She spends winters east of Kanab and the rest of her time between Panguitch and Alton, in an area of Utah known for its trophy deer hunting.
For many of her species, living on the premium hunting territory known as Paunsaugunt unit could be a problem. But for this rare antlered doe, her home turf and apparent genetic abnormality could be the key to her longevity.
“There’s more bucks on that unit [where she lives], and that kind of allows hunters to be a little bit more selective with what deer they are harvesting, and so a deer with antlers that size wouldn’t even be close — like even in the realm — of what a hunter with a tag for that unit is looking for,” said Phil Tuttle, outreach manager with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.