What Hunters Should Know About Overwintering Wildlife In BC

When the last tags are punched and the snow really settles in, most of us shift from “season mode” to sleds, ice fishing and dreaming about next fall. For BC’s big game species, though, winter is the toughest season of the year – and what we do on the landscape now has a direct impact on the animals we hope to see in our scopes next September.

 

This quick primer looks at how deer, elk, moose and other ungulates make it through a BC winter, why “winter range” is such a big deal and what hunters can do to keep overwintering wildlife in good shape.

Winter Is The Bottleneck

Biologists often describe winter as the “bottleneck” in an ungulate’s year. Animals head into winter with a finite bank account of fat and muscle and spend the next few months slowly drawing it down. How much is left in the account by spring determines survival, antler growth and how many fawns or calves hit the ground.

 

Across North America, studies show that overwinter survival is strongly tied to winter severity (cold plus snow depth) and the quality of winter habitat. Deep, crusted snow, long cold snaps and poor forage accelerate the rate at which deer and elk burn through their reserves, especially juveniles.

 

Snow depth is especially important. Studies from BC and elsewhere have shown that deer in particular favour forest stands where canopy cover knocks down snow depths and creates shallower, more supportive snow. That lets them move and paw for forage without burning too much energy.

 

In short: by the time you’re strapping on snowshoes or a sled helmet, most ungulates are already on a tight energy budget.

 

What Is An Ungulate Winter Range?

BC formally recognizes key winter habitats as Ungulate Winter Ranges (UWRs) under the Forest and Range Practices Act. A UWR is defined as an area that contains habitat necessary to meet the winter habitat requirements of an ungulate species – everything from mule deer and black-tails to elk, moose, mountain goats, sheep and caribou.

 

These ranges typically have a combination of:

• Thermal cover – mature conifer stands or wind-sheltered south slopes that reduce wind chill and heat loss.
• Accessible forage – shrubs, lichens or grasses that remain above the snow or are easy to paw out.
• Security cover – escape terrain or dense cover that helps animals avoid predators and human disturbance.

 

In several BC regions, management plans point to winter habitat quality as a key factor limiting mule deer and elk populations; improving winter range can increase survival by reducing both malnutrition and predation.

 

For hunters, the takeaway is simple: winter range is where the future of the herd rides out the storm. How we behave in these areas matters.

 

How Disturbance Costs Wildlife Energy

When an overwintering deer or elk is bumped from its bed, it doesn’t just trot away and forget about it. Every flight response means:

• A spike in heart rate and stress hormones
• A short burst of very expensive anaerobic exercise through deep snow
• Time spent moving instead of feeding or resting

 

BC’s Wildlife Guidelines for Backcountry Tourism and Commercial Recreation spell this out clearly. The provincial goal on winter ranges is to “minimize physiological or behavioural disruption” and maintain continued occupancy. Recommended behaviours include staying on established trails, obeying closures, keeping dogs under control, and staying far enough away that animal behaviour doesn’t change (100 metres in open terrain is given as a default for non-motorized recreation.)

 

For motorized users, provincial guidance points out that snowmobiles can pack snow, change under-snow conditions for small mammals and provide packed “highways” that predators can use to reach wintering deer or caribou. Snowmobile and heli-ski access in mountain caribou habitat has been linked to displacement from traditional late-winter ranges.

 

From a hunter’s perspective, the message is the same whether you’re on sleds, skis or snowshoes:

• Repeatedly pushing the same group of animals in deep snow is more than a minor annoyance – it’s a real hit to their bottom line of stored energy.
• Animals pushed into marginal cover or poorer forage just to get away from people pay twice: once in stress, and again in reduced food intake.

Why Feeding Winter Wildlife Backfires

It’s tempting: a tough winter, deer hanging around town and a bale of hay or a tub of grain looks like the neighbourly thing to do. The problem is that supplemental feeding usually helps us feel better more than it helps the animals.

 

Wildlife professionals and animal welfare groups in BC consistently advise against feeding deer and other wildlife. The BC SPCA notes that feeding can draw animals into unsafe areas, alter their natural movement patterns and lead to conflict or destruction of animals that become food conditioned. Municipalities such as Penticton and others echo the same message: feeding wildlife keeps them coming back, makes them comfortable around people and can end with animals being removed for public safety.

 

There are biological downsides too:

• Poor nutrition – Hay or grain may not match the animals’ adapted winter diet, causing digestive problems.
• Disease transmission – Concentrating deer around feed can increase the spread of parasites and disease.
• Predation risk – Clumped deer are easier for cougars or wolves to locate.
• Habituation – Animals that lose their fear of people or dogs are more likely to be injured, killed or involved in vehicle collisions.

 

Many communities now have bylaws prohibiting feeding wildlife outright, including deer, with fines attached.

 

For hunters who care about healthy, huntable populations, the best way to “help” wintering wildlife is to protect natural winter habitat and support science-based management, not to throw feed on the lawn.

 

Urban Deer & Backyard Ethics

BC’s Urban Ungulate Conflict Analysis highlighted how excellent habitat in residential areas – ornamental shrubs, irrigated lawns, lack of predators and often informal feeding – has allowed deer numbers to grow in some towns. The result is more vehicle collisions, property damage, aggressive encounters and, eventually, calls for lethal control.

 

That’s not the kind of publicity most hunters want for deer.

 

If you live in a town with a resident herd, a few hunter-friendly house rules help keep things from getting worse:

• Don’t plant “buffet” species right beside the house if you can avoid it.
• Use fencing and repellents rather than feed piles to manage browsing.
• Support local bylaws that discourage feeding and encourage keeping dogs from harassing wildlife.

 

Keeping deer wild – not backyard pets – ultimately makes for better hunting and healthier herds.

Practical Ways Hunters Can Help Overwintering Wildlife

You’re already out on the landscape, often in places most people never see. That puts you in a unique position to reduce winter stress on wildlife and to model good behaviour for others.

 

Here are some practical steps:

1. Respect winter range closures and signage

• Before heading out on sleds or skis, check for Ungulate Winter Range and Wildlife Habitat Area closures or restrictions. These are designated because animals need a break there.

2. Go easy on late-season animals

• When late-season hunting is open, prioritize close, high-percentage shots and be extra cautious about tracking wounded game in deep snow.
• Avoid repeatedly pushing the same groups of deer, elk or moose – if you’ve bumped them once, give that pocket a rest.

3. Keep your distance in winter

• If you spot bedded animals while touring or scouting, back out without forcing them to run. Use optics to enjoy the sighting instead of moving closer for a phone photo.

4. Manage dogs like tools, not toys

• An off-leash dog chasing deer is not “just playing.” Provincial guidance specifically calls out dog harassment as something to avoid, especially in winter ranges.

5. Don’t feed – advocate instead

• If friends or neighbours talk about putting feed out “to help the deer,” share why that often ends badly and point them toward provincial and SPCA advice.

6. Support habitat work

• Many local rod and gun clubs and conservation groups in BC are involved in winter range restoration, prescribed burning or land securement projects aimed at improving winter habitat. Lending a hand there may do more for future hunting opportunity than anything you do during a single season.

 

Looking After Winter To Protect Fall

Every fall, we see the visible part of the story: mule deer ghosting through the timber, a bull elk bugling at first light, a moose stepping out onto a frosty cutline. The invisible part is what happens in January and February, when those same animals are quietly hanging on in timber pockets and windswept ridges.

 

By understanding how overwintering works – and adjusting how we hunt, ride and recreate on winter ranges – hunters can make sure more animals make it through to spring. That means healthier herds, stronger recruitment, and better odds that our kids and grandkids will experience the same BC hunting traditions we enjoy today.