Oregon Mule Deer North Blues Annual Ranges

The North Blues mule deer herd is primarily nonmigratory. Most GPS-collared mule deer were captured on annual ranges along Oregon Route 206, Oregon Route 74, and U.S. Highway 395. High mule deer densities also occur in annual ranges along Butter Creek, East Birch Creek, and Rock Creek. In these areas, native herbaceous grassland is interspersed with patches of nonnative grasses such as Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) and Taeniatherum caput-medusae (medusahead rye). In spring, less than 21 percent of North Blues mule deer tracked for >100 days migrated between distinct seasonal ranges. These few migratory mule deer usually migrated southeast to scattered summer ranges near Little Butter Creek and the foothills of the Blue Mountains in spring; one traveled as far as 45 mi (72 km) to Chicken Hill. Multiple summer ranges in these areas are infested by invasive Ventenata dubia (ventenata). Although no GPS-collared North Blues mule deer crossed Interstate 84, the roadway accounted for an average 61.5 DVCs annually from 2010 to 2022 between mile points 210 and 237. Many mule deer winter along or migrate across Oregon Route 74 and U.S. Highway 395, which respectively contributed to averages of 22.4 DVCs and 53.1 DVCs each year from 2010 to 2022 for 16-mi (25-km) and 44-mi (71-km) sections of road (ODOT, 2023). Both summer and winter ranges also overlap agricultural fields near Oregon Route 74 and Oregon Route 206 where grain and hay are common crops, which can further attract mule deer. These mapping layers show the location of the annual ranges for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the North Blues population in Oregon. They were developed from 395 annual sequences collected from a sample size of 143 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 5-13 hours.

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