up the numbers.
The good news is this is being tackled by fencing and crossing projects throughout the state, and also in other western states.

I really like the idea of the crossing projects. I think a lot of migration corridors were cut off in the past due to fencing without adequate crossings. When you cut off access to winter range, you will see a decline in wildlife numbers.

 

[DBLung]

In my area there are less deer killed on the highway than there were 20-30 years ago. With only about 15-20% of the deer we used to have, I guess it makes sense. I wish we had crossings, but the land is private and nobody wants them feeding into their own field.

 

[grizzly]

This was one of the most concerning images to me...

There is a new study out that shows we're averaging 45 days between rain storms now in many desert areas that used to average 30 day intervals in the 1970s. Even if we get as much moisture as we used to, which we're often not, the plants suffer with those long drought durations. Everybody knows you can't water your lawn for a week straight in April and expect the grass to make it to October... it's not only how much water we get, but when we get it.

In 2019, St. George went over 122 days between measurable rainfall. Even if we build guzzlers for wildlife, their foodsource suffers greatly.

I fear there's not an easy solution.

 

[buckhorn]

I would love to see more big bucks on the landscape but for the sake of us all we need some rain NOW!

I am in for a Utah limited entry deer hunt with 24 points and this could very well be a down antler growth year.

In Nevada my son has 10 resident deer points which could pretty much draw any of the hunts but we are seriously considering not applying this year because of how dry it is!
Hopefully this drought doesn’t hurt overall health of the deer herds.

 

[ruger1022]

This was one of the most concerning images to me...

View attachment 36599

There is a new study out that shows we're averaging 45 days between rain storms now in many desert areas that used to average 30 day intervals in the 1970s. Even if we get as much moisture as we used to, which we're often not, the plants suffer with those long drought durations. Everybody knows you can't water your lawn for a week straight in April and expect the grass to make it to October... it's not only how much water we get, but when we get it.

In 2019, St. George went over 122 days between measurable rainfall. Even if we build guzzlers for wildlife, their foodsource suffers greatly.

I fear there's not an easy solution.

I'm a rangeland management specialist by trade, and I have been worried about this drought since last July.

I had an archery elk tag on the desert this year, and we never did hear any bugling. I talked with rifle and muzzleloader hunters.... same story. No rut action at all. Went out during the spike hunt... no rut whatsoever. I'm not sure the cows even went through estrus this year. During the drought presentation, they had said that calving rates go way down during a drought for elk. With such terrible conditions I can see why. The does may have fawns, but I bet the survival rate is abysmal.

Most of the guzzlers went dry this year by August. The only guzzlers that had any water were the result of people hauling water and filling the tanks.

There is a lot of dead and dying sagebrush out there. Crazy thing, the drought was so bad in Southeast Utah in 2018 that pinyon and juniper started to die off in large numbers. I noticed in Southwestern Utah over Easter weekend that the pinyon and juniper are starting to die. You know things are serious when PJ are dying off.

Something that is extremely important to remember is reproduction is a luxury. A doe has to take care of her nutritional needs before they have a fawn, let alone a healthy one that can evade predation and make it through the winter.