We dmap'd Treasure lake this past year and plan on expanding it even more this year.Treasure lake is loaded with deer but the herd is definately alot smaller now than it was just 5 years ago.We suffered substantial winter mortality after the winter of 2004 and fawn recruitment was definately effected.

The deer in this area are very dependant on the mast and landscaping.Without either,the woods around here would be just as deerless as much of our state forests.The deer are lucky in one aspect because residents generally have to fight if they want to cut trees down.As a result,the residential areas are loaded with huge oak trees.When there's a good mast crop,they flock in to these areas.When that's cleaned up,theysimply change their diet to all the landscaping.We have aboput 3500 acres of undeveloped land.Much of the timber has been highgraded and the only regeneration is low quality beech and some striped maple in places.As a result,once the acorns start falling,many of the deer can be found in the residential areas.

You can look at what they're eating and tell if they're starting to struggle.My landscaping never gets touched when we have a mild winter and a good mast crop.When we have a bad winter,they start eating rhodedendren aeven holly.I foundover a dozen dead deerin the spring of 2004 in an area of about 1000 acres.That same spring we were doing a deer census with PSUand the groupI was with found 5 deer in a 76 acre patch of woodsthat died as a result of malnutrition.We busted open their femurs.

This area is a good illustration how deer populations fluctuate in poor habitat.Recruitment and deer numbers goes upwhen there's plenty of mast and a mild winter.The population goes right back down when the winters are severe.The only answer when this happens is to kill alot of deer to get the herd below the carrying capacity.