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After 111 Days of Deep Snow, DNR Watches U.P. Deer Herd

After 111 Days of Deep Snow, the DNR Is Watching the U.P. Deer Herd

3 min read

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by

Yooper Hub Staff

Researched and drafted with AI tools. Reviewed and approved by editor Keegan O’Brien. Spot an error?

A white-tailed deer standing in snow among conifers at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Photo: National Park Service, public domain.
A white-tailed deer in the snow at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, March 2017. Photo: National Park Service (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.

Updated Sept. 10, 2026: Added the Natural Resources Commission’s 2026 antlerless-license limits for the U.P., the DNR’s winter ranking and its 2026 habitat grants, and tightened the WLUC quotes to match the report.

A white-tailed deer standing in snow among conifers at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Photo: National Park Service, public domain.
A white-tailed deer in the snow at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, March 2017. Photo: National Park Service (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.

Michigan’s 2025-26 Upper Peninsula winter was severe enough to leave a mark on the deer herd long after the snow disappeared. The Michigan DNR recorded 111 days when the U.P.-wide average snow depth was at least 12 inches. The agency classifies a winter as severe when that threshold lasts 90 days or more. The DNR ranks 2025-26 as the fourth-most severe winter since 2003. The most severe, 2013-14, logged 128 days.

That duration matters because deep snow limits food, makes travel harder, and forces deer to burn the fat reserves they built before winter. DNR biologists found extensive signs of starvation during field examinations earlier in 2026. Fawns and already-weakened animals are the most vulnerable, and malnourished does may produce fewer or smaller fawns.

What the DNR is watching now

The department uses SNODAS, the Snow Data Assimilation System produced by the National Weather Service, to track average snow depth across the U.P. Its July 9 bulletin said six of the past nine U.P. winters had been classified as severe. It also reported that mid-March blizzards dumped three feet of snow on parts of the U.P. in two days, and that snow persisted into mid-May.

WLUC reported on July 10 that the DNR was still monitoring the herd and did not yet have an exact population count. Wildlife biologist Brian Roell and wildlife technician Caleb Eckloff told the station the impact would be greater in the northern U.P. than in the southern U.P., and Roell said, “we do know there are going to be fewer deer on the landscape.” That is an informed outlook, not a completed herd census.

The state had already acted on the winter before this story ran. On May 13 the Natural Resources Commission limited universal antlerless deer licenses in the U.P. to six of its southernmost deer management units (022, 055, 121, 122, 155 and 255) for the 2026 season and eliminated the U.P. antlerless access permit drawing. The DNR’s supporting memo said “reduced deer numbers are expected in 2026 due to this severe winter.”

Wintering complexes remain part of the response. Dense cedar, hemlock, and other conifer cover can reduce the energy deer spend moving through snow while nearby habitat provides browse. The DNR works with landowners and local partners on habitat projects, and in July it said it is funding 14 U.P. projects with nearly $200,000 in 2026, double its past yearly amount. Even so, the full effect of one severe winter can take more than one season to measure.

Read the original records

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Sources, credits, and reporting details

Sources & accountability

How this story was reported

Editorial methodAggregation

Accountable editor:Keegan O’Brien, publisher and editor.

Last verifiedSep. 10, 2026

Corrections statusA material correction or update note is published in this article.

AI assistanceResearched and drafted with AI tools. Reviewed and approved by editor Keegan O’Brien.

Verification note: Checked against the Michigan DNR's July 9, 2026 bulletin, WLUC's July 10 report and WLUC's YouTube listing on July 22, 2026, and rechecked Sept. 10, 2026. As of Sept. 10 the DNR had published no 2026 U.P. herd estimate or winter-survival result. Updated Sept. 10 with the Natural Resources Commission's May 13 antlerless-license limits, the DNR's winter ranking and 2026 habitat grants, and closer wording of the WLUC quotes.

Primary sources

  1. Showcasing the DNR: Another severe winter hampers U.P. deer herd — Michigan Department of Natural Resources

    Published Jul. 9, 2026. Accessed Jul. 22, 2026.

    Supports: Supports the 111-day severe-winter measure, the 90-day severity threshold, the ranking as the fourth-most severe winter since 2003 (2013-14 logged 128 days), SNODAS, the starvation findings, mid-March blizzards of three feet in two days with snow persisting into mid-May, cedar and hemlock cover, and six of the past nine U.P. winters rated severe.

    Official agency bulletin. This story paraphrases its facts and does not reuse its images.

  2. Natural Resources Commission approves deer regulation changes for 2026 and 2027 — Michigan Department of Natural Resources

    Published May. 15, 2026. Accessed Sep. 10, 2026. State agency news release; paraphrase and short attributed quotes only.

    Supports: Supports: on May 13, 2026 the Natural Resources Commission limited universal antlerless licenses in the U.P. to DMUs 022, 055, 121, 122, 155 and 255 for the 2026 season and eliminated the U.P. antlerless access permit drawing.

  3. 2026-2028 Deer Regulations, Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 6 of 2026 (memorandum to the Natural Resources Commission) — Michigan Department of Natural Resources / Natural Resources Commission

    Published Apr. 13, 2026. Accessed Sep. 10, 2026. State agency public record; short attributed quotes only.

    Supports: Supports the DNR's rationale: "Reduced deer numbers are expected in 2026 due to this severe winter."

  4. Deer Wintering Complexes — Michigan Department of Natural Resources

    Accessed Sep. 10, 2026. State agency web page; paraphrase with attribution.

    Supports: Supports: conifer cover intercepts snow and eases deer travel, and nearby deciduous growth provides food.

  5. DNR doubles deer habitat grant funding in UP — Michigan Department of Natural Resources

    Published Jul. 15, 2026. Accessed Sep. 10, 2026. State agency news release; paraphrase and short attributed quotes only.

    Supports: Supports: the DNR is funding 14 U.P. deer habitat projects with nearly $200,000 in 2026, double its past yearly amount.

  6. Snow Data Assimilation System (SNODAS) Data Products at NSIDC, Version 1 (G02158) — National Snow and Ice Data Center (data from NOAA NWS National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center)

    Accessed Sep. 10, 2026. Dataset documentation; cite as NOHRSC (2004), G02158 v1.

    Supports: Supports: SNODAS is produced by the National Weather Service's National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center.

Additional reporting

  1. DNR tracking deer herd after historic winter — WLUC

    Published Jul. 10, 2026. Accessed Jul. 22, 2026.

    Supports: Supports the July 10 monitoring status, the absence of an exact herd count, Brian Roell's and Caleb Eckloff's statements that the impact would be greater in the northern U.P., and Roell's quote about fewer deer on the landscape.

    Attributed reporting. YooperHub does not reproduce WLUC's text, photos or footage.

Photo and media credits

  1. DNR tracking deer herd after historic winter — Upper Michigan's Source | TV6 & FOX UP

    Accessed Jul. 22, 2026. Publisher retains copyright. Shown through YouTube's standard embedded player..

    Supports: Identifies the video shown on this page as WLUC's own upload on its official YouTube channel.

    The video plays through YouTube's standard player. YooperHub does not host, download or edit it.

  2. White-tailed deer in the snow (56aaf2de-ddff-4b58-a9f9-4bcd7fd25801).JPG (featured image) — National Park Service, via Wikimedia Commons

    Featured image record. Accessed Sep. 10, 2026. Public domain.

    Supports: Featured image, credited on the page as "Photo: National Park Service (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons."

    Photographed 2017-03-06. Resized for the site.

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