Deer Cannot Live on Winter Range Alone

If you have been paying attention to the plight of mule deer in the west, and what's being done about it here in Idaho you have, no doubt, heard a lot about winter range. But winter range is only part of a long equation that adds up to healthy mule deer habitat. As part of the Mule Deer Initiative, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is working to improve a less talked about habitat; summer range. Habitat biologist Terry Thomas says despite the lack of public attention, quality summer range is crucial. Summer range is where mule deer eat the food that will help them store fat. That fat is what deer rely on when food is scarcer during winter. "Winter range in the best of condition probably would not save a deer that came into winter with little or no fat reserves-reserves they build up on the summer range," Thomas said. So he and others are working to improve vital summer range in the Mule Deer Initiative focus area. The evidence of that work is pushing through the soil on some critical summer range in the Upper Snake River region right now. Thomas' crews planted a variety of forbs to replace the smooth brome that was growing on property owned mostly by Harold Winther. Among the browse for mule deer popping up on the Winther property is alfalfa, small burnet, milkvetch, sainfoin, bluebunch wheatgrass, big blue grass and basin wild rye. According to Thomas, brome grass quickly takes over, and turns places into monocultures (areas essentially dominated by one plant). He says elk will sometimes eat it, but it is not a good choice for feeding deer. The forbs that are now growing not only provide better forage for big game; they also provide better cover for birds. "The way we designed this, I think we did great things for upland birds and songbirds as well," Thomas said. While the cost per acre of this project was relatively high, Thomas and his crew minimized the expense by carefully selecting the treatment areas. Rather than attempting to convert the entire Winther farm, Thomas identified multiple small acreages in key locations most likely to attract mule deer, like those next to aspens, or near riparian areas or springs. This project covered 135 acres (110 of Winther's and 25 on an adjacent property.) The cost was $65 per acre in addition to the man hours, equipment, and fuel needed to get the job done. Converting the entire farm would have cost at least ten times more than selectively spot treating the prime locations. "A well designed project doesn't have to cover every acre to be effective," Thomas said. "Spot treatment is being used for mule deer because it has been shown that an acre of prime feed is all that a doe needs to raise her fawns." Thomas and other habitat biologists with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game will continue to identify locations where this kind of work will improve habitat for mule deer. It's just one small part of a large effort to ensure more mule deer for the future.