Snowpack

[boneaddict]

Where there was 14 feet of snow last year there is less than a foot this year.  Its making it pretty easy for the deer, but we better pray for late summer rains as fire season is going to be a RIPPER

[chrisb]

This should decrease fawn/yearling mortality rates though right? Making for me not eating tag soup next fall?

[boneaddict]

Well Chrisb, it might make for an easier winter, but foliage and summer forbs and water or the acute lack of could cause even bigger problems.  May even shut the season down.........

[GUscottie]

Honestly makes me sad...

[Red Dawg]

having no snow is not good for everyone. But I would guess that we will get some eventually when it will hurt the animals the worst.

[boneaddict]

I guess at least we got TONS of rain  and the ground wasn't frozen so alot of it went in. 

[Buckshot Bill]

Well Chrisb, it might make for an easier winter, but foliage and summer forbs and water or the acute lack of could cause even bigger problems.  May even shut the season down.........

I would have to agree with what bone is saying.  It will have some serious ramifications for the lack of snow pack on many things.  One thing for sure you will see some serious water restrictions happen all over the state.  I hope we do get a lot of snow soon and frequently to build some sort of pack to last for part of the summer.  If the reseviours don't get replenished during the summer months it will be brutal.

[GUscottie]

I pray that we get a wet spring and summer

[washelkhntr]

 

[Special T]

You NEVER have to pray for rain one the Wetside!  been pretty nice over here lately!

[alecvg]

Its global warming      Seriously though, its gonna be an early fire season, I really hope we get alot of rain this summer.

[boneaddict]

El Nino strikes again.

[Special T]

Guess its time for you guys on the dry side to thin the brush and do a little pre burning. 

[bobcat]

I can drive to places right now that i could never drive to until May usually. I've never seen a winter like this.

Were you not living here in 2005?  We didn't have any snow in the mountains that winter. I drove over Colockum Pass in late December without even needing 4 wheel drive. Later in the winter, I think late February, my wife and I drove up to about 5000 feet in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest south of Randle and went on a hike. There was a couple inches of snow but in a normal winter there would probably have been 10 feet.

I don't know about having a bad fire season. Seems there are so many times they have predicted a bad fire season because of a relatively dry winter, or a hotter than average summer, and it doesn't happen. Just like last year, one of the hottest summers ever and barely any fires.

I actually hope we do have a lot of big fires. Nothing is better at creating good deer and elk habitat. We've got lots of areas that haven't seen a fire in a long time and are way overdue.

[MooseStock]

Its great for animal survival.....and Lousy for Fish/Salmon survival......its all cyclical....always has been....always will be..................OH yeah....it gives the powers to be a great EXCUSE to raise our power rates if its justified or not.....always has been....always will be...........................Les