Harsh Winter

[bubba]

How much if an effect do you think this harsher than usual winter will have on the wildlife?  I expect it to hammer the deer at my camp.  The ice is almost 2 inches thick and they can not break through it for food.  We do not have the snow depths as of yet.  I went with the tractor and broke though the ice on the sugar beets plots. so they could get to them.  I also broke trails down the roads so they could get around a bit.  I have found 2 dead ones already.  Not sure of the coyotes got the before or after they died.  Some friends went snowmobiling in the daks.  The ice is bad enough that the deer were on the trails and would not get off.  They had to pretty much chase them off to get through.  After they passed, they got right back on the trails.  Just my observations.  The ice is bad enough they barely want to move at camp, which makes them very vulnerable to predators also.

[jjb4900]

I think a really bad winter has a bigger affect on the deer than all other stuff combined.....

[Lawdwaz]

It sure does look bleak at this point.  Maybe the abundant mast crop and all the apples can help??  Heck they sure should have packed on some fat this fall..........I hope.

 

 

[bubba]

sad part is winter is just starting.

[First-light]

At what temperature will a deer freeze to death even though it has enough food to eat? Anyone know?

[fasteddie]

Will the rise in Temperature forecasted for this weekend help them at all ?

[growalot]

Now Is'nt what worries  me..... it's now combined with a prolonged winter like now with late deep  ice and snow....Now as it stands...I think mis carriages will happen due to stress...been seeing some nasty colored urine...from orange / red to dark brown...

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Will the rise in Temperature forecasted for this weekend help them at all ?

It will if we get the 45 degree all day rain they are calling for. Like 6 days above 32 in the 10 day outlook.  I have one killed by yotes on my farm in a spot a yote would never get to a whitetail if not for the deer having no traction.  Jan thaw better happen in early January!

[deerpassion]

Just saw about 15 or so doe's Hurded up all on their feet tight together in the thicket feeding on twigs , gotta do what ya gotta do , came across one fresh dead doe lookin for the sheds off a buck that I saw with his basis still fresh yesterday... No luck ..

[ATbuckhunter]

I hope its not going to be too bad but im sure we are going to lose quite a few more then normal. I just hope that the tick population takes a serious blow as well... hate those guys.

Edited January 8, 2014 by ATbuckhunter

[Doc]

The deer were able to put on some hefty fat reserves this year in many parts of the state, which will help them withstand anything so far with no problem. But If winter extends into March and April with deep snow, that is when their supply of reserve energy will be tested.

 

However, those talking about thick crusting on the snow put the deer into a different winter mortality category that relates to losses to predators rather than starvation. Anytime coyotes or dogs can run on top of the snow where the deer punch down into it, The coyotes or dogs have a distinct advantage.

 

Also, I do recall hearing of a large deer-kill that was due to an extraordinary icing event where a bunch of deer actually slid to their deaths in a deep/steep ravine. I can't recall where it was that that happened and it was a bunch of years ago. But something like that might be a problem in certain unique areas where the ice is so thick that they do not break through but also have no traction.

[Nomad]

It's so regional . It's green and in the 40s here in Monroe county same where I hunt in Ontario county. I'm not to worried, heavy snow and cold temps that stay,might be a a game changer .

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Big time relief up here this weekend and they are calling for 45 on Monday. This weather will help the herd big time!

[WNY Bowhunter]

So far things look fine in my area of NE Steuben County...most of the deer haven't been too overly stressed thus far as most of the bucks are still packing antlers.  IMHO it's been better on the deer than last year at this time. My area has been almost snow free for 2.5 weeks now...

Edited January 13, 2014 by WNY Bowhunter

[nyantler]

The deer have been dealing with bad weather years forever... what ever we lose will always bounce back ... balance of nature. Yes, it can mean a few lean hunting seasons in the worst areas of NY... but I wouldn't worry about it much in the big scheme of things... the strong will survive and the weak will die... but deer, like all animals adapt.

 

Remember too that this year had a huge mast crop and apple crop... if the deer were ever going to have enough fat this would be the year...

Edited January 13, 2014 by nyantler

[Doc]

Here in Ontario County, we do keep getting these periods of thawing where all or nearly all of the snow goes away. I think the year has been harder on people than it has on the wildlife here. Yes, I have been plowing way more often than in recent years. But in the larger picture of several decades, there have been plenty of real ugly years that make this one look like a real example of global warming....lol.

[cwhite]

I helped a guy with a road kill doe a couple days ago and she still had an inch of fat on the hind quarters and seemed very healthy, if it wasn't for the truck that hit her.  I figured the ice and snow layers was going to starve them for sure but they seem to be doing ok so far. I am relieved to see this thaw for sure!!!

[landtracdeerhunter]

Here in Ontario County, we do keep getting these periods of thawing where all or nearly all of the snow goes away. I think the year has been harder on people than it has on the wildlife here. Yes, I have been plowing way more often than in recent years. But in the larger picture of several decades, there have been plenty of real ugly years that make this one look like a real example of global warming....lol.

Same here.

[G-Man]

Not a bad winter here at all, deer have barely touched the standing corn, so much food still on the ground, I expect a good horn year next year as they have more than enough food no snow, and warm spells, all the energy they can put into horn has me excited , we had a bad year last year and deer were putting weight back on rather than horns... I believe deer can go for an extended period of time, they have the ability to browse, the turkey onn the other hand take a walloping from unbreakable ice and heavy snow.

 

[wooly]

I wouldn't even attempt to make an educated guess untill some time in April just before green up.

Still a lot of winter left, but so far, so good here.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

The warm weather will really help but This thread got me thinking. I know the does would have the big reserves with all the food that was available in most of the state. My question is the bucks. The last one I skinned in late season was basically hide on meat. no fat at all from the rut. How assuming they still run pretty hard to the second rut in December, how quickly can bucks build back up the reserves? The does have had the feed bag on for months to build up theirs. Could a hard winter or heavy ice coverage have a worse impact on buck numbers that doe numbers?

[phade]

Deer have been hit harder than normal here just based off of my informal observations. I noticed earlier yarding than any other season. Plus, my apple tree in the yard has been hit hard with activity, which in most years, rarely gets attention because of the dogs and the proximity to the house.

 

Its very early as said, but it's been tougher than normal in stretches.

[phade]

The warm weather will really help but This thread got me thinking. I know the does would have the big reserves with all the food that was available in most of the state. My question is the bucks. The last one I skinned in late season was basically hide on meat. no fat at all from the rut. How assuming they still run pretty hard to the second rut in December, how quickly can bucks build back up the reserves? The does have had the feed bag on for months to build up theirs. Could a hard winter or heavy ice coverage have a worse impact on buck numbers that doe numbers?

 

rut-active bucks and the young deer going through the first winter are the most impacted, no doubt. I've got pics of earlier shedding of antlers than I have ever seen. The earliest I have ever seen or picked up a shed was MZ weekend and the last weekend of gun depending on the season dates. This year I have several bucks shed on cam in the first ten days of December. While shedding isn't a firm sign, I do know that stressed bucks can shed earlier.

 

I'm sure the old deer may have trouble too, but probably such a small percentage of the herd, that it's not a macro-factor.

[growalot]

What ever the reason we never really saw a lot of rut activity here...there were a large number of older and very young buck...along with the large number of doe....Now the cams are picking up lots of button bucks some huge doe. Yesterday we had 14 deer in the clover next to the house...two were fat buck with no racks...all of them looked very healthy...farmers planted more grain and clover than corn last years and they have taken advantage of it...What saves a rut depleted buck around here in the extreme cold are the many pine plantations and even the swamps....warmer pockets.. As long as we don't have prolonged deep snows or a snow.... ice then snow event...that is a killer for movement late winter...yotes have a field day..

[Fletch]

Except in the extreme pockets of ice and such the deer will not really be in danger unless the deep snow depth runs on longer than normal. March and April are key months. Most any deer can make it the first two months without much difficulty. Especially with the food they had to fatten up on this year. It is the long late winters that hurt the most.