Projects Archives - Mule Deer Foundation

Efforts to Implement Mule Deer Habitat Work on Federal Lands as Part of Fix Our Forests Act

The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) applauds Senators John Curtis – UT-(R), Tim Sheehy – MT (R), John Hickenlooper – CO (D), and Alex Padilla – CA (D) for introducing the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) in the United States Senate. This bi-partisan Act will allow federal land management agencies including the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to improve the health of our public lands including work on important habitats for mule deer.

Important Notice: Protecting Mule Deer During Critical Winter Survival Period!

As part of our ongoing efforts to protect wildlife and ensure the survival of mule deer, we ask for your cooperation in respecting the winter range closures and restrictions that are in place during their critical winter survival period. Shed hunting is becoming a larger recreational pastime and it can be tempting to go out early especially as the weather gets better. However, the Mule Deer Foundation urges you to wait because now is an important time for mule deer and other wildlife trying to survive the last bits of winter. Late spring is when they are in the worst shape they will be in all year and any extra energy expenditure can be life threatening.

Watershed Recovery and the MATCH ACT

The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) strongly supports the newly introduced bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Michael Bennet (D-CO), which seeks to enhance and expedite emergency watershed recovery efforts in the wake of natural disasters such as wildfires, floods, and other catastrophic events. These bills, the Making Access to Cleanup Happen (MATCH) Act and the Watershed Protection and Forestry Recovery Act, are vital to preserving the health of our western landscapes and ensuring the resilience of communities that depend on these natural resources.

Winter Habitat Update from the field

The winter weather is looking incredible for big game outing this fall. According to our partners, foresters, and biologists in the field who have been watching the snow-pack everything is looking incredible for our 2025 hunting season.

Upper Castle Willow Creek Restoration

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.

USFS and Mule Deer Foundation Partner for Success

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.”

Western Wildlife Conservation By the Numbers

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.