Spatial Extent of Data
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Oregon Mule Deer Steens Mountain Winter Ranges
The Steens Mountain mule deer herd contains an estimated 3,710 individuals (ODFW 2023). Most GPS-collared mule deer are either nonmigratory or use an elevational migration route along the Steens Mountain fault block. Winter ranges for the Steens Mountain mule deer herd surround Steens Mountain at lower elevations. These winter range habitats are diverse, primarily consisting of sagebrush and early shrub-tree habitat with encroaching western juniper and previously burned, native, and invasive annual grasslands. Migratory mule deer summer at higher elevations on Steens Mountain in habitats featuring quaking aspen, mountain big sagebrush, mountain shrub, early shrub-tree, western juniper, and post-fire native grassland communities. Mule deer can compete with feral horses during drought years because seasonal ranges and migration corridors overlap four HMAs. The combined Kiger, Riddle Mountain, and Sheepshead-Heath Creek HMAs encompass more than 265,000 acres (107,000 ha) and respectively contain 183 horses, 165 horses, and 224 horses in comparison to the maximum AMLs of 82 horses, 56 horses, and 302 horses (BLM, 2023b). To the south, the 280,715-acre (113,601-ha) South Steens HMA contains 606 horses, nearly double the maximum AML of 304 feral horses. To help improve mule deer populations, the Steens Mountain WMU, which incorporates most of the Steens Mountain mule deer herd, was included in the 2015 Mule Deer Initiative (ODFW, 2020). Since 2015, ODFW, BLM, and NRCS SGI have removed 4,897 acres (1,982 ha) of western juniper and reseeded 35,121 acres (14,213 ha) for native shrubs and grasses along with completing other habitat enhancement projects. The 170,200-acre (68,877-ha) Steens Mountain Wilderness in the central and eastern portion of the herd’s range is also closed to motorized vehicles and cattle grazing throughout the year. These mapping layers show the location of the winter ranges for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Steens Mountain population in Oregon. They were developed from 56 winter sequences collected from a sample size of 19 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 5-13 hours.
Author(s) |
Matthew J Kauffman |
Publication Date | 2025-02-06 |
Beginning Date of Data | 2018 |
Ending Date of Data | 2023 |
Data Contact | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.5066/P1YJCCQA |
Citation | Kauffman, M.J., Lowrey, B.H., McKee, J.L., Allen, T., Beaupre, C., Beck, J., Bergen, S., Binfet, J., Blair, S., Cain, J.W., Carl, P., Cornish, T., Cowardin, M., Curtis, R., DeVivo, M., Diamond, J., Dugger, K., Duvuvuei, O., Ellingwood, C., Finley, D., Fort, J., Freeman, E., Freeman, I., Gagnon, J., Gelzer, E., Gray, J., Greenspan, E., Hendricks, C., Hinojoza-Rood, V., Jeffress, M., Kyle, C., Lockyer, Z., McKee, C., Merkle, J., Merrell, J., Mumma, M., Powell, J., Reddell, C., Reinking, A., Ritson, R., Robatcek, S., Robb, B., Russo, B., Sawyer, H., Schroeder, C., Slezak, E., Sprague, S., Steiner, E., Steingisser, A., Stephenson, T., Tatman, N., Taylor, K., Whittaker, D., and Zaffarano, T., 2025, Oregon Mule Deer Steens Mountain Winter Ranges: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P1YJCCQA. |
Metadata Contact | |
Metadata Date | 2025-02-06 |
Related Publication | Loading... |
Citations of these data | Loading https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20245111 |
Access | public |
License | http://www.usa.gov/publicdomain/label/1.0/ |
Harvest Date: 2025-02-07T05:07:48.543Z