Students on the BYU campus have probably seen mule deer lounging on the grass or browsing plants. With how many students spend their time on campus, why do the deer stay?
The BYU campus is host to a small population of mule deer. The deer prefer the wooded area off of temple hill by the Maeser Building, The Steven L. Richards Building and the Botany Pond, BYU Plant and Wildlife professor Steve Petersen said.
“Their natural predators, which would be mountain lions, they’re not hanging out in that area. There’s a decent food source and there’s not a lot of traffic,” he said.
The land where BYU sits is the deers’ winter range, he added. The campus is an ideal spot for them to spend the winter months.
“It’s not like we attracted them into this region; they were already here and they’ve already been utilizing this area for a long time,” Petersen said.
People can see signs the mule deer are around in half-eaten plants and deer droppings. Mule deer don’t eat grass like elk, but go after leaves, flowers and berries, Petersen said.
It’s not uncommon to have populations of deer in urban situations, Aaron Sisson, a big game biologist with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said.
“Mule deer and whitetail deer in particular are really adaptable. If they can find their three basic life requirements, which is food, water and shelter, they can survive most places,” he said.
The division offers programs for cities if deer populations get too big. Large deer populations can cause damage or pose a risk to people, Sisson said.
“When deer live around people, they become used to cars, they get used to people, they can even become habituated to pets and other disturbances to the point they don’t really show any fear,” he added.
Mule deer are more likely to be aggressive towards people during mating season in the fall or when does have young fawns, Sisson said. Students who encounter deer can stay safe by giving the animals their space, keeping dogs on leashes and not feeding the animals.
While the deer are used to people, students should admire them from a distance, he said. Students hoping to see the deer can walk along any of the trails on the southwest end of campus, where the deer spend the most time.