Red Desert Mule Deer Migration

mulecreek · Apr 22, 2014

Great Stuff worth the time to read and watch. Just solidifies in my mind that the issues all western states are having with Mule deer are so much bigger than we understand.

http://wyofile.com/gregory_nickerson/americas-longest-mule-deer-migration-discovered-in-wyoming/

mmwb · Apr 22, 2014

Good article and video. I heard about this just yesterday morning on WPR.

Cornhusker · Apr 22, 2014

I think this is one of the best wildlife research studies that they could do. It was a really interesting article, it adds more complexity to manage an improve herd numbers. It seems like the more we know the larger the problems for wildlife become.

Zeke · Apr 22, 2014

I knew mule deer were wanderers but I had no idea!

That's the most informative article I've read in a long time.

As others have said, no wonder mule deer management is so complex!

Thanks for sharing the info with us,
Zeke

TOPGUN · Apr 22, 2014

I knew that they migrated pretty good distances, but nothing like that!

feduptwo · Apr 22, 2014

a great example of why research is so important. For 50 years the g&f allowed resident hunters to slaughter the few resident deer that live in ha 131 based on high winter counts. This years season (5 day 4pt or better) more accurately reflects the resident deer herd in this unit. Lots of talk about this unit going le although the proposed season probably eliminates a majority of deer harvest as there probably isn't 3 4pts in this whole unit.

Also shows wildlife managers where they need wildlife highway crossings and allows mitigation of other obstacle's.

nontypical · Apr 22, 2014

LAST EDITED ON Apr-22-14 AT 10:13PM (MST)[p]Even after G&F had this information, they still allowed doe harvest for youth for 2 extra days after regular season closed in 2012 and 2013 in unit 131. If it wasn't for the Green River corridor and the irrigated lands around Farson/Eden, this deer unit would be almost devoid of deer. Yet doe/fawn tags are still given out in addition to general tags. Go figure...

Great read and cool video.

Chesterwyo · Apr 22, 2014

So would this be the group of deer that are visible on the north side of I-80 near Point of rocks in the winter time?

mulecreek · Apr 22, 2014

I think that would be the case. I see them every winter but that area has so few in the summer. I never figured these were the same deer I see on Hoback Peak in August.

bucklover · Apr 23, 2014

LAST EDITED ON Apr-23-14 AT 07:18AM (MST)[p]Years ago, in one of the "old" Eastman hunting movies, the oldest Eastman dad, talked about, and if I remember right, had footage of one particular buck that he filmed somewhere around Salt Creek Pass. In just a matter of a few days he claimed he saw the same buck somewhere on the Red Desert. I can't remember the exact particulars, but I have thought about that fairly often over the years.

Zeke · Apr 23, 2014

I remember that old Eastman video too. It made me think a little at the time but it should have got the attention of us all.

Modern technology is great and we're learning lots but I fear we've already cut off these important migration routes to the point that the deer will have a dificult time making a significant comeback.

Because man had displaced so much wildlife it's all the more important to manage the resourse through predator control, responsible tag quotas, season dates and thoughtful developement.

Zeke

bucklover · Apr 23, 2014

LAST EDITED ON Apr-23-14 AT 10:45AM (MST)[p]Zeke, +1 on your comments.

nontypical · Apr 23, 2014

Even with all the development that has occurred over the past 30 years, this migration route is still pretty intact. Throw in a few over/underpasses, and even more deer would survive. Deer survival in the Kemmerer/Cokeville and Baggs underpasses has proven that.

My concern would be those rest/stopover areas that they tend to leave a little quicker due to human activity.

The fact that Gordon Eastman knew where these deer wintered decades ago shows that this shouldn't be earth-shattering news to anyone. Maybe he never told WGF.

feduptwo · Apr 23, 2014

I'd like to see a timeline. When do a bulk of the deer hit the prospects? Do they always go clear to Point of Rocks or is it just in hard winters. Is the migration triggered by time of year or weather events?
Gordon may have had a inkling that this was happening but no one could have known (or did know) it was happening to this extent.

The gps collar data coming out of the Wyoming range study although not nearly as impressive is also showing where we really need to concentrate habitat improvement efforts, predator control efforts, and god willing livestock mitigation to leave more winter feed.

If mule deer have a chance it will take these high tech studies to force the hand of the G&F management efforts. We all know without this study the G&F would have had the same old excuses as to where all the deer were in 131 during hunting season.