kill

[boneaddict]

ITs going to be a bleak year.  The only mule deer I saw were DEAD ones.  About a dozen or so.  There are so many that the coyotes aren't even cleaning up the kills and neither are the Ravens.  They are all hanging about with their bellies full.   Then there was this fellow.  Even down low there are a few whities down for the count.  This guy was in about a foot of snow, in the wide open.  Though about 250 yards from a cougar den, I don't think this is what caused his demise.  No cat sign at all.  He either just layed down and died or the wolf I saw got him.  He was in the wide open and able to flee, I doubt the coyotes would have got him.  Anyhow, he shed his antlers but will never have a chance to regrow them.

[boneaddict]

.
The deer are able to move about on the crust now, but the moose are breaking through.  Now its their turn to struggle.  Sorry, no moose pics.  I was trying to give them their space.   They were having a hard enough time. 

[boneaddict]

He  ahd pretty nice pedicles, but his hoof size wasn't that big, and he didn't appear to be that old.

[WDFW-SUX]

 

That's a really bad sign.......if the strongest members of the herd are dropping so much for all the fawns and weaker deer........

[boneaddict]

By the way, this was a whitetail for those of you who can't tell, or for those of you linking my mulie conversation.  Its about 50-50 what I saw for live deer versus dead deer, and its real early.  For those of you that know winterkill, when the cheat comes out is when they really start dieing in March.  DEVASTATING!  It is way too early to be seeing this man dead animals.

[WDFW-SUX]

Its about 50-50 what I saw for live deer versus dead deer,

 

[boneaddict]

I tried to bypass as many as possible.  For the most part they just stood and watched, and let me pass.  Whitetails are ususally falgging and frightful this time of year.

[boneaddict]

The snow is clearing in the rocks and the lichen and moss is cming in, so thats a new succulent choice to eat.  the browse is hammered.

[boneaddict]

.

[Skyvalhunter]

Any shed pickups?

[boneaddict]

looking skinny, but hanging in there.

[boneaddict]

curious of that big snowshoed critter.  Her and her buddy just watched me pass. 

[boneaddict]

I scored a few, but nothing worth getting excited over.

[Ray]

Thanks for the report 

[rougheye]

Funny thing i saw some snow shoe tracks yesterday while shed hunting