Mule Deer need hunters' help

[Big Fin]

If you are a western hunter, these kind or articles make your heart sink. And, hopefully increase your resolve to help see the situation change.

The decline in mule deer numbers is not a surprise to anyone who spends time out in the lands. The degree of decline is alarming. This article touches on a few of the things we have known for sometime by giving some summary numbers.

http://www.denverpost.com/environment/ci_26143275/deer-declining-across-colorado-and-west

Hopefully some ideas will be forthcoming. It will take advocacy on behalf of hunters, as most the rest of society is not going to be too excited about the changes necessary to turn it around.

As a general rule, people don't like fires, though fires could be one of the best ways to start tilting the table in favor of wildlife.

People like to build in their remote areas, regardless of impacts on wildlife and the increased risk they place themselves at in relation to wildfires. And when even the slightest fire sparks, they are the first to scream for help, even though they built in the highest risk areas.

Economic incentives are lacking for O&G companies to do much for accomodation of wildlife. They paid for these leases and they owe it to their shareholders to maximize the financial returns, even if it has negative impacts on wildlife.

Given all of that, I don't see many other advocates for wildlife, especially mule deer, other than hunters. Good news is, I think changes can be made.

Even if we don't make some of the changes, I think nature will. Some of the best mule deer numbers I have ever seen in southwestern MT are in some areas that burned in 2005, 06, 07. Maybe it was a good thing that those fires could not be controlled. It sure did a lot to benefit wildlife, both deer and elk. Not sure if the same result would occur with fires on the mule deer ranges of CO, but my suspicion is it would be helpful, assuming invasive weed species did not take overe as they have following fires in much of NV.

 

[Southwind]

15,000 wells is a lot of activity or at least it seems even though it is over 1.5 million acres.

At one time belonged to the Mule Deer Foundation but they never seemed very active especially in my neck of the woods. I guess Kansas does have a chapter now, they do post their 990 online.

Here in Kansas I have watched our herd decline but it seems it is more from the whitetails expansion of their range more than the factors that effect the herds in mountain states.

Pretty stark seeing a decline of quarter million deer in such a short time in Colorado.

 

[8andcounting]

Montana North Dakota and South Dakota all have same problem they sold too many doe permits for too long -----greed

 

[gwhunter]

In the article it indicated that some of the variance in numbers could be due to the fact that the method of assessing the numbers is flawed (paraphrasing). I didn't notice but did it indicate what could be the inconsistencies with the counting system?

 

[Ben Lamb]

It's the habitat.

Wyoming Range Mule Deer herd was one pf the first one to decline precipitously due to the expedited development & ram-shackle planning on public lands.

Climate change, unregulated development, broken migration corridors and overharvest all have a part to play in the decline, but it's the habitat that matters. Without it, you won't have any deer.

Protect it, and you have mule deer.

 

[tjones]

It's the habitat.

Wyoming Range Mule Deer herd was one pf the first one to decline precipitously due to the expedited development & ram-shackle planning on public lands.

Climate change, unregulated development, broken migration corridors and overharvest all have a part to play in the decline, but it's the habitat that matters. Without it, you won't have any deer.

Protect it, and you have mule deer.

Crazy talk everyone knows its all lions and wuffs!

 

[junior88]

ironically smokey the bear has had such a negative affect on our forests. forest thinning needs to happen but then the enviro litigants hold everything up. very maddening.

I've thought about joining the mule deer foundation, but aren't they in bed with sfw? I will not send them my money if they associate with sfw in any way.

 

[Ben Lamb]

ironically smokey the bear has had such a negative affect on our forests. forest thinning needs to happen but then the enviro litigants hold everything up. very maddening.

I've thought about joining the mule deer foundation, but aren't they in bed with sfw? I will not send them my money if they associate with sfw in any way.

MDF has been doing some good advocacy work on LWCF and access, as well as bills like the Sportsmen's Act.

Another mule deer group is Muley Fanatics Foundation. I got to meet one of their chapter chairs & their executive director. They're focused on getting hte money raised on the ground.

 

[ERSS]

MDF has been doing some good advocacy work on LWCF and access, as well as bills like the Sportsmen's Act.

Another mule deer group is Muley Fanatics Foundation. I got to meet one of their chapter chairs & their executive director. They're focused on getting hte money raised on the ground.

Are they in any way directly tied to SFW that you are aware of?

 

[Zach]

"We've had a significant decline that is not satisfactory to us and to the public," Bishop said. "We're going to work collaboratively with all of our constituents to increase mule deer numbers as best as we can. ... If our deer continue to decline, it will hurt us financially."

Nice to see CPW thinking with the pockets...

 

[Zach]

Are they in any way directly tied to SFW that you are aware of?

Don't they have some big shindig in UT every year?....

Muley Fanatic Foundation, why did the founders of this group split away from MDF?

 

[naturebob]

You can't control the weather issues. You can quit giving out to many tags. Loss of habitat can't be stopped due to building on private land. In areas of drilling for oil and gas I hate it when I see it, but 2 years later Its all on pipeline and the area is 95% back to normal.. Bottom line in My OP. is Quit doe tags for a while where needed ,Lower buck tags if needed and last but not least MORE Predator control..Here in N. Dakota they cut out doe tags for Muleys for 2 years and have seen about a 20+% rebound already, but the Weather has cooperated. So there is hope .................BOB!

 

[Bulldog0156]

I'd love to see a "let it burn" approach. More harm than good has come to wildlife between the current forest fire policy and environmental groups suing the feds over every timber sale they try to do.

Clear cutting was a poor practice but selective harvest and forest fires can promote a healthy and natural ecosystem and given time lessen the intensity/severity of fires.

 

[BigRack]

It's the habitat.

Wyoming Range Mule Deer herd was one pf the first one to decline precipitously due to the expedited development & ram-shackle planning on public lands.

Climate change, unregulated development, broken migration corridors and overharvest all have a part to play in the decline, but it's the habitat that matters. Without it, you won't have any deer.

Protect it, and you have mule deer.

What was the habitat change in Western South Dakota that caused the decrease?

You need to learn that weather and predators are the biggest factors. You discredit yourself when you say the words climate change as a reason. The climate has been changing since day one.

 

[BigRack]

The harvest tags are also one of the factors which SD screwed up on after the 3 severe winters.

 

[BigRack]

Randy,

There has been a decline in Mule Deer in very different habitats. That article was pretty much BS.

I know they didn't start farming Western SD to cause a decline.

 

[shoots-straight]

I think that the reasons are all of the above. In the Root, our Mule deer herds are the lowest (I believe) counted in the last 50 years. We don't have Oil, and gas, but we did have doe tags. We had large fires that burnt a 1/3 of our forest creating great habitat for deer, but we had to keep killing them to satisfy landowners and ag producers. The best mule deer winter ranges are on private lands, and a large ranch owner sprayed the sage brush and killed it all off. Not sure how much damage that did but it wasn't good.

We have high predator populations and that's not going to change in the near future, so no help there. We cut the harvest down to a small token of the tags, so that's been done.

We have a large group of poachers that kill a lot of deer, and very little progress there, even though our Wardens have caught a lot of people engaged in that activity. The native brothers kill a number, but we don't know what that is because they either won't tell us, or they don't know.

In the 80's we killed a lot of cats, and the deer responded very positively. That's not an option if you paid attention to a fish and game commission meeting a couple of months ago.

We have to take the approach that it's all those things mentioned.

 

[HighDesertSage]

I can't believe we still shoot does in this state. That has got to stop. Also, look at what Utah has done with coyotes. I believe you get $50 bucks for a set of ears. That combined with limiting tags, and Utah's deer herd is on the upswing.

 

[have gun will travel]

I agree all of the above approach. Remember they poisoned all the predators years ago, this also killed all the balled eagles! There were lots of deer but the Eco system was not healthy. I believe Habitat is a huge deal. 2 years ago a large percent of Custer national Forrest burned, I'm curious to see the results in that area this year.

 

[JWP58]

Time to start hunting whitetails?