Those who recreate in Wyoming’s great outdoors may have noticed habitat modifications to Southwest Wyoming’s Little Mountain. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has been working with numerous entities to improve mule deer habitat across Wyoming. To bolster budgets for habitat work, the Muley Fanatic Foundation partnered with Game and Fish to host an annual event celebrating mule deer conservation and raising funds to allocate to projects that benefit mule deer. An allocation committee awarded funds from the inaugural Mule Deer Days event to support this vital habitat improvement project.
The Iron Mountain juniper control project is located in the Iron Mountain portion of the Little Mountain Ecosystem within the South Rock Spring Mule Deer Herd Unit. It is a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Land Management, Muley Fanatic Foundation, Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Board, and Game and Fish.
“The project aimed to maintain the integrity and value of sagebrush-grassland and mixed mountain shrub habitats for mule deer and other wildlife by removing encroaching juniper trees. Treatment results expect to maintain a blend of quality deer feeding areas in proximity to bedding and security cover provided by established juniper woodlands,” said Kevin Spence, Game and Fish Habitat Biologist. Crews hand-cut and piled juniper trees on 695 acres of encroached shrub habitat in 2024. The piled trees will be allowed to dry, and fire crews will conduct prescribed slash pile burns during winter as conditions permit.
Successful habitat management relies on partnerships between wildlife managers, land management agencies and nonprofit organizations. "This effort is the fruits of your labor that we discuss as the impetus for why the Muley Fanatic Foundation was established. This funding is a by-product of what has now become a staple statewide mule deer conservation event, Mule Deer Days. It is a direct testament to the commitment that MFF supporters, volunteers, and donors have made to create a positive impact on mule deer conservation and further the MFF mission," Said Josh Coursey, President/CEO of the Muley Fanatic Foundation.
When everyone works together with a common goal, we see the best results with the furthest-reaching impacts. If you are interested in learning more about similar projects or want to contribute to mule deer conservation, consider attending Mule Deer Days in Rock Springs Mar. 21-23, 2025. Game and fish staff will be available throughout the event, and informational seminars will be held throughout the weekend-long conservation event.
