Situation in Northern Utah

Beginning with the first snowfall this winter, Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) biologists have monitored deer distribution, range and weather conditions throughout northern Utah. In cooperation with a coalition of sportsmen's groups that include the Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife, the Mule Deer Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Cache Archers Association, biologists and managers from the DWR have deemed it necessary to support a limited feeding program for deer and elk at various locations in the Cache Valley.

Beginning November 24, winter storms began hitting Cache Valley with deep snow and colder than normal temperatures. The conditions forced deer to make a rapid migration to lower winter ranges.

The concerned coalition of sportsman's groups, recognizing the stresses deer were beginning to exhibit, began a feeding program in late December. Feeding sites were selected on private property, and DWR biologists provided advice on foods to feed and feeding operations.

Following a request and written proposal for feeding by the DWR's biologist in Cache Valley, DWR Salt Lake City and Northern Region staff conducted a field tour and approved feeding of deer and elk by the DWR at six sites north of Logan Canyon. Since January 21, the DWR has been purchasing alfalfa hay, deer pellets and whole corn to be fed at designated sites. Feeding operations continue to be conducted by volunteer sportsmen, with the local DWR biologist overseeing the operations.

From January 5 to January 27, the weather moderated and some traditional winter ranges began to bare off.

On January 28, however, an extremely heavy snowfall of up to 2 feet covered the valley, making conditions for deer survival critical again. More than 200 deer were counted at the Smithfield feed site last week. The number of deer at each site may increase slowly if weather conditions worsen.

On January 28, a request was made and approved to expand the feeding
operation to 12 to 15 total feeding sites.

Forage surveys conducted on winter range, and physical condition of deer in the fall, as measured by brisket fat, both indicated that under normal conditions, winter forage would be adequate for mule deer throughout the Cache deer unit this winter. However, climatic conditions have crowded the majority of the herd into small areas at lower elevations, creating the unusual need to provide supplemental feed.

The Cache Valley feeding operation is an attempt to preserve a base population of deer in the herd, and to keep deer and elk away from highways and also away from agricultural lands, which will reduce depredation problems with landowners. Careful consideration has been given to select feeding sites that will minimize disturbance by humans, which will reduce stress on the animals.

The DWR is expecting that most of this year's fawns on the Cache unit will not make it through the winter and reproduction next spring is expected to be low because of winter stress on does. Under normal winter conditions, between 15 to 20 percent of the fawn crop dies, but this year that percentage will be higher.

Conditions vary in the rest of northern Utah.

In Rich County south of Woodruff, the winter conditions are near normal, but north of Woodruff the snow depth increases. Bear Lake received at least 12 to 18 inches of snow from the storm on January 28, and the snow is drifting. Some of the snow is crusting and deer are having a hard time there. If conditions continue to worsen, feeding may be necessary along the east shore of Bear Lake. Supplemental feed would consist of corn, hay and specially mixed pellets. It would only be distributed in locations where there is ample natural forage and in amounts so the deer would continue to use existing plants and not become dependent on supplemental feeding.

Box Elder County currently has 18 feeding sites from Whites Orchard to Mantua, with sportsmen's groups providing 700 to 800 pounds of feed per day. Highway deaths of deer along Highway 89 in this area appear to be down, possibly due to deer congregating at feeding sites away from the highway. Snow depths on winter range vary from 10 inches at 4700 feet to 24 inches at 5200 feet near Mantua.

It's very cold near Snowville and there's 12 inches of new snow, with significant drifting. DWR Northern Region wildlife manager Lou Cornicelli anticipates more deer problems and die-offs around Snowville. An approved feeding plan for Box Elder County is under consideration by the DWR.

The DWR wants to emphasize that its feeding policy centers on feeding sites where hundreds of deer may be congregated. The focus is on maintaining a population base and not on feeding isolated numbers of backyard deer in scattered locations. The DWR does not support "backyard" feeding operations that only encourage deer to concentrate in urban areas where habitat no longer exists.

"Winters such as this are a testament to how essential undisturbed winter habitat is to Utah's big game herds," Cornicelli said. "As the state's population continues to grow, and housing developments replace sagebrush, it becomes more evident that in winters like this, if we're going to maintain viable deer herds, we have to have the habitat to do it."

Background On Supplemental Feeding of Big Game

The recent feeding situation in northern Utah brings up a reoccurring question. Should we feed deer and elk to get them through the tough times? Many Utahns remember the winters of 1983 or 1993 as black holes for Utah's deer herds, and it appears that some of northern Utah's deer herds may take a hit again this year.

The Division of Wildlife Resources is charged with managing the state's wildlife. In particularly harsh winters, the DWR has come under some criticism for not being more proactive in the supplemental feeding of big game herds.

The DWR generally does not endorse supplemental feeding of big game
animals. The effectiveness of supplemental feeding for deer and elk is debated and there are a number of reasons why the DWR is reluctant to endorse feeding.

If the right types of feed are applied at the right time, it appears some groups of animals can be sustained.

The problem arises when deer, and to a lesser extent elk, change from natural forage to man-made feed. Their digestive systems have a difficult time adjusting to that dietary change. Animals appear to do better when they use human-supplied feeds to supplement their existing diet, rather than to replace it entirely.

The animals may do well on man-made feed during the wintering period, but then have difficulty with the transition back to natural forage. To be effective, supplemental feeding must begin early enough in the wintering period, before the animal's body condition deteriorates. If feeding begins too late, no amount of human-supplied foods will bring deer through the winter.

Feeding also produces unnaturally high concentrations of animals in a small area. This results in the area being browsed or grazed to the point where it can no longer support as many animals as it once did.

High numbers of deer and elk can also raise concerns for disease transmission.

Once feeding begins, animals tend to remain in the area and become dependent on supplemental feed. Even if snow cover melts on traditional winter range, the animals remain at valley bottom or bench feeding sites until spring green up. This can result in their bodies actually using more energy to stay warm. Feeding sites are often located in valley locations that are subject to temperature inversions and in certain instances may have conditions that are more harsh than on traditional winter ranges.

DWR policy stresses feeding is undertaken only under extreme conditions, such as controlling agricultural damage, promoting public safety and to preserve the reproductive segment of the population. Climate conditions this year appear to be a threat to the reproductive segment of some of the herds in northern Utah.