Wyoming South Converse Mule Deer Migration Routes

The South Converse mule deer herd primarily occupies habitats within the La Prele Creek drainage surrounding La Prele Reservoir in southern Wyoming. The herd’s range is south of Interstate 25, but South Converse mule deer must cross Wyoming Highway 91 during their seasonal migrations (fig. 29). Mule deer occupy an area of approximately 994 mi2 (2,574 km2), and elevations range from approximately 4,921 ft (1,500 m) to 8,858 ft (2,700 m). Within this area, most mule deer habitats consist of private rangelands, as well as some cultivated meadows and small tracts of public land. Several mule deer migrate to higher elevations in the Laramie Mountains where there are larger tracts of national forest. Cercocarpus montanus (true mountain-mahogany), antelope bitterbrush, mountain and Wyoming big sagebrush, and Rhus aromatica var. pilosissima (skunkbush sumac) dominate the foothills, whereas sagebrush and irrigated hayfields dominate the lowland areas. Mule deer typically winter on steep slopes dominated by true mountain-mahogany or within Populus deltoides ssp. monilifera (plains cottonwood) galleries along riparian areas. From 2001 to 2009, WGFD recorded an average CWD prevalence of 31 percent from hunter-harvested mule deer in the South Converse herd (DeVivo and others, 2017). The WGFD estimated that the herd had declined by >50 percent during this time, so in 2010, a GPS-collaring study was initiated to understand CWD epidemiology in the region (DeVivo and others, 2017). The 4-year study revealed that CWD was a significant contributor to the herd’s decline from approximately 6,100 mule deer in 2010, to 5,100 mule deer in 2014 (DeVivo and others, 2017). The herd grew modestly after this research concluded because of consecutive years of favorable environmental conditions that improved fawn recruitment and overall survival; however, numbers subsequently declined and have remained low (WGFD, 2021). CWD prevalence in harvested adult male mule deer stabilized since the study ended and remains a potentially significant factor affecting the herd’s performance. In addition to disease, periodic severe winters, drought, poor habitat conditions, predation, and an expanding elk herd remain concerns for the South Converse mule deer herd. These mapping layers show the location of the migration routes for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the South Converse population in Wyoming. They were developed from 187 migration sequences collected from a sample size of 116 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 4−8 hours.

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