AS snow depths increase and temperatures get colder in the upstate woodlands of New York, regional wildlife personnel prepare to venture into deer wintering areas.
Recognizing the importance of deer winter range, wildlife biologists make a substantial effort to locate and map these areas. The condition of the winter range is incorporated into the management of deer populations.
Locations of concentrated deer were mapped from airplanes in the long, cold winter of 1995-96, the last winter that deer herds were really concentrated to a stressful state. Mild winters since have allowed deer freedom of movement and access to plentiful food supplies. During these mild winters, deer are close to the wintering area, but have not been confined to these “yards,” according to wildlife biologists.
As severe winter conditions limit deer to less than five percent of their normal range and deer refuse to leave these yards, food becomes a serious problem. The quality of deer winter range, say biologists, is of paramount importance to the well-being of the herd. Fortunately, a high demand for firewood and timber products in the past decade has resulted in a good supply of browse in many wintering areas.
Biologists know that continued overuse of food supplies on the winter range, by a deer population that is too large, will result in a decline in the deer’s physical condition and can eventually lead to starvation. In addition, say wildlife biologists, continued overuse reduces the area’s ability to support deer in subsequent years.
Biologists and technicians conducting field surveys utilize a data sheet to evaluate each wintering area. Snow debts in the hardwoods and the softwoods are recorded, along with depths to which the deer’s hooves are penetrating into the snow. The latter helps to determine how difficult movement is for deer.
The surveyor also documents the type of browse that is present. Some of the deer’s favorite foods include apple, white cedar, yew, striped maple, basswood, witch hobble, red maple and staghorn sumac.
The common elements of typical winter range, say New York wildlife experts, include south facing slopes, deep sheltered ravines, dense stands of evergreens and large, densely vegetated swamps.
With plentiful browse and good cover, a deer can survive the winter quite nicely, but this is complicated when a disturbance factor is added. Disturbing deer in a wintering area causes needed calories to burn. Walking or running through deep snow burns these calories in a hurry. Constant snowmobiling or four-wheeling through a deer’s wintering range can be devastating, and not only from the vehicles themselves, but the tracks they leave give dogs a trail into these areas. When deer are confined to these yards the dogs have easy pickings.
Biologists who have witnessed the act of dogs chasing and killing deer say it is not a pretty sight. If the dogs don’t kill the deer directly, they have caused the deer to burn off thousands of calories essential to survival.
State wildlife biologists are asking homeowners to keep their dogs under control, especially during the winter months.
