Tough Autumn for SE Alaska Deer

A recent story by an ADFG writer in the Juneau Empire details the tough winter being faced by SE Alaska deer. From the article:

Neil Barten, the Fish and Game area biologist for much of northern Southeast Alaska, noted that our region has experienced a series of fairly mild winters during the past five to 10 years.

Those favorable conditions have led to high deer densities, and many people came to expect that these high densities could persist indefinitely.

"Deer populations are subject to limiting factors in their environment, and here in Southeast Alaska, winter severity is the greatest limiting factor in deer survival," Barten said.

"During heavy snow winters such as this one, the carrying capacity of their habitat is only a fraction of that of a mild winter."

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