Inaugural UW Muley Fanatic Fellow Contributes to Wildlife Science

A University of Wyoming Ph.D. student recently became the first graduate as a Muley Fanatic Foundation Fellow after advancing the understanding of the ecology of mule deer and mentoring other scientists during her time at UW.

Tayler LaSharr, originally from Phoenix, Ariz., has conducted research with UW’s Monteith Shop since 2015, completing her master’s degree concerning bighorn sheep harvest and horn size before beginning work on her doctoral dissertation, focusing on the effects of harsh winters on mule deer and other questions in ecology of deer.

A woman dressed in warm clothes leans down to examine something within a yellow plastic case. — Tayler LaSharr reads a portable ultrasound machine in spring 2024 while on adult mule deer captures in the Wyoming Range. Ultrasounds are used to check female mule deer for pregnancy and to measure the amount of fat they possess following winter. (Taylor Wagstaff Photo)

During her time as a UW graduate student, LaSharr has been a co-author of over 21 peer-reviewed publications, including six first-author publications, and co-wrote a book chapter on the physiology and nutrition of mule deer. She has accepted a professorship position at Utah State University starting in fall 2025.

In 2021, LaSharr became the first-ever Muley Fanatic Fellow following the establishment of the Muley Fanatic Foundation Excellence fund at UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. After completing her Ph.D. last December, LaSharr received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Program in Ecology and Evolution at UW, as well as UW’s Outstanding Dissertation Award for 2024.

She has since worked as a postdoctoral researcher for UW Professors Kevin Monteith and Ellen Aikens and has been contracted to do research for several state wildlife agencies. Monteith is a professor and Wyoming Excellence Chair in the Haub School, while Aikens is an assistant professor in the School of Computing.

“As the inaugural Muley Fanatic Foundation Fellow, Dr. LaSharr is the epitome of the type of person and scientist we’d want to represent in this prestigious position,” says Monteith, her longtime adviser. “She embodies the definition of an impactful scientist with passion, grit, and innovation not to be surpassed, and she has not taken her role lightly. Through her collaborative efforts, she has made monumental steps toward understanding the short- and long-term consequences of severe winters for mule deer—and has taken the science and communicated it in an artistic, compelling, and impactful way. She will be missed, but she has blazed a path and left a mark.”

Four people in masks kneel around two fawns. One fawn is laying on a plastic sheet while two researchers touch it wearing plastic gloves. The other two researchers look on. — Recent UW Ph.D. graduate Tayler LaSharr (left) teaches wildlife technicians to weigh and process newborn mule deer in the Wyoming Range in 2021. LaSharr recently became the first graduate as a Muley Fanatic Foundation Fellow after advancing the understanding of the ecology of mule deer and mentoring other scientists during her time at UW. (Taylor Wagstaff Photo)

For the past 10 years, LaSharr has been an integral part of the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Project, working first as a technician and eventually as project lead on the long-term research effort that began in 2013. Over time, LaSharr has witnessed generations of mule deer grow and live in western Wyoming, from collaring fawns in their first hours of life to observing their growth and success or demise in months or years to come. As a Ph.D. student and now as a postdoctoral researcher, LaSharr has mentored several graduate students and early-career professionals. For her noteworthy commitment and contributions to fellow scientists and up-and-coming biologists, she was the inaugural recipient of the Wyoming Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s Kilpatrick Outstanding Mentor Award last spring.

The Muley Fanatic Foundation, founded in Rock Springs in 2012, began the Muley Fanatic Foundation Excellence Fund in 2021 to fund the studies of an advancing professional in the conservation of mule deer at UW.

“The Muley Fanatic Foundation continues to invest in the production of sound science and equipping the next generation of wildlife ecologists,” Monteith says.

For questions or further information, email Taylor Wagstaff, Monteith Shop lab coordinator, at tkennah1@uwyo.edu or visit www.monteithshop.org.

For more information on the Muley Fanatic Foundation Excellence Fund or to support the Muley Fanatic Foundation, visit www.muleyfanatic.org.

This story was originally published on UW News.