Fingers Crossed for the Deer

[backcountryID]

The weather patterns lately are eerily similar to what preceded snowmaggedon. If we get significant storms in January, the deer may be in for a pretty rough winter.

Love the water, but hate to see the impact on mulies.

 

[OLDHORNHUNTER]

Hell that just means Fish & NO game will add more tags !!!

 

[customweld]

The weather patterns lately are eerily similar to what preceded snowmaggedon. If we get significant storms in January, the deer may be in for a pretty rough winter.

Love the water, but hate to see the impact on mulies.

Was out in Crane Creek on Sunday. The north and east slopes had about 12-18" with up to 24" on the ridge above Dodson. West and south slopes were melting down pretty good. The fires that popped up in September definitely aren't going to help. Just as a note, not many deer are hanging north of the Dodson line.

 

[Outdoordan]

I worry about the warm storm that came through dropping rain on winter range/snow, followed by freezing temps.

 

[customweld]

I worry about the warm storm that came through dropping rain on winter range/snow, followed by freezing temps.

That crust is hard on them. It also gives the predators a distinct advantage.

 

[Blank]

Wood River Valley is getting pounded right now!!!

 

[wweaver79]

Storms have seemed to be just lined up off the coast and still coming. Just when there has been a good run of winters, I hope this one does not get to bad. As others said that warm followed by below 0 for an extended period making that crust is the real trouble.
Forecast for central ID shows more snow days than clear the next four weeks or so, not good.

 

[ID_hunter27]

I was up in the wood river valley area Tuesday for work and it's deep.

In a open area saw a few elk and it's about 6 inches up their bellies at least in the area where I saw them at it was

 

[GSJ]

The pattern for the past few winters has been precip early then dry as a bone by late winter. Hope we follow the same trend this year or it could get ugly. Deer can generally do fine with snow and frigid temps so long as it’s early on. February is a crucial month.

 

[HUNTNNW]

The pattern for the past few winters has been precip early then dry as a bone by late winter. Hope we follow the same trend this year or it could get ugly. Deer can generally do fine with snow and frigid temps so long as it’s early on. February is a crucial month.

not in North ID. quite the opposite. Been relatively low snow until February then tons of late snow

 

[andrew12gauge]

not in North ID. quite the opposite. Been relatively low snow until February then tons of late snow

That has been my experience here in SW as well

 

[GSJ]

We were in full blown catastrophic drought till a miracle wet spring last year. By the time that weather showed up winter was essentially over.
Pattern has been similar minus the unusually wet spring the past few years. Can’t speak to North Idaho I guess. Snow pack in southern Idaho was woeful.

 

[Moe]

Here near Hells canyon, it's been a much colder year, winter snow is about the same. A definite snowline about half way up the mnts. Tons of elk, muleys hanging out.

 

[Tank]

Just got back from Donnelly, ID. Back country skiers and snowmobilers need to watch out for avalanches. Got 6" of dry powder, and then it rained on it. Top 3" was great packing snow for the Grandkids Snowman, but underneath won't pack at all. I was worried about deer and predators, but it looks like a lot of the ridges are blown off or melting off. At least it was coming back toward Boise. Fingers crossed for now. The frigid temps early in December make it hard to get through a long winter.

 

[hawkbill]

The rain yesterday cleared some of the southern slopes in the Wood River Valley but the animals are already knocked down to the valley floor. More storms coming it’s going to be a long tough winter on wildlife

 

[twsnow18]

Although lots of precip, snow level has been high since xmas. Poured rain in McCall the last couple days of December. The ski resorts have been getting rain and rain/snow mix at their bases. No lows below 32f and highs in the mid 40's on the 10 day forecast, for Boise. Curious about everyones' take about where we are at right now.

 

[Moe]

Hope Cascade lake doesn't get sloppy. Riggins is almost balmy.

 

[andrew12gauge]

Although lots of precip, snow level has been high since xmas. Poured rain in McCall the last couple days of December. The ski resorts have been getting rain and rain/snow mix at their bases. No lows below 32f and highs in the mid 40's on the 10 day forecast, for Boise. Curious about everyones' take about where we are at right now.

Better than we were looking in the first couple weeks of December. Hopefully the storms stay light enough and spread out with some continuing melt off between

 

[NPHunter]

Hopefully the weather patterns hold. So far in North East Oregon we are seeing substantially less snow than the big winter of 2017 that killed all of our deer herds. We have about 180% of our snowpack in the mountains but the winter range is looking good.

Jan. 7th 2017

Jan. 10th 2023

 

[backcountryID]

Well, we're at about the most critical part of an average winter. I can't imagine things are looking great within the deer herds, but I have not been keeping tabs on the herds. Any reports out there?

 

[go4steelhd]

On a positive note with the already low deer numbers, now this extremely bad winter, I feel most nonresidents will be less likely to return to hunt for a few years after what they see this fall.

 

[kickerbuck]

On a positive note with the already low deer numbers, now this extremely bad winter, I feel most nonresidents will be less likely to return to hunt for a few years after what they see this fall.

I wouldn't bet on it!

 

[boise]

Looks like there’s some pretty big gaps, SE &SW corners are going to have winter kill panhandle still under on snow depth. Still time left but it doesn’t look like statewide mortality like 2017

 

[andrew12gauge]

Looks like there’s some pretty big gaps, SE &SW corners are going to have winter kill panhandle still under on snow depth. Still time left but it doesn’t look like statewide mortality like 2017

Panhandle doesn’t matter, they only have rats up there, not real deer

 

[IDbulls]

Went for a drive into the hills east of Idaho Falls yesterday…crazy amount of snow. Read that over 70% of the mule deer fawns collared have already died in this area, expecting near 100% mortality on fawns. Complete class missing. Not good.
And I have been seeing elk regularly in and near town. Very tough winter for these animals.

 

[Blank]

Came back from Boise by way of my sons in Sun Valley. Holy crap, it looks like they live in a cave. Tunnels to the garage and house, still over 4 feet on level in yard! The city is working OT to get the roads widened back up from single lanes.

I did see 100 deer on bare side hills between Carey and Craters, and they looked pretty good. There were a couple hundred antelope on the INL Site, and the bucks had pretty good horn growth

 

[kickerbuck]

Came back from Boise by way of my sons in Sun Valley. Holy crap, it looks like they live in a cave. Tunnels to the garage and house, still over 4 feet on level in yard! The city is working OT to get the roads widened back up from single lanes.

I did see 100 deer on bare side hills between Carey and Craters, and they looked pretty good. There were a couple hundred antelope on the INL Site, and the bucks had pretty good horn growth

It's supposed to be 71° in Burns, OR on Monday and has warmed up finally the last week here. Hopefully that warmer weather makes it over to Idaho to start melting some of the snow. Might be to little to late though!!! The Hwys sure killed a hell of a lot of deer this year unfortunately

 

[Hunt4more]

On a positive note with the already low deer numbers, now this extremely bad winter, I feel most nonresidents will be less likely to return to hunt for a few years after what they see this fall.

Way to think positive

 

[Blank]

Just when you think the wildlife might catch a break....... April 13th - Bah!!

 

[Deerlove]

Elk still in downtown Hailey as of this morning. More snow than I have ever seen this late in April.

 

[runamuk]

Elk still in downtown Hailey as of this morning. More snow than I have ever seen this late in April.

The Elk are in Starweather and the deer pic is taken from the bridge at Gimlet.

 

[Homer]

at least they got water........

 

[hawkbill]

There are a lot of dead Deer around the foothills of Hailey and Bellevue, thank God this lower country is burning off where these animals have been stuck most of the winter.

 

[BPKHunter]

Just did a road trip this weekend, left boise, drove to Arco, then up through Challis and to Salmon. Home through Stanley and Garden Valley.

Lots of deer in the valleys, hundreds and hundreds. Probably a few hundred elk and even a hundred or more Bighorns. Luckily, the deer all looked fairly good where I was, other than the hair shedding. I didn't see any ribs or hips showing. I'm sure some areas, especially Far East and SE, is bad, but it was good to see what I did along the Salmon, etc. I've spent a lot of time with my dogs(weekly), all year in the Owyhee's, above Emmett, and over along the Snake N of Weiser and they've all done very well over there.

Feel very bad for the herds in WY, Utah, and Colo. Almost feel guilty about the time I spent deer hunting in Region G and then WY antelope near Boulder/Pinedale as it was just full of critters last year. Mother Nature can be a *****.

 

[boise]

Just did a road trip this weekend, left boise, drove to Arco, then up through Challis and to Salmon. Home through Stanley and Garden Valley.

Lots of deer in the valleys, hundreds and hundreds. Probably a few hundred elk and even a hundred or more Bighorns. Luckily, the deer all looked fairly good where I was, other than the hair shedding. I didn't see any ribs or hips showing. I'm sure some areas, especially Far East and SE, is bad, but it was good to see what I did along the Salmon, etc. I've spent a lot of time with my dogs(weekly), all year in the Owyhee's, above Emmett, and over along the Snake N of Weiser and they've all done very well over there.

Feel very bad for the herds in WY, Utah, and Colo. Almost feel guilty about the time I spent deer hunting in Region G and then WY antelope near Boulder/Pinedale as it was just full of critters last year. Mother Nature can be a *****.

Any idea how much snow and at what level snow line is by Ola? Hopefully I can get in for firewood next month

 

[customweld]

Any idea how much snow and at what level snow line is by Ola? Hopefully I can get in for firewood next month

There's no wood left up there, flatlanders cut it all!

 

[boise]

I see a lot of valley county plates down there! They’re hauling wood back up the mountain. They love that red fir in McCall. That fire last summer probably burned some tamarack on there side of the mountain so, might not have as much competition this spring

 

[customweld]

I see a lot of valley county plates down there! They’re hauling wood back up the mountain. They love that red fir in McCall. That fire last summer probably burned some tamarack on there side of the mountain so, might not have as much competition this spring

To answer your question, I was up last weekend. You couldn't get to Kimball Creek on 2nd Fork. I didn't try going up towards Sagehen. On the 3rd Fork side, you couldn't get any farther than the cattleguard at Fir Gulch. Fir Gulch washed the culvert out and Gem County closed the road until further notice.