Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) Movement and Habitat Use Patterns in Relation to Roadways in Northwest Wyoming

2013Final ReportPDFTech ReportFHWA-WY-13/08FContact or Grant No. RS03(210)Global Positioning SystemMigrationWinterHabitat (Ecology)Vegetationmule deerGPScollarcrossingroadwayUnited StatesWyomingWyoming. Dept. of TransportationRiginos, CorinnaKrasnow, KevinHall, EmbereGraham, Morgan WilliamSundaresan, SivaBrimeyer, DougFralick, GaryWachob, DougTeton Science Schools. Conservation Research CenterWyoming. Dept. of TransportationUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionThe purpose of this study was to provide the Wyoming Department of Transportation and Wyoming Game and Fish Department with useful information about the patterns of mule deer seasonal habitat use, migration, road crossings, and wildlife-vehicle collisions in the Jackson Hole area. We captured 40 mule deer and fitted them with global positioning system (GPS) collars that collected locations every two hours for up to two years. We identified areas of high seasonal (summer and winter) use by mule deer as well as migration routes between these seasonal ranges. Results show that mule deer use the developed valley of Jackson Hole intensively in the winter months and during migrations. Results of a resource selection function analysis on winter habitat use indicate that deer most intensively use areas close to supplemental feed sites, hillslopes, and areas with high cover of herbaceous vegetation, golf courses, mixed trees, junipers, and riparian vegetation. We further identified 1,796 locations where deer crossed major roadways. Road crossings almost all occurred during winter (rather than summer or migration times) and were concentrated in a few locations. Road crossings were negatively associated with roadside fencing and positively associated with proximity to preferred winter habitat. Finally, we analyzed patterns of deer-vehicle collisions in Jackson Hole. Collisions primarily occurred in winter and were concentrated on US-89/191, particularly on the highest traffic volume stretches near the town of Jackson. These results suggest that any measures designed to reduce the frequency of deer-vehicle collisions will have to allow deer to cross major roadways frequently as they move around their winter home ranges. Crossing structures, which are effective for allowing migrating ungulates to cross roadways, may not be effective for facilitating the frequent crossings of non-migrating animals in a highly developed landscape