![]() “But even with the favorable weather conditions this spring and the resiliency deer can exhibit, their numbers will take some time to rebound.” ![]() “We’ve been lowering our B license numbers for a few years,” said Cory Loecker, Region 4 wildlife manager. ![]() The prairie-breaks habitat of central Montana’s Region 4 has seen declining mule deer numbers, and much of the region had already changed to antlered buck-only regulations in response to severe winter conditions and summer drought of the past few years. By following the plan, we have adjusted our antlerless B license opportunity annually and over the past few years we have reduced those opportunities by 91 percent.” But that’s what our adaptive harvest management plan is designed to address – localized conditions that impact populations. “Hard winters, dry summers – it all takes a toll on mule deer in particular. “It’s really not been just one thing,” said Brett Dorak, FWP Region 7 wildlife manager. The combination of these environmental factors has impacted mule deer herds in southeast Montana so much so that recent surveys indicate the population there is 48 percent below the long-term average. This drought has also, at times, been coupled with hard winters, making it especially difficult for fawns to survive to adulthood. Over the past few years, persistent drought, particularly in southeast Montana, has affected both survival and recruitment rates for mule deer. HELENA – While mule deer populations remain steady in portions of the state, spring green-up surveys conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife biologists showed populations in some parts of the state remain lower than desired, and as a result, licenses available to hunters in those areas have been cut back.
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