Coming Upon Winter Kill

[Davey Crockett]

For maybe the 2nd o 3rd time in over 30 years we don't have deer in the yard this time of the year. Saw some the night of the first big storm 3weeks ago that were belly deep in snow eating off a bale and that is the last we have seen any, Don't know if they are hunkered down or were run off by coyotes. Years ago I flew the farm during a tough winter like this and the deer were way back in the woods (oak trees) close to sloughs in scattered small groups and didn't look like they had moved much all winter and they came out of that winter just fine. The difference this year is all the Coyotes, I'm afraid those lousy bums are going to eat a lot of venison this winter. On a side note we have a pine marten that is loving this crappy winter. He tunnels under the snow and has holes that he comes out and travels above ground for a ways and he is snooping around the buildings. I put a couple hunks of fish out and he found it but didn't eat much if any but he ate some cat food soaked in used cooking oil. He is holed up under a huge sow drift in the plum trees and probably so full of mice and dehydrated plums that he just likes to come out and explore. Red fox and magpies liked the fish.

 

[Perchslayer]

I had like seventy pheasant in my yard now none I don't ever have deer tho

 

[Lou63]

out and about blading snow the pheasants have all but disappeared this week,

I hit something buried in the snow with my V-plow and it left a smear of muscle tissue on it. no idea what it was but hope it was a coyote.

The deer are herded up some up in the hills just off a wheat field and they were out all day eating.

the other herd is around an unharvested sunflower field which is so full of snow that the moose I saw by it the other day walked the edge. on the bright side in that area the birds are walking on top of the snow and filling up on sunflower seeds.

Trees have been bulldozed, no crp, no summer fallow, and a lot of the farmers worked up their fields this fall so nothing to hold the snow so it fills what trees there are and what fields weren't worked up as well as the roads.

I have had a couple of old timers tell me that they have places drifted in that have never been drifted in before.

 

[Mac]

What part of the state are you from davey? My brother and I wouldn't mind tryin to take a few coyotes in your area when we get a chance

 

[Davey Crockett]

North Central in the Turtle Mountains, Your sure welcome to try but we have so much loose fluffy snow that I don't even dare get out of the yard with the snowmobile.