6 of 7 Wyoming Big Game Species Currently Below Statewide Population Objective. Low Moose and Mule Deer Populations Are Alarming. Antelope are in Trouble.
Above: Heat Map of 2020 Wyoming Mule Deer populations by hunt area. Red, below and green, above G&F population objective. Purple = no population data provided. Mule Deer are below population objective in 118 of the 125 hunt areas in Wyoming.
A review of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department 2020 Job Completion Reports found that while Elk numbers overall are strong in the state, Mountain Goat, Moose, Mule Deer, Antelope, Bison and Bighorn Sheep numbers are all below the department's statewide population objectives:
Elk - 27.1% above objective
Mountain Goat - 37.7% below objective
Moose- 34.4% below objective
Mule Deer -29.8% below objective
Pronghorn Antelope - 13.3% below objective
Bison -11.4 below objective
Bighorn Sheep - 4.6% below objective
Mountain Pursuit's report, 2020 Wyoming Big Game Population Trends includes specific population data, "heat" maps by hunt area and species, and bullet-point briefs of the Job Completion Reports.
Moose and Mule Deer numbers are alarming, and even Antelope - Wyoming's most populous big game animal - are in trouble.
Five of the six Moose herd units for which population data was provided are below population objective. This translates into the Mule Deer population being below objective in 20 of the 38 hunt areas in the state. No population data was provided for 14 Moose hunt areas. Only three, Area 1, 42 and 34 were above objective.
Mule Deer - 30 of the 32 herd units for which population data was provided are below population objective. This translates into the Mule Deer population being below objective in 118 of the 125 hunt areas in the state.
Pronghorn Antelope - 20 of the 34 herd units for which population data was provided are below population objective. This translates into the Antelope population being below objective in 66 of the 97 hunt areas in the state.
Game & Fish Biologists' comments in the Job Completion Reports indicate recent hard winters and drought have taken their toll on Mule Deer and Pronghorn numbers, and loss of habitat due to energy development - oil & gas plus wind, have also impacted herd numbers. To a lesser extent, CWD is impacting mule deer.
Why moose numbers are so low isn't indicated. Disease is given as a partial explanation.
The WDG&F estimates Wyoming's Total Big Game Population to be 849,494 animals for all species, which is 17.8% below the total population objective of 1,033,195 animals.