Connection: Deer In The West

The Inland Northwest is wide open compared with the densely populated Eastern part of the nation. That factor ranks high among the reasons deer in this region have not become a monumental menace to humans.

Suburban sprawl creates an oasis for deer, especially for the adaptive whitetail. For example:

* Irrigation and landscaping create rich habitat that doesn’t suffer as much as native cover from the cyclical ravages of drought or hard winters.

* Deer predators such as coyotes, cougars and bears are discouraged from suburban areas.

* Deer hunting also is discouraged in suburban and densely populated rural areas.

Combine those factors with the incredible fecundity of Eastern habitats and one can understand why deer are multiplying like bunnies.

Life is so fat and happy for deer in much of the East, even the fawns are breeding, said Steve Zender, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department biologist in Chewelah.

The 256,000 deer killed by hunters in New York last year is more than the combined take by hunters in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

The number of deer killed by New York drivers in vehicle collisions is nearly double the 36,000 deer killed by hunters in Idaho.

Deer herds in northeastern Washington and North Idaho have made a good recovery from a devastating winter three years ago, yet Zender and other biologists stop short of saying the region has too many deer.

“If you have an alfalfa field, you might have a different perspective,” Zender said. “But we haven’t had too many deer since about 1992.”

Hunting helped that situation, he said, but it was the heavy hand of nature that eventually throttled the deer numbers back from a boom to a bust with a long winter and starvation.

As new homes continue to sprout on scattered parcels outside this region’s population centers, portions of the Inland Northwest are looking more and more like the East.

People who develop traditional deer winter range into landscaped yards, orchards and gardens are attracting deer - and even moose - to their oases.

While one landowner in this rural interface might want hunters to thin the deer herd, one of the surrounding neighbors invariably has a different point of view.

Outrage over the wounded deer that appeared in a newspaper photo with an arrow in its shoulder this week is an example of the problem.

Wildlife agency officials say the incidents of wildlife damage complaints and vehicle collisions with deer are likely to increase as suburban sprawl and rural development increase.