PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife believes poachers kill as many mule deer as legal hunters. That’s one reason the mule deer population in the state has dropped to 216,000 animals from historic peaks of more than 300,000. State biologists discovered the level of poaching during a five-year research study of deer between Bend and the California border. Poachers typically kill female deer, which are more important to reproduction.