During periods of deep snow, woody browse such as blueberry, yellow cedar and hemlock, and arboreal lichens are used. Woody browse alone, however, is not an adequate diet and deer rapidly deplete their energy reserves when restricted to such forage. Deer populations in Alaska are dynamic and fluctuate considerably with the severity of the winters. When winters are mild, deer numbers generally increase. Periodically, however, a severe winter will cause a major decline in the population.
Deer have a high reproductive potential, and depressed populations normally recover rapidly.
In some cases, however, predation may speed deer decline, as well as slow recovery to higher levels. The wolf, which occurs on the mainland and islands south of Frederick Sound, is considered the major predator of deer in Southeast Alaska. Both black and brown bears also prey on deer to some degree. The most serious problem for deer management, however, is the permanent loss of quality winter range due to clearcut logging. Current forest management practices allow clearcut logging in many areas throughout Southeast Alaska every 90-125 years.