![]() ![]() This may occur on rare occasions or countless times per day depending on the level of use and frequency of disturbance. Irrespective of the cause, disturbance usually results in mule deer avoiding areas where the disturbance occurs and forcing them into smaller or more marginal areas with poorer habitat. How do people fit into this? Disturbance and harassment comes in many forms and can be caused intentionally or unintentionally by human activities or development. In addition, human-related disturbance can stress animals and cause them to expend unnecessary energy which may increase winter mortality. This can result in reduced reproductive success and increased mortality. Severe winters can tax a deer’s ability to obtain necessary forage while draining fat reserves. Severe winters are a major factor influencing population dynamics. Deer go into the winter with a full tank of gas (fat reserves) not knowing how long the winter will be or what issues they will need to deal with. Deer normally lose weight during the winter. Stored fat is burned during winter to partially compensate for the lack of nutrients in the winter diet. bitterbrush, sagebrush) is lower in nutrients and less digestible than the summer diet, requiring more energy to digest and resulting in fewer calories. Fat reserves can be upwards of 30 percent of total body mass. This serves both as insulation and as energy reserves for the rigors of winter. During the summer, deer accumulate and store body fat under their skin and around internal organs. Nutrition influences overall body condition, reproductive success, and survival. Deer must obtain sufficient energy, protein, and nutrients from the plants they eat to maintain body condition and successfully reproduce. Why is this habitat important? Nutritional intake is a critical component of deer biology. In Oregon, mule deer migrate, often long distances, to lower elevations to escape or minimize exposure to snow cover. Winter ranges usually have minimal amounts of snow cover and provide vegetation for forage, hiding cover, and protection from the weather. Winter range is found predominantly in lower elevations of Central Oregon and is extremely important to mule deer survival. Winter range is habitat deer and elk migrate to in order to find more favorable living conditions during the winter. ![]()
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