Ensuring the Conservation of Mule Deer and their Habitat
July/August 2009
By Todd Black
First, let me say I really enjoyed reading Dr. Charles Kay’s last article in MDF, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”. Hopefully the title didn’t scare too many of you off, because the article did an excellent job in demonstrating how both, man-caused management and natural processes, are important components to mule deer habitat and how they have changed things significantly over time.
In my last article I wrote about predation, but I left with the statement, “Habitat is the primary factor we need to concentrate on in maintaining good suitable populations of mule deer.” In the Sept/Oct 2008 issue of MDF, in another article on predation, Dr. Bruce J. Mincher (Idaho) stated, “Only in rare situations is predator control likely to benefit mule deer. The single most important thing we can do to benefit mule deer is to maintain as much quality habitat as possible.”
Alright, I’ll ask it…just what is mule deer habitat and, for this article, what is ‘quality’ mule deer habitat? To be honest, knowing what I know, I have a hard time paraphrasing what mule deer habitat is in twenty words or less so I asked good friend and hunting consultant, Adam Bronson of the Hunt’n Fool Magazine; a mule deer crazy junky, Ryan Hatch owner of MuleyCrazy Magazine; and former biologist/manager (now MDF CEO), Miles Moretti, to tell me, in twenty words or less, just what their definition of mule deer habitat is:
Adam: Diversity in vegetation types throughout summer and winter ranges with connectivity between the two is critical to sustaining mule deer populations.
Ryan: Any given terrain that holds enough of the major components (browse, water, cover) to healthfully sustain and perpetuate the dynamics of a deer herd.
Miles: A plant community which has sufficient food, water, and cover for fawning, allow survival of winter conditions, and escape predators ensuring mule deer sustain or increase their populations.
My own personal definition is: Anywhere where you have mule deer that have persisted over time and will continue to persist but the area must include water, browse (the higher the protein the better), and herbaceous matter (flowers/forbs—again with high protein levels), at key times of the year.
As you can see, there are some pretty major differences in what mule deer habitat is, even from the experts. I’m sure that if you asked mule deer hunters from the Sonoran desert what their definition was, they would tell you something completely different than someone from the Panhandle of Idaho, or the Badlands of Montana/North Dakota, or the Sandhills of Nebraska, or the Wasatch Front of Utah. The truth is, these are all areas where mule deer live, but they all have very different habitats. So, how is it that a species, which seems to be in trouble from a habitat standpoint, can live in these ecologically different areas?
Mule deer in general are a very adaptable species. After all, in their distribution across the West, we can find them in 18 different states, four Canadian provinces, and in Mexico. The habitat they use spans over seven different eco-regions (no other big game species does that). They have been documented as to eating hundreds of different plants and plant parts from cactus, bark, fruit, vegetables, grasses, forbs, shrubs and trees, and likely, even some human food. They can find thermal and escape cover in grasslands, sagebrush, rocks, thickets, brush, trees, and even in back yards. Yet, we find them in this day and age being out-competed and displaced by man, elk, and even white-tailed deer—all of which, the experts tell me, can be tied back to some sort of habitat issues.
On an almost daily occurrence, I hear about loss of habitat, protection of habitat, degradation of habitat, improving habitat, habitat projects, fragmentation of habitat, and conservation of habitat…habitat, habitat, habitat. Yet, I still find it difficult to find one person who can show me a picture, take me to a place, or even paint me a picture of quality mule deer habitat. I have yet to find one mule deer that will say, “Todd, this is what I need to survive and propagate to my fullest potential…will you make it for me?” So is it fact, (we have crappy mule deer habitat all over), or is it fiction, (mule deer habitat is fine, something else is the problem). Is it all gone? Is there any left? What does it look like and why do we hear about it all the time. Why? If mule deer are so adaptable, why are they struggling so much—what is wrong with their habitat?
This we do know, mule deer habitat must consist of three important components: food, water, and cover/shelter. Based just on that definition, I can think of many places where there ought to be mule deer, but there are not. So, it must be a little more complex than just those three things. The truth is, mule deer habitat is complex and varies across the range of mule deer. How the food, water, and cover is arranged on the landscape, what is adjacent to it, how far away are they from each other, and what condition each of the three are in, are all equally important.
As I look at these facts, I scratch my head and think which is the most important, and which is the most critical component of mule deer habitat? Obviously, one would say food, and it is. We know that mule deer can make it without water for a few days; much of their water can be gleaned from the food they eat. We know that cover can be a wide open field if needed. What then, constitutes mule deer food or groceries? Why is it the limiting factor? Is there one magical snickers bar that can satisfy all mule deer?
I’ve always maintained that if I was king, I would plant forty acres of alfalfa hay for every section of ground in mule deer habitat. But again, it’s likely not as simple as that. What groceries deer learn to eat, when they eat them, and what groceries are important from place to place and season to season, are critical to know. Generally speaking though, (and it has been demonstrated through studies), mule deer need and do best with groceries that are high in protein, easily digestible, and readily available. Again, this varies from place to place but most of these groceries can be considered, or are found, in areas where plant communities are in an early successional stage (see www.answers.com/topic/ecological-succession-1). Here, we typically find a lot of green groceries, (grasses and forbs) that are high in nutrients, (including protein), easy to digest, very accessible and perfect for what mule deer key in on and need. They are a much-needed resource for does with fawns, and for bucks to grow antlers. The problem that I believe much of the West has lies in the balance between ‘quality habitat’ and available cover. Too many of our vegetative communities have reach climax stage (overgrown, no regeneration, and/or decadent). Once our vegetative communities reach climax stage, they are not very good for mule deer other than from a cover standpoint. Additionally, they become vulnerable to a catastrophic fire (not that fire is bad) where large tracks of land are burned and in many cases unavailable and gone for many years due to invasive species such as cheatgrass. As Dr. Kay pointed out in the last issue MDF, rangeland managers must recognize that there is a problem. We can’t continue status quo with our mule deer habitat. It’s not good for mule deer for so much of our habitat to reach climax stage; there needs to be diversity and many different successional stages found across the landscape. We as sportsmen and conservationists need to realize and understand that these things take time and money. We must work closely with our land mangers and start slowly to identify issues, define goals, objectives, and implement actions and strategies to make changes. We need to realize that these changes will take time…and even longer periods of time will be needed to see changes in mule deer numbers.
So here’s the take home message…the next time you are out in your neck of the woods, ask yourself what is missing from this particular mule deer habitat, what was once there in abundance that is not there now? What are the causes of this change and what can be done to improve the situation? Only by understanding what the needs are and what can be done from a practical standpoint can we work to really improve, restore, and conserve mule deer habitat.
SIDE NOTE:
The Western Mule Deer Working Group (WMDWG) has gone to great efforts to identify mule deer habitat, threats, actions and strategies by eco-region across the western U.S. and Canada. To learn more, review the publication “Mule Deer Changing Landscapes Changing Perspectives,” found at www.createstrat.com/i/muledeerlettersize.pdf and/or visit www.muledeerworkinggroup.com/index_files/Page444.htm to view the completed mule deer habitat by eco-regions.