Wyoming’s Star Tribune Reported: Each spring, a herd of mule deer leaves the Red Desert and follows a trail of greening grass and retreating snow along the western slope of the Wind River Range. Months later, the animals arrive in the Hoback Basin south of Jackson, more than 150 miles away. It is the farthest recorded mule deer migration in the world, and an ancient rite vital to the long-term survival of Wyoming’s iconic mule deer populations.
And its future is uncertain.
The journey from desert to mountains takes the herd over fences and across roads, near subdivisions and through narrow passageways flanked by towns and lakes. There are no National Parks or wilderness areas to offer refuge. The deer contend with the elements and whatever obstacles people put in their way.
Scientist believe the migration has lasted this long because large swaths of land between the deer’s summer and winter ranges have remained undeveloped.
In many ways the migration, like bison roaming the plains, is a symbol of the old West. It is a possibility only states like Wyoming can still offer, and one that may not always remain.
“We’ve been blind to a large chunk of this migration to date, and been fortunate that that landscape has remained intact,” said Hall Sawyer, a researcher at Western Ecosystems Technology Inc. who discovered the migration. “But it’s important for us to understand where this route is so we can take a proactive approach in helping shape future land use practices.”
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