But while the deer population is recovering, it won't be as high as it was a few years ago, he predicted. Winters are the main thing that kill deer off. Hunters kill a lot of deer but harsh winter weather usually kills more. Sitka blacktail deer were introduced to Kodiak Island in the 1920s, VanDaele said. They never were naturally suited to survive a harsh Kodiak winter, he said The winter of 1998-1999 was harsh for the Kodiak deer population, and it may have cut their numbers in half, biologists said.
Deer feed mostly on bark, kelp, and evergreens found under the snowpack in winter.
In severe weather, the animals are forced to concentrate in certain overwintering sites with an accessible supply of food, water and shelter. The best population estimate is provided by questionnaires filled out by hunters, he said. The total harvest dropped from the five-year average of 8,602 to 3,665 last season. Those numbers indicate the deer population is down, VanDaele said. Please tell us your thoughts about this topic.