Deer population declines in N.B.

The Department of Natural Resources isn't concerned about a decline in the deer population, but some deer hunters aren't happy about it.

Chris Munn runs an outfitting store in Fredericton and said he often hears the tales of hunting glory, but he said he's heard fewer stories this year.

"A lot of disappointed guys this year," Munn said.

Rod Cumberland, a biologist with the department,said the preliminary count of deer killed is 4,755.

That's down by about 350 animals, which may sound like a lot, but many wildlife biologists had expected the number to be worse, in part because of all that snow last winter.

"It all depends where you're at in the province, whether the numbers are increasing or decreasing. Right now, if you look at our fall harvest, I mean we only declined by seven and a half per cent this year," Cumberland said.

"So really, we've been right around 5,000 [killed]for the last three years so really, numbers are fairly stable, surprisingly given we've had a couple of tough winters."

That number is a far cry from 2007, when hunters harvested about 10,000 deer.

That year,there were about 110,000 deer in the province, thereare now about 75,000.

Cumberland said based on last winter's snowfall, he expected the number of deer killed would be about 4,100.

Cumberland said hunters may be seeing fewer deer in the deep woods, but in other places including Rothesay and Quispamsis, they're plentiful.

"Actually in the 60s hunters used to go to the northern part of our province to hunt. That's where most of the deer were back in the 60s. So there has been a shift. Now the south seems to have more deer in it. And of course there's been a shift from the woods to around more urban, suburban areas."

Cumberland suggests coyotes and forestry operations have made the north less attractive to deer.

While the south has seen growth in agricultural crops that deer like to eat.

"Deer legs are only two feet long, so really the biggest thing that impacts deer is, well some people say we dont have the tough winters we had years, years ago, well our winters once you get passed two feet, to the deer thats a tough winter because they have to plough that snow," said Cumberland.

The numbers this year are still preliminary numbers, but details of how many does andbucks killed, and where, won't be known until early next year.