bad winter for deer?

[waterninja]

i was out on dec. 6 still trying to "slug" one of whities that have been teasing me all season in strath. county. as i was sitting there freezing in my blind couldn't help thinking about how much snow is on the ground allready and how hard it must be for the deer to forage and winter has just started. if this keeps up i'm afraid that it will be a very tough winter on the deer esp. with all the coyotes that i,ve been seeing.
i'm tempted to supply some bales of hay on a reg. basis out in bush where they bed down to help them out, but not sure if it's legal or healthy.

[Sledhead71]

Artifical feeding (baiting) could help the success rate of ungulates survival in tougher climates and harsher winters :sHa_shakeshout:

[HunterDave]

The problem a couple of years ago was that we had very deep snow with a firm crust that yotes could run on top of......a big issue for the deer. This light, fluffy snow that we have now shouldn't be too big of an issue for deer IMO.

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

:)...Feeding deer might not be the best scenio...can actually harm them more in some cases...go out and shoot a dozen coyotes..that really helps..

JMHO
Neil

[buckbrushoutdoors]

In areas I've fed deer through out the winter I have seen a huge increase in fawn survival. Slough grass/hay is not to hard on there digestive system. In the 2010/2011 winter all the deer made it through in better shape than other areas I i didn't feed them. Makes a huge difference.

[sheephunter]

Artifical feeding (baiting) could help the success rate of ungulates survival in tougher climates and harsher winters :sHa_shakeshout:

LOL....

Feeding deer is not quite that simple. During the winter of 2010 hundreds of mule deer died right in stackyards in southeastern Alberta with full bellies. And truthfully, how many guys that bait continue a "feeding" program throughout the winter on a large enough scale to make a difference? A very small percentage I'd guess.

[TUFFBUFF]

LOL....

Feeding deer is not quite that simple. During the winter of 2010 hundreds of mule deer died right in stackyards in southeastern Alberta with full bellies. And truthfully, how many guys that bait continue a "feeding" program throughout the winter on a large enough scale to make a difference? A very small percentage I'd guess.

When mule deer and moose hit a hay stack they'll be toast in 4-6 weeks, there browsers and can't handle the hotter feed. Elk and whitetails do come through usually.

[sheephunter]

When mule deer and moose hit a hay stack they'll be toast in 4-6 weeks, there browsers and can't handle the hotter feed. Elk and whitetails do come through usually.

I know elk seem to do fairly well...some of the extensive freeding programs in Wyoming show that. I've seen mixed results with whitetails. I lived in Manitoba when the winter kill was so bad that they actually closed the hunting season for a couple years. A lot of supplimental feeding was done over the winter but it didn't seem to help a lot....at least not on a large scale.

[Ronbill]

The problem a couple of years ago was that we had very deep snow with a firm crust that yotes could run on top of......a big issue for the deer. This light, fluffy snow that we have now shouldn't be too big of an issue for deer IMO.

I know east of Edmonton, there was no thaw after the early snow hit (at the end of October) - so there is no hard ice crust preventing deer from pawing down to the feed. Along with that, the early crop harvest in the area resulted in plenty of second growth on many crop lands that deer were taking advantage of during November. Depending on how deep the snow gets the deer may do ok this year.

[NIKON]

Artifical feeding (baiting) could help the success rate of ungulates survival in tougher climates and harsher winters :sHa_shakeshout:

Haha..... :sHa_shakeshout:

Nikon