By Lori Ehde
This is the time of year local hunting enthusiasts pay attention to feeding habits and overall health of deer and pheasant.
The numbers of deer and pheasant available during fall hunting seasons depend on how they survive the winter months of January and February.
According to Blue Mounds State Park and DNR officials, deer appear to be weathering the cold, hard winter in good health.
"I think the deer are in better shape than one would expect them to be," said park manager Rick White.
"They're not standing with hunched backs, which would indicate they're not in good health. They're alert and moving around."
He said the park is monitoring a herd of about 150 deer, but he said he's not sure if it's the same herd of 200 or more that residents have reported seeing along the Rock River east of Luverne.
"On nice days they'll wander quite far, but on cold, windy days they stay close by," White said.
He said the park herd is most often spotted in the northwest corner of the park feeding along the creek.
Despite heavy snow cover this year, he said they're managing to stay fed on brushes and young trees - including those in his yard.
"Well, the deer gotta eat, too," he said.
Pheasants may not be faring as well as deer this winter, if their feeding habits are any indication.
"Normally pheasants get out in the early morning hours to feed and then go back to their nesting areas for cover," he said.
Residents have reported seeing birds pecking in open areas of snow in the late morning hours and in the afternoon.
"When you see them out and about on cold winter days after the hours of dawn, you know they're in trouble," White said.
"A tough winter like this is kinda hard on them, and I'm sure pickings are lean."
DNR information officer Tom Conroy said a January thaw provided a reprieve for pheasants in southwest Minnesota, but spring is still a long way away.
"Pheasants are remarkably resilient when it comes to finding food and rarely die from starvation," Conroy said.
"However, when conditions become severe and they have to leave protective cover to find food, they expose themselves to the dangers of both predators and the elements."
The early part of this winter was one of the coldest and snowiest in recent history. According to local Pheasants Forever member Chuck Van Wyhe, this winterÕs snow, is starting to wear on the wildlife.
"I've seen a lot of dead pheasants, and I've seen big groups of pheasants that aren't big groups anymore," said Van Wyhe, habitat chairman.
He said local wildlife enthusiasts have been feeding the deer and birds this winter.
A wagon of shelled corn is parked in the M-M Distributing parking lot, and nearly 200 bushels have made their way to snowy feeding areas around the county.
The DNR supplies the corn, but local Pheasants Forever members pick it up from Cargill elevator in Hills.
Van Wyhe said he's been telling people to bring along a bucket of sand with the corn so pheasants don't have to scratch along roadsides for grit.
The DNR doesn't advocate feeding as a population management technique, but it does offer guidelines for groups like Pheasants Forever that want to help wildlife through the winter.
oCorn should be placed within small openings of winter cover or in a wind-swept area near a good winter cover where pheasants have been observed feeding.
oAvoid placing corn in open areas next to deciduous trees where predators can perch.
oThe idea is to keep pheasants in areas with good winter cover, such as cattail marshes or large shelter belts. Placing corn in areas where there is only marginal cover can actually be counterproductive.
oOnce started, it is imperative that feeding be done consistently and continue until spring melt.
It's important to remember that deer also make use of feeder cribs and consume a lot of corn.