REGIONAL—Anyone concerned about deer management in northeastern Minnesota will have the opportunity to sound off at a listening session on Tuesday, April 1, in Virginia. The event, scheduled for 7-9 p.m. at the Mesabi Community College auditorium, is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and the Department of Natural Resources.

It’s one of a series of such sessions being held around the state of Minnesota, and so far the events have been well attended.

Tower Area DNR wildlife manager Tom Rusch said he expects Tuesday’s event in Virginia will attract a similar level of interest.

With deer populations running below goal in many parts of the region, and with deer currently facing one of the toughest winters in 20 years, Rusch said there will be plenty to talk about. DNR officials will provide attendees a quick update on population estimates and trends by hunting permit area, followed by questions, comments and discussion.

“We know people are concerned,” said Rusch. “This will give them a chance to weigh in on their concerns.” Rusch said he expects to hear plenty of comments and discussion about wolf numbers, and the ongoing emergency deer feeding effort by the MDHA, with funding from the DNR.

DNR area managers from Tower, Virginia, Cloquet, and International Falls will all be present at Tuesday’s session.

The listening session comes at a time when winter severity indexes across northeastern Minnesota at running at or above 180, which is considered severe. Those index readings could well push above 200 in many locations, depending on how quickly the current snowpack melts. Many parts of the region still have snow depths in excess of 30 inches, with little appreciable warm-up in the forecast.

The winter severity index, which was designed to gauge winter deer survival, adds a point for every day with a snow depth of 15 inches or greater and for every day with a below zero temperature reading. Over the past week, the area has added 11 additional points to the index, due to several days of below zero temperature readings combined with the continuing deep snow.