The vast majority of mule deer in the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Cody Region continue to migrate between the summer ranges in the mountains of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to winter ranges in the Big Horn Basin — as they have for millennia. Because they seem so accessible to those traveling through on the North and South Fork areas, it's hard to consider how tough their lives have become, said Wyoming Game and Fish Department Cody District Senior Wildlife Biologist Tony Mong. The population of the state's iconic species has dropped dramatically in the past two decades and there is reason for concern, he said.

Mule deer migration routes have become more treacherous and populations have dropped quickly in recent years, he said.

"In Wyoming, we've moved from about 450,000 mule deer back in the 2005-2010 time frame to now about 200,000. And we've seen that loss over the last 20 years," Mong said while speaking at the Draper Natural History Museum's Lunchtime Expedition lecture earlier this month.

During the past two decades there have been many new obstacles for the struggling species, including Chronic Wasting Disease and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, weather from harsh winter storms to years-long drought, increased numbers of predators and competition for space with white-tailed deer and humans while subdivisions and homes, complete with dangers like fences, dogs and traffic continue to be built along and in the way of their ancient passages.

The good news Mong brought to the table is that surveillance technology has improved and scientists now know more about the species and their winter and summer ranges.

"Every year we try to keep 210 collars on mule deer; a mix of females would be juveniles, 6 to 7 month-old fawns and also bucks," Mong said. "We're really trying to ramp up the collection of the information that's going to allow us to see where they go and what's important. And this year you guys are in for a treat. You get the first glimpse at new data that we're getting from video callers."

The department has increased the number of collared deer since Mong arrived at the department in 2018 and the collars now include installation on more fawns and does — the most important population segments for rebuilding herds — as well as now having video collars that give clues to their migration and feeding habits.

What the scientists have found is that fawns have a higher rate of mortality than they have historically due to challenges they face, like crossing rivers as snowmelt swells rivers and migration routes that are chopped up due to human encroachment on migration routes.

"We're going to be able to look at food selection [thanks to video collars]. We can see what they are eating as they're eating. We get to see the habitat quality around them. We also get to see interactions, either with other species or between one another," Mong said excitedly. "We've got the information to start building this epic tale, this epic journey of wildlife around here."

Data from the research done by Mong and other department employees (including Travis Crane and Grant Gerharter) has shown a decrease in the number of fawns that are going into the population each year, things that factor into how fast a population can recover after bad winters, big die offs, or even how higher populations can persist into the future.

Mule deer conversation

Mong's lecture was well attended with a feisty crowd full of questions. Yet, almost in the antithesis of the Thursday lecture, a get-together among those attending a Cody Region Mule Deer Conversation at WYOld West Brewery in Powell that saw dozens sit down for some serious issues. Mong opened the event by saying "This is not a meeting" and directed those in attendance to pick a table for conversations facilitated by Powell-area Game Warden Jordan Winter, Wildlife Biologist Austin Wisseler and region wildlife management coordinator Corey Class.

The Mule Deer Foundation supplied attendees with the first round of Mule Deer Beer, which was brewed in collaboration with WYOld West as a charity offering for the foundation and lightened the mood of those in attendance. Then, one by one, subjects were broached and discussed until well after the meeting officially closed. Class was happy with the results from the meeting.

"We achieved our goal of having an informal, but in-depth conversation about mule deer and mule deer management with our constituents," he said. "It worked out well and we met new people."

Mong, who circulated between tables helping with specific topics, said the meeting was just what the doctor ordered.

"We wanted this to be conversation-based. It wasn't about us coming and telling people what they think or what we think they should know. We wanted to know what they want to know, what they're hearing and what they're seeing."

The information they did share was specific to the Cody Region, including what will happen in the future as high prevalence in CWD and EHD has taken its toll.

"I think the good thing is, especially around here, we have seen deer populations increase in areas. We just need to be smart on how we move forward with [population] increases to maintain lower levels of CWD, EHD and all these challenges. And so having the conversation, I think, open people's eyes so that they know what's coming."