JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — In the week leading up to Christmas most of us were busy with last-minute shopping, wrapping, party prep, and other holiday chores. But another group—committed wildlife researchers at Wyoming Migration Initiative—was hard at work capturing and collaring migrating mule deer as part of an ongoing study that has already provided astounding insight into the seasonal travels of ungulates.
The fieldwork is part of a multi-year study on the diverse migratory strategies of a famous mule deer herd that still today makes the longest seasonal journey in the U.S. These western Wyoming mule deer travel from the Hoback Basin to the Red Desert every fall, and reverse the trip in spring, riding the ‘green wave.’
Scientists were well aware of this great migration but more detailed research has provided data that astounded even the enlightened.
So-called Deer 255 of the Sublette Mule Deer Herd, was captured and collared in spring 2016. When researchers collected data from the doe’s radio collar they couldn’t believe their eyes. Deer 255 covered some 242 miles, successfully navigating busy highways, barbed-wire fences, and countless other hazards to complete her migration. It was the longest migration of a deer ever recorded.
The famed deer then lost her collar, only to be spotted again a year later and recollared.
The latest capture and collar, along with collar data, confirms Deer 255 is alive and well and still covering an incredible amount of terrain every year.
Last week, researchers captured deer with radio collars that do not transmit data via satellite uplink in order to download the data points that are stored on the GPS collar. Other important information is also collected on these animals like their percent of body fat, how much they weigh (one deer came in at a whopping 190 pounds), and collected blood, fecal and hair samples to help answer other research questions.
The collar data helps researchers monitor and compare the productivity of the three different segments of the herd—long distance, medium distance, and short distance migrants. All data helps researchers learn more about the diverse migration strategies and how this herd of mule deer survives in Wyoming’s harsh landscapes.
The Red Desert Deer Study is a collaboration between the WMI team at the University of Wyoming and biologists with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Monteith Shop, Bureau of Land Management – Wyoming, and USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units.
