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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Obi-Wan" data-source="post: 238904" data-attributes="member: 709">You guys are looking at it wrong I think the future looks bright with the Muley population.   The number of does and fawns looked good in the area's I hunted as did the amount of bucks.  Granted I did not find any bucks above the 150 range but I did see at least 6 bucks and as many as 10 per day in the 9 days I hunted.  The last time I hunted out West was in 2011 and I think the deer numbers were similar to then  How old does a buck need to be to get into that 170-180 class?  What year did the muley population bottom out?[h=1]Spring Mule Deer Survey Complete[/h]Mon, 04/24/2017 The North Dakota Game and Fish Department completed its annual spring mule deer survey in April, and results indicate western North Dakota’s mule deer population has increased 16 percent from last year.Biologists counted 3,349 mule deer in 306.3 square miles during this year’s survey. Overall mule deer density in the badlands was 10.9 deer per square mile, which is up from 9.4 deer per square mile in 2016.Big game management supervisor Bruce Stillings said mule deer in the badlands have recovered nicely following the winters of 2009-11, which led to record low fawn production and a population index low of 4.6 mule deer per square mile in 2012.“The population recovery is due to no antlerless harvest for four years combined with milder winter conditions during 2012-16, which led to good fawn production since 2013,” Stillings said. “However, the long-term health of the population will depend on maintaining high quality habitat.”The 2017 survey results show that hunting opportunities, according to Stillings, can be increased in all badlands units except 4A, which experienced more severe winter conditions and a slight decline in mule deer numbers. The spring mule deer survey is used to assess mule deer abundance in the badlands. It is conducted after the snow has melted and before the trees begin to leaf out, providing the best conditions for aerial observation of deer. Biologists have completed aerial surveys of the same 24 study areas since the 1950s.</blockquote>

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