Blizzards and Colorado Wildlife

[Siskiyou]

Blizzards and Colorado Wildlife

Any word on how wildlife in Colorado is holding up this winter?  I would expect some die-offs in the deer, elk, and antelope herds.

[james]

I was wondering the same thing. I'm hoping the warmer temperatures (above zero) prevented some die offs.  I'm sure a lot of the phesants and quail in SE Colo and Western Kans have become coyote food.
james

[BeanMan]

The Eastern side of the state has had a hard winter and deep snows, that willprobaly impact the herds in the Front Range.    West of the continental divide, where most of the big game units are, the winter has been below average for snowfall.   Feburary and March wil make or break the herds but right now they are in very good shape.  We were in the Gunnison area this weekend and the wintering areas have very little snow and the animals looked to be in very good shape.

Beanman

[Siskiyou]

BeanMan:

Thanks for the update.  California has been so dry this winter that the normal winter grass has not greened up, put ranchers in hurt and having to feed.  Between the Colorado blizzard and dry grazing lands the cattle industry is taking a hit.  Normally the wet weather around here gets some grass going and mushrooms poping up for the deer.  I was watching a bunch of does and fawns out back.  They have not had to fight the snow but during the cold spell they eat just about everything, now they are eat things that they have not touched in the past.  Hopefully the expected rain will green up a few plants. 

If we get the warm rain expected starting Wensday that means it should hit Colorado about 72 hours later if there is any moisture left in the storm.

Appreciate a followup from you down the road.  Always thinking about the four legged animals.

http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/DM_west.htm

[BeanMan]

It's a month later and things are still looking very good for western Colorado animals.  We've had less than average snow falls and things are starting to warm up.  Something very unusual would have to happen now to hurt the herds.  The bigger bucks have dropped their sheds and some of the smaller ones are starting to drop.

BeanMan

[ftlupton]

My nephew is the game biologist for DOW around Steamboat, will ask him how it looks and post again soon.
ftlupton

[gwindrider1]

This is a late post to this thread, but I wanted to add that the does in my area of south central Colorado have all dropped twins this year, and although we had one hell of a winter here, they don't seem to have been hurt by it.  Actually, my area is heavily over populated with deer.

I am more concerned by the fact that the DOW has cut back the number of deer licenses, than with winter kill.  If this over population is allowed to continue, CWD, or a hard winter, will do what the DOW is not taking care of.

[Siskiyou]

Information is appreciated and interesting.