Report Nr. 3251 The Winter of 1995-96 A Tough One for White-Tailed Deer

The winter of 1995/1996 was incredibly difficult on the white-tailed deer population of Michigan. This was due to the combination of a bad winter and an overabundance of deer. The Winter Severity Index of 120.4 in the Upper Peninsula (UP) was the 7th highest on record to date. It was lower than the all-time record of 147.7 for the winter of 1978/79, but far above the average reading of 87.6 during the past 10 years. The Winter Severity Index in the northern Lower Peninsula was the 9th highest, also behind the record of 99.1 for 1978-79 and also above the average of 60.1. The southern lower Winter Severity Index of 55.5 was the second highest, behind 70.1 of 93/94, although southern readings have only been taken since 1989. The average reading for southern Lower Peninsula since readings began has been 47.5. The only viable solution to this problem is continued antlerless deer hunting, even after a bad winter, to keep the herd in balance with its range. If this is not undertaken, the consequences of overpopulation, like the mortality of deer this past winter, will be experienced over and over again.