Severe Winter this is just a good old fashioned winter. My god look back to 1992/1993 winter that was horrendous. I mean 10 feet of snow in Klamath Falls that is when we should have done something. We lost 70% of the the Oregon Deer herd that year. Used to be 3000+ tags in the steens before that year now 15 years later we are down to 300. 500 tags for the trout creeks now 50. That winter combined with the cougars and add in the loss of habitat because of Junipers. Yeah it is serious.
This winter is just above average. I mean me and my dad talked about this winter and its effect on deer. He has been going through these winters for over 55 years. Riding trains between Klamath Falls and Bend. This is minor compared to what is usually there. My grandfather for over 60 this is nothing compared to the 60's and 70's according to them. There is hardly anything on the Lost River, Fort Rock, Warner, Malheur, and Jordan Valley winter ranges. Yeah there are a few feet up in NE but nothing like they are getting in colorado and Utah. There will be about a 5-10% winter die off just like every year. But we are not going to suffer like colorado and Utah are. I have heard predictions of 50%+ in parts of colorado and Utah. We will have lots of water this year and a great green up. Good horn growth and a great fawn survival rate. Just wait guys this is not a bad thing it is a good thing.
Just get out and kill the Predators while you guys can. for every coyote you kill that will be between 5-10 more deer that make it every year. Cougar is 52 deer per year added to the herd. Start doing the multiplication 100 coyotes and we are talking 500 to 1000 deer. per year.
50 cougars that is 2600 deer per year. that survive we get rid of that many eyery year and we talking compounding assistance to your deer herds. so for the first year 2600 the next year you take out another 50 that is 2600 from the previous plus another 2600 add in life expectancy of 7-10 years for a cougar and that number gets big real fast. and you are talking over 50,000 deer in 6 years.
Take a chainsaw out with you when you go for a drive cut down 50 Junipers. Junipers are usually only 8-10" in diameter they go down fast. a Juniper uses between 20 and 100 gallons of water everyday 365 days in a year and yeah that is alot of water so lets go median 50 gallons of water a day. You are talking for taking out those 50 trees almost 1000000 gallons of ground water that go back to the springs yearly. This last year alone I personally cut down over 850 junipers small ones big ones did not matter they went down 2 of the springs were dry before this last big storm they had water running out of them
See everyone talks a great game what they could do. I always have a chainsaw in the back of my truck. Look at the maps see where there used to be an old spring at surrounded by junipers go in there and take them out and guess what your spring will be back within 1-2 years. I have seen it personally this year. More springs mean deer are spread out more and are less vulnerable. This year I have set a number of 1000 junipers that hit the ground. What is 200 dollars for gas and bar oil and a few chains and a little bit of hard work. Not very dang much for all the good it does.
So there is my opinion. God this winter could be so good for everyhting if their were not as many junipers in this state.
Dave