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Trail Cams Capture Whitetail Deer Migrating Into Yellowstone
In the rugged backcountry of the Absaroka Mountains, a surprising newcomer has begun showing up on remote trail cameras: the whitetail deer. Normally associated with lower-elevation valleys and riparian zones, these deer are now being documented along high-elevation migration routes used traditionally by mule deer and elk.
Biologist Tony Mong, who monitors a network of trail cameras along known ungulate migration corridors in the region, says the captures are both rare and puzzling. One camera, perched on an open ridge at about 8,000 feet in the South Fork of the Shoshone River drainage, recorded images of adult whitetail and, even more intriguing, a spotted fawn. These all point to reproduction in terrain that has not typically supported whitetail populations.
“These are on what we would consider true migration routes for mule deer and elk,” Mong said. “It’s the migration route that mule deer use to get into the Thorofare backcountry. It’s that route.” Their presence began in 2023 after five years of zero detections on the same camera network. Mong calls the phenomenon “interesting and concerning.”
Several possible factors might explain the unexpected expansion. Whitetail deer have been steadily spreading into mountainous parts of western Wyoming, including the Bighorn Basin, at the same time mule deer numbers are in decline. Mong adds a historical twist: “There are documents talking about moving whitetails into this portion of the state in the late ’30s and into the ’40s and ’50s,” he said. “They were trying to create more hunting opportunities for guys when they were coming back from World War II.”
Meanwhile the Yellowstone National Park website confirms that although whitetail deer are “the most common deer species throughout North America, it has never been abundant in Yellowstone.” Park officials note that this may be due to habitat and elevation constraints or competition from other ungulates better suited to the region’s conditions.
The trail-camera evidence suggests that whitetail deer may now be venturing into higher elevation terrain and migration corridors once reserved for mule deer. Possible reasons include shifting habitat or forage dynamics that favor whitetail adaptability, a declining mule deer population creating ecological space, or long-term environmental changes allowing whitetails to push higher and farther than before.
Biologists are watching closely. Mong notes that while the whitetail detections are currently a tiny fraction of the animals using those routes, any sustained increase could spark ecological concerns. “If we see it continue or see those numbers start to increase, it’s something that I would be concerned about,” he said.
In the Cody Region, wildlife management coordinator Corey Class echoes the surprise. “They’re heading into the mountains almost everywhere you could think of,” he said. Whitetails have been seen near alpine meadows such as Spruce Meadows, at roughly 8,500 feet in the Ishawooa Creek drainage, and near the top of Sunlight Basin north of Cody.
Class adds that although migratory whitetails in the Absarokas are a relatively new phenomenon, the species is capable of long-distance seasonal movement. GPS tracking in other states has documented whitetails traveling 20 to 200 miles in search of winter range or better habitat.
What began as a few camera captures of whitetail deer along high ridge migration routes has opened a window into a shifting big-wildlife landscape in western Wyoming. For now, the phenomenon remains small and isolated. But if the numbers climb or the pattern strengthens, wildlife managers will face important questions about how changing deer dynamics could impact established mule deer herds, predator populations, and habitat use across the region.
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