Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has infected wild deer of Saskatchewan for at least the past 10 years. Disease management plans have evolved over the years, but without information on mule deer (<i>Odocoileus hemionus</i>) habits and movements in the grasslands of southern Saskatchewan. We radio-collared and monitored the survival and movements of 206 mule deer from 2006 to 2009. Long distance movements by deer have potential to transfer disease to previously naïve areas. Survival rates had not yet been evaluated in this area; baseline data will provide a useful measure for population-level impacts of the disease in the future.<p> Juvenile dispersals and adult migrations were contrasted from 4 study areas along the South Saskatchewan River. Dispersal distance (median = 22.8 km, n = 14) was similar to migration distance (median = 16.0 km, n = 49). Median migration distance was similar between males (15.7 km, n = 51) and females (19.7 km, n = 65). Obligatory migrants were more likely to be female. Deer from an area of extensive grassland were more likely to be migratory than their counterparts in fragmented grassland of an agricultural landscape. Maximum migration and dispersal distances were 113 km and 195 km, respectively. Movement paths of 33 GPS-collared deer were best explained by high terrain ruggedness values and proximity to grassland.<p> Seasonal survival rates showed that deer had lowest survival in autumn months during hunting season. Juveniles had lower survival than adults in all seasons. Harvest regime changes in 2008 improved the autumn survival of adult females but adult males had lower survival than in 2007. Body condition of captured deer was evaluated from residuals of mass-length regression. Cox regression analyses suggested that deer in good body condition (75th percentile) were half as likely to die and that those in very poor body condition (10th percentile) were twice as likely to die. Radio collars that weighed > 2% of body mass negatively affected survival and we recommend future researchers take this into consideration. <p> Survival, dispersal, and migration rates and patterns are crucial parameters in modeling CWD in local mule deer populations. Saskatchewan wildlife managers aim to prevent CWD spread into new areas, and can use mule deer movement orientations to target surveillance accordingly. White-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus virginianus</i>) movements are briefly discussed; further knowledge of their movements is required for CWD management in all of Saskatchewan.

Social perspectives on natural resources management have become an increasingly valuable part of natural resources management decision making, especially at the policy or governance level. However, due to the range of social contexts that can exist around management questions, not every technique for incorporating stakeholders into management is suited for every management problem. My research examines the social landscape around chronic wasting disease (CWD) management on the Canadian prairies in order to identify a way forward for stakeholder involvement in CWD management. CWD is a prion disease that results in neurodegeneration and death in cervids. CWD has the potential for broad social impact because it infects elk and deer, species which are both hunted and ranched. Furthermore, management and monitoring efforts in free-ranging cervids frequently incorporate hunting activity. Q methodology was used to survey stakeholders in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and synthesize perspectives about stakeholder understanding of CWD as a problem and preferences for potential solutions. The perspectives that emerged emphasized the importance of increasing knowledge about CWD and a generalized trust in government management, coupled with a desire for stakeholder consultation under the auspices of government leadership. I found that CWD management may not be ready for stakeholder spearheaded management activity due to ambivalence and uncertainty among stakeholders, but stakeholder involvement in CWD management can still offer valuable insight for managers. This is especially notable in light of the recent loss of Saskatchewan’s CWD monitoring program.

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