Why is the DOW feeding big game animals during the winter?
The Gunnison Basin occasionally experiences extreme winter conditions. The conditions – which affect deer the most – cause food sources to be covered or inaccessible to wildlife. Animals become exhausted while pushing through deep snow and deplete their internal fat stores and energy reserves. Some winter mortality in deer is normal; generally around 8-15 percent of the does will die in an average winter. The current extreme conditions, however, could cause many more animals to die than would occur normally. In an extreme winter, the deer population could be dramatically reduced by up to 30 percent and not recover for several years. The goal of the Division of Wildlife is to maintain a stable population of big game animals. These animals are important to the environment, an important resource to the state of Colorado, and important to the economy of Gunnison County. Feeding is only done during extreme winter conditions.
