WYOMING — A team from the Wyoming Migration Initiative (WMI), along with multiple other non-profits and government-funded organizations have tracked a mule deer doe’s migration patterns since 2016.
This deer, now known as Deer 255, according to WMI’s study, has migrated farther than all long-distance mule deer studied in North America. This animation shows her spring 2022 journey across 200 miles, from Wyoming’s Red Desert all the way to Jackson Hole.
According to WMI, The performance of these herds is largely dependent on their ability to seasonally migrate from low-elevation winter ranges to high-elevation summer ranges, where they gain fat needed to survive the long Wyoming winters. Migrations like this are unique to Wyoming and are an important part of our cultural, hunting, and conservation heritage.
