By: Karina Puikkonen
Colorado is home to the largest mule deer populations in the nation, but these iconic animals have faced challenges in recent decades. Before joining the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) and relocating to Utah, I spent nearly a decade exploring Colorado’s landscapes. While I regularly saw mule deer on my outdoor adventures, I had no idea that their populations were declining across the West.
As the conservation content specialist for MDF, my goal is to share insights into the challenges facing mule deer, highlight the science-based efforts underway to reverse population declines, and show how everyone—whether a hunter, private landowner, or outdoor enthusiast—can be part of the solution. Mule deer are a vital part of Colorado’s landscape, and understanding their needs is the first step toward supporting their future. So, let’s talk about Colorado.
Mother Nature Isn’t Making It Easy
Colorado offers some of the best mule deer habitat in the country, from high Rocky Mountain forests to the expansive eastern plains. This diversity has allowed the state’s landscape to naturally support large mule deer herds. However, diverse landscapes also have variable weather conditions which can impact herd health. If you know Colorado’s backcountry, you can get four seasons in one day!
Specifically, a few severe winters over the past 20 years reduced big game populations overall, especially for mule deer in western and southern Colorado. Simultaneously, drought conditions—especially on the Western Slope—have stressed vegetation in both natural and agricultural areas, affecting key summer and winter ranges and making recovery slow.
While we can’t control the weather, we can manage habitat. Improving mule deer habitat and supporting ecosystem health has become a primary focus for the state and for MDF, particularly through collaborative efforts on public lands.
Statewide Conservation Efforts
Check out some of Colorado’s current efforts:
Mule Deer Foundation’s Current Efforts
In Colorado, one MDF project is focused on improving wildlife habitat in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service because of another curveball Mother Nature threw in for good measure. In the past two decades Colorado also experienced massive beetle outbreaks in its forests. While mountain pine and spruce beetles play a natural role in forest health, the recent outbreaks were a result of a perfect storm of factors: warmer winters, prolonged drought, and dense forest conditions. These same factors have also reduced forage availability for mule deer. Forests in the state need some help.
MDF works with the Forest Service to restore forest health through active forest management strategies. This partnership is currently working in beetle-kill areas. Thinning overcrowded or unhealthy trees, along with removing beetle-killed timber, creates natural wildfire breaks, promotes moderate fires that are good for the forest, and allows newly open areas to grow edible vegetation for mule deer. These efforts will restore forage, improve habitat connectivity, and help maintain the ecological balance that mule deer rely on at a larger scale.
Over the past ten years, MDF has developed a trusted, on-the-ground partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) state, district and field offices across Northwest Colorado through a Statewide Stewardship Agreement. BLM and MDF staff work collaboratively to identify priority areas and implement habitat projects that improve sagebrush health, reduce wildfire risk, and enhance long-term ecosystem resilience. By bringing additional capacity, funding, and volunteer support, MDF helps the BLM carry out high-priority habitat improvements that might not otherwise get done.
Join the Mule Deer Foundation!
Send any mule deer conservation success stories from the field to Ask@muledeer.org and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article or any of our articles have helped you become a better hunter or conservation steward, consider becoming a member of the Mule Deer Foundation or the Blacktail Deer Foundation or both. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/ or https://www.blacktaildeer.org/
