Montana's mild winter created water challenges for many rivers this summer, but it gave the state's mule deer population a significant boost.
WATCH: Montana mule deer fawns surge 66% above average after mild winter
Spring surveys showed strong fawn recruitment across many parts of Montana. In the Bridger Mountains, wildlife managers counted 53 fawns per 100 adult deer — about 66% above the long-term average for that area.
"Spring surveys for mule deer specifically saw really good fawn recruitment in many places," Morgan Jacobsen of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said. The Bridgers, for example, we saw 53 fawns for 100 adult deer, which is about 66 percent above the long-term average fawn recruitment there."
With more fawns on the landscape, FWP is reminding the public to give them space — and to keep dogs away from young deer — so they have the best chance of growing into adults and boosting the overall population.
If you come across a fawn alone in the wild, wildlife officials say do not assume it needs help, Jacobsen said.
"Just because you find a baby animal in the wild does not mean it needs any kind of rehabilitation. It's there, and especially when it's left alone again, that's a survival strategy that helps them stay hidden and evade predators."
FWP does not have the ability to rehabilitate fawns, and officials say animals found alone are not necessarily abandoned.
"We have a saying that goes, if you care, leave them there," Jacobsen said. "(The) Reason for that is to give that animal the best chance of survival, keeping your distance and letting it be."
The complete results of the Region 3 mule deer survey are available on the FWP website.
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