SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -(Ammoland.com)- The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) was awarded a $10,000 grant this month from the Dallas Safari Club (DSC) to help two western states monitor mule deer populations and track migration corridors.
The grant will support projects in Idaho and New Mexico in cooperation with the state fish and wildlife agencies as well as federal land management partners.
“We thank the Dallas Safari Club for recognizing the importance of these projects and for providing the necessary funding to acquire the GPS collars that will allow mule deer to be monitored,” commented Rob Weekes, MDF Director of Marketing and Development. “Projects like these are critical for us to work with our state and federal partners to ensure that mule deer populations are on the rise.”
The DSC grant will be used in Idaho to purchase several GPS satellite deer collars. By monitoring the collared deer, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game will be able to determine migration routes and habitat for fawning areas and evaluate fawn mortality.
Without the project grant through DSC and the Mule Deer Foundation, this project would not move forward.
In New Mexico, the grant funding will be applied toward a project with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to trap, collar, and translocate mule deer from an area with high populations to an area in the north part of the state with low population density.
The project will trap and translocate 30 mule deer near Maxwell, NM and move them to Bureau of Land Management property near Tres Peidras.
Most of the deer will be fitted with tracking collars so that they can be monitored to determine the success of the translocation efforts.
“This was a great new opportunity to work with DSC on projects that we know will be valuable on the landscape in mule deer country,” Weekes continued. “We look forward to working with them on other conservation projects in the future.”
About MDF:
The Mule Deer Foundation is the only conservation group in North America dedicated to restoring, improving and protecting mule deer and black-tailed deer and their habitat, with a focus on science and program efficiency. MDF is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. MDF acknowledges regulated hunting as a viable management component and is committed to recruitment and retention of youth into the shooting sports and conservation.
Get involved on their website or call 1-888-375-3337.
About DSC:
A member of IUCN, DSC is a mission-focused conservation organization, funded by hunters from around the world. With an administrative staff of less than 15 and a volunteer army of 500, DSC hosts the Greatest Hunters Convention on the Planet
that raises funds for grants in conservation, outdoor education and hunter advocacy. In the past five years, more than $5 million has been channeled to qualified projects, organizations and programs in support of that mission.
Get involved with DSC online.