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Habitat

Mule deer habitat across the West and here in Idaho has been declining for various reasons including changing fire patterns, drought, noxious weeds, grazing, and development. No single factor impacts wildlife, including mule deer, more than habitat. Producing more mule deer and maintaining healthy populations can only be accomplished where habitat will support them. Protecting, maintaining and improving mule deer habitat is crucial to the success of the Mule Deer Initiative.

Fire
Fire can be bad for mule deer, especially in places where deer live during winter. Catastrophic wildfires have reduced the amount of food available to deer on many winter ranges. Shrubs and native grasses are declining, while noxious weeds and non-native grasses (particularly cheatgrass) are taking over. Cheatgrass is a non-native grass that flourishes after range fires and promotes more frequent range fires in the future. It is truly a vicious cycle. As cheatgrass and other weeds take over, there is less food and cover. That ultimately results in fewer mule deer.

Meanwhile the absence of fire in the forest has been bad for deer habitat on summer ranges. The vegetation that flourishes after fires provides a variety of vital food sources for fawns and adult mule deer. Deer's chances of surviving the harsh winter months are directly related to the amount of food available to them during the warmer months of the year. By actively fighting fires, land managers have inadvertently reduced food and shelter for mule deer. Succulent shrubs, forbs and grasses are disappearing in the shade of an aging forest canopy. Aspen stands, which provide forage, cover and vital fawning habitat, are becoming scarce.

Development
The growing human population in the West, including Idaho, is impacting mule deer range. As new housing developments, golf courses, streets and parking lots are built, mule deer are pushed into areas of marginal habitat. Railroads and highways cut through traditional migration corridors and historical winter ranges. These encroachments are especially detrimental to mule deer during harsh winters. Domestic animals compete with mule deer for space and food, impacting the herds most dramatically during drought years.

Behavior
Mule deer are truly creatures of habit. They develop traditions that urge them where to go during winter, where to go during summer, and what routes to take. They are very resistant to changing these traditions. Therefore mule deer populations are slow to respond to changes in habitat, especially when the tradition of the population is lost. Unlike elk or pronghorn that seek other wintering locations during difficult winter conditions mule deer tend to stay in an area and die from malnutrition when forage availability becomes limited.

Action
The Department of Fish and Game will focus on improving, protecting and restoring important mule deer habitat in Idaho. The Mule Deer Initiative is a statewide plan, but we will pay special attention to south and southeast Idaho. We plan to work with private landowners, providing funds that will help them restore habitat on their land. The Department will work with livestock operators to develop grazing systems that are compatible with mule deer habitat. Fish and Game will work with sportsmen's groups and volunteers to protect and improve winter range for mule deer. And we will ask other state and federal land management agencies to help protect and restore critical stands of aspen, sagebrush and bitterbrush.