Скачать или смотреть GLIMPSES OF MIGRATION #5 — The Snowy Dozen Migrating Deer

*Sound on to hear the snow crunching and deer talking.*

It's heartwarming to think that while we were all getting ready for the holidays on 12/23, a few more deer were migrating by this wildlife-friendly fence, heading toward winter range. Most of the 4,000-5,000 mule deer that use this migration corridor move through in October or November, but some linger on stopover habitat until the snow gets deeper. That seems to be what happened with this group. They are moving through relatively fresh snow on a cold morning at 11 degrees Fahrenheit.


As is often the case, a doe is leading the group. There is a mix of roughly three mature does, three fawns born this past summer, two yearlings, and 3-4 bucks. Five of the deer go under the fence — including a small antlered buck — while the rest go over.


The deer have options at this fence crossing because the private landowner used a wildlife-friendly design. Deer can duck under the smooth bottom wire at 18 inches above the ground, or jump over the top wire at 42 inches or less. When summer grazing season rolls around for the rancher’s livestock, the fence can keep cattle in the pasture. And because this fence design allows animals to easily move over or under it, there isn’t any damage done to the fence that the rancher would have to fix.


#stewardship#thankarancher#knowyourcorridors #deer #ibrakeformigration



About the clip: University of Wyoming student researcher Tanner Warder caught this clip in Sublette County, Wyoming in December 2020 as mule deer headed south from the Hoback Basin and the Upper Green River Valley to the Red Desert. Funding for this clip comes from the Muley Fanatic Foundation, Wyoming Research Scholars Program, and Kauffman Lab of the Wyoming Coop Unit.
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