The Latest in Cutting Edge Migration Data: Volume 5

Since Secretarial Order 3362 Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game Winter Range and Migration Corridors was signed by then Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke, 11 western states and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have mapped hundreds of mule deer, elk, pronghorn, and moose migrations.

Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 5 depicts the latest of these efforts.

Yet again, Idaho stands out as a leader in cutting edge wildlife data collection, with three new mule deer migrations, two updated mule deer migrations, three elk migrations, and one moose migration shown in Volume 5. 

Take a look at the Idaho portions of the report. It’s easy to get lost in these maps and think about your experiences in these areas. You’ll likely see maps of an area you hunt every year. You may have glassed up a doe or cow sporting a GPS collar that has tracked her location every 1-2 hours for several years. These animals are playing a critical role in the ability to manage wildlife in a science-based manner. This technology gives wildlife managers and advocates the ability to understand why these animals migrate, where they migrate, what time frame they migrate, and ultimately what may be currently limiting or threatening their ability to successfully complete their migrations. 

Habitat fragmentation from development, highways, recreation expansion, and energy development are all activities that create disturbances along ungulates migratory pathways. Some individuals travel over 100 miles and face multiple threats along the way. For Owinza mule deer, individuals face five highway crossings, a fragmented matrix of public and private land, renewable energy development, and degraded winter range habitat quality from frequent wildfire. For Bear Lake Plateau mule deer, individuals must navigate through wildlife-unfriendly fencing, mining activity in their summer range, and a funnel across U.S. Highway called Rocky Point, where State highways, railways, and the Bear River converge. (USGS Ungulate Migration of the Western United States, Volume 5, p.19)

These disturbances can shift historic migratory behaviors or, at worst, cause a loss in these migrations. Studies have shown that once lost, it can take 30-80 years for some game species to develop migratory behavior once again. Individual animals, mothers for the most part, pass on learned behavior and “knowledge” of these journeys that range over 100 miles.

As hunters, it is our responsibility to be the voice for wildlife and look after the health of our herds. In order to conserve these migrations, we must have have the data in our hands. Volume 5 is the latest in this cutting edge data. Take a look at the Idaho portions of Volume 5 below. 

Credit: USGS- Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 5
Featured Image Credit: Jonathan D. Mallory, BLM Utah