Wyoming Winter Range Update: A Glimmer of Hope. . . Maybe

Wyoming Winter Range Update: A Glimmer of Hope. . . Maybe

By Guy Eastman

Talking to piles of locals including hunters, guides, meat processors, taxidermists and skull boilers, just to name a few over the past several months, the data kept pointing to the same thing, not only did we lose a lot of deer last year, but the number kept coming back that most business in the deer hunting world in western Wyoming was off by about 75%. This left me forced to prematurely conclude that western Wyoming had lost roughly 75% of its precious deer herd in one winter. Some scoffed at my completely unscientific data set, but having done this for more than a few years now, these sources seem to be pretty darn accurate, particularly when they all say the same exact thing, too aligned to be a coincidence.

Come to find out, these sources were right on the money once again. The official data from the Game and Fish Department through aerial deer counts conducted last month shows that, in fact, the Wyoming deer herd is down 67% and dropping. This is nothing short of catastrophic to say the least. When a deer herd drops from more than 30,000 animals to barely 11,000, that is beyond significant; in fact, it has never been seen before in modern history. Speaking from a wildlife perspective last winter was the worst in more than 70 years, possibly even 100. 

The Region G deer herd took most of the brunt of the winter, but there is one herd that had it even worse, and that is the deer herd in Region K just to the south of the Wyoming Range deer herd. These deer have taken a beating now for three years and counting. It is perfectly conceivable that nearly 80% of this deer herd was taken out over the past three winters. The deer herd to the north, in Region H, seems to have fared somewhat better with the mild climate of Dubois to gravitate to, with its mild climate and plentiful agricultural development there’s no doubt many of these deer were spared the worst of what the winter of 2022-2023 could bring. 

All in all, I would conclude that all three Western regions, when added together, probably lost about 70% of their deer volume to the brutal winter months. The antelope herds did not seem to fare any better.

However, a spring storm has hammered the region as of last week, pushing many of the deer down to the lower elevations, searching for winter range browse. There are deer dying as we speak, mostly due to the poor body condition of the fawns that did somehow manage to be born alive last spring. These fawns had a rough start to life and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. We could easily drop below 10,000 deer in this herd before it is all said and done. 

What does this mean for us? Well this is probably another year to just buy points and wait it out some more. I just don’t see how this herd can possibly rebound to even remotely normal type numbers in the next five years. I honestly think seven to ten years is probably more likely and maybe even longer. Without off the chart fawn production this herd is certainly in danger of stagnating. The biggest risk here other than more bad winters or droughts is the possibility of predators keeping the deer numbers at these low levels for decades to come all while the elk move in to fill the void in the habitat permanently, like has happened in so many areas of the state. 

Only time will tell, but in the meantime stay patient and prepare to buy deer points in Wyoming for the foreseeable future, as hard as that is to hear. We are literally in uncharted waters here folks, buckle up!

Larry Weishuhn – Legendary Wildlife Biologist & Outdoor Writer | Eastmans’ Journals Podcast

On this episode of Eastmans’ Journals Podcast Edition host Ike Eastman is joined by the man, the myth, the legend, Larry Weishuhn. Aside from being an icon in the wildlife community and hunting industry, Larry is a master conversationalist. The laughs come quickly and often in this episode as Ike and Larry engage in this can’t miss episode.