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Daryl Lutz

Mule deer within the Dubois herd make several long-distance migrations into the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (fig. 26). These migrations originate from winter range in the warm, protected sagebrush valley surrounding Dubois, Wyoming, and extend to the southeast on the Wind River Reservation. Each spring, an estimated 6,000–7,000 deer leave this valley and the Reservation and migrate northwest. These journeys, averaging 44 mi one way, begin as deer ascend Togwotee Pass (9,658 ft [m 2,944] in elevation). From there, they cross challenging natural terrain with high mountain passes and disperse into the north Wind River Range, Gros Ventre Range, Absaroka Range, Grand Teton National Park, and deep into...
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) within the Sweetwater herd display mostly a latitudinal migration though the seasonal direction varies among individuals in the population. The migration route lays between Long Creek Mountain and Granite Mountain in the north and the Green Mountains in the south. In the spring, the majority of the population will descend from the southern foothills of Granite Mountains and head south to the Green Mountains. Some individuals, however, will move the opposite direction and migrate from south to north. Additionally, movement between the two areas can also occur outside of the typical spring or fall migration. The herd, which numbers around 3,700, primarily winters along the northern...
Mule deer within the South Wind River herd make short- and medium-distance migrations from the foothills near Lander, Wyoming, into the Wind River Range and around its southern flanks (fig. 31). The longest migration in this herd is a 75-mile (121-km) route originating south of Lander near Twin Creek. Deer following this long-distance route traverse the southern edge of the Wind River Range and summer in the mountainous terrain at the head of the Big Sandy River. Some deer make medium-distance migrations, traveling 14–51 mi (23–82 km) northwest of Sweetwater Station to summer range in the northern Great Divide Basin. Meanwhile, other deer in this population make short- and medium-distance migrations of 7–59 mi (11–95...
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