Distance, weather, and forage conditions drive timing of autumn migration in female mule deer.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Seasonal migration is a behavioral strategy that animals evolved to exploit seasonally changing resources. Ungulates in northern temperate landscapes often seasonally migrate between low-elevation winter ranges and higher-elevation summer ranges, allowing individuals to exploit a diversity of forage resources during summer while avoiding extreme conditions during winter. In autumn, the timing of this behavior often overlaps with hunting seasons for managed ungulate populations. Migration presents challenges for managing ungulates when the timing of autumn migrations varies across years and migrations cross management jurisdictions.

Methods

We evaluated the spatial and temporal patterns of autumn migration using GPS collar data collected during 2017-2019 from 68 fe

SUBMITTER: Anton CB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11863777 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature