Deer Digestion: How it works and why feeding deer could lead to their death By Alysia Wolf, Wildlife Biologist All deer species are herbivores that, depending on their range and the season, will forage on native shrubs, grasses, twigs, leaves, and berries. Basically, plant parts. These plant parts are made up of cellulose, a molecule […]
Migration is key to mule deer survival
Migration between the upper elevations of summer ranges and the lower elevations of winter ranges is essential for mule deer survival. This graphic shows how migration occurs from the eastern Cascades in Central Oregon to the Fort Rock and John Day areas. Barriers disrupt this migration. Unless there is community support, populations of mule deer […]
Deer on the Move, Driving Safely
Deer are designed to move across the landscape to find forage, shelter and genetic diversity. This is more difficult in summer months when there are thousands of vehicles traveling on Highway 97. In Deschutes county, this is an historic migratory corridor. Deer cross the highway and feeder roads to reach summer range in the Cascades […]
The Winter Range Story
What is winter range? Winter range is habitat deer and elk migrate to in order to find more favorable living conditions during the winter. Winter range is found predominantly in lower elevations of central Oregon and is extremely important to mule deer survival. Winter ranges usually have minimal amounts of snow cover and provide vegetation […]