GRAND JUNCTION — In the face of continued decline in the mule deer population throughout much of Colorado and the West, wildlife managers, sportsmen and conservation organizations are in search of the smoking gun.

And at least a few of them would like to aim it directly at the predatory coyotes they perceive as the gravest threat to the once-thriving herds.

“Everybody is trying to do stuff for habitat, but the population is still going down. I would ask you to really consider looking at all fronts, predator control, anything that we can do to help bring our deer population back,” Colorado Mule Deer Association field representative Denny Behrens said while addressing Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission members last week. “We would ask that you really take a hard look. The state of Utah will be spending over $1 million on coyote control over there — $50 for a bounty. That sounds in this state like something that can’t happen. Well, what are we going to do? Gentlemen, ladies, we’ve got to do something to bring our deer back. We need to look at all issues.”

“There’s no single cause”

Colorado’s waning mule deer population is no stranger to scrutiny, however. As wildlife managers established big game hunting license quotas for the forthcoming fall seasons at Thursday’s monthly meeting of the PWC, the majority of time was spent discussing the mule deer dilemma. A roughly 6 percent statewide cut in the licenses allotted was not drastic enough for some, even as doe hunting opportunities amid the state’s largest deer herd have shrunk by 94 percent over the past five years. Buck licenses in the same unit in northwest Colorado have been reduced by 78 percent in that span.

“We’ve been taking large measures to reduce harvest in some of these herds that are declining,” said Andy Holland, big game manager for Colorado.

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