Sever winter deer index

[Lee Borgersen]

                        DNR's WSI update:

Deer hunkered down in conifer cover
A full-size winter complete with snow and cold temperatures has DNR wildlife managers looking at the area deer herd.

According to DNR wildlife manager Tom Rusch, the winter severity index (WSI) is running about normal.

The agency tracks snow depth and temperature to come up with a winter severity index. To gain a point, there has to be 15 inches of snow or more with an additional point if it is zero or colder.

Tower area snow depth is fairly consistent with 21.5" at Eveleth, 21" at Tower and Greaney as of Feb. 3 measured in a mature hardwood stand.

The current WSI index ranges from 65 to 100 in northern St Louis and northern Lake Counties.

The DNR uses end-of-season values to determine how severe a winter is with <100 indicate a mild winter; 140 equals a moderately severe winter and values >180 indicate a severe winter. An average Tower winter is 120.

According to Rusch:

• At this juncture, deer are hunkered in the best available conifer cover.

• Deer movement is still fairly good, despite the conditions. Snow is deep, but uncrusted allowing for restricted foraging movement.

• The impact of this winter won't be known until later in the winter (late April or early May).

• This is a severe winter but not as severe as the winters of 1995-96 and 1996-97.

• During severe winters a significant number of deer will not survive and surviving does may not be in adequate nutritional shape to raise the normal number of fawns.

• MNDNR does not support deer feeding because science shows that emergency deer feeding does not have a significant positive effect on the overall deer population and it increases the risk of disease transmission, which outweighs any benefits to individual deer.

• Deer exist today because they evolved to withstand severe winters. Deer are resilient and rebound quickly. Following the two consecutive severe winters of the late 1990s, the deer population rebounded to pre-severe winter levels within two years, and was at near record levels within 5-6 years.

• Our primary interest is to maintain the long-term health of the deer herd.