Outside my window...

[wooly]

Had a couple visitors to the yard yesterday morning.

Don't usually see them this close to home unless things really get pretty rough out there for them later into winter.

Had to shoot them through the window un-edited so not the best quality.

They eventually bedded down just 20yds off the back deck until the neighbor let his dogs out for their mornin' leak.

These two have been hanging around for the past 3 days now snacking on all the low hanging snow covered hemlock on the edge of the yard.

[Robhuntandfish]

were you eating a corn muffin for breakfast?  lol

[First-light]

Nice picture. These animals are tough. They look nice and healthy though hope Mother Nature takes it easy on them in March. 

[Curmudgeon]

Very nice. I don't know if it's the angle but it looks like you have more snow than me. There are drifts here but it seems like no more than 6". The deer around here are moving freely recently, since I've been out and about. They can easily find food.

[Lawdwaz]

Beautiful animals........

[wooly]

23 minutes ago, Curmudgeon said:

Very nice. I don't know if it's the angle but it looks like you have more snow than me. There are drifts here but it seems like no more than 6". The deer around here are moving freely recently, since I've been out and about. They can easily find food.

Over the past few weeks we've got at the VERY LEAST 3-4ft of snow.... probably more but I haven't been keeping track.

Couple that with these frigid temps we've been having and these guys will start popping up in places they shouldn't be, trying to scrape up every last morsel they can find that they don't have to work too hard for. The hemlocks around the house keep the snow depths down in the yard a bit compared to the open woods and fields here so now we're really starting to see some traffic through them.

 

It's probably too early to compare this winter to the winter of '14 when I found over 65 dead deer by March, but looks like 2018 is off to a rough start for them again so far. I haven't been in the woods since November so I really have no idea what's happening out there right now.

[ny hunter]

Great pics.... love the way they are watching you

[Curmudgeon]

1 hour ago, wooly said:

Over the past few weeks we've got at the VERY LEAST 3-4ft of snow.... probably more but I haven't been keeping track.

Couple that with these frigid temps we've been having and these guys will start popping up in places they shouldn't be, trying to scrape up every last morsel they can find that they don't have to work too hard for. The hemlocks around the house keep the snow depths down in the yard a bit compared to the open woods and fields here so now we're really starting to see some traffic through them.

 

It's probably too early to compare this winter to the winter of '14 when I found over 65 dead deer by March, but looks like 2018 is off to a rough start for them again so far. I haven't been in the woods since November so I really have no idea what's happening out there right now.

Yeah, that's tough, even for a big doe with a lot of fat. The tired bucks and little ones are worse off.

[TACC]

Not to go off on a tangent here, but I understand them using the hemlock for protection from the weather, but if they actually started eating the hemlock that they were getting very short on food sources.

Any truth to that info?

Sent from my SM-G900T3 using Tapatalk

[wooly]

8 minutes ago, TACC said:

Not to go off on a tangent here, but I understand them using the hemlock for protection from the weather, but if they actually started eating the hemlock that they were getting very short on food sources.

Any truth to that info?

Sent from my SM-G900T3 using Tapatalk
 

They have begun nipping off the low hanging branches already.

Usually towards the end of winter when we get a good wind storm, a few hemlocks will get snapped over.

It doesn't take long before whatever needles are within reach are gone, stripping the fallen tree down to a bare skeleton. They will literally devour the entire tree. (minus the branches and trunk of course) 

Hemlock and some pines can be a big late season food draw when other pickins get slim and they usually don't have to travel far from their beds to find some.

[grampy]

Nice pic's!  Really looking forward to seeing more of em this year!

We have nowhere near that much snow here. The deer are still able to easily move around. But during the bitter cold, I often reflect on how tough, these beautiful animals really are.

[Doc]

Just more evidence that they have a calendar and a copy of game regulations and seasons. Perhaps if you had listened very closely, you would have heard them giving you the raspberries.....lol.

It could be that they wanted to come in and get warm for a while.

[landtracdeerhunter]

 Quite a few old timers have lost their head gear already, which in my opinion means stress. My shed hunting has already started with one in hand, so far.  Buck fawn showings all season, but now have entered the red willow thickets with intense eating,  while more mature are still field eating radish, grasses protected , opening up areas in the 7 inch snow pack. Corn and soybean fields are being visited, with little eating. Groups of 3 and 4 hanging together, while flocking has not entered their minds, of tougher winters past. Deer all have good body mass, so far. Doe had heavier fat reserves;  time will tell.  

[wooly]

Few more shots through the window this morning.

The herd is growing and there are now 12 of them passing through every day. Looks like all doe and fawns so far.

[doebuck1234]

Great pics as always!look healthy and hope they make it through for this years season!

[ny hunter]

Love the pics....Thanks buddy...

[ApexerER]

Always love your pics wooly, Thanks for sharing!

[philoshop]

They look healthy, and a couple look to be pregnant.  It always amazes me just how tough these critters actually are.

Thanks for the photos my friend.

[WNYBuckHunter]

It would be a great time to do some hinge cutting if you can. I plan on getting started on some on our new place soon.

[wooly]

Had a new visitor outside the window this morning!

 

[Red]

Great pics you truly captured the beauty of that fox you can see each hair in fine detail

[wooly]

12 minutes ago, Red said:

Great pics you truly captured the beauty of that fox you can see each hair in fine detail

Thanks man, but these shots suck,lol

Hopefully I'll find myself on the other side of the window here in another week or two where I don't have to wait for the critters to come to me and there's nothing between us.

I'm not on my computer now either so I have no way of editing any of these pics lately. You have no idea how painful it is for me to post them like this,lol

[Red]

Lol the pics look amazing no editing needed i hope you heal up soon i know you have to  be itching to do some hiking for sheds and pics.

[fasteddie]

Great pics . Look like they ought to be on a calendar .........

[landtracdeerhunter]

You really do capture some great pics Wooly. Truly, an artist with the camera.  I always enjoy seeing them. 

Have been seeing several fox on the run over the coarse of ten days or so here. Seemed a little early for the breeding season then. In fact, quite a bit of animal activity with deer ,weasel, mink, squirrel, rabbit, grouse, woodcock, robins and other native birds. Wildlife look good, so far this winter. I  see areas of grass greenery in some thicker brush with new deer tracts showing in the mud, on my travels. Found a big boy shed there two years ago. Hope you have shed success this season. Good luck.