How many deer per section is typical in the foothills?

[Nyksta]

How many deer per square mile is normal for a typical rolling foothills aspen forest style landscape. What's the best method for increasing population on an area?

[3blade]

Whitetail or mule deer or both? Crops, grazing, all natural? Elk competition present also? Private or public?

Too many variables to give you a deer per section, however the main limiting factors here in Alberta regarding carrying capacity are winter food (browse), unlicensed hunting and natural predation in that order. Deep snow is a consideration but out of our control.

The best way to improve habitat largely depends on what is allowed, logging/fires produce excellent browse, however that takes time. Managing predators especially during winter and spring will usually produce the fastest results. Keeping Trudeau’s poachers out only works if the land is private, fenced, and patrolled.

[Mountainaccent]

We can have any where from 10-50 depending on weather in our field. If elk are present they always go to other side of field

[Speckle55]

Which WMU's are you asking about ?

David

[Bushleague]

I cant give you an exact number, but in my observations population densities will often be higher near development such as clear cuts and pipelines, but further away from such features one will often find a much higher percentage of mature animals.

I've never been sure if this is because the mature animals learn to be wary of development or if its because the backcountry is less forgiving and a lower percentage of immature animals survive.

To sort of answer you're question, as best I can, today I hunted a loop through about 3KM of ridge covered in mixed forest, with some hard edges in close proximity. I would say that I cut the tracks of about a dozen deer, which I consider about normal, but the majority of these were concentrated in several distinct areas. Even with no obvious features to cluster game they are not dispersed evenly... in the wrong areas one would have seen no tracks at all.

[MyAlberta]

Improve winter forage and reduce hunting pressure. Too much variance for a number per

[Nyksta]

Thanks guys, ill work harder on those predators.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Some recent game surveys of white tails WMU 521, in 2018 0.71/km2, in 2005 0.96. In WMU 346 0.36/km2 in 2018, and 0.60 in 2012. Hope this helps.

[Nyksta]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Some recent game surveys of white tails WMU 521, in 2018 0.71/km2, in 2005 0.96. In WMU 346 0.36/km2 in 2018, and 0.60 in 2012. Hope this helps.

I saw those, but it really makes me wonder what a typical population is or could be when driving along the highway in the evening and you see 5 to 15 deer in the fields of every two to three properties in some areas.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Generally moose are well distributed throughout a WMU. However whitetail deer and elk tend to concentrate in good alfalfa fields in farm areas. Muley tend to disperse fairly evenly in foothill or boreal WMU's. Lastly farmers or acerage owners that do not allow hunters tend to get heavy concentrations of game.

[summit151]

Originally Posted by 3blade

Whitetail or mule deer or both? Crops, grazing, all natural? Elk competition present also? Private or public?



Too many variables to give you a deer per section, however the main limiting factors here in Alberta regarding carrying capacity are winter food (browse), unlicensed hunting and natural predation in that order. Deep snow is a consideration but out of our control.



The best way to improve habitat largely depends on what is allowed, logging/fires produce excellent browse, however that takes time. Managing predators especially during winter and spring will usually produce the fastest results. Keeping Trudeau’s poachers out only works if the land is private, fenced, and patrolled.

I would say (patrolled) is the biggest help on private. Fencing and signs don’t seem to help much anymore


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[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by Nyksta

How many deer per square mile is normal for a typical rolling foothills aspen forest style landscape. What's the best method for increasing population on an area?

Stop shooting does. Apparently, the government thinks populations are more than adequate.

Grizz