Our cartography team at the University of Oregon InfoGraphics Lab has created a 3D visualization to show the challenges of that Deer 255 faces in her migration, and how people have acted to conserve the Red Desert to Hoback migration corridor.

Here’s the backstory: In 2016, our team of University of Wyoming biologists discovered a recordbreaking mule deer in Wyoming. A collared doe migrated from southwest Wyoming to eastern Idaho, 242 miles, oneway.

We lost track of her in fall 2016 due to a GPS collar malfunction, but then by chance we found her again in winter 2018. She completed two migrations last year, and this spring made the same journey again.

This route is used by about 1,000 mule deer, but most of them stop after 150 miles. Deer 255 is the only deer we know of that goes so far. She's slightly larger than average, but what makes her amazing is her knowledge of such a vast migration route, from the deserts of Wyoming, to the forests of Idaho.

In all likelihood, she learned this route from her mother, who inherited it from past generations of deer that optimized their migrations to exploit the resources of the landscape — and survived because of it.

To have such a migration still exist today is a testament to the conservation of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and many land managers including private property owners and ranchers, the Bureau of Land Management Wyoming, U.S. Forest ServiceBridgerTeton National Forest, U.S. Forest Service CaribouTarghee National Forest, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Deer 255 continues to surprise us. Watch to the end to see what she did this year, a move that defies the norm for mule deer behavior.

If you like this film, please share to spread the word about Wyoming’s amazing migrations.

You can read about 255's journey here: https://www.hcn.org/issues/50.14/wild...

CARTOGRAPHY BY:
Department of Geography, University of Oregon InfoGraphics Lab

Thanks to all our partners and funders:
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Safari Club International Foundation
Muley Fanatic Foundation
10 Country Chapter of The Muley Fanatic Foundation
Muley Fanatic Foundation, Southwest Wyoming Chapter
Muley Fanatic Foundation, Upper Green Chapter
USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units
Teton Conservation District
The Pew Charitable Trusts
National Science Foundation (NSF)
University of Wyoming Zoology & Physiology Department
Knobloch Family Foundation
George B. Storer Foundation
Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative
Wyoming Governors Big Game License Coalition
Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit