Wyoming Winter Kill

[CoElkHunter]

Maybe it’ll drive out the CA transplants in WY and MT and put property prices back near normal.

One can only hope but it won't happen. Many of the Californicaters and others from the West coast have tech jobs where they work remotely from their homes. They just ride out the bad weather at home and don't have to go anywhere. I read an article awhile back, where this tech guy bought a ranch in Montana and boasted he didn't have to leave his ranch because he can work from home. That's what has happened here in Colorado too. This "tech job creation" here in the early 2000s, DID NOT provide many jobs to the current resident populace at the time. They brought in all these left wingers from the coast who have voted the same way here as they did in the states they left destroyed. They've ruined conservative Colorado and it's beyond help.

 

[WyoBull]

I live here in Wyoming and hunt Antelope in the Red Desert. It is bad guys and we have another foot to two feet of snow forecasted to fall over the next two days here where I live and up to 36 inches in the mountain.
I bet they cut the licenses at least in half and probably close a lot of areas this year, which would not be a bad thing. I doubt I will even put in for tags this year. The antelope will need several years to recover and I am not sure the mule deer ever will as they have been struggling now for years.

 

[Mekaniks]

I just withdrew my antelope application for this year.

I will buy another preference point this summer and wait to see what next year looks like.

 

[WyoBull]

I just withdrew my antelope application for this year.

I will buy another preference point this summer and wait to see what next year looks like.

I think you made a wise choice.

 

[TMac]

Ranch I hunt is SE Montana has been hit hard again this winter. That’s after a winter die off a couple years back, back to back drought years and a blue tongue outbreak summer of 21. Local ranchers have lost cattle. It’s bad.

Where there were hundreds of deer, we see few. Maybe only 15 deer this Summer in one spot that used to hold 250. Now this. My only hope is those left going into this winter were in good shape with so little competition for food.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Info on resetting the quotas. I applied for a Unit 25 NR moose tag. NR went from 10 tags to 5 tags. I doubt I will draw as I "just" have 21 points.

Public Meetings | Wyoming Game & Fish Department

The Department welcomes comments regarding proposed changes to regulations. Questions about proposed regulation changes should be directed to Department Regional Offices. No individual Department response will be generated from questions submitted through this commenting forum. To ensure the...

wgfd.wyo.gov

 

[Inline6]

Remember when that crazy cold snap decimated game animals in Texas?
It didn’t kill ALL of the animals and hunting wasn’t shut down completely and it didn’t equally affect the entire state or all species of game.
Wyoming and other western states will be much the same. Some areas will take it hard while others will hardly notice a difference.
it is sad-but it is still western hunting and the opportunity to go spend time in a different place with friends still maintains high value.
I think I will still put in for deer just so I can go have a hunt. I don’t need to kill anything and even at low ebb Wyoming still offers better opportunities than I have around home. Antelope will be the same, I’m willing to pay for the chance to hunt wether I shoot or not. My girls who haven’t hunted them before will accrue another point until a better year comes for them. I still love to be there and do what I love and I won’t give up because of high fees or low numbers. I can only do Africa or Texas or Wyoming every few years anyway, maybe that makes them more special.
This has been a record snow and cold year, I’m sad to see the animals die off this way. I’ll be there with my boots on, come hell or high water!

The difference is most of the kills in Texas were none native species. Axis deer having twins at birth are very common. The population is able to bounce back a lot quicker. High fence, feed provided and water to drink.

You can read the reports from Wyoming the last time it was not as bad as this time around and took many years to correct itself. The population will find a way, it's just not fast. Let's hope they don't have a bad fire season to make things that much harder on them.

 

[WyoBull]

I just looked through the proposed changes, mostly Antelope, Deer and Elk. In a lot of areas they are increasing the elk licenses. We have more elk here than ever.
Antelope has been hit the hardest, especially down in Carbon County. The area I hunt in that county is proposed to go from 250 to 100 licenses. Not many tags for the size of area it is and they reserve the right to cut it even more depending on how the rest of the winter goes.
We had a storm this week that dropped 34 inches of wet, heavy snow at my house in two days and 48 inches up in the mountain. Worst storm since 1982 and an all time record for the amount of snow in one day.
It’s not good up here for the wildlife for sure and will take a number of years for them to recover.

 

[Firebird]

Just finished reviewing the e mail. Brutal-now it’s time for the flooding

 

[Gemsbok45]

Just saw new revised Wyoming reps today! They are cutting back!

 

[Mekaniks]

Just saw new revised Wyoming reps today! They are cutting back!

Yeah I just got my email from them a bit ago. Lots of cut backs. Glad I got out.

 

[Dr Ray]

Terrible just plain terrible
So sad

 

[Longwalker]

Our area of Saskatchewan has been hit very hard this winter too. Very sad to see starving deer and even moose moving in to the towns to die. Way more roadkill because the roads are easier for them to walk on as they look for food. And the farmers are still busy bulldozing every little bush and slough. I didn't shoot a whitetail last fall, because numbers were already down. It's been difficult to watch this slow motion disaster.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Saw on the local news where the Colorado water shed will be near 200% of normal. The Arkansas watershed still low. They said it would take 200% every year for the next 6-7 years to get all the lakes back to normal in the Colorado watershed.
California, Arizona and Nevada are in litigation to see who gets the most. California has always been first in line. Colorado comes in last even though all the water comes from Colorado (and Wyoming’s Green River).
Checked the info on the Wyoming F&G. Almost every public hunting area has been cut back. Most of the private land areas haven’t been reduced much if any. At least for antelope. Then heard on the news they are deciding whether or not to cut back even more.
I use to take a group from work of guys who either never hunted or hunted little for a weekend of doe antelope hunting. Then it was $15 OTC for doe tags and often you could get 2-3 tags. “The good old days!”
Sad situation!

 

[thi9elsp]

More tough news on the winter kill:

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/0...may-not-know-extent-of-winterkill-until-july/

 

[Firebird]

according to this video Utah lost all last years fawns and 60 percent of does. They say older bucks have higher mortality which is silly because most units you can count the old bucks on one hand during a regular year. Elk also hit really hard. I agree the extent of the loss is worse than we think and won’t be truly felt for months

 

[TMac]

View attachment 530247
according to this video Utah lost all last years fawns and 60 percent of does. They say older bucks have higher mortality which is silly because most units you can count the old bucks on one hand during a regular year. Elk also hit really hard. I agree the extent of the loss is worse than we think and won’t be truly felt for months

Only in places. Listened to a UT biologist a couple days ago, decent fawn survival of collared fawns in some areas, almost 0 is parts of NE. Collared doe survival varied greatly by area too. Even NE, one spot 20%, another 80%, both in NE.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

I was planning on just buying points again this year and then looking hard at deer and antelope in 2024 or 25.

I'm getting too old to wait much longer.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

Hi Jim P.

I had a similar comment about Wyoming and its treatment of non residents applying for licenses. You told me you wire "IRKED" by a complaining non resident.

You're repeating what I said. What is your official position ?

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Wyoming draw results came out today. I didn't draw a moose tag, again. Actually, I'm not too sad about it, given the hard winter. I'll have 22 points next year, but the drawing system is changing and not sure I am going to continue playing the game.