What is all this snowpack doing to the wildlife?

[StevieP]

turkey, deer, etc.?

I imagine it's making food much harder to find for deer and such. What about turkeys, and other things we hunt?

What will all the snow mean for next hunting season(s)?

 

[Roadliner]

Any year in the past when we have had significant snow, the deer are roaming my neighborhoods in the middle of the day looking for food. Nothing yet this year, but I’m in the southeast so, maybe there are no more deer left after last season.

 

[Kevin_NH]

I think most critters just bed down and wait it out, at least for a few weeks. If deep snow cover lasts for months straight, it definitely has a negative impact on deer. On the other hand, deep snow is great for red squirrels and a few other critters, who can just tunnel beneath to forage for food without the exposure to predators they'd normally face.

Wild turkeys are NOT adapted to living in latitudes that experience prolonged periods of deep snow.
Snow depth is THE most important index of winter severity for many NH wildlife species – particularly those for whom New Hampshire’s latitude represents the historical northern limit of their natural range. Bobcat, deer and fox do NOT fare as well in northern forests as their longer-legged cousins: lynx, moose and coyotes which are better adapted to traveling in deep snow.

]
From this year-old article: http://www.nhpr.org/node/28607

 

[zerodown]

I know its bringing them closer to my house. I keep my snowblower and plow in a shed at the back of my property and keep a path clear down to my house. Deer have been walking up and down the path, even going into my front yard. I've never seen that before. One even left a deposit right in front of the door to my shed.

 

[richc]

There have been a ton of birds outside my office window the past few days. Looks like they're trying to hunker down too.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I've both seen and heard turkeys across the street from me a few different days including this morning.

The deer have been in my back yard almost every day. Still plenty of trees sticking up out of the mountain of snow out there.

 

[sportycliff]

Ther're living in my friggin' garage!

 

[Lignum Vitea]

They browse on buds that can be reached. I've seen turkeys in trees eating buds. Feed what I can, this season will take a high toll for sure.

 

[terraformer]

Life finds a way.

 

[jshooter]

The snow will make it a lot easier for the coyotes to eat. If they keep the pressure on the pregnant does this spring there will be less fawns born.

 

[Kevin_NH]

I've been seeing more foxes using side roads for their own travel.

Just last night I was driving around 9PM near Mont Vernon, on a less traveled road, where the plows had built up tall berms on both sides of the road. Came round a curve and I saw what looked like a corgi trotting along in the middle of the road right in front of me, not in any hurry. As soon as he came to a driveway, he turned in, stopped, and stared; then I realized it was actually a red fox. Well-fed and not spooked at all.

 

[Patriot]

Snow depth and temperatures have a real adverse impact on the deer herd. Deer 'yard' up in deep snow and their food supply (tree browse) is rapidly depleted.
The younger deer and weaker deer are the first to go. The younger because they cannot browse at the heights their adult counterparts can. The weak simply
because the environmental conditions do not favor the weak. Once the snow stops the deer will move on out of the 'yard' to seek food. The depth will physically
tax them and further deplete their already diminishing reserves leading to eventual starvation and death. On top of the carnage this winter will bring about, nature
has a final coup de grâce to deliver in the springtime when the greenery appears and the deer start to feed on the grasses again. It seems that this transition is
difficult on their weakened systems and many die from what is known as the Spring Scourge. I expect a devastating impact on the deer herds this year where
the snows have been deepest. The lack of significant hunting has led to a massive deer population and this years snow pack will cruelly cull the herd as only
Mother Nature can. The 'Yotes are going to have, or are already having, an unprecedented banquet locally.

 

[arlow]

The deer are screwed out here. We have 3 feet of snow on the ground with a substantial layer of ice in the middle and on top. My 80 pound labrador can walk on the ice on top of the snow in most spots. The deer cannot. Translation is the coyotes can run on top of the snow and the deer have to push through it when getting chased. This rather quickly becomes dead deer. The only plus was the amazing amount of acorns that were available to them up till the big storm on the 12th of January. We got 30 inches here. That means they went into that point well fed with good fat reserves. Had it been a poor mast production year we would already be seeing large amounts of deer dying from the excessive snow conditions.

 

[Kevin_NH]

Pretty much the same here in southern NH; lots of acorns this fall, and I was seeing a few deer wandering around up until the new year, chewing the scenery.

I haven't seen a single deer, hide nor hair nor tracks, since the big storm a month ago. Luckily for them, I also haven't seen any coyotes.

 

[Fitz]

I was up on Mt Uncanoonuc in Goffstown last weekend. It's a popular area but I was still surprised to not see a single dear or coyote track the entire time; especially on the semi-compacted trail. Slightly different story in and around Baboosic Brook in Merrimack.

Fitz

 

[mcb]

deer tracks

I can home and saw a bunch of tracks in the snow in my yard. I had a "get off my lawn" moment but then realized it wasn't local rug rats, the deer had paid a visit...

In some places the little ones were apparently running around in circles.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I have deer tracks all over my yard. Seen them many times, usually in groups of 2-5.

 

[SafeHome]

A view from my back yard.......not really but it could be......

A view from my back yard.......not really but it could be......

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Around here the turkeys are coming in close to houses where there are bird feeders. Usually it also brings the coyotes down closer too looking for easy pickings. Deer have been around in various places also.

 

[Realtor MA]

I haven't seen the Turkeys in a while. I saw coyotes out yesterday in the middle of the day. They were making their way at a very leisurely pace through the woods. Several times they stopped to play and wrestle like domestic dogs would do. They looked a little thin but not bad. I haven't seen a lot of deer but I did see some a few afternoons ago. They didn't look particularly skinny and didn't seem to be reaching for food. As someone else pointed out their was a great mast crop this year so they should've gone into the winter all bulked up. Plus the snow really didn't start until about 30 days ago so it hasn't been all that long. According to the weather web sites there's going to be a bit of a thaw next week.

 

[edin508]

11 Deer walking down my street at 10:30 last night. They have had it with the snow too!

 

[the_indian]

The deer and turkey will be just fine in my opinion. It's New England. We've been dumped on like this many times before and even worse too. They're more equipped for this type of weather than most of us, afterall.

 

[chuckster]

A fellow worker had 11 deer in his backyard yesterday. He said they all looked fat and healthy. He is located about a half mile from Rt.20 in Marlborough.

 

[arlow]

The deer and turkey will be just fine in my opinion. It's New England. We've been dumped on like this many times before and even worse too. They're more equipped for this type of weather than most of us, afterall.

You dont have a clue what your talking about.

Taken yesterday by a freind of mine.... Deer had a path to move on and once it got pushed off the path it was all done!!

 

[Kevin_NH]

If nothing else, there will be plenty of well-fed coyotes come spring. Too bad they aren't nearly as good eating as deer.

Hoping the partial thaw right now (and for another day or two) will allow me to clear the ice off the driveway and a few other spots, and allow the turkeys to move around again. Haven't seen my usual backyard flocks in over a week, in person nor tracks.

I'd suspect the cycle of snow/freezing rain/snow/slight thaw, with it's accompanying multiple-layers of thin icy crust, is really hampering the movement of all the animals, makes it really tough to break trail.

 

[Stingray]

Seen 2 deer pass thru just after the storms. On the other hand, I have a boat load of turkey's. Started out with a flock of 30+ hens, jakes and toms. Thought I would get creative and open each end of my portable garage and dump some cracked corn inside. Well they took up residence, then they told 2 friends and so on. They (approx. 50 birds) were roosting on the roof of the garage when it collapsed.