Deer hunters in western and northwestern Minnesota voiced concerns last week about wolves, crop damage and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a set of face-to-face community meetings with state wildlife managers.
The open sessions in International Falls, Alexandria, Thief River Falls and Moorhead were central to this year's deer population goal-setting by the Department of Natural Resources. Barb Keller, who leads the DNR's big game program, said she was struck by the diversity of issues: "Each block really does have a different flavor.''
In a telephone interview, she provided the following summaries:
International Falls — Hunters believe this region is home to far more wolves than it used to be and that the imbalance is hurting the whitetail population. Low deer densities are not new here, but wolves are keeping them low and hunters want to see more deer. DNR's winter severity index for the region is not "super severe,'' but deep snow and other conditions could become harsh for deer before spring arrives. The region is heavily forested, but pockets of landowners say deer are actively damaging resources.
Alexandria — Reducing agricultural damage caused by deer is a serious concern in this area of deer abundance where farm fields, woods, lakes and wetlands meet. But some deer hunters want to sustain high deer densities. Still others voiced a desire for fewer does. Last week the DNR announced a deer-feeding ban for Douglas, Pope and Stearns counties. The restriction was ordered because CWD was detected late last year on a Douglas County deer farm. Hunters questioned how the wild herd will be watched and managed because of the elevated risk for CWD.
Thief River Falls — Deer densities are a bit lower in this area than they are on land surrounding Alexandria. Here there are concerns about wolf predation and crop damage, but the sentiments are not as extreme as they are in International Falls about wolves or in Alexandria about depredation.
Moorhead — No one showed up here for the first DNR goal-setting meeting held weeks ago, but a small crowd did assemble last week for a second round of public input. The lack of angst suggests that people are somewhat content with the area's deer population.
The DNR selected the four regions because they haven't been reviewed for population management for at least 12 years. Keller said her team will take the input — along with survey information — and recommend to Commissioner Sarah Strommen whether the agency should strive to increase, decrease or hold steady on deer populations.
Once goals have been set for each block, wildlife managers will set appropriate hunting regulations. Setting goals statewide will take four years. Next year's focus will be on south-central Minnesota, the state's southwestern corner and counties north and south of the Minnesota River.
