Use of mixedwood stands by wintering white-tailed deer in southern New Brunswick

On the northern edge of their range, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginia nus) congregate during winter to cope with severe climate conditions. We do cumented the winter habitat use of deer in southern New Brunswick, where wi nters are of moderate severity, and tested predictions concerning the influ ence of food and cover availability on habitat use by deer under different snow depth regimes. Sixty-three radio-collared deer were monitored during t he winters of 1995 to 1997. Within wintering areas, deer showed a preferenc e for mixedwoods. Mixedwood stands provided only moderate amounts of food a nd cover relative to some other cover types, but were the only type to prov ide both simultaneously. Current habitat management guidelines in parts of northeastern North America consider critical habitat for wintering deer to be softwood-dominated stands. These guidelines may not provide adequate hab itat in this region, since deer appear to use mixedwood stands under some c onditions.