Why So Many Mule Deer Bucks are Dead

Ken Byers and Toby Shaw had planned their Wyoming hunt for 10 years, paying for preference points so that they could hunt one the West’s best big game areas for truly mature mule deer bucks.  When they applied for their hunt of a lifetime last January, they had no way of knowing how hunting conditions would change in the months ahead.  They had hired an outfitter to pack them into very remote territories where bucks usually grow the biggest antlers due to their maturity and light hunting pressure.

This is What We Saw

Despite two very skillful hunters spending a week in the backcountry, the duo returned empty-handed.  “We spoke to a Wyoming Wildlife official who told us that he documents every deer he sees during the entire summer and early fall,” said Byers solemnly.  He normally sees between 500 and 600 bucks, with some muley bucks with huge racks.  This year he saw a total of 130 deer including 16 mature bucks in his entire summer of work.  The winter of 2022-23 was one of the most brutal in memory with deer kills up to 90 percent.

The Cruelty of the Rut

To young men, being a male deer during the rut may seem like fun chasing “girls” around day and night.  However, the natural drive to mate and perpetuate the species is an energy-taxing marathon that leaves the biggest bucks, the breeders, exhausted, with reduced weight and fat reserves needed to make it through the winter.  Alas, the most mature bucks, the ones most hunters seek are the first to die, and the massive snows in much of Wyoming took a horrendous toll.  “Although we saw a few bucks”, said Byers and Shaw, “They were all youngsters and we passed on them all.”

Elk Populations Faired Better

The same wildlife official reported that his observations of elk populations were close to normal.  Because elk migrated into open wind-swept flats at lower elevations, most survived.  Due to their size, elk are able to ward off predators like coyotes and have a better chance against wolves and mountain lions.  With mule deer being sitting ducks in deep snow, no doubt these later predators had a field day and accounted for a considerable amount of the carnage.  Byers also hunts in Idaho where he witnessed a pack of wolves separating such that one group hid in timber while the rest of the pack chased the elk into the ambush.  Luckily, Byers and his son watched the scenario unfold and killed three of the wolves in the process.

Do Your Homework

A Western hunt for antelope, mule deer, or elk is one of the greatest adventures you will take and I don’t mean to discourage anyone from this quest.  I do want to alert our readers to be extra careful as they plan for next fall.  Idaho’s license drawing will occur December 1st and the deadline to apply for Wyoming hunts is January 31st.  Both states offer excellent hunting but you need to research which units had winter kills and which ones were less severe.  As with mule deer, pronghorn antelope had huge losses, and researching units with the largest winter kills will help you make informed decisions.

Call the Game Department

Every state has a team of wildlife biologists whose job is to monitor and promote wild game populations.  When I first began my career as an outdoor writer I was reluctant to call these people directly assuming they were very busy.  They are busy, however, their job is to work for the public.  They may not want to share their favorite hunting spot, but they will gladly provide population numbers, trends, hunting pressure, and other statistical information that can help you plan your hunt.  Due to winter kills, some states will reduce the number of tags for specific hunting units making them more difficult to draw.  A biologist can help you here as well.

Postpone or Full Speed Ahead

I’ve been planning a Wyoming elk hunt for four years and plan to apply for a group license in January.  I love Wyoming because I can use a crossbow during their regular archery season and know an area that almost always holds elk.  Probably, the winter kill was higher on public land than private so you may want to consider a guided or trespass-fee hunt for 2024.  In this way, you can talk directly to someone with concrete knowledge of your hunting area.  Attending a hunting outdoor show will be a good idea so that you can ask questions about population reductions.  At larger shows, state game biologists may have a booth that will provide exactly the information you need to make an informed choice.

Western hunts are true high-adventure and reduced game populations may cause fewer hunters to apply.  Whether you bring home the bacon or just a ton of great memories, a day of Western hunting is better than just about anything.