Winter Stress and Snowpack

ICMDEER

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Just curoius...................

Is all of the snow in northern Colorado and Utah causing hardship on the deer? I just looked at the website and there's 150-160% of normal in some areas. Are the deer wintering OK?

Wyoming has above normal snow in a few areas, but from what I know, winter is not stressing anything too bad.
 
I think we're right on the verge of having a tough winter. Luckily the cold snaps haven't lasted too long, and the sun has had time to keep some of the faces melted off around here.

I've seen a couple of deer that I don't think will make it through the winter, but overall they look fairly good.

It's a good thing they went into the winter in good shape.

Seems to me that March is the deciding month, especially after the bucks shed, they just seem run down after they lose their antlers.
 
Here in Eastern oregon we are at 180% normal snowpack but most of it's up high. the lower elevations have had snow but it melts off quick enough that I think everything came through the winter well. Prism is right spring can be the killer if the deer are in bad shape and the grass greens up good they get grass tetney? I'm not sure if that's how you spell it but it can knock them dead. I've been worried about Montana, Colorado and Wyoming also, it looks like it might be bad?
 
Only the Northern and Central mountains of Colorado are above normal. Many areas like the San Juan, Sangre de Cristo, and Grand Mesa are much below normal.

Most of the deer that summer in the Park Range and Bears Ears winter at much lower elevations. A lot is riding on what happens in the next 6 weeks.

Beanman
 
BeanMan,

Yep, I knew about the snowpack between south and north and the elevation of the wintering herds, plus the timing of winter stress. But I had heard that there was already trouble, so thought I'd check. Maybe BUCKSPY can give us an update from the high country.

THANKS for your help. I'll be on the Jicarilla and the Southern Ute for a couple of presentations in March. I'd like to see your research center sometime.
 
In the coveted NE region of UT, at least the eastern end of it, there is nearly no snow. There should be ZERO winter kill here. I was up chasing lions this last weekend and less than half the deer we saw have moved to their winter range.
 

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