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Consecutive harsh winters continue to decimate the deer population on Chichagof Island, causing the U.S. Forest Service and state Department of Fish and Game to close the doe hunting season this fall.

It will be the third straight year of hunting closures for the small population of Hoonah, where residents traditionally put up venison to supplement winter diets.

Many in the community of about 650 rely on subsistence, but locals know deer have been hurt by the harsh winters because they don't see them around, said resident Chris Erickson. He supports hunting closures.

"It's obviously something that needs to be done because our deer population is just not what it has been," he said. "We need a chance to let them come back."

Closures were somewhat controversial the first year, but many like Erickson now support them, residents said.

The closure for the Northeast Chichagof Controlled Use Area was announced Thursday. The doe season was slated to open Tuesday.

The season for bucks will not be affected, nor will the rest of Unit 4, Fish and Game area management biologist Phil Mooney said. Two years ago, all of Unit 4, which includes Chichagof, Baranof and Admiralty islands, was closed to the hunting of does.

The deer struggle on northern parts of the island that do not have forest cover due to clear-cutting. Heavy snows during all of the past three winters have piled up, covering the forest floor and making it hard for deer to move around and forage.

Late green-ups, or the coming of spring, add to the challenge for deer survival. In April, 97 inches of snow still sat at the high tide line in Tenakee Inlet, Mooney said.

A deer collaring project this summer using GPS tracking counted 52 does over 30 days. The number should have been in the hundreds, Mooney said.

"We're not seeing a net gain in the population," he said. "We're still not recruiting enough fawns in the population, so we need to protect those adult does."

Last year, the doe season was open for only two weeks before wildlife agencies closed it due to low numbers reported by hunters.

The deer need a winter of normal or below-normal snowfall to fully come back from the brink, Mooney said.

• Contact reporter Kim Marquis at 523-2279 or kim.marquis@juneauempire.com.