Distribution and Movements of Female Mule Deer in the Rocky Mountain Foothills

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Abstract
From 1982 to 1985 we monitored 27 adult female, radio-collared, mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) in the Rocky Mountain foothills west of Fort Collins, Colorado, to determine seasonal movements and winter home-range area. Twenty-five deer were resident; 2 made seasonal migrations to and from a mountain valley 29 km to the west. Home-range area was described by the minimum convex polygon (MCP) method. We quantified deer movements by calculation of a medium location and the quantiles of distance from median for a given set of locations. Winter MCPs for 3 years combined averaged 211 ha (range = 172-292 hs). Differences in winter severity among years were minor and did not cause substantial change in area or shifts in location of home ranges. We suggest that most deer were resident because their winter home ranges provided good quality habitat all year. We also suggest that deer along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains in north-central Colorado occur as migratory and/or resident subpopulations within established administrative game managmenet units, and that creation of subunits could facilitate more precise management.

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