September 2023 - 9

and give birth to more vigorous and healthy
fawns, " said Daryl Lutz, Game and Fish wildlife
management coordinator in the Lander
Region. " I think for decades many wildlife
managers and the public assumed winter was
the bottleneck. Some recent research shows
how important the fat reserves mule deer
does bring to the winter range is, and that
goes back to the quality of nutrition on the
summer ranges.
" If a mule deer doe comes into winter in
optimal body condition, meaning fat, winter
severity will have less effect and increase
the likelihood she makes it through. It also
increases the likelihood of her giving birth to
bigger and healthier fawns, which increases
the chances of those fawns surviving their
first year. "
Hunting doesn't hurt
It's often a misconception that hunting has
a big impact on mule deer numbers.
Justin Binfet, Game and Fish wildlife management
coordinator in the Casper Region,
said he's heard from a lot of people during
his 20-year career with the department that
Game and Fish should change its management
strategy for mule deer hunting areas
from general licenses to exclusively limited
quota. General licenses are available over-thecounter
to virtually anybody. Limited quota
licenses are, well, limited to a certain number
of licenses. There are limited quota hunt areas
in Wyoming, but Binfet said there has been
a strong push from some to go limited quota
throughout the state.
" Whenever mule deer populations are
struggling, we get repeated requests that we
need to close the season for three years or
five years, or go limited quota, " Binfet said.
" The truth is, that won't do anything to bring
mule deer numbers back. "
Because populations rely on fawn survival
and having does to rear those fawns, Game
and Fish has removed doe-only seasons for
mule deer and heavily regulates doe harvest.
Game and Fish reduced the number of
mule deer licenses in many areas of the
state where mule deer mortalities were high
after the 2022-23 winter. Still, even with
a hunting season, Scurlock said there are
enough bucks to breed with does, even in
places where mule deer mortality was high
like in the Wyoming Range herd in western
Wyoming.
" We can offer this experience to the public
and maintain a high-quality resource without
Fawn survival is the key to maintaining solid numbers of mule deer. (Photo by Justin Binfet/WGFD)
" Whenever mule deer populations are struggling, we get repeated
requests that we need to close the season for three years or five years,
or go limited quota. The truth is, that won't do anything to bring mule
deer numbers back. " - Justin Binfet
hurting the reproductive segment of the population
because we're not harvesting does, "
Scurlock said.
Binfet understands why people express
frustration to him and to Game and Fish
about mule deer hunting, and he and his
colleagues hear it from all sides. Those sides
range from those who want the opportunity
to hunt this iconic species to those who feel
they shouldn't be hunted - or hunted on a
limited basis - since overall deer numbers
have declined over the years.
" We need to work harder at helping to
educate the public on mule deer management, "
Scurlock said.
Binfet said a lot of mule deer management
through hunting is about managing hunting
opportunity and hunting quality, and there
are pros and cons through both the general
license and limited quota framework.
But the bottom line is mule deer populations
in Wyoming are not based on hunting.
" It's all about fawn survival, it's not about
hunting, " Lutz said. " Different kinds of
hunting season constructs are not necessarily
intended to change mule deer populations
and they're not increasing deer numbers.
Hunting is not affecting fawn survival or
productivity at all. "
- Robert Gagliardi, WGFD
Wyoming Wildlife | 9

September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2023