White-tailed deer restsThis alert but restful deer was typical of this peaceful day with temperatures a little above freezing. We are getting into the period when white-tailed deer in northern climates reduce their metabolism. I saw this by Dr. Aaron Moen, “The milder the activity, the lower the respiration and heart rate, consequently, a lower metabolic rate and vice versa. The only way deer can survive the harsh winters where food sources are limited, is to conserve as much energy as they can to ensure their fat reserves aren’t completely dissolved by winter’s end. The only way for them to do this is to naturally and gradually decrease their activity levels, thus resulting in a drop in temperature, respiration and heart rate. All things combined, a deer’s lower metabolic rate is conducive to northern winter weather.”
Aaron’s name brings back good memories. Back in my deer research days in the late 1970’s, Aaron took a year off from Cornell University and went on sabbatical to work with me on deer here in northeastern Minnesota. A good year.
Thank you all for what you have done to make my research and education more effective.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center