In my opinion, the temps of winter in our region of NY have little bearing on the deer herd. I still dont believe there was a winterkill of the DEC's described intensity, at least not in the Fingerlakes Region. Give me a fairly mild and not too wet spring, then we're talking! Fawns will drop according to last falls breeding period and overall doe health. Less deer=favorable breeding sequence=fawn birth dates in a favorable period.

If I had a crystal ball, Id say a few more years of fewer deer numbers, coupled with hunting pressure on coyotes and free ranging dogs will help the deer bounce back best, better then mild winters. I feel we had too many deer long enough to overpopulate coyotes to the point that they are affecting the fawn crop. Once coyote numbers balance, the deer numbers will adjust, if they even need to. Remember, this is all from a guy (me) who feels these current deer numbers are more in line to what they should be in most (not all!) areas. Interesting post, Phade.