Walking in a Winter Wander-Land

Imagine, if you will, one of those days out snowshoeing the backcountry: A full day of fresh, deep snow and the hard workout of breaking trail. By evening, you’re beat, not to mention soaked from sweat and falling snow. You’re now approaching your cabin, already you’re starting to imagine the warming heat from the fire. You can just about taste the hot cocoa, smell the bowl of hot soup. Have the image in mind? Now this: The cabin door slams shut in your face. Try as you might, you can’t get in. When the door opens again, hope is quickly replaced by a pack of dogs. Big, mean dogs. Headed your way. With your last bit of energy, you plunge back into the snow, down an embankment that leads, you think, to safety. But no—it’s a maze of highways, all filled with speeding cars that seem oblivious to your plight. You barely make it, but where’s the rest of your party? You’re afraid to look back. It’s getting colder. You’re out of food, and you’ve just spent eight hours breaking trail in fresh snow. You’re exhausted and shivering. And then you realize: You have to stay out here for three more months. Welcome to the winter world of the mule deer. Snow Days For wildlife, winter boils down to this: Cold weather requires more calories to survive, at a time of year when nutritious food can be difficult to survive. Animals deal with the onset of cold and snow in different ways, from migrating to warmer climates to hibernating underground. But many species have adapted to deal with heavy snow and extreme temperatures. The ruffed grouse so common in many Inland Northwest forests actually dive into powdery snow and stay there—creating a warm burrow. The dusky (or blue) grouse actually spends the summer at lower elevations, and then migrates in the winter to the high, snowy mountains. In the summer, these birds feed on forbs, insects and a variety of other foods. In the winter, though, there’s no variety: They exclusively eat pine and fir needles (and only the outer two-thirds of the needle). By moving to the high snowy mountains in the winter, the grouse avoid competition with the many species found in foothills and valleys. In short, they have their dinners all to themselves. For deer, elk and other large hoofed mammals, winter is, quite simply, difficult. As with so many wildlife species, they need high quality winter range—which often lies in valleys. While mountains are often public lands, valley lands are usually private. When winter range is developed, cold and snow become that much more difficult for deer. Now they must not only conserve energy, they must also run the gauntlet of roads, pets, people recreating, invasive weeds and fences. That’s why conservation organizations like The Nature Conservancy put so much focus on protecting private farms, ranches and forest lands. These working lands give wildlife space to survive. Without them, deer and elk often simply disappear. A Banquet of Shrubs At this time of year—especially with the holidays—many of us fill up on huge celebratory dinners and tasty treats. It’s no secret why gyms in January and February are packed with people trying to shed pounds—and keep New Year’s resolutions. Let’s be honest, though: Cookies, a full turkey dinner, or mug of hot chocolate are awfully comforting on a cold winter day. And for good reason. Not so long ago in our evolutionary past, losing weight was not a desirable outcome. Calorie-rich foods ensured survival. It’s still that way for mule deer. They need enough energy to make it through the long, cold winter. To survive the winter, deer need nutritious plants. In large parts of Idaho, Oregon and Washington, deer move into the shrubby sagebrush flats—full of nutritious plants. However, cheatgrass (the non-native weed so common in foothills) has low nutrition value in the spring, when it is green. In the winter, it is worthless to wildlife, particularly when it’s buried by a foot of snow. Sagebrush, on the other hand, pokes out of the snow and is highly important to deer, elk, pronghorn, sage grouse and other wildlife. Dr. Carl Wambolt of Montana State University reports that many big game species prefer sagebrush in the winter. One Montana study showed that sagebrush consisted of more than 50 percent of a mule deer’s winter diet. A similar study for pronghorns found that sagebrush comprised 84 percent of their diet. Other shrubs like bitterbrush, winterfat and salt brushes complement a mule deer’s winter diet. Some biologists call bitterbrush “deer candy” because the animals go out of their way to eat it. (It can be very hard to establish these in an xeriscaped yard for this reason; the deer mow the plants down as soon as they’re planted). According to Bureau of Land Management botanist Roger Rosentreter, sagebrush is like the “meat and potatoes” of a mule deer’s diet in winter. Just as with human diets, a variety of foods helps deer stay healthier. Bitterbrush and other shrubs provide different nutrients to help the deer make it through winter. “A mule deer diet of sagebrush and a little bit of bitterbrush is high quality winter forage,” says Rosentreter. “The deer prefer the bitterbrush but they will do very well if you have both. They compliment each other with proteins and nutrients. It also aids in deer digestion to have both.” Protecting and restoring native plants ensures that deer can bulk up. This in turn makes it easier to survive heavy snowfall, parasites, predators and encounters with humans. Even with those plants, winter is not easy for wildlife. You can help. This winter, avoid winter range—those places where deer, elk, pronghorn and moose congregate. When a deer stands up to check you out, it’s burning precious calories that it will need in March. Wildlife is remarkably adaptable to even the harshest conditions. If deer and other large mammals are given just a bit of space and healthy habitat, they’ll be a part of our region’s wildlife heritage for future generations to enjoy.