Migration Initiative

Advancing Deer Conservation

MDF’s Winter Range and Migration Corridor Initiative

Helicopter assisting in conservation project for revegetation.

Understanding Deer Migration and Habitat

We all know that deer move a lot across our vast western landscapes and that seasonal habitat like winter range is a critical part of their annual lifecycle. These movements, often called migrations, can be obvious or not so obvious depending on time, route, and number of animals using a certain area. Historically, deer managers relied on professional observation and historic records to identify these movement and migration routes but lacked specific information on how many animals used certain routes, how the routes were used by moving animals, and how animals reacted to impacts to these routes. However, over the last decade, scientific knowledge has increased dramatically about how significant migrations are to the health of mule deer and black-tailed deer herds.

With new GPS technology allowing more frequent and accurate data from collars, scientists are able to map how deer move throughout the year and where the critical habitats are along those corridors.

Policy Development and Conservation Efforts

Conservation efforts to improve big game migration corridors and seasonal ranges in the West took a major leap in February 2018, when then-Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke signed Secretarial Order 3362 at MDF’s Western Hunting and Conservation Expo. In the first two years of the SO 3362 implementation, the U.S. Department of the Interior and partners like MDF facilitated 73 projects across 11 states with more than $47 million being invested from federal and matching grants in state-identified priority research projects, data analysis and mapping assistance, habitat-related projects, and other activities. Even more work has happened on the ground since the first progress report was released in 2020.

Mule deer habitat on a grassy hillside with distant hills.

Mule deer buck standing in a grassy meadow.

MDF’s Leadership and Initiative in Habitat Conservation

Shortly after SO 3362 was signed, MDF created its Winter Range and Migration Corridor Initiative, to assist with the implementation of the order and to partner with agencies, landowners, and others to ensure conservation of these important areas. MDF has been a leader in both the policy efforts to implement the secretarial order as well as coordinating habitat conservation and restoration efforts. Making sure that mule deer and black-tailed deer have quality habitat in the areas where they need it the most throughout the year will always be a top priority for our organization. Since the inception of the Winter Range and Migration Corridor Initiative, MDF has received over $2 million in grants to help with capacity and on-the-ground projects.

This $2 million has been leveraged at least 1:1, making the total benefit to deer winter range and migration corridors well over $4 million! Our investment of time, funding, and expertise has helped establish MDF as the leader on this important conservation issue.

Latest in Initiatives!

Group of hunters preparing meals inside a camping tent.

The Quiet Moments That Define Mule Deer Hunting

The truck doors slam. Gear gets tossed into piles. Somebody starts unloading food while somebody else argues about where to pitch the tents. Old friends shake hands, tell stories, and laugh about things that probably weren’t as funny the first time around. Coffee gets poured. Dinner gets started. For a little while, nobody seems particularly concerned about shooting a deer.

The Rut

There is probably no better time to hunt a mature mule deer than during the rut.

The weather is getting colder. Bucks are increasingly focused on does. Deer are moving toward winter range. And, for a hunter who understands what is happening, the landscape can suddenly come alive.

But there is a catch.

The rut doesn’t make mule deer predictable. It makes them different.

Mule deer buck standing in sagebrush habitat

Managing Expectations on Limited-Entry Mule Deer Tags

After years of applying, accumulating points and watching other hunters post pictures of bucks you could only dream about, your name finally came up. You have a limited-entry mule deer tag in your pocket, and suddenly you’re holding one of the most coveted opportunities in Western hunting.

How to Hunt Mule Deer in Heavily Roaded Country

More roads don’t necessarily mean fewer mule deer. In fact, heavily roaded country can sometimes make your job easier…..if you understand how to use those roads to your advantage.

The first thing to understand is that roads don’t distribute hunters evenly across the landscape. They concentrate them.

On a Wyoming hunt a few years ago, I was amazed on opening morning by the number of trucks, Jeeps and side-by-sides moving across the unit. Hunters were everywhere. Some were glassing from their vehicles. Others had parked and walked 100 yards down the road before settling in to glass.