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  • Who We Are
    • Our Story
    • People of MDF
    • Board of Directors
    • MDF News
    • MDF Magazine
    • Annual Reporting
    • MDF Careers
    • Contact Us
  • How We Conserve
    • Conservation Programs
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    • Project Highlights
    • Stewardship
    • Migration Initiative
    • Public Policy
    • Partner Agencies & NGOs
  • How We Educate
    • Outreach
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    • Talking Mule Deer Podcast
    • Mule Deer Foundation Videos & Films
    • Chronic Wasting Disease
  • How You Can Help
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Conservation takes many forms and MDF Magazine is critical to sharing the work that we do.

 

 

MDF Magazine is a quarterly publication, and exclusive to Mule Deer Foundation members. Packed full of high quality stories and striking photography of the work that we are doing on the ground, in a perfect bound, glossy top-scale paper perfect for reading in the wall tent, or the waiting room. We are excited to celebrate the content between the covers, with an aesthetically pleasing and easily readable layout.

 

MDF Magazine continues to deliver stories from the hunt, as well as in the field highlighting conservation challenges and projects. Cuisine, state-by-state updates on the work happening across the range, mule deer and black-tailed deer biology and more!


 

 

The magazine features some of the best hunting stories, tips, and tactics from our friends Jana Waller of Skullbound Chronicles, Mark Kayser, Jason Matzinger, Identical Draw and more!

Celebration of the success of our members, is a fan favorites section, and is featured in each and every issue! This is our favorite section to put together, as we get to share in your stories.


With an increased page count and reduction in ads, MDF Members can enjoy a magazine that delivers the MDF mission, facilitates our mission, and showcases those supporters committed to what we do.

 

MDF's Randy Morrison has a very personal and professional purpose as a California conservationist.
Faces of Forestry: Randy Morrison

MDF’s Randy Morrison has a very personal and professional purpose as a California conservationist.

Federal Ammunition has recently launched a ground-breaking long-action hunting cartridge focused on 7mm/.284 heavy-for-caliber bullets, raising the bar for what a non-magnum, centerfire rifle hunting load can achieve. Three numbers quickly back the innovation behind it: 20, 170 and 3,000.
Three Numbers That Define Federal’s 7mm Backcountry

Federal Ammunition has recently launched a ground-breaking long-action hunting cartridge focused on 7mm/.284 heavy-for-caliber bullets, raising the bar for what a non-magnum, centerfire rifle hunting load can achieve. Three numbers quickly back the innovation behind it: 20, 170 and 3,000.

Every hunter hopes for a clean shot, but even the best shot placement doesn’t guarantee an immediate recovery. Tracking a wounded mule deer takes patience, skill, and respect for the animal. Doing it correctly not only increases your chances of success but also ensures a humane harvest.
How to Track a Wounded Mule Deer: A Step-by-Step Guide

Every hunter hopes for a clean shot, but even the best shot placement doesn’t guarantee an immediate recovery. Tracking a wounded mule deer takes patience, skill, and respect for the animal. Doing it correctly not only increases your chances of success but also ensures a humane harvest.

Ask any mule deer hunter and they’ll tell you: elevation matters. Between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, mule deer country shifts dramatically from sagebrush basins to aspen slopes to high-country meadows. Each band of elevation offers unique challenges and opportunities, and hunters who understand how deer use these habitats will have the best chance at success.
Hunting Mule Deer Between 5,000 and 10,000 Feet

Ask any mule deer hunter and they’ll tell you: elevation matters. Between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, mule deer country shifts dramatically from sagebrush basins to aspen slopes to high-country meadows. Each band of elevation offers unique challenges and opportunities, and hunters who understand how deer use these habitats will have the best chance at success.

It’s been twenty years since that hunt, but I can still feel the burn in my legs, the thin air in my lungs, and the pounding of my heart as if it happened yesterday. I was twelve years old, hunting with my mom in the high country, and I was about to take my first mule deer buck.
Remembering My First Mule Deer Buck

It’s been twenty years since that hunt, but I can still feel the burn in my legs, the thin air in my lungs, and the pounding of my heart as if it happened yesterday. I was twelve years old, hunting with my mom in the high country, and I was about to take my first mule deer buck.

Success in the high country doesn’t happen by luck. Rifle season comes fast, and by the time the opener rolls around, hunters who have done the homework, the scouting, the glassing, and patterning mule deer bucks, are the ones most likely to punch their tag. The key is simple: treat pre-season scouting as seriously as the hunt itself.
How to Pattern High Country Bucks Before the Rifle Opener

Success in the high country doesn’t happen by luck. Rifle season comes fast, and by the time the opener rolls around, hunters who have done the homework, the scouting, the glassing, and patterning mule deer bucks, are the ones most likely to punch their tag. The key is simple: treat pre-season scouting as seriously as the hunt itself.

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These are just a few stories from previous issues, but you must be a member to receive the full contents of this powerful publication!

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Mule Deer Foundation

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The mission of the Mule Deer Foundation is to ensure the conservation of mule deer, black-tailed deer and their habitat. #ConnectedByConservation

Federal Ammunition recently launch a game-changing Federal Ammunition recently launch a game-changing 7mm/.284 long-action hunting cartridge - just in time for the season. Meaning heavier bullets, non-magnum power, and next-level performance. Three numbers quickly back the innovation behind it: swipe to reveal.
Get the latest on this @federalpremium technology by checking out our blog post. Link in bio
 
#hunting #ItsFederalSeason #rifleseason
Frank is the Regional Director of California and N Frank is the Regional Director of California and Northwest Nevada. In our most recent YouTube video, Frank sits down with MDF’s, Trevor Hubbs to discuss his role with MDF and what you can do to support MDF’s mission to conserve mule deer and black-tailed deer and their habitat. MDF’s “Meet Our Conservationist,” series is an opportunity for us to share the important work we do and the people behind the projects that keep us true to our mission; supporting mule deer and their habitats. 

Watch the full video at the link in our bio!
Happy National Public Lands Day! Today we celebrat Happy National Public Lands Day! Today we celebrate access to the wild spaces that mule deer and countless other species call home, and the places where hunters, hikers, and families make lasting memories. 
Protecting public lands means protecting the future of wildlife and the traditions we hold dear.  
Let’s all do our part to conserve these landscapes for generations to come. A great way to celebrate is to become a member or volunteer of your favorite conservation group!
Where’s your favorite place to roam?

 #NationalPublicLandsDay #MuleDeerConservation #PublicLands #MDF
@janis_putelis or @meateater discusses deer camp, @janis_putelis or @meateater discusses deer camp, hunting with his daughters (who have shot prone at 350 yards), eating fried deer heart and an age old practice that made his kids accurate shooters, with MDF’s @trevorhubbs at MDF’s @huntexpo. 

Watch Part I at the YouTube link in our bio and stay tuned for Part II of this podcast interview! Big thanks to Janis and the MeatEater crew!
The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) attended the ground The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) attended the groundbreaking for a new wildlife crossing along 30 miles of Wyoming Highway 189 that will help mule deer and antelope herds traverse their migration paths safely. This crossing, which will include seven underpasses and one overpass, can reduce wildlife/vehicle collisions by up to 80-90%. MDF joined many other private entities in making a contribution towards this project. Go to the link in our bio to watch the full ceremony!
Ask any mule deer hunter and they’ll tell you: e Ask any mule deer hunter and they’ll tell you: elevation matters. Between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, mule deer country shifts dramatically from sagebrush basins to aspen slopes to high-country meadows. Each band of elevation offers unique challenges and opportunities, and hunters who understand how deer use these habitats will have the best chance at success.

MDF Contributer @lapescadora gives us the low down. If you want to learn more, check out the full post on the MDF blog! The link is in our bio!
Healthy deer populations depend on healthy forests Healthy deer populations depend on healthy forests and good deer habitat is complex. It requires a blend of factors like food, water, temperature, refuge, safety, and cover. More than anything, deer need forests where sunlight reaches the ground. Sunlight fuels the growth of grasses, forbs, and shrubs that provide food and cover for deer and their young. Yet across the Western U.S., many forests have become overcrowded. Dense saplings and bushes jostle for space, block sunlight, and add fuel to the landscape that can drive large wildfires.

These challenges aren’t just bad for deer. Wildfires are burning hotter, faster, and more frequently, threatening rural communities across the West. California’s recent wildfires demonstrate how quickly flames can devastate homes, disrupt local economies, and send smoke across multiple states. But we have solutions: restoring our national forests to healthier, more natural conditions support deer populations and increase resiliency to future fires on the landscape. It turns out, what’s good for deer is also good for us.

We just released part three of The Crossroads Project, a video series highlighting the long-term partnership between the Mule Deer Foundation and the USDA Forest Service and the power of collaboration and partnerships especially in rural communities that surround or lie within national forests. Watch the full film at the link in our bio!
In our latest blog post, Michael Luby shares the s In our latest blog post, Michael Luby shares the story of his very first mule deer buck—taken at age 12 after a week of grueling climbs, snowy mornings, and lessons in perseverance from his mom. Twenty years later, that small buck still stands as one of the most important hunts of his life, shaping his respect for mule deer, the mountains, and conservation.

Now we want to hear from you—what’s your most memorable hunt? Share your story in the comments, and don’t forget to send any success pictures or stories from the field to Ask@muledeer.org and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine.

Read Michael’s full story at the link in our bio.
Success in the high country doesn’t happen by lu Success in the high country doesn’t happen by luck. Rifle season comes fast, and by the time the opener rolls around, hunters who have done the homework, the scouting, the glassing, and patterning mule deer bucks, are the ones most likely to punch their tag. The key is simple: treat pre-season scouting as seriously as the hunt itself. Follow these steps to pattern high country bucks before the rifle opener!

Learn more at the link in our bio!
Drought reshapes the landscape and mule deer behav Drought reshapes the landscape and mule deer behavior along with it. Hunters in places like Arizona know that finding deer in dry years means shifting strategy, but it also raises bigger questions about the long-term health of herds across the West. 

Read the full story by @trevorhubbs on how hunters adapt and how MDF is working to support mule deer through tough conditions at the link in our bio.
@kryptek co-founder and CEO @butchwhiting sat down @kryptek co-founder and CEO @butchwhiting sat down with MDF at the 2025 @huntexpo to chat about hunting, ranching, community, conservation and more. Watch the full episode as well as some of our other podcasts at the link in our bio. And make sure to subscribe to MDF Media on YouTube.
Healthy forests mean safer communities, stronger l Healthy forests mean safer communities, stronger local economies, and thriving mule deer populations. The Crossroads Project in Lassen National Forest is just one example of how partnerships between MDF, the USDA Forest Service, and local communities are reducing wildfire risk, restoring ecosystems, and creating jobs.

We just released ‘The Crossroads Project Part 2’ on the MDF blog. Read the full story at the link in our bio.
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Mule Deer Foundation Mission

The mission of the Mule Deer Foundation is to ensure the conservation of mule deer, black-tailed deer and their habitat.

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Mule Deer Foundation
  • Who We Are
    • Our Story
    • People of MDF
    • Board of Directors
    • MDF News
    • MDF Magazine
    • Annual Reporting
    • MDF Careers
    • Contact Us
  • How We Conserve
    • Conservation Programs
    • Habitat Work
    • Project Highlights
    • Stewardship
    • Migration Initiative
    • Public Policy
    • Partner Agencies & NGOs
  • How We Educate
    • Outreach
    • Mule Deer and Black-tailed Deer Facts
    • Talking Mule Deer Podcast
    • Mule Deer Foundation Videos & Films
    • Chronic Wasting Disease
  • How You Can Help
    • Join/Renew Membership
    • Shop
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    • Miles Moretti Memorial Fund
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