Where deer are — and why

When it comes to Minnesota and its white-tailed deer, not all areas are created equal.

There are 1.2 million deer in the state, but they are not dispersed evenly. Deer density varies widely from region to region, primarily because the habitat varies widely. Just look at the landscape near International Falls compared to that near Fairmont, 350 miles south.

The key to finding deer is the same as finding good real estate: location, location, location.

And the areas with the best habitat and highest deer densities generally have the highest deer harvest.

The transition zone

The state's transition zone, where prairie meets forest, offers deer the best of both worlds: woods to hide in and agricultural crops to feast on.

The area from Parkers Prairie to Detroit Lakes and Park Rapids in the northwest has the highest deer densities in the state. Some areas exceed 40 deer per square mile.

"There's lots of good wooded habitat, lots of agriculture and water," said Lou Cornicelli, Department of Natural Resources big-game coordinator. "It has a good mix of habitat types. For our state, it's pretty close to ideal habitat."

A smaller area with similar deer densities is just south of Lake of the Woods -- also a mix of agriculture and forest.

The southeast

Another area with near-ideal deer habitat is the far southeast, where deer densities range from 21 to 30 per square mile.

"As a complex, our highest densities in a large area is the Park Rapids country," Cornicelli said. "But our most classic deer habitat probably is in the southeast, where you have hardwoods, corn, valleys and ravines."

Deer feed there on natural foods like acorns, as well as the agricultural crops. Some of those high deer densities extend nearly to the Twin Cities.

The northeast

The best areas of Minnesota's arrowhead region have half the deer densities as the highest regions do. Much of the northeast has one to 10 deer per square mile.

"The large stands of coniferous forest, which might provide good thermal cover in winter, doesn't provide a lot of food," Cornicelli said. The area is simply too one-dimensional, and won't support high deer densities such as those found in the transition zone.

But deer populations there are higher than they have been historically, Cornicelli said.

The southwest

This area, while starkly dissimilar to the northeast, offers deer the same problem: The habitat is essentially a monoculture.

"It's intensive agriculture; miles of corn fields that disappear in October," said Cornicelli. "It's not very good deer habitat." But it does have small woodlots and river corridors that benefit deer. And grasslands, usually planted under the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), provide excellent deer habitat.

Wild card: The weather

Weather -- cold and deep snow -- can hurt deer populations, meaning northern Minnesota is especially vulnerable. That gives southern Minnesota an advantage. But in recent years, weather hasn't been a factor for deer.

Doug Smith • dsmith@startribune.com