Mule Deer Management For The Next Millennium

Photographs are from the 2000-2001 NM Proclamation

In an attempt to address the decline of mule deer populations throughout the state, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish began work in 1997 on a long-range management plan to better manage deer throughout the state. The plan incorporates thousands of public comments and ideas as well as concerns and issues raised by various public land-management agencies and Depart-ment of Game and Fish personnel. The initial result of this planning process was the identification of sev-eral major concerns that may have contributed to the mule deer decline.

Based on the concerns identified, the Department will focus the initial efforts of its new management plan on high-priority areas that show promise for recovery. These units (5B, 10, 17, 23, 37, and 56) were chosen based on specific criteria. All six units have deer populations that are suspected to be below carry-ing capacity and show little or no growth. They all have adequate habitat to support more deer, and have terrain suitable for effective predator management. These units also provide deer hunting, sightseeing and other recreational opportunities to the public.

The plan for each of these units will concentrate on five key management actions. These efforts will include habitat improve-ments, increased law enforcement, improved aerial survey and harvest data, active predator management and improved public relations. The recovery effort must focus on all five management actions if it’s going to be successful. The Department will increase law enforcement efforts through additional patrols, roadblocks and decoys. Coyote populations will be decreased to allow fawns a greater chance to survive their first year and become productive members of the herd. Biologists will become more proactive in initiating habitat projects to benefit deer. He-licopter surveys will be conducted in these units to provide better and more accurate data on population estimates and age and sex ratios. Hunter surveys will yield better in-formation on harvest rates.

The objective of the management plan is simple: increased deer sur-vival and public satisfaction with management of the state’s deer herds. The goal for each unit is to produce herds with 25 bucks and 50 fawns to every 100 does.

The Department believes that carefully applying the plan in six high-priority units will show results more quickly than if applied less intensively statewide. Updates on the progress of the program will be available in local newspa-pers, on television, in issues of New Mexico Wildlife and at public meetings to be held throughout the state. Call the Division of Wildlife at 505-827-7885, or visit our web site http://www.gmfsh.state.nm.us for more information and monthly updates on the plan.

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