More on winter survival and feeding.....


Ungulate populations (deer/elk/moose/sheep) have been steadily climbing over the last ten years since the horrific winter die off of ’96-’97. That year, in the Grand Forks area alone, we lost at least 80% of our mule deer herd, virtually all whitetails that lived outside urban and agricultural zones and the bulk of the northfork bighorn sheep herd. The fallout from major ungulate die offs like this can be acutely felt as the food chain crashes like a deck of cards.

Predator species, particularly cougar (mountain lion) that had been enjoying high prey numbers throughout the west suddenly had to change their behaviour and search for food in the limited areas where prey species still survived. The increased competition in small concentrated zones (particularly urban/sub-urban/agricultural areas) created high levels of stress due to hunger, territory overlap and physical conflict between individuals. Consequently, this resulted in a sudden predator population crash by the end of winter 1999. Highly adaptable species, like the coyote, seem to weather these fluctuations well and soon bounce back quickly, if ever really suffering much at all. Specialized species, like cougars, on the other hand, don’t fair as well due to their limited “niche” options. Scientific research suggests cougar cycles to be around 40 years, so we don’t expect their return of high numbers, in the Kootenay/Okanagan at least, until perhaps, 2040! Some areas, including the Cariboo/Chilcotin and the West Coast/Vancouver Island areas, which did not get hit so hard by the ’96-’97 ungulate die off (or at least recovered much faster) still seem to have healthy and even high cougar numbers.

The good news is that a series of mild winters over the last 10 years has helped to contribute to a healthy return of ungulates throughout all of northwest North America. This is also due, in no small part, to the contribution of human activity including winter feeding programs, winter range habitat improvements, low elevation logging, prescribed burning and increased clearing of the forest to mitigate fire hazard around urban areas. The current mountain pine beetle epidemic, although disastrous for our forest-resource based economy, will increase useable ungulate habitat tremendously. The expected increase in frequency, intensity and size of future forest fires due to high fuel levels (a result of both beetle killed pine forests, short sighted forestry practices like the suppression of natural forest fires and the effects of global warming) will also increase the area and the quality of ungulate range habitat by opening the forest crown and allowing the growth of forage grasses and browse. With the ever increasing population of ungulate prey species, large top predator populations are sure to follow. This is already clearly evident in many areas of British Columbia and Alberta where wolf, grizzly and black bear encounters and sightings seem to be more common every year.

Winter feeding programs by wildlife lovers, conservation groups and sporting organizations contribute tremendously to mitigate the natural extremes in ungulate population cycles. I have recieved criticism in the past from individuals who consider our valuable wildlife resource to be merely pests that eat gardens and crops, and threaten to collide with speeding vehicles, and from some government agencies who are only concerned with legal and liability issues. However, conservation groups and organizations, including Canada Photo Safaris, concerned with the overall health of our wildlife continue to maintain and promote winter feeding programs.

Cold weather alone doesn’t always mean low winter survival. Generally, as long as animals and birds are able to forage for food, they can handle the cold pretty well. It’s the depth of snow and its condition that are critical for survival. Deep snow that requires great effort to walk through and dig down through to reach grasses and browse creates significant physical stress. Crusted snow conditions, when mild temperatures melt the surface layer and then freeze hard again, are deadly. There are few more pitiful sights than watching a deer trying to run from a pack of coyotes as it struggles to break through the crust with each step. The much lighter coyotes easily race across the surface to catch up to the deer and tear them apart. Large packs, and smaller family units, of coyotes will kill a lot of deer during these periods of dangerous snow conditions.