Fawns in the Methow

[Romulus1297]

Has anyone seen any fawns in the methow valley in the past few years?  The wa state dot sign said 65 deer have been killed this year on highway 153 and that sounds a little low.

[Skyvalhunter]

I am not totally sure that sign is kept up to date. You will find less deer in the Methow valley along the 153 corridor as that is where one of the wolf packs hang out. The deer are more noticeable outside of that corridor. My friends neighbor who lives at the Gold Cr turnoff watched the pack kill deer on 2 separate occasions across from her house. Obviously the fawns are more susceptible to killing. Its been said that the presence of wolves also affect a does reproduction ability.

[HereDuckyDucky]

We have a couple of local fawns on our property in the lower valley, and I've seen a handful with other small herds in the area.

RW

[Hockey21]

There are probably double that number killed or more. They don't update it much and not everyone reports hitting one. I saw some young ones, but i don't think they were born this year, maybe last year.

[bigmacc]

I have seen very few fawns and the amount of yearlings this year seems way down. I do know bears wreak havoc on fawns as well as other predators but the bear population is way up. Predators in general are wacking the whole herd and fawns and the yearlings (which are the future) are taking the brunt of it.....Not good

[Hockey21]

I saw a lot of bear poop this year. I don't know if I've ever in the past.

[bigmacc]

I saw a lot of bear poop this year. I don't know if I've ever in the past.

I have never seen so much bear sign in the Methow as I did this year Hockey21, I don't think we went into an area this year and didn't see bear sign, we even ran into crap piles up in rock outcroppings on steep sage brush slopes! I seen one big one in the back of a truck down at Pardners that went in the 290,s they told me(I believe it because in dang near took up most of the bed of a short box F250) and the game fella over there told me another big one was killed up around Ramsey, he said the bears were thick up in that area.

[wolfbait]

Last winter we had around 17 Does with 23 fawns that would go through our place every week, they didn't stay in one area like they use to, always on the move.

We watched the fawns disappear throughout the winter and some of the Does, the last we saw of the little herd there were 7 Does and 3 fawns.

Wolves, cougars and coyotes do an awful number on the deer come winter time.