GLASGOW, Mont. (NMB) – Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks biologists have completed their 2019 winter and spring aerial surveys of deer populations across Region 6 in northeastern Montana. A press release says the surveys indicate above average numbers for mule deer, and mostly stable populations of whitetail deer across the region.
The 2019 post-hunting-season surveys showed region-wide mule deer density at 56 percent above average, but 4 percent below the 2018 survey. The 2019 spring surveys showed region-wide densities at 41 percent about average and a slight increase of 4 percent fro last year’s spring survey.
White-tailed deer populations continue to remain stable. The 2019 year’s survey show whitetail deer density at an average of 11.7 deer per square mile, which is about 10 percent above the long-term average of 10.7, an increase of 22 percent from the 2018 surveys. The western trend areas along the Milk River are more variable, however, with overall densities 10 percent below average.
A new challenge of managing deer populations is the confirmed occurrence of chronic wasting disease that was first detected in Region 6 along the Hi-Line in 2018. CWD is a slow-moving disease. However, if left unmanaged, it could result in long-term population declines within affected herds.
CWD was first found in wild deer in Montana in October 2017. To date, CWD has been detected in Carbon, Liberty, Hill, Blaine, Phillips, Valley, Daniels, Sheridan, and now Lincoln counties.
