Another Dead Deer Carcass Found on the Property

Deer Carcass Found at Cat Swamp Winter 2011
Photo By Anne Batterson

Another deer carcass was found on the property.  Roger Johnson, a White Memorial employee, was harvesting trees north of Beaver Pond and saw loads of coyote tracks leading to a deer carcass.  This brings us to a total of 7 deer carcasses found on the property, so far this year.  We are not sure if this amount of mortality is different from the average amount of mortality each year because we don't monitor this population metric.  The amount of mortality may be greater this year because of the extreme winter conditions that we are experiencing, in addition to the average amount of mortality that our White-tailed Deer population experiences over most years.  But on the other hand, their might be the same or less amount of mortality this year with respect to previous years.  One possible mechanism that could cause this is the deep snow hindering the movement of White-Tailed Deer may reduce the number of times they cross roads, thereby reducing the number of animals being hit by vehicles.  Since we do not monitor this population metric, it is impossible for us to say.  So always be on the lookout for deer carcasses on the property and report them to us.  As well as, always keep your eyes on the road when driving to avoid hitting white-tailed deer.