Winterkill

[BIGDOG253]

Near Chelan

[BIGDOG253]

Not sure why the photo came in sideways, if someone could flip it that would be great.

[hunter399]

As some may know ,we are in the teens to negative temps here in NE at nite . The snow is still pretty soft. But any well worn or packed down trails are hard as a rock.

[vandeman17]

As some may know ,we are in the teens to negative temps here in NE at nite . The snow is still pretty soft. But any well worn or packed down trails are hard as a rock.

Amazing to look at the hillsides all around my house. It looks like an ant farm of trails zig zagging all over. I can watched a half dozen different groups of 8-12 deer from my house walking single file down them all day long.

[bigmacc]

Near Chelan

Not good.

[Bullkllr]

Near Chelan

Not good.

Those fawns are about under.

[Cougeyes]

https://nwsportsmanmag.com/biologists-monitor-conditions-after-huge-snowfall-on-deer-range/

[Lady Grouse hunter]

I see after the Winter of 96/97 this could be just as BAD for the deer herds. That's when the state put a 3 pt. minimum on Muley & Some whites..
We just saw pics of Deer up to they're necks in snow! They can't feed or hardly move through these conditions They will surely starve, succome to this bad situiation... I really hope some local farmer's will step up and put out Alfalfa for them... clean the pastures
 

[fishnfur]

https://nwsportsmanmag.com/biologists-monitor-conditions-after-huge-snowfall-on-deer-range/

I'm sticking with the biologist's view in this link:
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Emily Jeffreys, WDFW’s current Chelan-Douglas County district wildlife biologist, yesterday said she understood and appreciated that the heavy snowfall had folks worried about the region’s deer and how it was impacting the animals’ movements across the landscape.

“However, I don’t believe we have reason to fear for Chelan County’s mule deer population yet. Winter actually started pretty late and deer experienced relatively mild conditions on winter range until temperatures dropped in late December. Further, last week’s extreme snow event occurred early enough in the season that deer should still have considerable fat stores. Although Chelan County experienced wildfires this past summer and fall, these fires were not extensive enough to have compromised deer’s ability to find adequate forage and put on weight while on summer range as well as during fall greenup,” Jeffreys stated.

One of the fires, Red Apple, burned across range just northwest of Wenatchee, while the Twenty-five Mile blaze was further into the backcountry.

“Mule deer are well-adapted to survive harsh winter conditions, and one heavy snowfall, although unusually extreme, still isn’t enough to warrant concern about the possibility of poor fawn recruitment or winter kill at this juncture,” Jeffreys stated. “Fawn recruitment may well be down this year compared to that following the relatively mild 2020/2021 winter, but I think it’s too soon to come to the conclusion that deer in Chelan County are in ‘dire straits.'”

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Deer are tough animals. Their genetic instincts, developed over thousands of years, has them pretty well equipped to deal with heavy snow.  Occasional significant winter losses due to out-of-the-norm conditions are just a part of Mother Nature's brutal management of the herds.   As they say - Mother Nature is a cruel mistress. 

On the other side of the Cascades, at least one buck lost his battle against the weather.  Found last weekend - DOA during the last winter storm.

[Lady Grouse hunter]

I TOTALLY DISAGREE! IF a Animal cannot move in deep snow, dig forage (eat bark!) Its a dead suck :yike:er!

[Lady Grouse hunter]

SOO NOW THIS IS OGGA HAPPEN! Freeezing Rain, snow SOO DEEP they cannot move/ find grass at all!
They will just sit and DIE!!

[LDennis24]

Yes I agree, THIS IS OGGA HAPPEN! It's terrible they cannot eat much now other than saplings that are reachable and shrubs and whatnot.

[Duckslayer89]

Not good

[highcountry_hunter]

I see after the Winter of 96/97 this could be just as BAD for the deer herds. That's when the state put a 3 pt. minimum on Muley & Some whites..
We just saw pics of Deer up to they're necks in snow! They can't feed or hardly move through these conditions They will surely starve, succome to this bad situiation... I really hope some local farmer's will step up and put out Alfalfa for them... clean the pastures
 

If you find a farmer anywhere in the Pacific Northwest who’s giving away alfalfa then let me know. With last summers drought there was hay shortages everywhere and prices were higher than I’ve ever seen them.

[buckcanyonlodge]

$350 a ton for third cutting....if you can find it.  I'm down to one ton and should find some right away before the prices goes even higher or there isn't any available.