Winter conditions keep grip Up North, but whitetails show resilience

Extended snow and cold are dragging more areas of northern Minnesota into "severe winter'' status according to an index watched by wildlife officials.

As of Thursday, severe conditions existed across 14 deer permit areas, a reversal from last year's comparative nonwinter. The region hardest hit is inland from the North Shore in Lake and Cook counties. Elsewhere, parts of St. Louis, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Roseau, Itasca, Beltrami, Clearwater, Kittson, Marshall, Hubbard and Cass counties have experienced winter weather classified by the index as "severe.''

Officials say weather-related fawn deaths have been reported sporadically across the northern tier, but whitetails have shown a lot of resilience under conditions that have hampered their mobility and feeding. The last severe winter across a broad area of northern Minnesota was in 2013-2014, said Barb Keller, big game program supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

"This is when deer are on the edge,'' Keller said. "But we're not hearing of any widespread deer die-offs.''

Along Hwy. 61 north of Duluth, travelers are urged to be vigilant for deer because herds have been congregating there in search of food, escaping deeper snow in the forest.

"They are finding food but there are lots of collisions,'' said Nancy Hansen, DNR area wildlife manager in Two Harbors.

Northeast of Duluth this week, Hansen said the snowpack in certain places still was more than 30 inches. According to the DNR's Winter Severity Index, one point accumulates for every day there are more than 15 inches of snow on the ground. Another point accumulates for each day with a temperature of zero or less. End of season values of 120 or more are severe. Last winter, there wasn't a score higher than 42 points across a permit area anywhere in the state. This week, the deer permit area at the tip of the Arrowhead was listed with 172 points.

For moose in the region, Hansen said, this spring's deep snow could bring a blessing by suppressing reproduction of ticks that feed on them over the winter. As the ticks fall off now, many will die in the snow before they can reach leaf litter to lay eggs. On the flip side, Hansen said, many moose lost a degree of protection against this winter's bitter cold by scratching away fur to fight the ticks.

In northwestern Minnesota, DNR Regional Wildlife Manager Blane Klemek said the landscape north of Wadena is largely frozen. He said it's become common to hear of deer mortality, primarily among fawns. But there's been no need for a formal mortality survey. This winter's conditions, however, will weigh against setting higher bag limits for the fall hunt.

Dallas Hudson, a hunter and naturalist who lives southwest of Walker on a lake still covered in 23 inches of ice, said deer in his area were one good snowfall away from being in serious trouble. Retired from the U.S. Geological Survey but still keeping close tabs on the weather and seasonal changes, Hudson said this winter's snow and cold in northern Minnesota must have been in the top 20%, historically. He said it fits with a 25-year winter cooling trend that he's documented in Minnesota.

Hungry deer in his area have gathered in hayfields in large numbers But he said he hasn't heard of anyone finding significant numbers of dead deer in the woods. "If there was a kill, it was light,'' Hudson said. "It's not as near as bad as I thought it was going to be.''

The owner of Viking Valley Hunt Club in rural Ashby, Minn., is remembered as a dedicated and optimistic conservationist who enjoyed a wide range of outdoor activities.

Lester Bensch, 80, an inaugural member of Minnesota's Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, died April 11 at Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls. Services for him were scheduled for Friday.

Nobles County Pheasants Forever President Scott Rall, who worked with Bensch at Lessard-Sams, said the Air Force veteran wore an infectious smile and worked energetically to improve many facets of game, fish and wildlife.

"The world of conservation was better off with Les in it,'' Rall said. "He gave thousands of hours of his time for conservation causes over the past 20 years.''

Bensch was a Ducks Unlimited "Diamond Life" sponsor and a sponsor for Pheasants Forever. He belonged to Minnesota Deer Hunters, Eagle Lake Sportsmen's Club, Coots Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Minnesota Waterfowl Association and Otter Tail County Conservation Committee. He hunted and fished with friends at his family cabin near Voyageurs National Park and meditated on top of a hill at his Viking Valley game preserve.

"Les was a true champion of nature and had a vast knowledge of most everything in it,'' his family wrote in his obituary. He is survived by his wife, Bette; sister Marlene; sister-in-law, Carole; brother-in-law, Mike; several nieces and nephews.

State-licensed anglers on Upper Red Lake will be allowed to keep four walleyes when the open-water season kicks off May 14.

The new DNR regulation says that only one of the keepers can be longer than 20 inches. Last year's bag limit was three walleyes, only one longer than 17 inches.

"We are happy that anglers will have the opportunity to harvest a few more and larger fish this summer," said Edie Evarts, Bemidji area fisheries supervisor.

She said the increased bag stems in part from a "modest" winter harvest of 134,000 pounds of walleye. The total harvest is projected to stay within the target range of 240,000 to 336,000 pounds. Walleye harvest on the lake is managed jointly by Red Lake Nation and the DNR.

An opening-day launch ceremony on Lake Winnibigoshish with Gov. Tim Walz will be a highlight of this year's Governor's Fishing Opener, organizers have announced. The event will follow a community celebration held in the area May 13.

The governor and Leech Lake Chairman Faron Jackson, Sr., will fish May 14 with Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame guide Tom Neustrom of Grand Rapids. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan will fish with Leech Lake fishing guide Rory Haaland, and a shore lunch will be hosted by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

The annual Governor's Fishing Opener, held since 1948, highlights the cultural and economic importance of an activity enjoyed every year by more than a million Minnesota fishing license buyers. Explore Minnesota also has treated the event as a kickoff to summer tourism.