Download or read book Mule Deer Demographics and Parturition Site Selection written by Anthony Paul Bush and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Providing permanent sources of water to benefit wildlife where this resource is limited has been a common management tactic since the 1940s. Effects of water provisioning on vital rates, corresponding life-history characteristics, and resulting population dynamics have been difficult to quantify. I used a population of mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ) in 3 treatment areas with differing levels of permanently available water in Mojave National Preserve, California to investigate population-level responses to provision of water from 2009 to 2014. I investigated the effects of provision of water on pregnancy and fetal rates as well as adult and neonate survival. In addition I investigated the influence of provision of water on parturition sites resource selection patterns. I identified no effect of provision of water on demographic rates. Furthermore, insufficient sample size prevented investigating differences in parturition site resource selection between study areas. I identified a positive effect of body condition, and a negative effect of timing of birth on neonatal survival. Adult survival differed between years, and within years survival differed during the May-June fawning period and was affected by drought conditions. Mule deer in this study system placed parturition sites at higher elevations, and in closer proximity to permanent water sources than random locations, and selected areas with intermediate levels (30-50%) of shrub canopy cover.

Download or read book Wheat Vs Wild written by Rebekah A. Hellesto and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Converting wildlife habitat to agricultural monoculture is one of the greatest drivers of habitat loss and can be a severe threat to many wildlife species. However, because mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) typically live in rugged, less arable landscapes, little is known about how they use habitat fragmented by agriculture. Using Global Positioning System (GPS) data from a partially migratory herd of 62 adult female mule deer from 2018-2022, we examined migration strategies and modeled habitat selection at three spatial scales in southeastern Washington, which is a mosaic of mostly privately owned cereal grain agriculture, shrubland, grassland, and restored cropland in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). A minority of the mule deer population was migratory (30%), with relatively short and fast migrations. During migration, they primarily selected for shrubland and grassland in both fall and spring. Mule deer used various components of the landscape throughout the year but selected grassland as their highest-ranked habitat year-round when selecting for home ranges within the study area (second order) and in winter when selecting habitat within their home ranges (third order). During summer, mule deer focused on shrubland and forested habitats within their home range, likely because it provided increased security and thermal cover for fawn-rearing. In the winter, they selected agricultural habitats to a greater degree, which might reflect the growing winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) providing more nutrition during that time. Survival from birth to recruitment into the adult population can greatly influence population dynamics of wild ungulates like mule deer and is affected by both nutrition and cover found in high-quality habitats. We used the GPS data from our population to create resource selection function models during parturition and early fawn-rearing and for fawn bed site characteristics (fourth order). We searched for fawns and fawn bed sites in 2021 and 2022 and used a parturition model to predict birthing events of collared females for which we were unable to find fawns in 2018-2022. For parturition, fawn-rearing habitat, and fawn bed sites, vegetation types that provided more vertical structure, including shrubs and trees, were consistently selected and agriculture avoided. Both intact (i.e., never plowed) shrubland and CRP shrubland were equally selected. These vegetation types provided vertical and horizontal concealment cover for fawns that were also important characteristics of fawn bed site selection. Our research suggests that to promote sustainable populations of mule deer in a landscape dominated by agriculture, managers and landowners could increase the prevalence of quality shrubs and trees where possible to improve habitat and continue support for the CRP program that provides economic incentive to restore croplands for the benefit of wildlife like mule deer.

Download or read book Population Ecology and Summer Habitat Selection of Mule Deer in the White Mountains written by Sabrina Morano and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Changes in landscape composition have the potential to negatively influence animal populations through shifts in dominant plant communities, loss of important forage items, or changes in structural components of habitat. In the western United States, expansion of woodland vegetation into shrub dominated communities is of concern, particularly with regard to animal populations reliant on robust sagebrush and shrub vegetation. Once established, trees can out-compete shrubs and herbaceous plants resulting in declines in abundance and diversity of shrub-forb vegetation, which female mule deer are reliant on during summer months to meet nutritional demands and to provide hiding cover for young. As a result, shifts in the distribution of pinyon-juniper woodland and increases in tree densities could negatively affect mule deer population. The study had two primary objectives, (1) to determine summer habitat composition of female mule deer in the White Mountains of California and eastern Nevada, and assess implications of pinyon-juniper expansion on habitat availability, and (2) evaluate the status of the population relative to nutritional carrying capacity and determined the influence of habitat and precipitation on demographic rates. I used mixed-effects logistic regression to model summer resource selection and demographic rates of female mule deer from 2005 to 2008. Summer resource selection was modeled at two spatial scales and among three behavioral periods, related to foraging, resting, and parturition. Summer habitat consisted of sites with high productivity, greater shrub abundance, and greater proximity to riparian areas. Deer avoided high levels of tree cover at all spatial and temporal scales, but they selected areas with low to intermediate tree cover during resting periods and during parturition. Moreover, mule deer avoided areas of productive shrub-forb vegetation (riparian and shrub NDVI), when surrounded by stands of high level pinyon-juniper cover, otherwise those vegetation types were strongly selected. During parturition female mule deer selected habitat that maximized hiding cover for newborns (greater shrub densities and structural cover), while still providing foraging opportunities (greater NDVI and shrub cover). Females underutilized certain areas that contained optimal forage such as riparian corridors, high AET sites, higher elevation shrub communities, and selected areas with low to moderate tree cover, suggesting some trade-off between minimizing predation risk for offspring, and maximizing foraging opportunities. Demographic rates (body condition, survival, fetal rates, and index of recruitment) of female mule deer were sensitive to changes in resource availability resulting from variation in precipitation or habitat composition and suggestive of a population regulated to a greater degree by bottom-up processes, and likely nearing nutritional carrying capacity. Moreover, I identified a strong negative effect of pinyon-juniper cover on annual survival, only during periods of drought, otherwise individuals were able to maintain relatively high survival regardless of habitat composition. These results suggest that in productive years mule deer are able to inhabit areas of varying levels of pinyon-juniper cover with little effect on survival, and only during the drought years are negative effects evident. Results from this study emphasize the importance of productive shrub and forb vegetation to mule deer inhabiting semi-arid regions. Maintaining areas with low-to-intermediate tree cover, where there is still abundant shrub understory and sufficient concealment cover, may be beneficial to mule deer populations. Nevertheless, the strong influence of resource availability on the population suggests that conversion of sagebrush-steppe communities into large stands of PJ dominated woodlands would likely reduce the quality and abundance of available habitat for mule deer in the Great Basin.

Download or read book Parturition of Mule Deer in Southern Utah written by Eric D. Freeman and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Because neonate ungulates are most vulnerable to predation during parturition and shortly thereafter, selecting sites for parturition can have direct fitness consequences. We investigated the selection of sites for parturition by mule deer. We utilized vaginal implant transmitters to identify sites of parturition. We then obtained and compared macro- and micro- habitat features between sites of parturition and associated random sites. Partutitient females selected sites based on topography, habitat-type, and obscurity. Enhanced understanding of habitat variables that are selected for parturition provides insight into the life history or behavior of a species and allows managers to ensure that suitable habitat is available for this stage of life-cycles.

Download or read book Birth Site Selection and Neonate Survival of Mule Deer in the Blue Mountains of Oregon written by Danielle R. Walsh and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mule deer (Odecoilius hemionus) populations have been in decline in recent decades for a variety of reasons including habitat loss, disease, and competition. We were interested in what factors influence survival of neonatal mule deer in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. Individuals should select resources to increase fitness; therefore, females should select parturition sites with characteristics that have the potential to increase survival of their neonates. We examined what habitat characteristics females selected at birth sites as well as how those selected characteristics affected neonate survival. Additionally, we were interested in how changes in forage quality, maternal condition, climate, maternal age, and physical characteristics of neonates affected their survival. We conducted our research at Starkey Experimental Forest and Range in northeast, Oregon, primarily in the Main study area. We captured adult females during the winters of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, and fitted them with GPS collars as well as inserting vaginally implanted transmitters. When parturition occurred in May and June, we located neonates and birth sites. Neonates were fitted with expandable collars so that we could monitor mortality. We measured metatarsus length, chest girth, and weight for adults and neonates. Additionally, we quantified body condition, measured maximum rump fat, and measured the jaw and body length of adults. At birth sites and 2 adjacent random sites, we measured overstory and hiding cover, the number of trees and shrubs, the distance to the nearest transition in vegetation type, and aspect. We determined selection of habitat characteristics at birth sites with resource selection functions using a mixed effects logistic regression. We chose our best model based on Akaike's Information Criterion corrected for small sample size. Our best model included significant parameters indicating selection for south facing slopes, increased overstory cover, and increased amounts of woody debris. We modeled neonate survival until weaning using the nest survival module in program MARK. We included different age trends to determine how survival changed. Survival from birth to weaning was 0.3169 (SE 0.706) and did not differ between years. Our best model indicated that survival changed daily from birth to day 30 and then began to stabilize and change weekly until weaning. Additionally our best model included a parameter for birth sites located on south facing slopes. Our results indicate that neonates born on south facing slopes have higher survival rates than those born in other locations. South facing slopes in this montane forested ecosystem are warmer and drier, providing a more stable microclimate for neonates who are born with few energy reserves. South facing slopes likely allow neonates to minimize energy use, which may increase their survival. Results from birth site selection analysis indicates that females selected habitat characteristics that increase hiding cover, potentially decreasing mortality by reducing predation events at birth sites. A better understanding of how deer select habitat characteristics to increase survival as well as what factors increase susceptibility to mortality allows for better management of populations. Management strategies that account for factors influencing survival will be better suited to counter population declines across the west.

Download or read book Near and Deer written by Eli Wildey and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Outdoor recreation extends human influence on landscapes beyond built environments but is often thought to be compatible with wildlife conservation. Human capability as a highly efficient predator creates a strong selective force on wildlife, analogous to natural predation risk, regardless of trophic level. Behavioral responses have been observed across taxa but linking these changes in behavior to changes at the population-level represents an important step in understanding and mitigating the impact of our everyday presence on ecosystems. Here we present results of the habitat selection exhibited by ten mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in response to habitat and human factors and the possible influences on density. Mule deer abundance is generally declining throughout their range and disturbance on winter range presents a possible limiting factor. Winter range is geographically constrained, has increased movement costs associated with snow, and reduced forage quality. Pinyon-juniper forest on winter range has been managed to provide better habitat for ungulates. Disturbance associated with human activity could further limit deer winter habitat. Mule deer on our study area show differential habitat use and movement characteristics with time of day, and intensity of human disturbance. Habitat selection for mule deer was modelled using integrated step selection analysis (iSSA). Mule deer increasingly selected for forest land cover as human presence increased. Deer showed different movement responses with increasing human presence depending on the time of day. Changes to habitat selection, and movement patterns have important implications for habitat management of winter range and potential costs to deer populations. Pairing our movement data with camera data, we found evidence for a low density of mule deer on our winter range compared to winter ranges across Colorado possibly caused by human recreation. Low densities of mule deer has implications for the role density-dependent effects play in modifying the impact of recreation. Our study provides critical information on the role human recreation plays in modifying the effectiveness of habitat management on deer winter ranges and possible scenarios this may scale up to impact mule deer populations.

Download or read book Habitat Selection by Mule Deer written by Matthew Christopher Nicholson and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Mule Deer Habitat Guides written by Richard M. Kerr and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Assessment of Mule Deer Fawn Survival and Birth Site Habitat Attributes in South central Oregon written by David Speten and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) populations in south-central Oregon are near their lowest levels since census efforts began in 1961. I investigated fawn survival, cause-specific mortality, and factors contributing to mortality from 2010 - 2012 to identify potential causes for the decline. I also explored pre-parturition and parturition site characteristics. I studied fawn survival among two different population segments in south-central Oregon. Adult females (n = 126;> 1 year old) were captured on winter ranges to collect biological samples and attach transmitters. Vaginal implant transmitters facilitated the capture of fawns (n = 127). Fawns (birth to

Download or read book Wildlife Management and Conservation written by Paul R. Krausman and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2022-09-20 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive textbook for students of wildlife management, now updated to cover the latest techniques, tools, and topics. Wildlife Management and Conservation presents a clear overview of the management and conservation of animals, their habitats, and how people influence both. The relationship among these three components of wildlife management is explained in chapters written by leading experts and is designed to prepare students for careers in which they will be charged with maintaining healthy animal populations. To be successful wildlife professionals, they will need to find ways to restore depleted populations, reduce overabundant, introduced, or pest species, and manage relationships among various human stakeholders. This book gives them the basic knowledge necessary to accomplish these goals. This second edition, which is updated throughout, features several new and expanded topics, including communication in the wildlife profession, fire science, Indigenous models of management and conservation, plant–animal interactions, quantitative analysis of wildlife populations, and a detailed glossary. The book also covers: • Human dimensions of wildlife management • Animal behavior • Predator–prey relationships • Structured decision making • Issues of scale in wildlife management • Wildlife health • Historical context of wildlife management and conservation • Hunting and trapping • Nongame species • Nutrition ecology • Water management • Climate change • Conservation planning The most widely used foundational text in the field, this is the perfect resource not only for students but also for early career professionals and those in related fields who need to understand the core tenets and tools of wildlife conservation and management. Contributors: C. Jane Anderson, Bart M. Ballard, Warren B. Ballard, John A. Bissonette, Clint Boal, Scott B. Boyle, Leonard A. Brennan, Robert D. Brown, James W. Cain III, Tyler A. Campbell, Michael J. Cherry, Michael R. Conover, Daniel J. Decker, Randall W. DeYoung, Jonathan B. Dinkins, W. Sue Fairbanks, Selma N. Glasscock, James B. Grand, Michael J. Haney, James R. Heffelfinger, Scott E. Henke, Fidel Hernandez, Davie G. Hewitt, C. L. Hoving, David A. Jessup, Heather E. Johnson, Winifred B. Kessler, John L. Koprowski, Paul R. Krausman, William P. Kuvlesky, Jr., Roel R. Lopez, R. W. Mannan, Melissa J. Merrick, L. Scott Mills, Michael S. Mitchell, Michael L. Morrison, Anna M. Muñoz, John F. Organ, Katherine L. Parker, William F. Porter, Shawn J. Riley, Steven S. Rosenstock, Michael C. Runge, Susan P. Rupp, William F. Siemer, Robert J. Steidl, Kelley M. Stewart

Download or read book Mule Deer written by Erwin A. Bauer and published by Voyageur Press (MN). This book was released on 1995 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An introduction to the mule deer, native of North America, discussing its physical characteristics, habitats, and behavior.

Download or read book Home Range and Movement of Five Mule Deer in a Semidesert Grass shrub Community written by Kenneth J. Rodgers and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 8 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Predicting Feeding Site Selection of Mule Deer on Foothill and Mountain Rangelands written by Joshua Vicente Bilbao and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Determining areas on the landscape selected by mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) for foraging and the characteristics of selected feeding sites is a crucial step in managing mule deer and its habitat. Mule deer populations in much of western North America have been declining since the early 1990's, making management of mule deer increasingly difficult. Limited research has examined the characteristics of mule deer habitat that influence feeding site selection in foothill and mountain rangeland habitats during the winter and spring. The purpose of the study was to develop and validate models that incorporate the effects of important habitat variables that influence feeding sites chosen by mule deer in the winter and spring, including aspect, distance to forested cover, distance to hiding cover, distance to agricultural fields, distance to improved roads, distance to ranch roads, elevation, previous cattle grazing, and slope. Data collected in northwestern Wyoming between the summer of 1999 and spring of 2001 were used for model development, and data collected between summer 2001 and spring 2003 were used for temporal validation. Additionally, data collected in west-central Montana between summer 2001 and spring 2003 were used for temporospatial validation. Logistic regression was used to develop models for the winter, spring, and winter-spring seasons. Akaike's Information Criterion was used to determine the best models for each season. Models were validated on both a temporal and temporospatial scale. Six habitat variables (distance to improved roads, distance to ranch roads, distance to security cover, aspect, slope, and previous summer's cattle grazing) were included in model development after collinearity tests. Four models had a model sensitivity> or equal to 75% in both temporal and temporospatial validation. These models can be used to identify preferred mule deer feeding sites and assess potential impacts of land management practices on mule deer foraging habitat.

Download or read book Survival Activity Patterns Movements Home Ranges and Resource Selection of Female Mule Deer and White tailed Deer in Western Kansas written by Talesha Karish and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (O. hemionus) occur in sympatric populations across the Great Plains in North America. Mule deer abundance and occupied range has been declining during the past three decades while white-tailed deer abundance and occupied range has been increasing. Factors contributing to the dichotomous population growth and distribution patterns across their sympatric range are unknown, but potentially include differential survival, space use, and resource selection, all of which may be contributing to indirect competition that may be negatively affecting mule deer populations. Overlap in resource use or space use between mule deer and white-tailed deer could be evidence of competition or competitive exclusion. Activity patterns could provide insights for temporal segregation or competition. Differential space use could allow these species to spatially segregate and co-occur without competing for the same resources. My objectives were to 1) estimate annual and seasonal survival rates, 2) identify cause-specific mortality of adult female mule deer and white-tailed deer, 3) compare behavior patterns between adult mule deer and white-tailed deer of both sexes at seasonal and fine temporal period scales, 4) evaluate the difference in movements between adult female mule deer and white-tailed deer at seasonal and fine temporal scales, 5) test for differences in home range area and composition of adult female mule deer and white-tailed deer at seasonal and fine temporal scales, and 6) evaluate differences in seasonal multi-scale resource selection by female mule deer and white-tailed deer in western Kansas. I deployed collars on 184 pregnant females (94 mule deer and 90 white-tailed deer) at two different study sites in western Kansas (North, South) over three years, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Each deer received a high-resolution GPS/VHF collar that recorded hourly locations, activity accelerometer data along 3 axes, and used an activity sensor to identify mortality events. I used a Kaplan-Meier model to estimate cumulative weekly and annual survival and fit a hazard function to each survival model. I tested for relative influence of factors on estimated survival. I categorized activity points into three behavioral states (feeding, resting, and running). I converted activity points into a proportion of total behavior for each deer and tested for differences in the proportion of behavior categories between species and among seasons. I calculated individual hourly and daily movements seasonally and compared them between species and among seasons. I calculated annual and seasonal 95% home ranges and 50% core areas for each individual deer using a Biased Brownian Bridge movement model. Using logistic regression, I modeled resource selection by mule deer and white-tailed deer at the landscape scale, within home range scale, and within the core home range to identify selection for potential habitat variables and cover types. There was no difference in annual survival of adult female deer between species (mule deer [0.78 ± 0.04] and white-tailed deer [0.77 ± 0.05]). Harvest was the leading known cause of female mortality at 14% of the total mortality, but it was low compared to other studies in the Great Plains. Behavior of both species was similar in all seasons except for rut for males. In rut, males doubled their running behavior. Firearm season produced no changes in behavior for either species or sex. However, the greatest movements and home ranges were in the firearm season. There were greater movements and home ranges in the cold seasons than in the warm seasons. Mule deer were found to use steeper slopes than white-tailed deer, and white-tailed deer used riparian and woodland areas more than mule deer. Habitat patches enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve Program were strongly selected by both species in every season and scale. Managers should focus on preserving CRP to stabilize the mule deer population. Given harvest rates of females are low, survival of adult females of both species of deer appears to be little affected by harvest, so there is no need to alter harvest rates of either species.

Download or read book Habitat Use and Migration Ecology of Mule Deer in Developing Gas Fields of Western Wyoming written by Hall Sawyer and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Increased levels of energy development across the intermountain West have created a variety of wildlife and habitat management concerns. Because many of the energy resources in the region occur in shrub-dominated basins (e.g., Powder River, Piceance, Great Divide, and Green River basins), management concerns have focused on native shrub communities and associated species, including mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Two of the more pressing concerns are how mule deer respond when critical habitats (e.g., winter range) are impacted by development and how their migration routes can be identified and prioritized for conservation. To address the first, I examined how three types of natural gas well pads with varying levels of vehicle traffic influenced the winter habitat selection patterns of mule deer in western Wyoming. My results showed that mule deer avoided all types of well pads and selected areas further from well pads that received high levels of traffic. Accordingly, impacts to mule deer could likely be reduced through technology and planning that minimizes the number of well pads and amount of human activity associated with them. To address the migration concerns, I developed a quantitative framework that uses global positioning system (GPS) data and the Brownian bridge movement model (BBMM) to: (1) provide a probabilistic estimate of the migration routes of a sampled population, (2) distinguish between route segments that function as stopover sites versus those used primarily as movement corridors, and (3) prioritize routes for conservation based upon the proportion of the sampled population that uses them. Mule deer migration routes were characterized by a series of stopover sites where deer spent most of their time, connected by movement corridors through which deer moved quickly. These findings suggest management strategies that differentiate between stopover sites and movement corridors may be warranted. Because some migration routes were used by more mule deer than others, proportional level of use may provide a reasonable metric by which routes can be prioritized for conservation. Although stopovers appeared to be a prominent feature of mule deer migration routes, the explicit study of stopovers (i.e., stopover ecology) has been limited to avian species. To assess whether stopover ecology was relevant to mule deer, I again used fine-scale GPS data and BBMMs to quantify a suite of stopover characteristics and examine the ecological role of stopovers in the seasonal migrations of mule deer. Mule deer utilized a series of stopover sites in both spring and fall migrations, across a range of migration distances (18-144 km). Overall, mule deer used 1.9 and 1.5 stopovers for every 10 km increase in migration distance during spring and fall migrations, respectively. Stopovers had higher quality forage compared to movement corridors, and forage quality increased with elevation, presumably because of delayed phenology along the altitudinal migration route. Stopovers likely play a key role in the migration strategy of mule deer by allowing them to migrate in concert with vegetative phenology and optimize their foraging during migration. My results suggest stopovers were a critical component in the altitudinal migrations of mule deer and that conservation of stopover sites may improve efforts aimed at sustaining migratory mule deer populations.

Download or read book Behavior of Mule Deer on the Keating Winter Range written by William Burgess Fowler and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Social and Scientific Factors Impacting Mule Deer Habitat Conservation in the Intermountain West written by Nicholas F. Trulove and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus ) in the Intermountain West, alterations to habitat are outpacing strategies to mitigate human disturbance on critical seasonal ranges and migration routes. Conserving mule deer habitat requires cooperation between a diverse group of stakeholders, state wildlife agencies, and federal land management agencies. The first chapter of this thesis explores the current and historical relationship between state wildlife agencies, citizen stakeholders, and federal agencies in order to highlight opportunities to improve cooperative habitat conservation in the United States. Conservation is a result of social, political, and economic action, but relies upon science to inform policy. The second chapter explores the seasonal habitat use of mule deer in southwestern Wyoming. In response to low fawn recruitment, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department deployed 15 GPS collars on adult female mule deer in an effort to enhance knowledge of mule deer population dynamics, migrations, and habitat use. The study captured two winter climate regimes, with greater winter severity during the 2010-11 winter compared to the winter of 2011-12. Deer migrated an average of 23.9 km (SE = 2.2) between seasonal ranges, and completed spring migrations nearly one month earlier following the milder winter of 2011-12 ( t 19 = 5.53, df = 19, P ? 0.001). Pooled, the average area of winter ranges (1057 ha, SE = 103, n = 26) was larger than summer ranges (423 ha, SE = 51 ha, n = 25) (t = -5.44, df = 49, P ≤ 0.001), with no increase or decrease in size of seasonal ranges detected between years (P = 0.243) according to a post-hoc Tukey HSD test. Between years, deer were observed to shift the geographic center of winter ranges (2.9 km, SE = 1.1, n = 12) to a larger degree than summer ranges (0.4 km, SE = 0.1, n = 12) (t = -2.20, df = 22, P = 0.040). Survival and pregnancy rates (86% and 96%, respectively) correlated closely with other mule deer studies, and neither factor appears to negatively impact population growth. Identifying seasonal ranges and migration routes, and quantifying seasonal habitat use, will assist Wyoming Game and Fish Department efforts to protect mule deer seasonal habitats and migration routes, and direct vegetation manipulations intended to improve the nutritional quality of habitats. On average, winter ranges included a later percentage of shrub-dominated habitat (83.8%, SE = 0.3, n = 26) than summer ranges (57.5%, SE = 2.0, n = 25) (t = -4.42, df = 49, P ? 0.001). Summer ranges averaged a greater proportion of agricultural lands (2.8%, SE = 1.1, n = 25) and aspen (Populus tremuloides ) habitats (9.0%, SE = 2.2, n = 25) than winter ranges (0.1%, SE = 0.1, n = 26 and 0.2%, SE = 0.0, n = 26, respectively) (t = 3.03, df = 49, P = 0.004 and t = 3.86, df = 49, P ? 0.001, respectively). Mule deer ranges are primarily located on Bureau of Land Management (73%, SE = 2.8, n = 51) and privately owned (17.3%, SE = 2.9, n = 51) lands, highlighting opportunities for cooperative partnerships for mule deer habitat conservation.