Mule Deer Ain’t Just Deer — They’re the West
A Member Story by Michael Luby:
You can keep your city or college mascots and your trophy room African exotics. There’s no creature that better represents the backbone of adventure or the American West than the mule deer. Big ears, bigger instincts, and a way of moving that’s half ballet, half jailbreak. You’ll find ‘em scattered from the desert floor to the high alpine basins, across 17 states and a chunk of Canada. I’ve followed their tracks through snowdrifts, rockslides, and enough country to wear out a dozen pairs of boots and two knees.
In recent decades, mule deer have had a rough go. Habitat loss, long droughts, disease, and a mess of human interference have taken their toll. As of 2024, there’s finally some good news in parts of the country. The herds in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah are starting to stabilize thanks to strong conservation work by folks like the Mule Deer Foundation and a few cooperative winters. But places like Nevada and California are still seeing troubling declines.
These deer aren’t just important to hunters like me. Hunting mule deer, especially the high-country kind, isn’t just a pastime. It’s a connection to the land, to tradition, and to that quiet place in your chest that only gets stirred up above 9,000 feet. They’re a key part of the ecosystem, serving as a constant measuring stick for habitat health and the health of key species in their regions like sage grouse. Mule deer also support rural economies, outdoor traditions, and a way of life that runs deep in families like mine.
Understanding where mule deer are headed and why isn’t just a science project for me. It’s personal. It matters to every one of us who’s ever glassed a draw at first light, packed meat off a ridge, or brought a young hunter into the fold.
Because when we talk about saving mule deer, we’re really talking about saving the West. These deer aren’t just targets for filling the freezer or decorating a wall. They are part of the fabric of our community. They feed lions, they shape the land, and they bring a hell of a lot more value to the hills than another row of vacation homes or a ski lift named after some beer made in a garage by a guy in a who wears a beanie in July.
Good luck fishing and scouting this summer
Send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected]. 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, become a member of the Mule Deer Foundation or Blacktail Deer Foundation for only $35 dollars a year. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/
Michael “Mickey” Luby – Writer Bio
Michael “Mickey” Luby is a modern-day mountain man and unapologetic traditionalist living deep in Western Montana. A seasoned mule deer hunter with decades of experience chasing high-country bucks, Mickey has earned a reputation for grit, stubbornness, and a sixth sense for finding big deer where the air is thin and the trails are long forgotten.
