I know it's been a bad winter for the state's deer herd, because nearly every night after sunset I find half a dozen deer standing in the middle of my street.

The small gathering is in no particular hurry to go anywhere at all, congregating on the thin coating of snow covering the asphalt street. Even as the headlights trap them in the glare, they turn their heads slowly. Reluctantly, they saunter off in opposite directions.

They scale the eight-foot high snowbanks on either side. After the vehicle passes, they reconvene in the middle of the street.

They are venturing only a few dozen yards from where they are bedding down in the woods behind the neighborhood. Standing in the street in that manner, it appears as though they are simply killing time the way the rest of us areā waiting and waiting for spring to mercifully arrive.

State deer biologist Lee Kantar says that's almost exactly what they're doing.

"The biggest driving factor is snow depth," Kantar said. "The deeper the snow, the more it restricts mobility and taxes a deer's energy budget."

Just imagine how difficult it has been this winter to simply walk across your own dooryard, trudging along through snowpack several feet deep. Out of breath, legs burning, you marvel aloud just what a brutal winter it's been.

Now imagine making that walk if you hadn't had a solid meal in days, your body worn out by long cold spells and sleepless nights.

Most of Maine's deer herd is simply holding on right now. Spring, this year, will be a life-saver.

Literally.

"The longer that winter stays, and the later it takes for spring to arrive and green up, the harder it will be for deer to hang on," Kantar said. "Fawns are very susceptible this time of year, because they have not had time in their young lives to maximize body conditions and size.

"They are still growing, so they do not have the benefit of putting on much fat for the winter. It will be a brutal year for them."

Despite a vegetarian diet suggesting otherwise, fat is a significant survival tool for deer. The greater the fat reserves they are able to build up during the year, the better chance they have at enduring harsh winters -- as their bodies burn off that fat for both energy and heat.

Now that we're well into our fourth month of full-blown winter conditions (with no sign of nature relenting anytime soon) biologists are starting to watch the deer herd even more closely. They will gather to meet sometime in the next few weeks, according to Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokesperson Deborah Turcotte, to discuss how this difficult winter will effect hunters next fall.

Simply put, Maine hunters will see the biggest difference in the number of specialty permits that are handed out.

"If winter conditions persist, we will need to brace ourselves for a large decrease in 'Any Deer' permits, as well as a reduced harvest in 2008 in order to compensate for an expected increase in winter mortality," Kantar said.

So while we continue to worry about slick, icy roads and the cost of our heating oil, our deer have even greater worries.

Ironically enough, for those deer without much energy left for bouncing through snow drifts in fields and woods, standing in the middle of a suburban neighborhood street might be in the best interest of self-preservation.

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Despite field reports suggesting that the 2007 deer season was less successful than in the past, DIF&W released figures this week that suggest it was a fairly typical hunting season.

Almost 29,000 deer (28,884) have been reported with a few registration books still to be turned in, just a couple of percentage points below the predicted harvest totals for the season -- one that saw heavy rains and unseasonably warm temperatures at times. In all, the season's total stood well above the 20-year average kill rate, according to DIF&W.

Part of the success, however, is attributed to the very thing that's hurting our deer herd now -- cold weather.

Cold and snow came early last fall, allowing for good tracking conditions for hunters.

Opening day of the firearm season, which was besieged by a day-long driving rainstorm and temperatures in the 50-degree range, was among the most successful days of the entire hunt with 1,859 deer killed -- a jump of 37 percent from opening day in 2006.

Travis Barrett -- 621-5648

tbarrett@centralmaine.com