Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: New Mexico
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

The goal of this project is to determine which factors are effectively limiting mule deer in New Mexico. Our specific objectives are to:1) estimate mule deer survival rates and determine cause-specific mortality; 2) determine mule deer pregnancy rates and fawn recruitment; 3) assess the nutritional status of mule deer by determining the quantity (i.e., biomass of available forage) and quality (nutritional content) of forage available to mule deer within the study area; 4) determine diet composition and diet quality for mule deer; 5)estimate prey composition and kill rates for mountain lions; and 6)determine how habitat selection by mule deer is influenced by habitat conditions and predation risk by mountain lions.