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Utah study: habitat treatments measurably increase mule deer body fat, improving winter survival odds
Summary
A statewide analysis combining GPS collaring and habitat treatment maps shows WRI projects and summer precipitation both raise mule deer body fat entering winter; selection of treated areas reduces overwinter fat loss, with implications for management.
A researcher presenting Ph.D. results at the Watershed Restoration Initiative partner conference said habitat treatments funded or enabled by WRI and summer precipitation both boost mule deer condition entering winter and reduce winter fat loss.
The research combines statewide collaring and condition data with maps of habitat treatments. Ph.D. researcher Kent (Ph.D. candidate/researcher) explained the study used more than 7,000 GPS-collared deer (38 million location points) and condition data from 2014–2021 on about 1,300 individuals with nearly 2,500 capture events to link landscape treatments to body-fat measures.
The nut of the research:…
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