On Sun, 4 Jun 2000, Mary wrote:

> Ray, in California, they say the population is declining. The California
> Deer Association has as one of its reasons for being, to increase the deer
> population, which they say has been rapidly declining here.

I'm not Ray ;) but I do live in Ca...

Mule deer populations as a whole are declining.  No one really
has a good explanation why, but the huge and totally protected
population of mountain lions certainly does not help the situation
in California.  (The cats are also quickly eating up the
endangered California bighorn sheep.)  Other factors include
growing coyote populations, increased elk populations, and
loss of habitat.

Whitetails, however, can be considered as rats with hooves.
They thrive around human habitation and are exploding in
numbers.  They too contribute to the mule deer decline -
in states where both deer exist there is a great deal
of hybridization going on. Because the hybridization is
always whitetail buck/mule deer doe, each hybrid offspring
represents one less mule deer fawn.

Julie