Though we've had more snow recently, the state's deer herd hasn't been overly affected this winter. That's the word from DNR wildlife habitat supervisor Chuck McCullough in Antigo.
He says it's been a moderate to mild winter across the north...
"...we'll have a few places north of (Rhinelander) where it will exceed 18 inches of snow. The moderate value is 50 which is a combination of days below zero and days the snow depth is above 18 inches. For Rhinelander south, we're only in the 30-40 range. North of Rhinelander it will probably be in the 40-50 range. So it hasn't been a hard winter on deer because of weather...."
The index was developed in the early 1970’s. In general, the severity of the winter is based on the total number of points accumulated over the collection period. A winter with an index of less than 50 is considered mild, 50 to 79 is moderate, 80 to 99 is severe, and over 100 is very severe.
Annual deer harvest plans take into account the severity index totals, as this index provides insight into the number of deer that may have been lost due to the weather conditions. In very severe winters, up to 30 percent of the deer herd may be lost, dramatically affecting the overall populations. The index is calculated for 34 locations throughout northern Wisconsin.
During the winter of 2013-14, the year of the 'Polar Vortex', the severity index topped 100 in many parts of the Northwoods.
