GRAND FORKS, N.D. _ Deer and other wildlife continue to weather the winter of 2018-19 fairly well in North Dakota and Minnesota, but that could change if cold and snowy conditions persist through March and into April, wildlife managers say.
"It's a traditional Minnesota winter _ the problem is we've gotten used to the other ones," said John Williams, northwest region wildlife manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Bemidji, Minn.
According to Brian Prince, district wildlife supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Devils Lake, the past couple of weeks have been more difficult for wildlife, but overall, deer in northeast North Dakota continue to find enough food by browsing in fields.
As of last week, the Devils Lake office had gotten only a handful of depredation complaints of critters congregating in farmyards to raid livestock feed supplies, Prince said; the breakdown was four deer complaints, three elk complaints and one wild turkey complaint.
The elk complaints all were in the Turtle Mountains, and the remaining complaints have been scattered around the district, including Edinburg, Rugby and Orrin, N.D., Prince said.
By comparison, the office will get 30 to 40 depredation complaints during bad winters, he said.
"It's been pretty light on that end compared to other years," Prince said of deer and other wildlife complaints. "They're starting to feel the stress of the cold and the snow, but for the most part, they're still behaving themselves pretty good."
Game and Fish staff in other parts of the state have reported similar trends.
"It is starting to pick up now over the last couple of weeks with additional snow and the cold continuing to sustain," said Jeb Williams, wildlife chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Bismarck. "It's kind of evenly spread out, and each district is starting to pick up a handful here and there."
