JACKSON, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) has released an update about regional mule deer populations in the Wyoming Range herd and the Sublette herd.
A severe winter of 2022-23 resulted in above-average mortality in the Wyoming Range mule deer herd, but wildlife managers continue to see signs of recovery and growth. According to the update, both the Wyoming Range herd and the Sublette herd were recorded to have high buck and fawn ratios this winter. Due to consecutive years of relatively mild or snow-free conditions, there has also been a high over-winter survival rate on mule deer winter ranges.
“Both herds have demonstrated incredible resilience over time, rapidly recovering from periodic high winter mortality, as we saw in the mid-2000s and more recently from 2011 to ’16 when consecutive mild, open winters resulted in high survival and rapid population recovery,” WGFD’s Pinedale Region Wildlife Management Coordinator Brandon Scurlock said in a statement.
The Wyoming Range mule deer herd is the subject of two recent studies: one by the University of Wyoming, which aims to understand effects on survival and reproduction; and a five-year study by WGFD to understand population declines and potential solutions. The update states that biologists in the Jackson and Pinedale regions use the research from these studies, along with other field data, to shape management decisions and hunting seasons. Fall hunter harvest data and aerial surveys are also for monitoring populations and making decisions.
The Wyoming Range herd had a fawn ratio of 81 fawns per 100 does this year, and 83 fawns per 100 does last year — a high rate, according to WGFD. The buck ratio this year increased to 38 bucks per 100 does. These ratios are reflected in the current population estimate of 15,500, which is up from 13,200 in 2024. In the Sublette herd, surveys revealed 77 fawns and 43 bucks per 100 does. The herd numbers are up 18% from 2024, with a population estimate of 22,437.
“To set hunting seasons that promote herd health and recovery while providing quality hunting experiences, we rely on a comprehensive data set encompassing all of these factors and public input,” Jackson Wildlife Management Coordinator Cheyenne Stewart said in a statement. “As these populations continue to recover, hunting seasons will be modified to offer opportunity while still managing towards our goals for the herd unit.”
