Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/742011
T he mule deer . . . is a species marked for extinction . . . Either the whitetail deer or man may cause that extinction. Without either, the mule deer could continue unimpeded for as long as habitats exist and the sun rises. It got along well enough with white-tailed deer as long as we were not around, but conditions changed with our arrival." That's Dr. Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science at the University of Calgary, renowned expert on the ethology (behavior), biology, evolution, and social dynamics of large North American mammals, in particular elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and deer, writing in his book, Mule Deer Country. It's a sobering statement for those of us who love mule deer. Why the whitetail should be thriving and expanding its range while the mule deer is declining and—possibly—heading for eventual extinction is a hotly debated issue. Mule deer numbers seem to decline wherever they meet up with whitetails, but it is not clear why. It is not an ecological issue: Even in overlapping or shared areas they tend to occupy different types of terrain based upon different escape and avoidance behaviors. It's not an issue of aggression, either. If anything, the mule deer is the more aggressive of the two species when it comes to claiming territory or breeding rights. Some scientists believe certain kinds Can anything be done to bring back mule deer numbers out West? By Jameson Parker S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 109