Winter Update???

MIG · Jan 4, 2017

How bad is it looking for winter kills?? It sure looks bad on my computer for Colorado and Idaho.

idhikker · Jan 4, 2017

It's bad in major migration areas in Idaho. But they have some reserves. If this weather holds, it'll be brutal.

jims · Jan 4, 2017

School and work is closed in most spots here on the North Front Range in Colo. I know the mtns above us are getting pounded with deep snow. I'm not sure how much snow there is in Central and Western Colo...and elsewhere but it's also been super cold the last week. It is supposed to warm up next week so that ought to help some of the critters. There's lots of winter left.

elks96 · Jan 5, 2017

I feel it is too early to really say for Western and NW Colorado. We had almost no snow at all through the last week of December. Deer were fat and healthy and seemed to be holding up pretty well. Only exception is right around Craig where they had just a little more.

UNtil the last 2 weeks we were really warm and dry. When storms would come it was all rain, December cow hunt in unit 22 was below normal snow and temp were warmer than expected.

Since then we have gotten hit pretty hard. Snowtel shows us at just over 100% of average state wide. With a few areas 15-20% above normal.

I will be out this weekend and will have a better idea of what it is like. But until the week before Christmas all of Western CO and Southern WY, had low snow totally and temps were above normal.

ICMDEER · Jan 5, 2017

We were out last week shooting cow elk. There was less snow than I can remember for late December. I drove places I usually can't go that late in the year. But this week has been tough. We got about 8" here in the flatlands and more in the mountains. Highs today about 0 and 15-20 below tonight.

As has been stated, there's a lot of winter left. Snowpack is around 100% in most of our areas. But March is Wyoming's biggest snow month, so that's when we should start getting concerned and checking. Critters around here usually tip over in March or April if we have a tough winter.

Cooper · Jan 7, 2017

I know that one of the big winter ranges around here had -34* and that being after getting 3' of snow in the last 2 weeks, keeping my fingers crossed

DeerHunter53 · Jan 10, 2017

These warm winter storms are the ones that kill they rain in the middle of winter and then it freezes again on top and lock up all of the feed.
The storm here melted snow up to the 7500 ft level and now today the storm we are getting is colder and dropping snow.
We can complain about a lot and each other but when it comes down to it Mother Nature can put the biggest hurt on the tag counts for deer and elk more than anything else.

appaloosa · Jan 10, 2017

Western Wyoming is getting hammered right now. The deer around here are pushing snow with their chests, and its only January.
Basically, Mother Nature just pushed the "reset" button on our mule deer herds.

DeerMadness · Jan 10, 2017

It didn't get snowy and cold early so if things mellow out soon it won't be bad.

goldhunter · Jan 12, 2017

Going to be heavy loss in northern SD also, very depressing

Gator · Jan 12, 2017

Freezing rain,deep snow and then bitter cold will take out all the old and weak in a hurry. The predator will take the next tier above the sick and weak. Warm weather can't come soon enough.
Some units will be hit harder then other ones, Might be a good year to just build points.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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IdaMatt · Jan 13, 2017

Just saw that they are starting to feed around Bear Lake Utah/Idaho border. The long term forecast is for below average temps through February, with more storms rolling in next week. It's looking bad.

schoolhousegrizz · Jan 13, 2017

The report I saw in Northern Utah looks pretty dry for the next week or so

tailchasers · Jan 13, 2017

From weather reports the Gunnison is having a tough year.

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."

Longun · Jan 13, 2017

After this last storm...our deer are gonna get hammered..

hossblur · Jan 14, 2017

Sadly, it looks like $fw is gonna have a bad year this year. Sucks being in desperate need of the water, but having lived long enough to remember those big water years in the 80's and 90's that destroyed the deer.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

PleaseDear · Jan 14, 2017

I'll do my normal year in--year out hiking in Wyo 102 and in my Fav 'G' unit in May as always.

Then I will decide if I am going to apply for Wyo deer with my max/11 points.

It 'aint' looking good with all these dang Dumping it Snow Storms...

Robb

mntnguide · Jan 14, 2017

Deer and elk in Western WY are not faring well at all and winter is not even half over....cross your fingers, but could be a winter kill year of extreme proportions

wapiti99 · Jan 18, 2017

oregon is getting hammered with lots of snow, ice and cold temps. didnt have much deer to begin with and this might put a bad hurt on any remaining deer.

kickerbuck · Jan 18, 2017

>oregon is getting hammered with lots
>of snow, ice and cold
>temps. didnt have much
>deer to begin with and
>this might put a bad
>hurt on any remaining deer.
>

+1 It just won't let up and if it's not snowing it's-15? now there is a layer of ice on top of the 2-3 feet of snow from the freezing rain last night in the Burns area. The deer here are done and you're right there was not many to start with!

I wonder what ODFW will do about tags this fall and the OTC Archery tags?

Chacoblue777 · Jan 18, 2017

Dang! I'm getting pretty concerned about winter kill this year in several areas I like to hunt. Hope that things turn around and the deer pull through. I guess it's the cycle of nature though. Let's hope for th best!

liecabucks · Jan 18, 2017

The deer in SW Wyoming were dumping their head gear a week before Christmas. I was worried that it was going to be a tell for the coming conditions. It's been about 10 years since the last hard winter in the area so I guess it's about how history goes. Glad I was able to sneak a wy tag last year and capitalize on a fair buck!

Sit tall in the saddle, hold your head up high, keep your eyes fixed to where the trail meets the sky...

goofyelk · Jan 19, 2017

Well, pictures are worth a 1000 words.
Heres what it looks like in central Utah as of yesterday.

The south slopes are starting to burning off.

Center of above picture.

The North slopes look like this.

This was between 6,000 to 7K feet.

Ticks N Tines · Jan 19, 2017

SW Wyoming has a lot more snow than normal and it's way too cold to melt off. Instead, it's forming a thick crust that makes it even harder for the deer to get through and feed. Things are not looking too good as of right now. However, there are still little fawns surviving and most of the deer seem to be in good shape at the moment. If they can catch a break for a while and get some sun, things could turn around. Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2017/67385resizedk18.jpeg

MIG · Jan 19, 2017

Hopefullly things will warm up. Seems like some area are doing fine and others are doing terrible. Anyone else got some good pics of conditions in CO and WY?

nontypical · Jan 19, 2017

+1, HJB. 10 day forecast isn't very promising, either. Too bad people will still be out there harassing them and moving them around, burning precious calories. If some of this snow doesn't melt off soon, we could be in for a disastrous winterkill...

MIG · Jan 19, 2017

If you guy's are seeing this type of behavior, you should report it to Fish and Game. I'm sure it is illegal to drive and harass wildlife. Everyone thinks that Fish and Game doesn't follow up/do anything about these complaints, but that is not true. Take photos, license plates etc and turn them in. If you think about it, you might be saving more deer by doing calling these behaviors than the amount of deer that are killed by a poacher.

kickerbuck · Jan 19, 2017

>If you guy's are seeing this
>type of behavior, you should
>report it to Fish and
>Game. I'm sure it is
>illegal to drive and harass
>wildlife. Everyone thinks that Fish
>and Game doesn't follow up/do
>anything about these complaints, but
>that is not true. Take
>photos, license plates etc and
>turn them in. If you
>think about it, you might
>be saving more deer by
>doing calling these behaviors
> than the amount of
>deer that are killed by
>a poacher.

+1 The F&W Game Wardens and Troopers do care and will follow up and do their best to make a case. Like you said MIG we just have to get them the evidence to work and prove the case. We are having a bad winter in Oregon right now and anybody out harassing and chasing deer or even out bothering them looking for sheds should be turned in!

ICMDEER · Jan 25, 2017

I was over at Elk Mountain over the weekend. Snow is there, and what's there is settled and crusted. Almost hard enough to drive on top of it. And not good for getting stuck in.

We are still in decent shape, but a thaw would be welcome. Weather said this morning that we should be good for a week. That'll help. I just looked at a bunch of web cameras on the WYDOT website. Lots of snow out there, but it doesn't look real deep. Hopefully we will catch a break and get a thaw before those March and April killer storms get here. Hope those south slopes open up and the critters are all OK.

Over the weekend, the deer looked pretty good; holding their own. The elk were dumber than dirt, just laying out in the open in the snow and chewing their cuds. Bulletproof for the most part.

nontypical · Jan 25, 2017

We just got pounded again with another 12" of snow here in Rock Springs yesterday. Cars were getting stuck in the middle of the street. I've shoveled more snow than I ever have since I bought this house 10 years ago. For sure in the top 5 worst I've seen here in 40 years for snow. G&F claim winterkill is already happening. And it's only January. We usually get most of our snow in March and April.

My snow pile is considerably higher than the winter of 2010-11 when we lost 90% of our fawns in some places. Antelope too.

And it's only January?

It ain't gonna be pretty...

fullthrottle · Jan 26, 2017

That's a bummer. I guess on the bright side the next 7-10 days are supposed to be dry and sunny. But for the most part it sounds like it's going to be a fairly hard winter on the deer herds throughout the west.