king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated April/May 2008 - Index

I t
appears that snow-skiers and
mule deer hunters will be talking
about the winter of 2007-08
for years to come. As I write this,
sportsmen and wildlife biologists
alike are crossing their fi ngers
that warmer weather is on its way
while mule deer struggle to survive
amidst extreme snow depths,
temperatures well below zero,
and a layer of hard-crusted
snow that makes foraging
for food extremely diffi cult.
Within my warm home beside
a log fi re and a nice beverage,
I search the internet for
tonight’s low temperatures
across the West: Kemmerer,
Wyoming -18° F; Gunnison,
Colorado -20° F; Burns,
Oregon -12° F; Vernal, Utah
-10°. Someone forgot to tell
the western United States that
we’re in a global warming
emergency. Immense snow
storms have been the norm
for weeks and the weather forecast
isn’t expecting a break anytime soon.
By the time you read this, we’ll have
a better idea on how the deer fared
this winter season.
A heavy winter, such as
this one, brings back the horror
of the devastating 1992-93 winter
from which mule deer populations
84 HUNTING ILLUSTRATED.com
across the West still haven’t recovered.
I discovered the effects of hard winters
at a young age. It was a cold January
morning and my dad and I were walking
alongside a lake to do some perch fi shing
through the ice. To my right in the deep
snow, a brown patch of fur caught my
eye. It was a doe stumbling to get up
from her bed. At fi rst, I was thrilled to
see a deer so close. My reaction, like
most young kids, was to get as close as I
could before she spooked. She dropped
back to her knees and lowered her heavy
head, surrendering to the elements. I
knelt down next to her and patted her
Michael Burrell
www.muledeernet.org
Winter’s Rage on Winter Range
A mule deer herd moves across
valuable winter range habitat
5MULE DEER WATCH5
matted winter coat. Her bones poked
against her skin like tent poles and
her breathing was heavy like she had
run a mile, but she hadn’t. I can’t
recall if any perch were caught, but
I still remember my dad’s consoling
words on winter kill being a natural
event.
It is painful to see sportsmen
and wildlife agencies
contribute so much effort in
sweat and dollars to recover
mule deer populations via
enhancing habitat, managing
stronger buck/doe ratios,
predator control, and so
forth. And then, in a single
rogue winter, Mother Nature
jogs our memories of who’s
really in charge in this thinskinned
environment.
Whether in form of
snowfl akes or raindrops,
precipitation can be a curse or
a blessing for mule deer - it all
depends on the amount and
the timing. Normally, higher levels
of precipitation improve production
of nutrient-rich deciduous shrubs,
which mule deer need to maintain
good health and maximum antler
growth. Too much precipitation, in
the form of deep snow, can cover the
deer’s groceries and they must then
dig for food or travel in search of