Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mule deer reproduction in North Dakota is down as a result of this past year's severe winter, but hunters heading out for today's deer gun opener still should enjoy a good hunt.
"But overall, we still have good numbers of mule deer in the Badlands," said North Dakota Game and Fish Department Dickinson District Office big game biologist Bruce Stillings.
The department just released the results of its fall aerial mule deer survey that covers 285 square miles of western North Dakota.
"We have study areas in the Badlands as far north as east of Watford City and all the way as far south as southwest of Bowman, south of Rhame," he said.
Aerial observers counted 1,528 mule deer overall with a buck-to-do ratio of .54 that is above the long-term average. The fawn-to-doe ration of .74, however, is the second lowest the department has documented since 1975. It also is well below the .95 fawns per doe for the long-term average. Stillings said the fawn ratio isn't surprising given the harsh winter the region saw this past year.
"With such a severe winter that we just had, that is certainly going to take its toll on those reproductive does out there," he said.
He said the fawn ratio is certainly below average, but it isn't devastatingly low. The long-term impact of the poor reproductive year remains to be seen.
"It's really going to be determined by what type of winter we have going into this year," he said.
If the Badlands sees a relatively mild year with good fawn survival, the overall mule deer herd should see a decent recovery.
Stillings said production was slightly higher in the northern Badlands at 77 fawns per 100 does. The southern Badlands saw a slightly lower rate of 71 fawns per doe.
"The Badlands were affected pretty similarly across the board," he said.
This year's new crop of fawns now have a huge hurdle to jump to make it into the population next year.
"Now the biggest thing is how those fawns survive over the winter, which is pretty much affected by the winter weather, and see how many of those that survive are recruited into the population," he said.
The positive to this past winter's heavy snowfall, however, is it rejuvenated most of the Badlands habitat when it melted, overcoming about a decade of drought.
"The deer that did survive with this very severe winter were met with wonderful habitat for the spring and summer months and continuing into the fall," he said.
That enhanced habitat should provide much improved cover this coming winter, which should better the chance of survival if another severe winter hits.
"Barring one of those severe winter events, we should see pretty good recruitment for this year's fawns, even though production was on a lower side," Stillings said.
Despite the poorer mule deer ratios, he added, "There are many, many states that would love to have the production we documented this year, even on our lower years."
Overall, the state's mule deer herd in the Badlands is in good shape.
"We'll monitor the situation this spring and make adjustments as necessary for licenses," he said.
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