winter severity index

[smurfy]

anyone follow this for deer?????? the severity index really took a jump, and not in a good way the past few weeks, especially in northern Minnesota. up in the Duluth area its really bad.

 

pretty simple to get to it, hey if I can anyone can!!!!!!! go to the MNDNR site, go to deer, type in winter severity index in the search box, then click on the top topic.

[PurpleFloyd]

I suspect that is the case. The snow also makes it easier for wolf packs to run them down. It is not a good place to be a deer

[delcecchi]

1 hour ago, PurpleFloyd said:

I suspect that is the case. The snow also makes it easier for wolf packs to run them down. It is not a good place to be a deer

Better for Moose...

[leech~~]

Since I Deer hunt and snowmobile I'm always a little torn when there's a lot of snow during a winter.

[monstermoose78]

Naw this moose hunts deer in the arrowhead and the deer numbers have been down for the last 5 years now. This winter could really hurt the herd

[PurpleFloyd]

11 hours ago, delcecchi said:

Better for Moose...

I didn’t realize we changed the subject

[delcecchi]

1 hour ago, PurpleFloyd said:

I didn’t realize we changed the subject

Just an interjection, if you have been following the issue of Moose vrs Deer in the NE Minnesota area.   You may now return to whatever you were going to say about deer and snow.    As I understand it, cold and snow can be hard on the deer population.    Although, judging from the evidence in the spring at our cabin it hasn't hurt much the past few years.   Anecdotal evidence and all that.

Edited January 20, 2020 by delcecchi

[Wanderer]

I don’t usually search out the WSI but have taken notice of it for years.  They usually start reporting it in Outdoor News when it starts getting bad.  I figured it was going to be high this year.  We’re just lucky it hasn’t been colder.

 

Still, I hope for the best for both mooses running around here. 

[Big Dave2]

[smurfy]

57 minutes ago, Wanderer said:

I don’t usually search out the WSI but have taken notice of it for years.  They usually start reporting it in Outdoor News when it starts getting bad.  I figured it was going to be high this year.  We’re just lucky it hasn’t been colder.

 

Still, I hope for the best for both mooses running around here. 

i've been watching this for 4-5 years now, maybe longer. back when the DNR cut back even some northern minnesota zones not have anterless drawings.

[1968]

I remember the very high index around the 96/97 winter.  Actually that was the first I ever heard of it.  Made sense though. We were riding the NSST north of Silver Bay and one of our wrong turns brought us to two mountains of roadkill deer carcasses. The roads were the only means of travel for them. That was the deepest snow I ever encountered sledding. At one overlook I stepped off the side of the packed trail and went over waist deep, needed to grab the sled to climb back out.. The 3 sided log shelter at this spot only had a gopher hole in the snow to get down in it!

 

Hope Feb isn't a repeat of last year..