Mustangs Rule
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2021
- Messages
- 830
Every night I look out past my north pasture with my spotting scope, onto a really huge, irrigated alfalfa hay lot and I count 35 to 40 whitetail deer and in them are 12 to 15 really nice bucks. Driving around past other hay-farms the story is the same.
Getting up against the mountains I see mule deer, but their numbers are dwarfed by those of whitetails.
Almost 40 years ago I lived in Wyoming, had a place right near the “Great Path of the Pronghorn” migration route. It was also heavily used by mule deer.
In several weeks' time I watched between 6,000 to 7,000 big game animals passed through. This still remains the most thrilling wildlife experience of my life. Last I heard the numbers were down to about 2,500.
After the horrible winter of 2023, the 9 member Wyo. Game and Fish Commission had a vote whether to ask the fracking industry to offer any considerations for wildlife. They voted “nay” 9 to 0.
My curiosity took hold and I spent a few days studying why Mule Deer numbers have dropped so severely all over the west.
Below is lots of info and two great videos.
MR
muledeer.org
https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...8DE0EF1B37AC4CCCB56C8DE0EF1B37AC4CC&FORM=VIRE
https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...BA69473D15B38EB1E331BA69473D15B38EB&FORM=VIRE
Getting up against the mountains I see mule deer, but their numbers are dwarfed by those of whitetails.
Almost 40 years ago I lived in Wyoming, had a place right near the “Great Path of the Pronghorn” migration route. It was also heavily used by mule deer.
In several weeks' time I watched between 6,000 to 7,000 big game animals passed through. This still remains the most thrilling wildlife experience of my life. Last I heard the numbers were down to about 2,500.
After the horrible winter of 2023, the 9 member Wyo. Game and Fish Commission had a vote whether to ask the fracking industry to offer any considerations for wildlife. They voted “nay” 9 to 0.
My curiosity took hold and I spent a few days studying why Mule Deer numbers have dropped so severely all over the west.
Below is lots of info and two great videos.
MR
The Great Basin Decline: A Mule Deer Crisis in the Making - Mule Deer Foundation
The Great Basin has been locked in a battle with chronic drought for years. Dry winters have crushed the quality of forage that deer depend on
muledeer.org
Oregon’s mule deer population in drastic decline; In 5 decades population has decreased by half - Klamath Tribes News
The mule deer population in Oregon has declined significantly over the last five decades with the downward trend continuing. Today, the mule deer population is estimated at around 155,000 in...
www.klamathtribesnews.org
https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...8DE0EF1B37AC4CCCB56C8DE0EF1B37AC4CC&FORM=VIRE
https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...BA69473D15B38EB1E331BA69473D15B38EB&FORM=VIRE
