Mule deer 2025: Here's where we are, and from where we've come

Things were opposite in the Southwest Region where despite a normal winter in Unit 39, which is one of the state’s most-popular mule deer units, only 31% of collared fawns survived. No need to panic, yet, because Unit 39 still has one of the biggest mule deer herds in the state, but low fawn survival is a sign that the herd is reaching the limits of its habitat. Biologists have been seeing lighter fawns coming into recent winters, and fawn weight is an accurate predictor of their winter survival.