Wyoming

Rare Whitetail-Mule Deer Fight Highlights Conflict Between Wyoming Species

Published

12 months ago

January 3, 2025

Rare Whitetail-Mule Deer Fight Highlights Conflict Between Wyoming Species

A video recently shot in South Dakota of a mule deer and whitetail buck that fought until they fell over in complete exhaustion encapsulates a region-wide conflict between the species.

In the bigger picture, whitetail seem to be winning the war, but at least in northeast Wyoming, mule deer won a battle.

That’s thanks to disease, Wyoming state Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, told Cowboy State Daily.

“I have maybe 50 whitetails left on my property, and the mule deer are coming back. They’re a welcome sight. They do way less crop damage,” said Driskill, whose family’s ranch is right next to Devils Tower National Monument.

A recent outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, commonly called blue tongue, hammered whitetail in the region, but didn’t badly affect mule deer, he said.

That could mean that the muley victory will be short lived, Driskill said, because whitetail breed like rabbits.

“Whitetail are like a weed,” he said. “Once they take hold, they have twins and triplets, and they’ll just take over an area.”

Bucks Duke It Out

Driskill has run the family ranch for 50 years, and said he’s watched whitetails and mule deer clash from time to time.

But for bucks of the two species to get into an all-out battle to the finish is rare, he said.

As to why the bucks in South Dakota brawled, it might have been because of a severe shortage of does during the rut or deer mating season, he said.

Generally speaking, mule deer and whitetail stick to their own kind when it comes to mating – and to bucks clashing over who gets access to does.

However, the two species do occasionally cross-breed, producing rare hybrid offspring.

The video, posted online by Buckstorm outdoors media, shows the whitetail and mule deer bucksflopped over on their sides with their antlers locked together. The bucks are completely exhausted from what must have been a prolonged battle.

The bucks were separated, and both limped away, but it’s not known if either of them lived, according to Buckstorm.

In a text message to Cowboy State Daily, a Buckstorm representative said that the video was shot on private property in South Dakota, and the landowners didn’t want to be named.

‘Whitetail Are More Aggressive’

Driskill said that on his property and across the Black Hills in Wyoming and South Dakota, “mule deer and whitetails are in direct competition.”

And overall, whitetail have the edge, he said. Even though whitetails are the smaller of the two species, they’re scrappier.

“Whitetail are more aggressive than mule deer and they tend to habituate toward people a lot better,” he said.

That’s why he worried that the mule deer victory he’s seen in the wake of the blue tongue outbreak won’t last.

Split The Tags?

Northeast Wyoming has some prime mule deer habitat. And rich nutrients in the soil there could produce some monster bucks, Driskill said.

But he thinks the Wyoming Game and Fish’s approach to deer management there isn’t working.

In much of the region, hunters can get a general (over-the-counter) deer tag and kill whichever species they like, he said. And out-of-state hunters in particular like to kill mule deer.

“There’s whitetail hunting opportunity all over the country, but this is one of the few places with mule deer hunting opportunity,” Driskill said, so non-resident hunters relish the chance to get a muley.

Driskill has advocated for splitting the hunting tags for mule deer and whitetails and managing the species separately.

“The whitetail tag should be over-the-counter, and the mule deer tags ought to be draw tags,” he said.

General, or over-the-counter deer tags may be purchased at any time. For limited quota draw tags, hunters must apply months in advance, and not all hunters who put in for tags will draw them.

Driskill backed legislation to split mule deer and whitetail tags during the Legislature’s 2024 session, but that bill failed.

He said he doesn’t plan to introduce a similar bill during the upcoming 2025 session.

But Game and Fish should still consider separate management for the two species, at least in northeast Wyoming, he said.

“If Game and Fish worked on it, northeast Wyoming would really be known for mule deer,” he said. “The mule deer are surging on my ranch. And they’ll only surge as long as whitetail deer are scarce.”

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.

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Wyoming

University of Wyoming sues former energy research partner for $2.5M – WyoFile

Published

9 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

University of Wyoming sues former energy research partner for .5M – WyoFile

The University of Wyoming filed a lawsuit this week seeking $2.5 million from an energy company it partnered with to research enhanced oil recovery.

The university in 2024 signed a contract with Houston-based ACU Energy to advance research at the university’s Center of Innovation for Flow Through Porous Media, according to the university’s complaint filed Monday in Wyoming’s U.S. District Court. ACU Energy agreed to pay the university $15 million over the six-year research period. The company, according to the complaint, was to pay the university $2.5 million annually with two payments each year.

While the university kept up its end of the bargain — by assembling a research team, training research members and incurring costs to modify laboratory space — ACU Energy “failed to pay the University even a cent owed under the Agreement, leaving $2,500,000 outstanding in unpaid invoices,” the complaint alleges.

ACU Energy did not respond to a WyoFile request for comment before publication.

Old Main, the University of Wyoming’s oldest building, is home to administrative offices. (Tennessee Watson/WyoFile)

The company notified the university in February that it was terminating the contract, and the university notified ACU Energy in May of its breach of contract, according to court filings. The university asked the court for a jury trial.

Enhanced oil recovery refers to methods used to squeeze more crude from reservoirs that have already been tapped for primary production, extending the life of an oilfield.

The university commonly accepts money from private businesses in return for lending resources and expertise to advance research. The Center of Innovation for Flow Through Porous Media is part of the university’s Research Centers of Excellence in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

The Center of Innovation for Flow Through Porous Media, led by Mohammad Piri, a professor of petroleum engineering, bills itself as “the most advanced oil and gas research facility in the world.” The center conducts research at the university’s High Bay Research facility, which “is funded by $37.2 million in state dollars and $16.3 million in private contributions, with an additional $9.2 million in private gifts for research equipment,” according to the center’s website.

The center has received donations from oil industry heavyweights like ExxonMobil, Halliburton and Baker Hughes.

Piri was tapped to serve as “principal investigator” for the UW-ACU Energy partnership, according to the university’s complaint. As of press time, ACU Energy had not filed a response to the lawsuit.

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Wyoming

Search for fugitive wanted for child-sex crimes leaves Wyoming town on alert

Published

21 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Search for fugitive wanted for child-sex crimes leaves Wyoming town on alert

With a population under 600, Byron, Wyo., is generally a quiet town. In recent weeks, streets have been even quieter as both local and federal law enforcement search for 39-year-old fugitive Anthony Pease, who is wanted for six counts of sexual assault involving a minor.

Authorities have been searching the area for weeks, and a reward for information leading to an arrest now sits at $2,000.

See how the search impacts the town:

Search for fugitive wanted for child sex crimes leaves Wyoming town on alert

Saturday morning, law enforcement shared there was a confirmed sighting of Pease near town and reminded residents to remain vigilant by locking their doors and reporting suspicious activity. According to Wyoming’s Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, before the weekend sighting, Pease hasn’t been seen since Nov. 1.

The Big Horn County Schools Superintendent, Matt Davidson, told MTN News a school resource officer on staff stays up to date with the latest on search efforts, and some parents say they’ve been keeping their kids indoors when they’re not at school.

As the search continues, the mayor as well as some residents, say they are taking law enforcement’s advice while keeping a watchful eye.

“I never used to lock my house during the day. I didn’t even lock my vehicles at night. In fact, a lot of the time I’d leave the keys in them. I’ve talked to other people and there is quite a few people that are nervous. I would hope that a lot of us are nervous because this is a bad thing,” said Byron Mayor Allan Clark.

In fact, investigators could be seen around Byron knocking on doors and scanning land outside of town.

“There’s just so much area and a low population, so much area for him to hide and seek shelter,” Clark said.

With so many wide-open spaces and abandoned buildings in the area, Clark understands why the search has gone on so long.

According to the US Marshals Service, Pease is 5 feet 11 inches tall and may also be going by the name Abraham. They also ask that anyone nearby who has a collection of silver dollars to ensure they are still there, and if not, to report to authorities.

Marshals say Pease is considered dangerous, and the public is told to not approach him and instead call 9-1-1. As the search has stretched over six weeks, many residents hope a capture will bring life back to normal.

“I hope that they capture him soon, and I hope that us as community members and around the area keep our eyes open and report anything suspicious,” said Clark.

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