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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Winter takes toll on game

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review

Ten years of easy living – that’s about as much prosperity as big-game animals can expect before nature’s version of a “market adjustment” occurs in the Inland Northwest.

Are we in a wildlife recession? Maybe.

For years, in their pre-hunting season survey reports, wildlife managers have been referring to the gradual recovery of deer and elk since 1996-97, the last harsh winter to hammer big-game populations in Eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle.

It wasn’t until 2004 that Idaho Fish and Game Department surveys indicated the full spectrum of bull elk had recovered to fill in both the young and old age groups, which are the first to perish in severe conditions.

The seasons of 2005 through 2007 have been big-game heydays throughout much of the region.

Next season could be different. This winter’s heavy snowfall appears to be taking a higher-than-normal toll on critters, although it’s too early to tell for sure.

Cold and snow naturally cull wildlife populations even in the easiest winters. This year, however, it’s no illusion that critters seem to be dying in our yards.

“Elk are wintering notably lower this year,” said Jim Hayden, IFG regional wildlife manager, who has been conducting annual aerial big-game surveys in the Panhandle. “For the last 10 years, we’ve commonly found elk up to 4,200 feet, with some small groups at nearly 5,000 feet. This year so far, we’re seeing few elk above 3,500 feet, so they are indeed concentrated.”

Trouble is, people have filled up much of the lowland winter-range and migration routes, either with their homes and fences or their pets and activities.

The Clearwater National Forest this week has temporarily closed several roads on the North Fork Ranger District to all motorized travel, including snowmobiling, to protect wintering big-game animals that have been driven to the river canyons by deep snow.

That’s not an option in areas where people reside.

Winter feeding queries are pouring into area wildlife agencies.

“The answer is no, we’re not feeding. It’s not good policy,” said Madonna Luers, Fish and Wildlife Department spokeswoman in Spokane. “But we have some exceptions that confuse people.”

Indeed, a few big-game feeding operations are high-profile this winter:

“More than 1,000 elk have been spotted around Boise. Winter feeding is underway in some areas to lure the animals to safer places away from highways.

“Thousands of elk are fed every winter at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area near Yakima to compensate for more than 100 of miles of fence built to keep the elk out of orchards and other crops that fill their winter range.

“This year, the elk at the Mount St. Helens Wildlife Area are being fed to counter natural habitat changes stemming from the 1980 eruption. Rather than let nature take its course with a mass die-off, wildlife managers are sustaining the animals so hunters can gradually crop the herd from 13,000 animals to 10,000 over several years.

Winter feeding, however, is not generally recommended. No agency has a budget to feed so many wild animals over state-wide regions, and even scattered feeding by private parties can do more harm than good.

Big-game animals survive tough winters by layering on fat reserves before the cold weather sets in and finding areas to avoid harassment that can prematurely burn those fat reserves off.

Although deer and elk will readily come in to haystacks or pellets, their guts don’t digest this unnatural food efficiently unless they feed on it regularly. They can starve with full stomachs.

Feeding concentrates animals, making them more vulnerable to disease, predators and poaching. Poorly placed feeders can lure deer across roads where they are more vulnerable to being hit by motor vehicles.

Got a soft spot for wintering animals? Consider giving them a hand rather than a handout.

Avoid disturbing them. Keep dogs confined. Drive more slowly.

Join a land trust or conservation group that’s helping landowners establish conservation easements along streams and lowland areas to slow the rate at which development is gobbling up winter range.

Meantime, winter serves up a great opportunity for wildlife education.

Experience how walking on the sunny south-facing side of the street is warmer than being on the shady north-facing side. Compare the depth of snow on south-facing slopes with the snow on north-facing slopes. Then guess where most wildlife want to be.

Notice that deer have been sticking to their packed trails through the snow from bedding to feeding areas to save energy in the past two weeks, just as we have been following the plowed roads.

Even though bloody reminders of the rugged winter are along our roadways, it’s not all bad. The Washington Department of Transportation’s Spokane District recorded 73 road-killed big-game animals in January 2006 and 60 in January 2007. Surprisingly, the number was only 58 last month.

When a deer succumbed in my neighbor’s yard Friday, I offered to drag the carcass into the nearby woods.

By the next morning, all but the head had been devoured.

A bad day for big-game stocks was a good day for the opportunity that bonds coyotes, eagles, ravens and magpies.

Nature has a remarkable way of balancing its portfolio.