Dogs and Deer Don't Mix

With snow blanketing the Panhandle, big game animals are facing the toughest challenge of their lives - surviving a hard winter. Winter perils to big game are many. The foremost problem is retaining sufficient fat reserves to outlast winter. One unnecessary strain on big game animals, deer in particular, is surviving direct attacks by free-roaming dogs. The deer that survive dog attacks use up valuable fat reserves in the process. The event may be the ultimate cause of mortality for deer that otherwise may have barely pulled through. Many dog owners reading this probably feel their "love you to death" dog would never chase a deer. But when dogs meet deer and natural predatory instincts take over, the chase is often on. It usually isn't much of a chase, as the lighter weight dog runs on top of the crusted snow, and the heavier deer breaks through the snow with little chance of escape. If concern about the welfare of individual deer or the deer population isn't enough to make a dog owner control his dog, Idaho law should. Idaho law says, "Any person who is the owner of, or in possession of, or who harbors any dog found running at large and which is actively tracking, pursuing, harassing or attacking, or which injures or kills a deer, or other big game animal within this state, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor." Dog owners violating this law face a penalty of up to $1,000 dollars. In addition, there is a civil penalty of $200 for the illegal taking of a deer. Add in court costs and missed work, and the effort to keep "Rover" at home and not roving is well worth it. When snow begins to melt, it is easy to think dogs are no longer a threat to deer. But winter is a very stressful time for wildlife. Low temperatures and limited food over the long term have cumulative effects that compromise a deer's ability to survive. The additional energy expended to outrun a dog may be the last straw. Yearlings and fawns are particularly vulnerable to winter hardships as they have less in the way of fat reserves, and their shorter legs make snow travel more difficult. As home site development continues in prime winter ranges, the problem intensifies. The same features favored for home sites, such as sunny southern exposures at the base of mountainsides with numerous trees and shrubs, are the same components necessary for good deer winter range. Idaho law also provides that, "Any dog found running, harassing, attacking, or killing deer or any other big game animal may be destroyed by any peace officer." Nobody wants to kill a dog. When a dog is threatening the life of a big game animal, officers try to stop the attack. When they cannot, the dog may be killed to save that and other deer. Please keep dogs confined to give deer a chance of survival in tough winter conditions. It is the responsibility of dog owners to keep their dogs out of situations where instincts to chase deer may result in death to the dog or the death of a deer.