And the nation’s largest mule deer herd, located in northwestern Colorado, has decreased in the past decade by more than two-thirds — to 32,000 at latest estimate, down from 105,900 in 2005.

The current population estimated at 418,000 deer is down from 430,000 a year ago, putting about half the state’s Data Analysis Units below objectives. The downturn is not unique to Colorado.

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 ...

Submitted photo Eight years is a long time to wait for a deer tag. Yet, it’s only a fraction of the 30 I spent dreaming about wrapping my hands around the antlers of a big Colorado mule deer.