JACKSON, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) confirms that mule deer in the Jackson area were in good body condition going into winter this year, which will help with over-winter survival and population growth.
According to WGFD Public Information and Education Specialist Raegin Akhtar, quality and quantity of available forage determine fat levels and body condition heading into winter. And the current mild winter conditions are also helping with survival and population growth.
Additionally, ongoing research projects confirm that fawn survival was high over the summer.
This comes after some particularly difficult winters for local mule deer, which saw their population decline dramatically.
In late December, Akhtar tells Buckrail that WGFD wildlife managers completed aerial population and classification surveys of the Wyoming Range and Sublette mule deer herds as well; WGFD is currently compiling and summarizing this data, and it will be released in the next couple of weeks.
Buckrail also recently spoke with the North American nonprofit Mule Deer Foundation, which is focusing on bringing attention to conservation efforts for mule deer in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) as winter still puts annual pressure on populations.
