Populations of mule deer in parts of Colorado are shrinking and state wildlife managers are trying to stop the decline.
The deer are disappearing because of habitat loss, disrupted migration paths, harsh winters and severe drought. And the herds are not rebounding. Jody Kennedy with Colorado Parks and Wildlife said that’s why the state is working on a strategy to increase mule deer populations.
“Unlike previous times in history when mule deer populations have bounced back, we’re in a time right now where mule deer populations are continuing to decline,” she says.
Kennedy says deer are doing all right in some areas of Colorado, including the central mountains and the plains. But she says that not the case on the Western Slope.
“There are these areas in the western part of the state, particularly in the northwest where we have our largest mule deer populations and we’ve seen some dramatic declines,” she says.
Parks and Wildlife officials have been meeting for several weeks with biologists, hunters, landowners and others, to talk about improving Colorado’s deer herds. The next meeting is Saturday in Glenwood Springs. The agency will present a draft plan on mule deer that is set to be released next month.
