Reports of Deer Populations in Decline

The huemul is the most endangered deer in the Americas. Its population has fallen by 99%, with roughly 1500 individuals remaining in the wild. Tompkins Conservation Chile has been working for 15 years to avoid the extinction of this iconic species in Patagonia. Today, Patagonia National Park, Chile, contains over 10% of the world´s remaining population. We are working to revert the extinction crisis. - September 16, 2020





Duluth News Tribune Minnesota moose won't get federal Endangered Species Act protection September 15, 2020 ... This winter saw the ninth year of a diminished but fairly stable population that comes after the state's moose numbers crashed rapidly, from a modern high of 8,840 moose estimated in 2006 to just 2,700 in 2013. This year’s official estimate by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, using aerial surveys in mid-winter, was roughly 3,150 ..,





St. George Daily Spectrum Hunting mountain lions: Utah to increase number of cougar hunting permits for fall September 1, 2020 Utah, ... In an effort to help relieve pressure on dwindling mule deer populations, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources plans to issue additional hunting permits for cougars throughout the state this fall...





New Approach for Archer Deer August 20, 2020 ODFW News: ODFW will propose that all archery deer hunting be controlled in Eastern Oregon for 2021. This change from a statewide general season with unlimited tags to controlled hunting in Eastern Oregon with limits on tags is necessary due to continued mule deer population declines. Mule deer populations have declined by nearly 50 percent in the last 40 years and having no limits on archery harvest is no longer a responsible management approach. Archery deer hunting in Western Oregon will continue as a general season opportunity.





Minneapolis Star Tribune Wolf researchers in Voyageurs National Park believe unlikely food source may be behind moose success August 3, 2020 Minnesota, ... Beavers are so abundant in Voyageurs National Park that they may be helping moose populations by becoming food for wolves... a small and isolated moose population is surviving, even as others in Minnesota have been cut in half or wiped out...





East Oregonian Elk numbers decline on Zumwalt Prairie July 20, 2020 Oregon, ... the 2020 population estimate for elk in the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Chesnimnus unit, which includes the prairie, is 3,500 elk... as recently as 2015, the number of elk on the unit approached 4,500 ... timber removal ... helped increase elk habitat in the unit...





iNFOnews Fire suppression efforts, timber extractions and highways changing life for declining mule deers July 14, 2020 British Columbia, ... Roughly 100 mule deer are wearing tracking collars as part of the Southern Interior Mule Deer Project, an ongoing study to understand the drastic decline in mule deer populations ...





Proposed changes to Oregon Deer Hunting Following Over 50 Percent Decline in Mule Deer - June 26, 2020 ODFW





Planet Jackson Hole Project gains new insights into mule deer declines June 14, 2020 Wyoming, ... to determine why mule deer populations have declined by 40% even in relatively pristine habitats. Researchers have honed in on key contributing factors—including drought, predation, and food competition ...





... D-8 is one of the larger deer herds in the state, but as with many herds in western Colorado, the cumulative impacts of decades of human population growth and the direct and indirect impacts of human activities have continued to diminish both the quality and quantity of habitat and its carrying capacity for deer. Land development, fragmentation by roads and trails, increased human activity on public lands, and suppression of large-scale wildfires have long-term and perhaps even irreversible effects on the landscape.., State Bridge Mule Deer Herd Management Plan June, 2020 Colorado, Colorado Parks and Wildlife





The Pew Charitable Trusts How Does Energy Development Affect Wildlife Migration Patterns? June 8, 2020 Wyoming, ... in Wyoming, where mule deer populations have been in decline since the 1990s despite significant interventions to stabilize their numbers... Our study showed that migratory use by deer steeply declined when surface disturbance from energy development, such as access roads and well pads, exceeded 3% of the migration route...





... a few subspecies of northern deer - the European, Siberian and Okhotsk subspecies... "Over ten years, the population [of northern deer] declined by a half. The reasons are: first of all, the poaching hunting, and secondly, shrinking habitat - cut woods, active tourism - animals get disturbed in spring," [Russian Arctic National Park’s Deputy Director Ivan Mizin] ... How to preserve Russia's endangered species of northern deer May 12, 2020 TASS

Draft Cripple Creek Deer Management Plan May, 2020 Colorado, CPW Report ..Like much of Colorado, the Cripple Creek (D-16) deer herd reached peak population levels in the 1960s and 1970s before declining through the 1980s and 1990s. It is estimated this population peaked in the 1960s at approximately 27,000; however, that estimate included GMUs 59 and 591, which are no longer considered part of this population. In the decades since, the population and associated harvest have declined by approximately 50%...









Billings Gazette Wyoming launches mule deer study in northern Bighorn Mountains April 8, 2020 ... The study is designed to identify mule deer movements in the northern Bighorns, evaluate seasonal range and habitat use and document fawn production and three-to-six month fawn survival rates. Mule deer populations in much of Wyoming and the West have been declining for decades...



Duluth News Tribune Last Lake Superior caribou surviving on their new island homes April 5, 2020 Minnesota, ... once numbered in the thousands across a wide swath of three states and Ontario, are surviving on just two islands ... After a dramatic airlift operation in 2018, an estimated 23 caribou seem to be doing well on Ontario’s Slate Islands ...





Wyoming Mule Deer Herds To Benefit From Increased Funding March 26, 2020 Wyoming Public Media ... Mule deer have seen a decline in total numbers throughout the West ... A majority of the funding will be used to support habitat improvement efforts around the state, like fighting cheatgrass spread to support native plant productivity and reducing the encroachment of conifers into aspen stands, which provide coverage and forage for mule deer...





The Bulletin An open letter to blacktail deer hunters March 1, 2020 Oregon, ... we are seeing a not-unexpected decline in deer numbers. Where we lose habitat to development, where predator numbers have exploded, where timber stands mature and choke out the shrubs that deer depend on, there will be fewer deer... Blacktail deer can thrive in places where the older trees are removed and the sunlight can penetrate to the forest floor. When politics disrupt logging practices, deer are the losers...





CPW looks for ways to help declining elk population February 21, 2020 Colorado, KUSA ... elk herds in southwest Colorado ... The number of elk in that area dropped from 19,500 in 2015 to 16,889 in 2019, according to CPW... a troubling decline in calves surviving to maturity ...





The Journal BP's collaboration with Colorado to offset wildlife impacts wraps up February 20, 2020, ... Despite the effort, Southwest Colorado’s elk and deer herds struggle. But Holst said it’s not fair to blame oil and gas development. Habitat loss from residential and commercial development, recreation such as hiking and hunting, as well as drought all play a role in big game’s decline...

Montana Kaimin The Quiet Extinction February 19, 2020 Montana, ... Caribou herds once abundantly thrived from the western coast of Alaska to the eastern fronts of Canada, but that is no longer the case... Caribou migrate longer distances than any other mammal on Earth ... The final herd of the Lower 48, the South Selkirk herd, officially became extinct ... [at the end of 2019] ...





Casper-Riverton KCWY-DT Upper Powder River Mule Deer study January 26, 2020 Wyoming, ... In the first year of the study, 18 deer died; causes range from Chronic Wasting Disease, pneumonia, predation, one even falling from a cliff. Researchers also learned a few deer migrated over 30 miles. Nutritional condition of the deer has been less than expected, despite precipitation being above average over the last two years...





UMN News The fight for Minnesota's Moose January 23, 2020, ... its population in Minnesota has declined by more than 50 percent since 2006 ... collaborating... to ... decipher whether a parasite called brainworm is the number one threat to Minnesota’s largest wild animal...



The Willits News California “Deer Factory” on the decline January 15, 2020 ... the term “Deer Factory” is a by-gone term for the northern remote mountains of California, called the B-Zones. Fifty years ago it was normal on a walk through the woods to see 40-50 deer in a day ... Today, few bucks are seen and the greater numbers of deer we once saw regularly, have vanished largely in northwestern California...





Eastern Washington Statesmen Examiner Local group starts wildlife survey, concerned about predators January 14, 2020 Washington, ... ungulate herds appear to be declining at a rate that should be making state officials nervous. Instead, he claims that biologists with Fish and Wildlife seem to be underreporting the number of predators and over-reporting deer, elk and moose populations to make the situation look better than it is... The Northeast Washington Wildlife Group is asking local residents and hunters to fill out a survey ...





Cody Enterprise North Fork deer herds are threatened January 15, 2020 Wyoming, ... decline of the mule deer and white-tailed deer herds on the North Fork of the Shoshone River... attributed to, the harsh winters of 2016-17, and very healthy wolf, grizzly bear and mountain lion populations... The wolves more than any other predator follow the deer to the Central Plateau ...





On migration corridors, governor attempts to strike balance between energy, environment January 12, 2020 Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune Online ... Scientists have come to consider these ancient routes as critical habitat warranting state protection. With mule deer population numbers hovering near historic lows, the state has been debating how to avoid losing this animal ... Wyoming is home to roughly 400,000 mule deer and about half the world’s pronghorn population...





DelmarvaNow Deer harvest is down again. There's more going on than just bad weather December 30, 2019 Maryland, ... a decline of 14 percent [from 2018]... three years in a row of declining kills when the DNR blamed the abundance or scarcity of acorns ... most hunters in our region are already talking about the lack of deer ...





Billings Gazette Federal government collects $10.8 million for lease sales in Wyoming December 12, 2019 Wyoming, ... Thirteen conservation groups filed six separate protests opposing much of the sale. The groups expressed particular concerns over the expansion of oil and gas activities in critical sage grouse habitats and mule deer migration corridors. Population declines in sage grouse and mule deer populations have sparked a heated effort from conservation groups to uphold wildlife protections...





Wyoming Public Media Game And Fish Begins New Mule Deer Research In Northeast Wyoming December 6, 2019 ... recently collared 35 mule deer does in the Rochelle Hills area ... to study Deer Area 10 to better understand why the mule deer population has been low for several years...





Wallowa County Chieftain Mule Deer in Decline December 4, 2019 Oregon, ... Mule deer populations are decreasing through the vast majority of the West... not everyone agrees on the causes ... Records seem to indicate that 1959 was a high-water mark for mule deer populations...





Death of a blacktail December 2, 2019 Oregon, Multibriefs ... [in Oregon] Both mule deer and black-tailed deer are substantially below the long-term statewide management objectives and benchmarks... Things are changing quickly in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest and it is my opinion that blacktail and their close cousins the mule deer are the proverbial canaries in the coal mine...





Seems to be fewer deer this hunting season November 30, 2019 Minnesota, Brainerd Dispatch ... Where we hunt north of Brainerd there is definitely growing numbers of wolves and last winter wasn’t the best for the health of a deer herd. Now we can’t control Mother Nature, so until we can start controlling the wolf numbers expect to see dwindling deer numbers in Minnesota...





The Wahkiakum County Eagle Elk hoof disease research underway November 7, 2019 Washington, ... The disease attacks the hooves of elk, eating away the foot and causing them to walk on soft tissue... first observed in southwest Washington ... Residents of southwest Washington have noticed a decrease in numbers of elk ...





Slowing down wolves to protect boreal caribou populations: a spatial simulation model of linear feature restoration MC Spangenberg, R Serrouya, M Dickie, CA DeMars… - Ecosphere, 2019 ... In Canada, boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are declining in numbers, in part due to increased predation by wolves (Canis lupus). One management option to reduce wolf–caribou interactions and thus protect caribou is to remove man-made linear features (LFs), structures such as roads, trails, and cut lines, which are used by wolves as traveling paths...





... Former Siskiyou County Ag Commissioner Patrick Griffin doubts that Siskiyou County will be home to large populations of wolves at any time in the near future, mainly due to low populations of their primary food supply, deer and elk. The deer population, he noted, has been plummeting for the past 20 years in Siskiyou County due to relatively robust populations of bear and mountain lions, and the expansion of human habitat... Ranchers prepare for wolves in Siskiyou County October 24, 2019 California, Siskiyou Daily News





... New Hampshire’s moose herd has declined by half since the late 1990s. The Vermont herd has more than halved since roughly the same time. Maine’s moose population is thought to have fallen from 76,000 five years ago to between 60,000 and 70,000 today... For whatever reason, moose in Massachusetts seem to be doing OK ... Mass. moose sightings tell a story of survival October 22, 2019 Massachusetts, Worcester Telegram





The Clarion-Ledger 'What concerns me most is the steady decline.' Deer harvest estimate remains at record low September 13, 2019 Mississippi, ... According to the Mississippi Resident and Nonresident Hunter Survey, the deer harvest during the 2018-19 season remained at the lowest recorded level as biologists face increasing challenges in deer management. The survey indicates about 197,000 deer were taken in the 2018 season. It's a slight increase from 2017's 195,000 estimate, but because it's an estimate, the difference is negligible..,





... Low cow numbers and falling survival rates among calves continue to plague Yakima’s elk herd ... researchers don’t know why their survival numbers are historically low... Winter surveys estimated a population of 8,231 elk, slightly fewer than last year’s less reliable surveys during a mild winter at lower elevations and well below the objective of 9,500... Falling elk populations bring hunting reductions September 11, 2019 Washington, Yakima Herald-Republic





Powell Tribune Mule deer hunting near Cody expected to be 'not as good' September 6, 2019 Wyoming, ... herds have undergone severe population declines due to tough winters and poor fawn production and recruitment over the last five years... Game and Fish began implementing changes to the seasons last year by reducing doe harvest opportunity to maximize the ability of the herd to rebound and implementing four-point antler restrictions to reduce buck harvest..,





The Bulletin Wildlife biologists say mule deer exiting Bend en masse August 31, 2019 Oregon, ... Mule deer numbers are falling in Central Oregon as fast as humans arrive, according to annual inventories conducted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Paulina Unit, east of Bend, is down to 5,918 deer from 15,400 in 2002, a 61% decline. Wildlife biologists say the deer are losing habitat to growing construction in and around Bend...





Few Fawns Surviving On Chattahoochee National Forest August 3, 2019 Georgia, Georgia Outdoor News ... Only three of 13 fawns ... survived to 4 months... coyotes killed four, black bears ate two (possibly three) and a bobcat killed one...





The Bulletin Moose population declines in Idaho July 18, 2019 ... Biologists have no clear answers but say the decline is happening across the West ... does not know moose population numbers, but estimates there are 10,000 to 12,000 moose ...





Sun Journal Deer numbers showing improvement in County June 15, 2019 Maine, ... in some Aroostook County townships the lynx, a federally listed endangered species, was more prevalent than deer ... The deer situation has improved some in the County, but tough winters and continued predation holds back the recovery of deer numbers ... coyote packs take down deer year-round, it’s the deer in wintering areas that are the most vulnerable ...









... Aerial surveys have shown declining calf moose numbers in recent years across Ontario ... potential benefits from changing quota settings and hunting rules can include increasing adult tag quotas by growing the moose population, and by decreasing the harvest of calves... MNRF hopes to grow moose population June 1, 2019 Ontario, DrydenNow.com





Lewiston Morning Tribune IDFG panel gets earful in Grangeville May 7, 2019 Idaho, ... Those who addressed the commissioners said deer and elk numbers have slid over the past decade or more, and changes are needed to hunting seasons to bring them back. They also said the Idaho Department of Fish and Game needs to collect more data on deer herd sizes and composition...





Bigfork Eagle A declining wildland deer herd May 9, 2019 Montana, ... One of the major current conservation issues in Northwest Montana is our rapidly declining wildland deer herd. All hunters and biologists agree that our deer herd is down substantially from past years. But, there is substantial disagreement on the cause of that decline...





KREM.com Stevens County community signs petition, hopes to increase cougar hunting May 6, 2019 Washinton, ... "It's not like there's an occasional cougar sighting. There are daily cougar sightings," ... Our deer population is going down so fast that our predators are going to have to find something to eat." ...





BCLocalNews Declining mule deer numbers prompts study April 4, 2019 British Columbia, ... Why are some of our Interior mule deer populations declining? How are predators and the recent huge wildfires affecting them? ... B.C.’s largest collaborative mule deer study was launched last year...



