Forage Diversity and Dietary Selection by Wintering Mule Deer

Bed-site Selection by Desert Mule Deer in Southern Arizona

We compared bed sites selected by desert mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus eremicus) to nearby random sites to assess bed site features. Thermal cover of bed sites (i.e., vegetation -75 cm high that provided shade for a deer) was highest in summer (X = 43.7% + 4.1 SE) compared to spring (29.7% + 4.4), winter (33.5% ? 3.1), and autumn (39.8% + 4.0); however, selection for bed sites with thermal cov...

Mule Deer

Mule Deer

Testicular atrophy in a mule deer population.

Monitoring mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) on a former plutonium production site along the Columbia River at the Hanford Site, Washington (USA) revealed 27 (23%) of 116 adult males had unusually shaped, velvet-covered antlers and abnormally developed testicles. We captured 32 males to examine age-class differences and the ratio of affected to unaffected deer and determine whether affected testi...

Influence of Well Pad Activity on Winter Habitat Selection Patterns of Mule Deer

Conversion of native winter range into producing gas fields can affect the habitat selection and distribution patterns of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Understanding how levels of human activity influence mule deer is necessary to evaluate mitigation measures and reduce indirect habitat loss to mule deer on winter ranges with natural gas development. We examined how 3 types of well pads with...