Mule Deer, White-Tailed Deer, and Wolves in Jasper National Park, Alberta: 35 Years of Sightings, 1981–2016

Abstract On the basis of annual observations collected over 35 y, we chronicled the trends in abundance of Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in semi-open montane habitat in the Devona district of Jasper National Park (JNP), Alberta, 1981–2016. During 722 d of observations conducted in winter over this period, we recorded a decline in Mule Deer and the incursion of White-tailed Deer into the park. Of a total of 429 deer sighted, White-tailed Deer increased from an average of 0.08 sightings/d to 0.73/d, whereas the native Mule Deer declined from 0.42 sightings/d to 0.01/d. Over the same time span, sightings of all deer increased from 0.51/d to 0.74/d. Although the ultimate cause of the opposing population trends of the 2 deer species is not certain, we review the proximate causes discussed in relevant literature, and we compare the results of our census to a list of deer killed by vehicle collisions on JNP roads and highways. As a measure of the presence of Gray ...