Coming Upon Winter Kill

[svnmag]

Especially for you KD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30nvqWxe5iA

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYii--YURRQ

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The meat is still good.

 

[2400]

Mmmmmm mmmmmmm that sure looks good!

 

[arrowdem]

ouch.. that pheasant population is going to take a huge nose dive after this winter i am afraid...

 

[Wildyote]

There are many pheasants that have died already. I have heard reports from 50-75% mortality in some areas. There are quite a few pheasant tails sticking out of the snow if you look around where a big bunch had been. I have found many dead deer already as the stress is killing them as well as the coyotes.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I'm surprised there are so many reports of dead deer already , something doesn't seem right. Are these in areas where there just isn't much cover and food anymore ?

 

[NDSportsman]

I'm surprised there are so many reports of dead deer already , something doesn't seem right. Are these in areas where there just isn't much cover and food anymore ?

There's so damn much snow already that the deer are having to run down roads. Damn near hit 2 herds this weekend. There is going to be a lot of dead game by spring. We can kiss 50,000 tags next year away. Hell they might have to close the season completely. It's gonna be ugly.

 

[Livetohuntandfish]

Nd sportmans I agree completely with you. Was out this past week and saw probably 20 deer that won't make the winter. Have about a 100 deer herd around here and this morning passed them on the road and drove by them like a herd of cows. Didn't run drove right by them while they walked down the road. Never a good sign......

 

[Davey Crockett]

Yea, We have a lot of snow up here too. Going to get tough for the deer in the next 90 days for sure but right now the deer still seem to be in good condition. I'm wondering why they are tipping over left and right so early in some places, Is it an indicator on what condition the deer in those areas were going into winter and a lack of cover/food ? I haven't saw that many out and about but the ones I have all look healthy and not skinny by any means.

 

[deleted_account]

the half inch of ice under all this snow is a huge, huge bummer for the deer.

 

[Davey Crockett]

the half inch of ice under all this snow is a huge, huge bummer for the deer.

Yea, That might be the missing link, We were lucky to be colder and didn't get rain.

 

[NDSportsman]

Yea, We have a lot of snow up here too. Going to get tough for the deer in the next 90 days for sure but right now the deer still seem to be in good condition. I'm wondering why they are tipping over left and right so early in some places, Is it an indicator on what condition the deer in those areas were going into winter and a lack of cover/food ? I haven't saw that many out and about but the ones I have all look healthy and not skinny by any means.

My guess would be a couple things, stress and or grain overload. Saw lots of deer in corn fields, too much corn is toxic too them. I haven't seen any dead deer yet but several of the bucks have already shed antlers and they look real skinny already which happens earlier when they are stressed. That isn't good considering we have another 3 months of winter at least. Wish the damn snow mobilers would stay out of wintering areas.

 

[svnmag]

I hope I'm not being "no shi'ite". Dead frozen pheasants are perfectly edible. The brits hang them undressed and unfrozen for a couple weeks before consumption.

 

[KDM]

Seeing dead wildlife makes me sad in the face. I don't even like seeing road kill. I'm going through 3-5gallon pails of corn a night and half a square hay bale every 2-3 days. Got about 20 deer coming to the yard so far. This crap weather has GOT to stop or it's curtains for the game populations. The last deer I know of that was shot still had some fat on him, so at least around here, they still have some reserves, but DAMN. Mother nature sure seems to be PMS'ing this winter.

 

[Duckslayer100]

Seeing dead wildlife makes me sad in the face. I don't even like seeing road kill. I'm going through 3-5gallon pails of corn a night and half a square hay bale every 2-3 days. Got about 20 deer coming to the yard so far. This crap weather has GOT to stop or it's curtains for the game populations. The last deer I know of that was shot still had some fat on him, so at least around here, they still have some reserves, but DAMN. Mother nature sure seems to be PMS'ing this winter.

Now that we're having a "normal" winter again, we'll finally get a good assessment of what all that reduced habitat means for deer and upland game numbers. We've been living on borrowed time with three mild winters in a row. This was inevitable. Sucky...but inevitable.

 

[H82bogey]

There's so damn much snow already that the deer are having to run down roads. Damn near hit 2 herds this weekend. There is going to be a lot of dead game by spring. We can kiss 50,000 tags next year away. Hell they might have to close the season completely. It's gonna be ugly.

I noticed this same this last weekend. Driving on 1804 had lots of deer running on the highway in front of me and not wanting to hit the ditch. When I finally got close enough they would turn and run in the ditch. The snow was so deep some would sink up to there heads. They struggled just to make it to the fence line. Most wouldn't cross the fence, just stand and wait until I passed, then back to the road.

I get the feeling this winter will be a perfect storm for the decimation of our wildlife populations. Lots of ice before the storm came, too much snow and a long cold winter along with road kill. coyotes should have a all the food they want.


Will be interesting in the spring when a guy does some shed hunting to see how many dead deer/pheasants you find.

 

[Buckmaster]

lots of deer dropping antlers already. not a good sign hearing lots of dead phesants. had a buddy go out this weekend before the storm where the weekend prior he kicked up hundreds. saw very little sign and only found a couple birds that had empty crops.

 

[bones32]

West rive only have found 3 dead deer so far. Condition wise seeing these deer in season I knew a tough winter would take them out. Small does have seen a few bucks with one antler and found a matching set already. Overall I think the better conditioned deer of the herds will make it but the smaller deer that snuck through a few mild winters will take a hit

 

[Tymurrey]

Wife shot what she thought was a doe this weekend with her bow and turned out to be a button buck. The thing didn't have much for fat on it at all and had to be the leanest deer I've ever skinned I think. these deer have been feeding off oats bales and feed barley bales all winter. The rest of the deer we seen in the area seem healthy but not sure how fast that can go downhill. I have been making homemade "suet" cakes with shortening instead of suet and mixed grains for the pheasants. Gone through 18lbs of shortening so far and the birds I've shot have been extremely fat where I've been feeding them the suet cakes. Even in areas where the birds have access to the inlaws feed lot and oats and barley bales they haven't been this fat. So not sure if them consuming large amounts of vegetable shortening is bad for them but between that and feeding pea screenings and oats bales they seem healthy.

 

[5575]

Buddy saw a good shed antler laying on top of the fresh snow yesterday in a tree row. It was off a nice buck he had been keeping an eye on.
He trudged over to claim it in the waist deep snow. But when he went to grab it unfortunately it was still attached to its owner that was buried just that day.
I'm betting 75% of the herd in our area will not make it.
This is my back yard today.

 

[Kurtr]

doing good down here so far. Wind had blown off enough snow.the does have have alot of fat that were shot during late doe season last weekend