Mule Deer population strengthening in North Dakota following mild winter

Photo by: North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Photo by: North Dakota Game and Fish Department

(Bismarck, ND) -- The North Dakota State Game and Fish officials say the mule deer population is strengthening after a mild winter.

The department's annual spring survey indicates the mule deer population is up 13 percent from last year and 34-percent above the long-term average. Biologists have surveyed the same 24 areas since the 1950s.

The spring count is a change from last fall's demographic survey, which showed the lowest fawn-to-doe ratio since 2012.