Winter Kill

Thill

Active Member
Messages
281
Is it to early to say if the winterkill should be minimal in Colorado this year? I can't believe how little snow there is in Colorado right now. I know of several thousand elk in NW Colorado that I would have a hard time believing they were dropping any weight as they were enjoying mild temperatures and no or minimal snow in the South facing slopes that normally would have waist deep snow.

Your Thoughts?
 
>Is it to early to say
>if the winterkill should be
>minimal in Colorado this year?
> I can't believe how
>little snow there is in
>Colorado right now. I
>know of several thousand elk
>in NW Colorado that I
>would have a hard time
>believing they were dropping any
>weight as they were enjoying
>mild temperatures and no or
>minimal snow in the South
>facing slopes that normally would
>have waist deep snow.
>
>Your Thoughts?
 
>Is it to early to say
>if the winterkill should be
>minimal in Colorado this year?
> I can't believe how
>little snow there is in
>Colorado right now. I
>know of several thousand elk
>in NW Colorado that I
>would have a hard time
>believing they were dropping any
>weight as they were enjoying
>mild temperatures and no or
>minimal snow in the South
>facing slopes that normally would
>have waist deep snow.
>
>Your Thoughts?

May not have winter kill but with no moisture we might see some major issues come fall with fires and a lack of food and antler development. I am not looking forward to next year unless we get some really good rain or something. Also know that the lion hunters have not done very well and as a result the deer are getting hit pretty hard.

Also since it has been so warm some areas are getting hammered with road kill. n unit 21 the inversion usually keeps the deer higher up on the ridges. The valleys get really cold with an inversion so they never end up in the areas where the main roads run. this year it is so warm lots of deer are down on the roads getting hit..
 
In NW Colorado, moisture levels are less than experienced with the massive drought of 1977. The White River was dry in areas in 77.

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."
 
Too soon. February and March can be damn snowy! I'm a bit confused, when we have too much snow the deer are on the roads. When we don't have any snow the deer are on the roads. I don't get it.

#livelikezac
 
>Too soon. February and March can
>be damn snowy! I'm a
>bit confused, when we have
>too much snow the deer
>are on the roads. When
>we don't have any snow
>the deer are on the
>roads. I don't get it.
>
>
>#livelikezac

It kind of depends on the area. Specifically along the river bottoms and canyon bottoms. Usually
In a normal winter the river bottoms like the white, and Yampa for example have snow but the deer will stay higher on south slopes and not cross the roads much. A couple years back road kill was really bad in 21 and 22 because the snow was deeper but the temps
Were warmer. This year the temps are warm and the deer are staying on the low
Grounds near the roads. While the snow has not pushed them there the cold air that keeps them higher than the road is not there either...

It a counter intuitive issue that I learned about a couple years back from a CPW
Researcher...
 
>It a counter intuitive issue that
>I learned about a couple
>years back from a CPW
>
>Researcher...


31726065036_79bf4240ea_t.jpg

My current situation precludes me from caring about your opinion but go ahead and give voice to it anyway...

Ahhhh yes the last sentence is the key to understanding...

Probably the same fella that masterminded the new on-line-only apps...


There is no winter kill so far. Not even any winter stress and the time for bitter cold fat-burning is almost past, nuther couple weeks tops.

As a dweller in the mysterious "inversion zone" that only (rarely) cedes its title to the gunny valley I can assure you that the highways are blood free so far, as are the RR tracks. I saw a skinny and pissed off eagle fishing the river yesterday, slumming it with trout.

Nothing more heartening than seeing an eagle have to work for a living.

The animals are scattered so far and wide with such good chow, for so late in the year I would be shocked if it can even turn into a moderate winter, but it is still early.

I have seen no pineapple sprouts starting down next to the highways, even where the DOW scattered the seeds.
 

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