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Harsh Winter Can Have Lasting Effect on Deer Numbers

December 03, 2008 - Regardless of what the calendar says, when the thermometer hits single digits in southern Maine, winter is here. For us humans it means the annual inconvenience of lugging in armloads of firewood, climbing into a cold vehicle every morning and cringing every time the oil burner switches on. For whitetailed deer, it means the beginning of another life- and-death struggle.

For deer in northern states like Maine, winter is a bottleneck, the period most critical to their survival. The quality and quantity of winter food and habitat are at their lowest, making them what biologists call limiting factors.

They ultimately determine how many deer the land can support. Those two factors, combined with winter severity (cold and snow depth), determine how many will survive the winter. This is, in part, why hunting season is in the fall. Thinning the herd before the period of limited food resources increases the odds for survival of remaining individuals.

Last winter was especially tough on Maine's deer herd. Snow came early and often. More importantly, it stayed late. Most deer go into the winter in good condition, and their behavior and physiology change. Their metabolism slows down. And they move less, and less often to feed. They survive by eating what they can when they can.

By mid- to late winter however, it's often not enough. In economic terms, they're operating at a loss – in the red. By moving about to feed, they actually burn more calories than they can take in. Fat reserves become depleted until, by winter's end, the gas tank is empty. If green-up comes early, they're fine. If snow persists, many perish.

As a result of last year's estimated winter kill, Maine's deer biologist Lee Kantar predicted this year's harvest to be in the vicinity of 24,000, the lowest since 1987 and well below the 20-year average of 28,704.

I spent a few days last week hunting in the Jackman area. Based on my observations and those of other guides and hunters I spoke with, the winter kill was every bit as bad as initially reported, perhaps worse. Deer numbers are way down. That's not really surprising news from the northern reaches, but I'm getting the same reports and seeing the same thing almost statewide.

The effects of even one bad winter are both immediate and residual. In the short term, there are fewer deer overall the following fall.

Also, the first deer to perish are usually the youngest – fawns. Had they survived, they would be yearlings this fall, which represent the majority of deer killed during the hunting season.

Next to perish are the oldest, particularly mature bucks (four and older) depleted by the rut. They're gone for this year and won't be replaced for another four or five. These are the bread and butter of Maine's sporting camp business, what brings non-resident hunters to our state, contributing an estimated $214 million to Maine's economy.

In time, the deer herd will recover. Whitetail's are among the most resilient and adaptable mammals on earth. They can exist in climates ranging from subarctic to tropical and occur in almost every type of habitat in North and Central America, from temperate rain forests to deserts, mountains to bottomland hardwoods, forests, fields and suburban neighborhoods. The question is how much time it will take?

The answer depends largely on this coming winter. With a mild winter, southern and central areas could see numbers back up near objective levels in a couple years. Farther north and east, it may take four or five years for a full recovery. In both cases, that's assuming no more severe winters in the interim.

The good news, if there is any, is that the habitat won't be as stressed. Relatively speaking, there will be more food for what deer remain. Lower deer densities also make deer harder to find. Combine this with warm temperatures and rain we had on a couple Saturdays during the firearms season, and you get lower than expected hunting mortality. That, in turn, means a few more deer around next year.

BOB HUMPHREY, Portland Press Herald, November 27, 2008


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