Each year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife assesses large game populations. This data informs management plans designed to maintain healthy herd populations, guide hunting seasons and license allocations, and address habitat loss and urban conflicts while preserving recreational opportunities. Collec ting that data can be tedious. “The most efficient way to do our counts is by helicopter,” CPW wildlife biologist Ty Woodward said. “Drone battery life is still too limited for the areas we cover, so we rely heavily on low-altitude flights.” This method is incompatible with observing residential deer populations, though, leaving that segment of the herd historically undercounted. Two years ago, the regional CPW office launched a boots-on-the-ground — or in this case, a “butts-in-trucks” — program in which officers and volunteers drove through residential areas to count neighborhood deer and include them in herd analyses. On Jan. 15, 30 officers and volunteers conducted the second iteration of the residential mule deer count across 33 neighborhoods in Teller County. Teams completed two rounds of counts. The morning survey documented approximately 300 deer, while the evening count rose to about 400. “The behavior of residential deer changes,” Woodward said. “While there have been instances of non-residential deer lingering in a limited range, that’s not the norm.” Deer accustomed to living near humans often display unusual behaviors. “We see all kinds of odd behavior,” Woodward said. “Deer will approach people looking for handouts, and some also seem to lose their fear of dogs — or at least dogs they perceive as friendly. While it’s easy to see a deer and a dog hanging out and think it’s cute, it’s a problem behavior that shouldn’t be encouraged.” These mule deer bucks are perfectly at ease in this Teller County residential yard. (Kelly Sanford) As teams searched for deer among the subdivisions of Teller County, congregations of deer were often discovered near houses with attractants. Some were unintentional, like compost bins and bird feeders. Others were clearly deliberate, like grain feeders positioned at deer height and salt licks. There is a certain joy that comes from close proximity to nature and wildlife. But when people alter wildlife behavior to suit their desires, there is a cost. “Without knowing the numbers, we can’t put a definitive figure on the consequences,” Woodward said. “That’s why these population assessments are so important.” Woodward encourages Teller residents to be hands-off when interacting with mule deer. “Intentionally feeding deer in Colorado is illegal because we know it’s detrimental to their health,” he said. “The worst culprits we see are corn and birdseed. Both are relatively inexpensive and often offered by well-intentioned residents who enjoy seeing the deer and think they’re helping. But when deer consume corn and seed in excess, the outcomes are not just unhealthy, they can be pretty horrific.” In the case of corn, mule deer have not evolved to eat it. Deer that consume large amounts of corn will alter the pH in their gut leading to a condition called acidosis. “They develop a stomach full of bleeding ulcers that can cause a slow and painful death,” Woodward said. While mule deer may enjoy birdseed, it lacks the nutrients found in the woody browse their bodies are adapted to consume. CPW has conducted necropsies on young deer that, despite looking healthy, had died from malnutrition with a stomach full of birdseed. Making foods like corn and seed readily available to resident deer populations is akin to offering a child the choice between a plate of grilled chicken and vegetables or cotton candy and funnel cakes. They will naturally gravitate toward the unhealthy option, and though their body mass may suggest good health, below the surface, malnutrition and digestive disruptions are taking their toll. Without attractants to keep mule deer content, they would migrate through in search of their natural forage. When deer congregate in residential areas, it increases the number of predators in that area, it can lead to disease transmission, interrupt genetic diversity, and increase the likelihood of injury or death caused by dogs, entanglements and cars. “The mule deer are here. The most responsible way you can encourage them to visit your neighborhood is to give them what they need from nature,” Woodward said. “They like to bed down in places where there’s cover. They especially like downed trees. Re-wilding your property and disrupting or tilling bare ground to encourage native plants to take root will draw deer naturally.” The good news, according to Woodward, is that our overall mule deer population is healthy. “The Hayman fire scar was actually a windfall for deer who migrated through that area consuming the new growth that follows a fire. It brought new genetic diversity and boosted our numbers.” Using the data collected from these recent field observations, Woodward said, “We are going through a herd management process through which we use science and stakeholder input to try and find a desired balance between biological and social carrying capacities to support continued hunting and wildlife-viewing together while maintaining healthy populations of deer on the land.” ...read more read less