The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) mobilized a total of $48.3 million for mule deer and black-tailed deer in 2025, its second-best year on record. Across 153 projects in 17 states, MDF helped restore more than 537,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat, benefitted 129 deer herds and eliminated or converted 149 miles of hazardous fence to restore safe movement corridors for wildlife.
MDF maximized return on investment by turning every $1 of its own $13.4 million into $3.60 of on-the-ground conservation impact. The approach is made possible by federal partnerships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
“Mule deer are the vanishing icon of the West as the only big-game species with overall declining numbers, but they don’t have to be,” said Greg Sheehan, president and CEO of MDF. “With the science guiding our work, the partnerships we are strengthening and the momentum we have earned, MDF will not stop until abundant mule deer populations are restored to the landscapes where they belong. Every supporter, sportsman, conservationist, and public lands steward who stands with us is part of making that happen.”
Habitat quality is the single greatest driver of mule deer population health. Working alongside state and federal wildlife agencies, MDF identifies landscapes where targeted intervention will produce the highest biological return for deer. The organization’s expertise includes active forest management, restoring native vegetation, combating invasive species, improving water sources and upgrading wildlife crossing infrastructure.
“Every acre we restore is a direct investment in the future of mule deer,” said MDF Chief Conservation Officer Steve Belinda. “The science is clear. For every acre of habitat improved, the landscape can sustain 10 percent more deer. Add up six years of MDF’s work, and we have created the ecological capacity for 180,000 additional mule deer on western landscapes. This is the kind of conservation math that changes the trajectory of a species.”
