Alberta Ungulate Winter Survival

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AbLonewolf

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Alberta
Was reading the Sad Management thread and thought to start this one.

I live in West Central Alberta and so far this year, had extreme snowfalls and cold snaps. Around here, some areas have 3+ feet of snow.

Couple of days ago, I was driving home and observed a doe and fawn walking on the secondary highway. I slowed down to a crawl and they would not get off the road. As I slowly pulled up beside them, they decided to head into the bush. The fawn almost got stuck as the snow was too deep. The poor doe was struggling big time also. Tongues were hanging out by the time they hit the tree line. Haven't seen too many along the roads as I believe they are timbered up pretty good.

A moose walked through my land about a week ago and there were belly skids on top of the snow.

I believe that this year will be a bad one for deer, elk, and moose... around here anyways.

From listening to the news, appears as though many areas in Canada are being hit hard this year.

It will be interesting next fall when hunting season starts again...numbers may be low I reckon.

How things look where you guys are from?

And Happy Holidays to all CGN members and families!
 
Things aren't nearly as bad west of Calgary, actually some bare ground around and loads of deer but I was up in central Alberta a week ago and couldn't believe the amount of snow and how few deer we saw. This warm spell isn't going to help either. Hopefully F&W wakes up a bit next year in regards to tag numbers.
 
This winter is no different than the last 3 around here. There have been areas where the whitetail winter kill has been 100 percent in one winter. Even if it was only 25percent per year you can imagine how bad things could be after 4bad winters

There will always be areas where the whitetail a will be able to make the winter. The sad part is the out of controll logging is making the number of these places fewer and fewer.
 
bearkilr said:
I don't think anyone is saying they will become extinct, but the winter kill could be severe enough that the hunting season can be shut down for a few years until populations rebound. It's happened before.
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Just cutting back on the number of different deer tags they hand out here would be a start. Why were are still handing out two antlerless tags along with the general tag in some management units is hard to comprehend.
 
sheephunter said:
Just cutting back on the number of different deer tags they hand out here would be a start. Why were are still handing out two antlerless tags along with the general tag in some management units is hard to comprehend.
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The problem in MB isn't so much tags, which is currently 1/year in most areas to be used for either mzl,rifle or bow, but rather the recent addition of hunters who don't require tags.
 
sheephunter said:
Things aren't nearly as bad west of Calgary, actually some bare ground around and loads of deer but I was up in central Alberta a week ago and couldn't believe the amount of snow and how few deer we saw. This warm spell isn't going to help either. Hopefully F&W wakes up a bit next year in regards to tag numbers.
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Why do we have to wait for the gov't to regulate the number of tags. We had the same situation here last winter. I started a thread asking if guys were going to choose not to hunt this fall because of the big die off. I think of all of the hunters that responded to the thread one other guy said he wasn't going to hunt.

Seems like we talk a good game when it comes to conservation, but our actions seem to say something different.
 
The gov't won't do much because it brings in lots of $$$ and insurance companies are more easily heard by them. Self discipline from the hunters would greatly help.
 
skhunter said:
Why do we have to wait for the gov't to regulate the number of tags. We had the same situation here last winter. I started a thread asking if guys were going to choose not to hunt this fall because of the big die off. I think of all of the hunters that responded to the thread one other guy said he wasn't going to hunt.

Seems like we talk a good game when it comes to conservation, but our actions seem to say something different.
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I believe this thread was about "how things were in your area this winter"...not what the government will or will not do anything about it...Why things get derailed all the time?...
 
Well, I for one, bought all of my tags this year. I filled my general whitetail. Not my supps, not my antlerless mulie, not my elk, or my bear. My wife bought all three whitetail tags and filled none. Still eating moose from last year and didn't really need extra and when I saw how few deer people were seeing, incl me, we decided to back it off.
 
The warm spell we are having right now is not good! Elk should be fine as they use trails...we hardly have any deer now so it's not good at all
 
sheephunter said:
Things aren't nearly as bad west of Calgary, actually some bare ground around and loads of deer but I was up in central Alberta a week ago and couldn't believe the amount of snow and how few deer we saw. This warm spell isn't going to help either. Hopefully F&W wakes up a bit next year in regards to tag numbers.
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Very little snow in the Bow river corridor, saw a few Mulies. Around here, well over a foot of snow, Highway between Sundre and Olds has an unusual multitude of road kills, thinking one every couple of miles. Small herd of elk moved into my neighbors and are grazing on their poorly kept lawn. Last winter was a ##### as well and guys with multiple tags aren't helping any either.

Grizz
 
Deer numbers are way down in MB....last winter was extreme...this winter has started out bad....I would like to see them close it for a couple of years. They did this back in the 70's and I recall my father saying when it re-opened it was the best deer hunting ever for a number of years..

As previously noted I suspect a closure would not affect certain ethnic groups however.
 
rsp1761 said:
Deer numbers are way down in MB....last winter was extreme...this winter has started out bad....I would like to see them close it for a couple of years. They did this back in the 70's and I recall my father saying when it re-opened it was the best deer hunting ever for a number of years..

As previously noted I suspect a closure would not affect certain ethnic groups however.
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Don't think you can equate game hogging with any ethnicity. Lot of us fellow Whiteys just as guilty.

Grizz
 
rsp1761 said:
Deer numbers are way down in MB....last winter was extreme...this winter has started out bad....I would like to see them close it for a couple of years. They did this back in the 70's and I recall my father saying when it re-opened it was the best deer hunting ever for a number of years..

As previously noted I suspect a closure would not affect certain ethnic groups however.
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I know in the area where I live, the snow is not deep at all, matter of fact the deer are having it fairly good go with winter so far. I seen a couple yesterday, they looked great. Other than the cold temps, I think the deer will fair out good, but I'm optimistic anyway.
 
skhunter said:
Why do we have to wait for the gov't to regulate the number of tags. We had the same situation here last winter. I started a thread asking if guys were going to choose not to hunt this fall because of the big die off. I think of all of the hunters that responded to the thread one other guy said he wasn't going to hunt.

Seems like we talk a good game when it comes to conservation, but our actions seem to say something different.
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Seems like you answered your own question.
 
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