Free: Contests & Raffles.
No doubt that hard winters or disease outbreaks cause the numbers to drop more than any other factor, but I think the predator footprint in the northeast is what keeps them from rebounding as well between those population corrections. When I was on the whitetail working group a few years ago one of the key issues brought up by WDFW was the fact that there isn't as much farming in northeast WA as a few decades ago and that was a reason that the whitetail population wasn't rebounding to previously higher levels. Essentially there aren't as many alfalfa fields as there used to be.
A few rambling thoughts on our whitetailed deer situation this year… I think the fact that a lot of people held off on whitetail hunting this year in affected GMUs in Washington is a feedback mechanism that does help the deer. Yes, hunters being active conservationists by recognizing challenges to the herd on their own! I am encouraged by what I've seen in that regard, especially people voluntarily holding off on doe harvest, the critical issue as far as future deer numbers. As for the bluetongue and EHD issues long-term, I have a few thoughts- * The whitetails will develop resistance over time. How long? Hard to say. But it has occurred in southern subspecies of whitetailed deer in the USA. If current trends continue for decades, then it will likely occur here. But that won’t help us right now. * Why do our streams in parts of Eastern Washington go dry in the summer, thus causing the virus-carrying Culicoides gnats to explode in number? -long-term soil loss from erosion results in quicker runoff during the spring- and eastern WA has one of the highest soil loss rates in the world. -use of drain tile in agricultural fields accelerates runoff in early season (and increases evapotranspiration from crops in drained areas- good for farmers, not good for hydrology) -loss of shading elements (trees, tall shrubs) increasing heat load on open channels, increasing evaporation loss from the active channel. A lot of minor streams have zero shrub, tree, or grass buffers in my region of the Palouse, for example. That has to increase runoff in the spring and decrease shading/cooling in the summer. -denser forest in remaining forest patches decreases water available for runoff during summer season (argument for thinning and use of prescribed fire to open up those forest patches- this is my passion). I imagine this is especially true for whitetail range in the northeastern corner of Washington, where a lot of the uplands are dominated by dry forest types (ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, grand fir) that have become overly dense in the period of fire suppression/exclusion, early 1900’s to today. -elimination of beavers and their ponds, which act to slowly release cool water and reconnect the channel with the floodplain, increasing water storage in valley bottom soils. This moisture is then released more slowly to surface waters through the year. -impermeable surface development (roads, roofs, etc.) probably contributes to some degree. -the climate is getting warmer, with drier summers. Without getting into the contentious issue of what's causing that, this fact is not helping late summer streamflow. * Side point: the flip side of the coin is that we have/had so many whitetails precisely due to farming (winter wheat sprouts, garbanzo beans, lentils, and pasture grasses produce a LOT of deer when the bluetongue isn't killing them!). Just want to be balanced about the thinking regarding agriculture. I think what we've done to the landscape, in sum, has created a situation where summer low flows or even switching to sub-surface flow are ever more common (cue the bluetongue). If it becomes an annual event, we might see whitetails get very scarce for a very long time. I guess I'm writing all this to point out that hunting harvest-related issues are not the central issue. Under normal circumstances, these herds can sustain pretty strong harvest. But can hunters get involved in landscape management issues to the benefit of deer? I am hoping that the answer is yes. Any thoughts?
