REGIONAL— As a second mild winter in a row comes to an end across the North Country, the region’s deer herd appears to have come through in good shape— and that should bode well for the population’s continued recovery.
After a tough winter, even surviving deer can be in rough shape. But that doesn’t appear to be the case this year, said Jessica Holmes, Tower area DNR wildlife manager.
“They’re looking really healthy right now,” she said.
That’s to be expected after the winter severity index, or WSI, in the area finished up under 50 in most deer permit areas in northeastern Minnesota, which is considered mild. “We had a few areas bumping into the 60s,” said Holmes, “which is still pretty mild.”
The WSI adds a point for each day with a minimum temperature of zero F or below and a point for each day with a measured snow depth of 15 inches or greater.
In the Tower area, a WSI reading of 100 is considered average, while anything over 120 is considered severe. Winters with readings over 160 tend to lead to severe winter mortality that can set the deer population back for several years. The area saw back-to-back severe winters in the early 2020s, which led to a significant decline in deer numbers.
Despite two mild winters in a row, Holmes said she expects the DNR will remain conservative with its bag limits for this fall’s white-tailed deer hunt. “If we had a highly productive habitat, it would definitely help the recovery,” said Holmes. Wildlife managers have been sounding the alarm for several years about the lack of good winter cover on many public acres, which they believe has hampered winter survival among deer.
Holmes said the DNR should have a better idea about the state of the deer herd once fawns start to drop beginning in mid-May. “If we start seeing a lot of twins, that will be indicative of the improving conditions,” she said.
“We could use three or four mild winters in a row to really start to make a difference,” said added.