Migration Corridors of Mule Deer in the Doyle Herd in California

The Doyle mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) herd migrates from a winter range in Honey Lake Valley and Upper Long Valley near Doyle, California along US Highway 395 in Lassen County, California and eastward into Plumas County and Plumas National Forest in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for the summer. Winter range also exists on the Nevada side of the border in Washoe County. Much of the winter range habitat is now deteriorated, lacking vegetation that historically provided forage. Highway 395 is a major barrier to migration, with hundreds of deer being killed annually trying to cross it. Population estimates were ~15,600 in 2019.
These data provide the location of migration corridors for mule deer in the Doyle population in California. They were developed from 44 migration sequences collected from a sample size of 14 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 3-13 hours.