Target Species

Three management strategies that should be implemented for whitetail deer in northern Wisconsin include deeryards, forage areas, and hiding cover (Gullion 1984). The home range for whitetails is less than 1 mi2 (2.49 km2) if there is ample food.

Food requirements of white-tailed deer in Wisconsin vary throughout the state. Deer within this management unit need a water source, grassy openings for grazing, and high nutritional foods for browsing. Whitetails need 10-12 lbs (4.5-5.4 kg) of food a day, but their diet changes according to the seasons (Rogers 1981). In general, whitetails tend to forage on herbaceous vegetation in the warm months and on woody vegetation during winter. First choice foods are northern white cedar, red maple, hemlock, American mountain ash, sweet fern, alternate leaf dogwood, red-osier dogwood, American yew, staghorn sumac, and wintergreen (Rogers 1981). These foods are the most nutritionous for deer in this region. Other food choices decrease in nutritional value. Within agricultural areas, corn, soybeans, alfalfa, clover, lespedeza and trefoil make up a portion of the whitetail’s diet and grain residues are used heavily after crops have been harvested in September through April (Rogers 1981). Seeds and fruits such as acorns are also an important part of their diet. They receive water from the plants they eat so small water sources are suitable. One water source per square mile (1.6 km2) is preferred.

Cover requirements for white-tailed deer include winter cover usually in a coniferous canopy to provide a thermal blanket. Landowners should use forested areas that produce browse or a mast food source allowing the population to remain stable during all seasons (Kubisiak 1998). This is also a good place for deeryards when temperatures drop very low and snow accumulation is high (Kubisiak 1998). Fawning cover provides protection of the young and can range from grassy open areas to dense forest stands. Deer are very adaptable and do well on the edges of habitats in this region. They are capable of being successful as a species in many different habitats.

A requirement that is not lacking within the management unit is forest openings, which should be about 5 ac (2.02 ha) in size (Gullion 1984). There are tracts of contiguous forest areas within the unit as well as large open agricultural areas. Forest openings can provide grassy areas for grazing that offer protection and cover in nearby stands and herbaceous vegetation for food.

Cottontail rabbits are edge species with high vertical and horizontal diversity. Their home ranges differ between males and females. Males need 6-8 ac (2.42-3.23 ha) and females need 2-3 ac (0.80-1.21 ha) (Wise 1986). Cottontail’s needs a wide variety of plant cover made up of grasses, forbs, and shrubs in all ages of timber stands. Thick, impenetrable cover that provides cavities and tunnels for travel corridors is a great escape from predation and provides shelter from weather (Wise 1986). Hayfields and cornfields can support an abundant population of cottontails and be a source of food (Wise 1986). Bare ground is also a necessity for sunning, drying, and dusting sites after the rain or dew.

In summer the cottontail’s diet is made up of herbaceous grasses. Cottontails prefer young growth, which has a high nutritional value. Some main food sources include white clover, crab grasses, ragweed and lespedeza (DeCalesta 1971). Cottontails also chew on the buds, sprouts and shoots of woody plants. Crops that serve as food sources include corn, wheat, soybeans, and legumes (Wise 1986). Cottontails also chew on the tender parts of many trees including apple, blackberry, birch, maple,