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With the hunt kicking off this weekend, we thought it only appropriate to highlight Utah's most beloved mammal, the mule deer. Recognized as one of the quintessential icons of the American West, the mule deer is the most valued big game animal in Utah.
The trademark, bounding, pogo-stick-style gait of a mule deer is called "stotting" and gives them the ability to change direction on a dime. Some biologists estimate that a mule deer's sense of smell is up to 1,000 times stronger than a human's and research suggests that a mule deer can detect human odor up to a half mile away.
By the turn of the 19th century, mule deer became scarce because of unregulated hunting. As wildlife management took hold in the 1920s and 30s, mule deer numbers rebounded and by the 50's and 60's, we had record numbers of deer in the west. But, the abundance didn't last. The decline of quality habitat due to urbanization, fire depression, drought and many other factors has seen mule deer numbers drop below their historic numbers. The Utah DWR estimates our deer herd to be just over three hundred and thirty thousand animals, with a statewide objective upwards of four hundred and ten thousand deer.
For more information on mule deer or any other critter found in Utah, be sure to check our Utah Field Guide on our outdoors page at KSLTV.com.
