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Another little tidbit about the moisture pulled out of the soil: It's been estimated that an abundance of only 50 cheatgrass plants per square foot can remove soil water to the PERMANENT wilting point to a depth of 126 inches (10.6 feet). It's no wonder we're losing sagebrush in this draught!

Another lesson: The matted root system. Since Cheatgrass is an annual, when it dies, everything (except the seeds) dies as well. and that includes the roots. And since the roots only go down about 12 inches, it isn't long before the roots are matted to a near carpet consistency that absorbs most...

I think it's a long-term battle, but it should get easier to maintain as we restore more of the habitat. And, at least, it's more on the radar of those who make decisions and spend the money.

And cheatgrass has found several ways. That's another way it cheats. Its seeds are easily dislodged and spread by animals (birds, insects and large and small mammals, (and by people) walking through it, by water/rain as it flows downhill and they are also spread by a slight wind, much like an...

I simply said the seeds implanted in those places hinder their senses. They also hinder the movement of the animals. Anyone with livestock or pets knows when something is wrong. Even people know when something is poking into their skin.

Perhaps it's time for another biology lesson. This one answers a lot of the issues at hand. Cheatgrass is one of the few plant species that does not depend on mycorrhiza, the symbiotic relationship between 90%+ of the of the world's terrain plants and their species-specific mycorrhizal fungi! In...

That's right! Just stay home and get on the internet. That'll calm you down!:ROFLMAO:

Those nasty little seeds also wedge themselves it the eyes, ears, nose, teeth and between the split hoofs of ungulates and though they may not actually cause infections, they do hinder the senses of game animals who can't just pluck them out.

or Huns! Yes, I've certainly heard that, especially from a very good friend of mine that has dogs. Since they too are non-native imports from the same areas, they didn't have to adapt much. Fortunately, most of the chukar habitat is too rocky and steep to worry about and most of the cheatgrass...

No, it's very different. It only sends it's roots down about 12 inches. I'm gonna hafta go the Southern DWR Office or MDF website the get that information. I understand it's a joint effort.

No, it's very different. It only sends it's roots down about 12 inches.

You're probably right that what you've correctly stated is common knowledge, but what may not be common knowledge is, HOW does it manage to create a self-perpetuating monoculture and WHY is it so hard to get rid of?

I hope it stays on track as well. There's an awful lot to learn about it and it can't be taught or learned in a short thread. Cheatgrass showed up in America during the 1800's as a contaminant of seed, straw, and hay cargo from Europe and Asia. It was first known to come to Utah about 1890, so...

Most mule deer hunters have heard of cheatgrass, but aren't sure why it's called that and have no idea how it affects wildlife, especially mule deer. This thread, hopefully, will be a discussion about it's vicious affects on mule deer (and other species). To begin, let's talk about the...

Here's Arizona: (Separating the mule deer data from the whitetail data and the weapons was more difficult than I anticipated.) Year---Bucks---Does---Total-----Year---Bucks---Does---Total 1946---4,733-----0-----4,733-----1980---11,111-----0-----11,111...

I'm still working on the Idaho stats (They're a mess), but I came across this: "To understand why mule deer populations in many parts of Idaho may never again reach historic levels, we need to go back to the causes of deer population increase: ideal habitat and low competition. The brush fields...

It looks like we're getting some people out of the wings to get on stage!! Thanks!

Here's Colorado:

I did find a Wyoming list (2005-2023) with more stats: Year---Hunters-----Bucks-----Does-----Fawns-----Total-----% 2005---62,092--------------------------------------35,266----56.8 2006---64,660--------------------------------------40,067----62.0...

I'll try to put up one a day, if I can. But none of them manage their deer or keep stats the same way. This is Wyoming. All they could give me, without a lot of work and expense were the yearly totals. Wyoming...

Oops! I'm doing this left-handed because my right arm is splintered and bandaged because my cardiologists had to clean a vein in preparation for my double heart valve surgery on the 16th and I hit the wrong button enter instead of backspace. But I edited it, so read it again, or not! Edited...

"4,000,000 tags a year"?. "Bucks hanging out with the gals"? "pictures of them eating cheatgrass"? "crazed carnivorous bucks attacking and killing the women and children"? Have you actually been reading my posts or are you just trying to start another argument? How about just sticking to the...

We've had a couple. Any more? I'll give you my take on this tomorrow evening.

We already know what you think, Bess. I'd like to know what those in the shadows think.

I suspect many of those "does" you saw were buck fawns without antlers, but which would have antlers by the time the 2019 hunts came around.

I'd like to hear from some of you who haven't or who don't usually post. We already know what the regulars think, but they are in a small minority and they think they are speaking for you. Are they?

Why the huge uptake beginning in 1940?

I posted those numbers hoping someone else would be able to figure out what happened and these two posts are getting close.

Explain this in terms of bucks killed! Anybody? 1925---(does-------0)---(bucks----1,400)----(hunters----5,650) 1928---(does-------0)---(bucks----4,400)----(hunters---11,300) 1931---(does-------0)---(bucks----7,800)----(hunters---19,500)...

The numbers don't lie!

You're back to your old habit of putting your words in somebody else's post to make your point! Spend a minute or two reading my post again! I NEVER said bucks were killing does or fawns with their antlers! I said they were pushing them away from the feed and water! And sometimes they don't even...

Of course, management matters! You prove my point! It might be the same drought, but it ain't the same water or feed. If we could manage public land like farmers/ranchers manage private land, we'd have the same results. The trouble is: WE CAN'T! The buck is still in velvet! Of course they...

You're correct about the age limit at 16. That didn't change until sometime between 1973 and 1989 when it turned to 14. But any hunter below age 16 had to be accompanied by his/her parent or guardian or by a licensed adult age 21 or over designated by the parent or guardian, and both of them had...

No! The deer numbers don't change. We're merely replacing the dead bucks with does and fawns that are still alive.

I could show you thousands of deer killed by cheatgrass, but few of them are directly killed by the stuff. It's not called CHEATgrass for nothing! I've found at least 23 ways it cheats that have an impact on wildlife, but only a few of them impact wildlife directly. Most of them kill deer...

No! The deer numbers remain the same. You're just trading the bucks killed with does and fawns that are alive. When you don't manage biologically, there's always tradeoffs.

Of course, because different places have different biological situations. But they ALL do what they have to do to stay alive and the bucks ALWAYS have the advantage, followed by the does and finally the fawns. In spite of what we're told in "Bambi", the bucks have no paternal instincts nor do...

Simple! The bucks can easily outcompete the fawns and the does for food, space, shelter and water. They've used up all their fat while breeding and need to restore it quickly, so they push away with their antlers, any competition they have. And they can reach for food much higher than the fawns...

Since Bess hasn't responded to my 1967 stats offer, I'll just do what I can to show how the deer were managed per the 1967 proclamation and the harvest stats. -(1)-The whole state was open to either sex except a few Control units. -(2)-The General Hunting season was either sex Oct 21-Oct 31...

I ain't worried about the hunters not knowing. It's the biologists that aren't noticing I'm concerned about! In the 2 podcasts we've heard, not one word about cheatgrass. They hint around it by stating the feed is less nutritious, but they don't say what's causing it other than the weather/droughts.