Scientists throughout the West are trying to solve the mystery of the disappearing mule deer. Since the 1970s, biologists in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah have seen deer populations drop by 50 percent.
Theories as to why they鈥檙e vanishing vary. Oil and gas drilling and a growth in coyote populations top the list.
About a dozen men and women stand on a flat ridge as the sun peeks over a nearby hill. These biologists and veterinarians clutch coffee cups, trying to keep away shivers from chilly morning air.
They鈥檙e standing in the middle of the Piceance Basin, about 40 minutes outside Meeker, and they're trying to find out how mule deer are handling the rapid growth of oil and gas drilling. The Piceance Basin means a lot to both mule deer and humans.
鈥淲ell it鈥檚 the largest migratory deer herd in the state. And it鈥檚 also one of the largest energy reserves in the state,鈥� says state wildlife researcher Chuck Anderson.
Anderson leads this particular study, which is trying to find the best way for oil and gas operators and mule deer to live in such close proximity. Scientists with Colorado Parks and Wildlife are herding up mule deer to study why they鈥檙e disappearing so quickly, and what role drilling plays.
鈥淢ule deer throughout the range have declined since the late 70s, early 80s. We鈥檙e probably at about 50 percent of the numbers we had back then. And there鈥檚 a lot of factors contributing to that,鈥� Anderson says.
Those factors fit into two camps. One school of thought says coyote and mountain lion populations have gone unchecked and the predators are killing off mule deer in greater numbers. The other says human encroachment, in the form of oil and gas development and road-building, has fractured the deer鈥檚 habitat and diminished the sage-brush mule deer forage on.
At this capture in the Piceance Basin, a small blue and yellow helicopter drops does off at a field station. The buzz of the helicopter blades is a constant.
%22Mule%20deer%20throughout%20the%20range%20have%20declined%20since%20the%20late%2070s%2C%20early%2080s.%20We%27re%20probably%20at%20about%2050%20percent%20of%20the%20numbers%20we%20had%20back%20then.%20And%20there%27s%20a%20lot%20of%20factors%20contributing%20to%20that.%22%20-%20Chuck%20Anderson
The team rushes to the deer that鈥檚 just been dropped off. They place her on a stretcher, weigh her, and take her to a tent. There she鈥檚 measured and given an ultrasound. While the deer is lying on the table, sedated and blindfolded, the team attempts to calm her.
鈥淚鈥檓 just rinsing her mouth out. Just giving her a drink of water, making her feel a little better,鈥� says Lisa Wolfe, a veterinarian with the state. She pets the doe鈥檚 neck before taking any more measurements.
鈥淣ow I鈥檓 giving her some oxygen so she can catch her breath.鈥�
The whole process is stressful for the deer. But Wolfe says it鈥檚 essential to solving this mystery. One thing is certain; the Piceance Basin has seen dramatic changes over the past twenty years. Wolfe mentions the road-building and habitat split because of rapidly growing oil and gas operations over the past decade. That鈥檚 been a major shift for these generations of mule deer. The contrast, she says, is stark.
鈥淓specially at night, because everything lights up and you鈥檙e so used to being out in the middle of nowhere and then now it鈥檚 all lit up it鈥檚 like, whoa, where am I?鈥� Wolfe says.
This ten-year study is just one of many going on right now in the West. In Utah researchers are focusing on how coyotes play into the mix. Some states have been proactive, paying out more money for dead coyotes.
Here in Colorado, oil and gas development isn鈥檛 expected to disappear anytime soon. So this study will be used to figure out better ways for the two populations, mule deer and humans, to coexist.
