Just a thought

[Walksalot]

With the warmer temperatures we are experiencing and the cool temps forcasted for the end of the week this could bring about a very hard crust on the snow. If these conditions arise this would not bode well for the ungulates so maybe we should take this into consideration when out and about in the last days of the bow hunting season. To push them to run through the hard crust might cut their legs all to hell. Personally, if these conditions arise, I will leave them be. Just a thought guys.

Also, I wonder, depending on how hard and thick the crust gets, if some animals might have a tough time exiting the high country. With the bad winds we had in the Okanagan there were many trees blown over which supply lichen for the animals to eat. I wonder if this might hold them in the high country and bring about a sticky situation for them when the food source is gone and they attempt to exit the high country. Might this cause a high mortality rate for the ones at higher elevation.

One thing is for certain, the predators will have easy pickings.

[hunter1947]

My thought is the deer will go into heavy timber if conditions are not fit for them. And as for chasing deer around in those conditions ,i agree with you on your thoughts ,the food source is low and the snow conditions are bad. It would be hard to get close to them in these conditions when bow hunting ,crunch ,crunch.

[sealevel]

I don`t really see a problem walksalot not where i have been. What we had was just real fluffy snow. The frezzing rain yesterday just settled the snow i would really be suppised if there`s a crust.

[Seeadler]

Barely any snow left here this morning.

[boxhitch]

Barely any snow left here this morning.Where, your keyboard ?:p
The high country around here had only about 40-50 cms of fluffy snow as of Sunday, and none in windswept openings. Not enough to cause problems, even after some rain.
Critters were sure on the move, before the storm front hit.

[Will]

I think these critters are abit tougher then some give them credit for.
They evolved here afterall.......;)

[Gateholio]

There is a crust around here.

Lots of snow, followed by freezing rain. There s a coating of ice on EVERYTHING, powerlines, trees, bushes and snow.

I was breaking trail around here and when I banged my shins into the crust of ice, it hurt liek hell!!:biggrin:

It's warmed up quite a bit, so I hope that it softens up, as right now it's ideal for predators to run on top, while deer probably punch through. It's been pretty ugly around here last couple of days

[Fisher-Dude]

Critters were sure on the move, before the storm front hit.

Yep, we saw 22 deer and a moose Sunday. I felt sorry for the last does we saw, arse to the howling 70 kmh wind with blowing snow and about minus 11 out. It's likely slush up there right now.