On May 30, a deer management meeting was held at Tamarac NWR headquarters to discuss harvest limits for the refuge and surrounding area.  In attendance were Refuge Manager Barbara Boyle, Refuge Biologist Wayne Brininger, Refuge Biologist Lowell Deede, MN DNR Park Rapids Area Wildlife Manager Rob Naplin, Detroit Lakes Area Wildlife Manager Earl Johnson, Bemidji Area Wildlife Manager Rochelle Gorham and White Earth Biologist Doug McCarthur. 

According to the MN DNR deer model, the refuge May 2007 pre-fawn number of 21 deer/sq.mi remains above it goal of 15 as set at the fall 2006 stakeholder meetings. 

The model calls for changing the management strategy from managed hunt to an intensive hunt with a pre-season anterless.  However, given the fact that the winter severity index (WSI) for the past several years has been low, it would only take one hard winter to reduce the deer numbers to the desired goal. 

Considering the challenge of reducing harvest numbers once they have been increased, the recommendation by MN DNR was to continue with the managed hunt strategy.   Rob Naplin felt going to an intensive hunt would be an extreme action for a quick return versus staying the course and letting the population gradually reduce to the target.

Doug McCarthur mentioned that if Area 251 (Tamarac Refuge) went intensive, then areas 297 and 298 (White Earth Reservation) would probably be pressured to increase to intensive management which is not the desired strategy of the Natural Resource Department. 

Additionally, if Tamarac included a pre-season antlerless hunt, White Earth would be pressured to open their season two weeks ahead of this hunt which could possibly conflict with the refuge visitor services activities.