This majority of this grant is a subaward to oklahoma state university, who will subaward a portion to texas a m university-kingsville

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) received a $2.7 million Formula Grant award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety program (CFDA 15.611) to conduct research and management activities for mule deer populations in Oklahoma from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2027.

A majority of the grant funds will be subawarded to Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M University-Kingsville to assess methods for investigating mule deer distribution and abundance, estimate survival rates and mortality factors, obtain estimates of fecundity and recruitment, and investigate movements and habitat selection. ODWC will utilize a small portion of the funding to support the universities' research efforts. This comprehensive research project aims to provide ODWC with data to support decision-making on mule deer monitoring, harvest management, and habitat conservation in western Oklahoma.

The oklahoma department of wildlife conservation (odwc) will use a small portion of the funding to support the universities with staff time. Recent apparent population declines across mule deer (odocoileus hemionus) range in the american west are of interest to biologists and managers. Mule deer in oklahoma are near the southeastern extent of the species range thus, their distribution is limited and densities are presumably low. Mule deer populations in oklahoma are restricted currently to areas that are typically characterized by extreme weather events, high variability in resource availability, and an increasing influence of anthropogenic activities associated with agricultural operations and energy infrastructure. In oklahoma, data are limited to annual harvest numbers, and mule deer are hunted and managed under white-tailed deer (o. Virginianus) regulations. To better understand the distribution, abundance, and population ecology of mule deer and to inform harvest management in western oklahoma, we are proposing a comprehensive research project from a team of researchers at oklahoma state university and texas a m university-kingsville with expertise related to this research need. We will assess methods for investigating and monitoring mule deer distribution and spatial variation in abundance. We will estimate survival and factors influencing mortality in adult females and fawns, and we will obtain estimates of fecundity and recruitment. We will investigate movements and habitat selection in the context of the potential effects of anthropogenic pressures (including agriculture and energy infrastructure) and environmental variability. Additionally, we will leverage mule deer data in the texas panhandle to evaluate movement ecology and population dynamics at an interstate scale. This research will assist odwc in managing mule deer by providing data to support decision-making on monitoring, harvest, and habitat management.