Conservation
The long hike made his pulse jump. He gasped for air like he was making hook shots at the basketball court, and his ego was still in a relatively positive place. Last night, he slept in his truck at a trailhead below; the tight space gave him a crick in his neck. He took a minute now to check the GPS on his phone; he still had a quarter mile further to go before cresting out. Back on his feet, he took a long pull from the rubber hose over his shoulder and got back to it, headlamp beam bouncing out ahead. Mentally, he was humming along to KC and the Sunshine Band, a song he didn’t want in his head but wouldn’t go away, and as the chorus played over and over, he crested the bowl at 9,300 feet.
Deep in the Black Hills National Forest the Mule Deer foundation is hard at work building strategic habitat for mule deer and a litany of other species.
The USDA Forest Service manages nearly 200 million acres of public land all over the country. That’s a lot of ground to cover, especially when you consider the agency’s mandate to make decisions on how best to utilize and maintain the land for “the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run.”
The Blacktail Deer Foundation field team kicked 2025 off right with a conservation project on Kodiak Island Alaska capturing, collaring, and tracking black-tailed deer.
Over the last 25 years, a common assertion you often hear is that muledeer populations are in decline. But is this true? This question is frequently posed to us at the Mule Deer Foun- dation (MDF), and it represents a significant issue that our leadership actively addresses. So, what’s the reality? The answer is nuanced. Innshort, it depends.
It’s the little stuff like this that’s going to keep you in the field longer. Foot care is Paramount, especially if you’re heading into the foothills of the Rockies to chase after a Muley. You’ll need to put some miles on, and if your boots aren’t in tip-top shape, you’re setting yourself up for failure. So take the time now to clean your boots and do what maintenance is necessary. The reward? A comfortable, pain-free adventure when you head out to the mountain this fall.
The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) benefitted 122 deer herds in 18 states through their mission delivery in 2024. These conservation actions improved over 700,000 acres and 151 miles of fence removed or modified to wildlife-friendly standards
The Mule Deer Foundation is hosting a lottery drawing for the Treasure State’s most coveted big game tag. Contrary to the past where this exclusive tag has been all but unattainable behind a pay to play auction system; in 2025, we are hosting an open raffle with a price tag available to all who are interested.
The North American conservation model is the bedrock of all hunting and fishing tradtions in the United States. A critical part of this concept is that we, the people, own the land and the resources, which is managed through scientific management through the state wildlife agencies and legislation supported by scientific data from these agencies. Now, this is very much the best-case scenario: a state legislator sitting in the State Communittee that overseas fishing and game notices that the Turkey population has been decreasing. A member then uses that scientific data from the state agency, to propose a bill that would limit the season so they can in the long term help try to recover the population. It’s pretty cut and dry, but unfortunately, that’s not always what happens.
The Range XP 2.0 features a lightweight, vertical grip stock that includes an adjustable cheekpiece and adjustable length of pull providing a custom fit for the shooter. Touch points are textured for a non-slip grip and dual front swivel studs allow for multiple accessories to be attached
Results from the Wisconsin DNR’s largest deer and chronic wasting disease (CWD) study ever undertaken show that the disease substantially reduces deer survival rates, and suppresses deer population growth.
Dr. Dan Storm, DNR ungulate research scientist, reported the results of the seven-year study in southwest Wisconsin to the Natural Resources Board Jan. 22.
“People should expect to see fewer deer in areas of high CWD prevalence,” Storm said. “Deer are not going to go extinct, but there will be fewer of them.”
Gear and clothing are a huge part of how we hunt today; we have it better than the Mountain Men. Ultra-light wasn’t a thing, so every item they carried had to serve a purpose and be reliable. No one item was more purposeful than their rifle. The rifle of the day was the iconic Kentucky or Pennsylvania-style “long rifle.”