Wyoming Winter Kill article

[LanceS4803]

Holy crap:
"Reportedly, there were no surviving fawns and only 20 percent of the adults made it through the winter. Not only is last year's fawn crop gone, but the surviving does most likely either aborted or resorbed the fetuses that would have been born this spring.
Two years of reproduction lost."

Could the Wyoming winter have been avoided? Feeding deer?

 

[AT Hiker]

Arguably, the greatest mule deer herd in North America.
Coming off back to back severe droughts, developments and disease on top of the severe winter spelled disaster.
I'm not a biologist but it is all hind sight at this point. Looking back, feeding them most definitely wouldn't have hurt, at least I don't think so.

Doom and gloom might be the immediate future but I'm optimistic.

 

[tellico4x4]

I could see feeding if it was smaller areas, but that's a huge chunk of land that was affected

 

[AT Hiker]

I could see feeding if it was smaller areas, but that's a huge chunk of land that was affected

True but wintering grounds are pretty well established. Now, with a once in a couple decade winter, are those grounds the same?

 

[megalomaniac]

Been seeing reports on Monster muleys that the winter kill isn't quite as bad as 80%. but yes, I would expect nearly 100% fawn mortality from last year and near 100% of the does that survived to have aborted their fetuses before spring. It's going to take 5-7 years of perfect range conditions for deer to recover. Another harsh winter and they will be on the endangered species list.

WY needs to really look at not only eliminating all doe tags, reducing buck tags (which they have done), but also to impose antler restrictions to protect the young bucks which did survive last winter.

 

[AT Hiker]

Been seeing reports on Monster muleys that the winter kill isn't quite as bad as 80%. but yes, I would expect nearly 100% fawn mortality from last year and near 100% of the does that survived to have aborted their fetuses before spring. It's going to take 5-7 years of perfect range conditions for deer to recover. Another harsh winter and they will be on the endangered species list.

WY needs to really look at not only eliminating all doe tags, reducing buck tags (which they have done), but also to impose antler restrictions to protect the young bucks which did survive last winter.

I believe the 80% comes from collard data. "Up to 80%" but what I read a month ago it was less than 50% dead.

 

[Huntaholic]

There is way more going on and on a nationwide level than most are willing to admit. Ive said it before and I will say it again, Ive traveled this country more than most people and I see it EVERYWHERE. From Texas, to Nebraska, to Montana, to Tennessee, to Iowa, to Indiana, to Illinois, its the same everywhere. WIldlife is decimated. Deer, turkeys, pretty much ALL wildlife is at a turning point for the worse. If you dont travel its easy to say "well its EHD, its drought, its CWD, its whatever, but the fact remains, OUR wildlife is on a downward spiral and I think its all part of a bigger plan to starve us into submission.

 

[Dean Parisian]

Huntaholic. I totally agree with your assessment............ Season after season.........MZ, handicapped. rifle, bow, cross-bow, cars. habitat loss and the major cuilprit on the West, is loss of wintering ground.

It adds up. Money talks.

 

[AT Hiker]

*Update*

Apparently they did back to back aerial surveys. This years survey confirms the carnage that was the impact of the 2022/2023 winter.

Wyoming Range mule deer herd population plummets to record lows | County 17

county17.com

 

[tellico4x4]

Read another article this morning that said 2/3 of herd died last year.

 

[LanceS4803]

Terrible news.
For WY, I only have points for pronghorn. Their winter kill was very location specific, but that just means more pressure for tags.

 

[tellico4x4]

Antelope should bounce back fairly quickly. On good moisture years common for them to have 3 fawns

 

[AT Hiker]

Terrible news.
For WY, I only have points for pronghorn. Their winter kill was very location specific, but that just means more pressure for tags.

It just happened to be the greatest mule deer herd on planet earth though

 

[Huntaholic]

I just applied for MT again a few minutes ago. The MT fish and wildlife folks called me after last year and they seemed genuinely concerned with what I had to say. I explained that I had seen the deer herd there go from feast to famine in the last 6 years and when asked what they should do, I said ELIMINATE DOE TAGS! It appears they listened but I fear its too late already. NO does are allowed this year on public land! Its at least a step in the right direction.

 

[tellico4x4]

Wyoming Elk, Antelope Adapt Better To Housing, Energy Developments Than Mule Deer

As housing and energy development continues in Wyoming, elk and antelope are more likely to adapt to avoid humans. Mule deer on the other hand are too stubborn to move and will keep their migration routes.

cowboystatedaily.com

 

[RoyalPrudent]

There is way more going on and on a nationwide level than most are willing to admit. Ive said it before and I will say it again, Ive traveled this country more than most people and I see it EVERYWHERE. From Texas, to Nebraska, to Montana, to Tennessee, to Iowa, to Indiana, to Illinois, its the same everywhere. WIldlife is decimated. Deer, turkeys, pretty much ALL wildlife is at a turning point for the worse. If you dont travel its easy to say "well its EHD, its drought, its CWD, its whatever, but the fact remains, OUR wildlife is on a downward spiral and I think its all part of a bigger plan to starve us into submission.

you think people are killing them?

 

[Huntaholic]

you think people are killing them?

Yeah, the people we let steal this country. How else are you going to get rural people to fall in line and do what you say, other than to starve them into submission. I believe covid is way more deadly to animals than we have been led to believe, way more deadly than it is to people. After all, it IS an animal born and mutated virus. It started in pigs, not bats, not people, and it was 100% fatal. First known case of this type of covid was in pigs at a commercial pork production facility in china. I forget how many THOUSAND pigs died from it in a matter of hours, yet not a single factory worker caught it at that time.

 

[FTP]

Yeah, the people we let steal this country. How else are you going to get rural people to fall in line and do what you say, other than to starve them into submission. I believe covid is way more deadly to animals than we have been led to believe, way more deadly than it is to people. After all, it IS an animal born and mutated virus. It started in pigs, not bats, not people, and it was 100% fatal. First known case of this type of covid was in pigs at a commercial pork production facility in china. I forget how many THOUSAND pigs died from it in a matter of hours, yet not a single factory worker caught it at that time.

I think you are on to something.
I live in middle TN, and during the summer months I used to have the absolutely best flock of Ruby Throated Hummingbirds you've ever seen. They always showed up within the first 10 days of Apri. By mid July - mid August I would be filling up 12 feeders daily! Yes, that is not a misprint.
Would have 80-100 birds at my feeders all day long during that stretch. By October 7th they'd be gone, migrating for winter.
I observed this for the first 13 years I lived out here until the Spring of 2020. I noticed by mid April that there were NO birds, by summer time when it should have looked like a swarm, but I had 2-3 birds and that is it. There was no habit change around where I live, I checked some of the other folks around my community, same report, NO Birds! I totally believe COVID had EVERYTHING to do with bird loss. And…
They have never returned.

 

[AT Hiker]

F'it. I'm blaming Joe Biden.

Top that!

 

[FTP]

F'it. I'm blaming Joe Biden.

Top that!

You win!!!