Mule deer crossing the Wind River Range — among the longest-tracked migrations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
- 84 individual animals GPS-collared and tracked
- 263 migration tracks recorded
- Tracking span: 2016–2020
- Average migration distance: ~97 km
- Longest single recorded track: 868 km
- Mapped corridor area: 2,052 km²
The map below shows the herd’s migration corridors and a sample of the GPS tracks behind them. Press play on the slider below the map to animate the migration across the calendar year — watch the tracks pulse with the seasons.
Mule deer of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
The Wind River Range mule deer migration is one of the longest-running tracking studies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, with continuous GPS collar data stretching back to the early 2000s. The herd summers on the high-elevation flanks of the Wind River Range — the longest continuous range of mountains in Wyoming, with a half-dozen peaks above 13,000 feet — and winters in the lower-elevation country east of the range.
This dataset combines the Wind River and Upper Shoshone tracking populations, which together represent more than 260 individually collared animals. The tracks show a relatively short but steeply-graded elevation migration, with most herd members covering 30 to 60 miles between seasonal ranges.
Conservation context
The Wind River herd shares range with elk, moose, bighorn sheep and grizzly bears — the full big-mammal complement of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Conservation work here has focused on protecting corridor connectivity across highways US 26 and US 287, which both cross the herd’s migration. Wyoming Game and Fish, the Wind River Tribal Wildlife Agency, and federal land managers all collaborate on the herd’s management.
Watch the animation
Press play below the map. The animation runs the herd’s GPS tracks through the calendar year — slow upward movement in May and June, summer use in the high country, fall migration in October and November, winter concentration through March.
Related migration maps
This page is part of MapScaping’s western big-game migration series. See the Western US Big Game Migration Map for the complete dataset, explore migrations by species, or browse other famous corridors.
