Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Oregon Mule Deer Southeast Winter Ranges

Published by U.S. Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | Catalog Last Checked: May 05, 2026 at 07:42 PM | Dataset Last Updated: April 10, 2024 at 12:00 AM
Most of the Southeast mule deer herd winters along the Owyhee River in regions containing sagebrush communities and Columbia Basin grassland mixed with non-native annual grasslands. These mule deer either migrate west to summer ranges on Road Canyon and Gravel Ridges or east to the Owyhee Mountains along the Idaho border, with one mule deer migrating as far as Bald Mountain, 38.3 mi (61.6 km) into Idaho. Summer ranges feature shrubland, Columbia Basin grasslands, western juniper, and evergreen forests. In 2014, the Buzzard Complex fires burned 398,596 acres (161,306 ha), including Road Canyon, allowing medusahead and other non-native grasses to invade areas with originally low perennial plant abundance. Five mule deer winter separately near U.S. Route 95, in areas containing higher percentages of western juniper. In the spring, they travel southeast into Nevada to summer on the Santa Rosa Range, with one mule deer migrating to the Tuscarora Mountains. Of the Southeast mule deer that were tracked for at least 100 days, 82 percent migrate seasonally, with several moving to summer ranges in different states, complicating issues of population management. The Southeast mule deer herd faces several challenges, including highways and the low abundance of preferred browse. The northeastern section of U.S. Route 95 had an AADT value of 2,007 vehicles in 2018 and intersects multiple migration corridors, with mule deer commonly crossing the highway along Succor Creek and Rock Creek Flat. In summer, Southeast mule deer spend more time in riparian zones and must compete with grazing cattle in the Owyhee Mountains for high-quality forage during drought years when natural water sources evaporate. These mapping layers show the location of the winter ranges for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Southeast population in Oregon. They were developed from 63 migration sequences collected from a sample size of 34 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 5−13 hours.

Resources

2 resources available

Find Related Datasets

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov