How long can Whitetails survive the deep freeze?
02-07-2007, 05:52 PM
#12
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 584
RE: How long can Whitetails survive the deep freeze?
ORIGINAL: TRYKONOISSEUR
Just curious as to how long the deer can put up with this severe cold we are having in the Northeast? I know years ago officials used to find hundreds of deer in deer yards that died due to the weather or lack of food caused by it. Anyone know?
Just curious as to how long the deer can put up with this severe cold we are having in the Northeast? I know years ago officials used to find hundreds of deer in deer yards that died due to the weather or lack of food caused by it. Anyone know?
What hurts the deer is deep snow that they have to push through to get to the food. That causes them to expend more energy so they head down hill into the valleys and thermal cover. If they can get into mature stands of pine and hemlock the snow usually isn’t as deep so they have better mobility and often the snow will weight the hemlock down enough to provide browse that isn’t available at other times of the year. As long as those conditions don’t last too long and the concentrations of deer don’t eat all the wintering grounds food the deer will do pretty good.
Deer can also be aversely affected by crusted snow that they can’t walk on top of and break through with each step. When they have those conditions they are easier for the predators to catch. If the crust is solid enough for the deer to walk on thought that can be a benefit to the deer since that elevates them so they can reach browse that is out of their reach at other times of the year. Turkeys do great with a crust, in fact the only time turkeys get in trouble is with deep powdery snow cover that they can’t push through or when they get wet in the springs seeps and then walk through powdery snow until they have ice balls dragging behind them.
If the streams and rivers ice over, like they are doing right now, the deer will use them as travel corridors and feed on the browse they can reach along that edges that is out of their reach during the rest of the year when they wouldn’t be able to reach it. The iced streams work to elevate the deer to where they can reach a lot more browse then they could without the ice.
In this area the deer and turkeys are both doing just fine so far.
R.S.Bodenhorn
02-07-2007, 07:45 PM
#14
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 189
RE: How long can Whitetails survive the deep freeze?
I am just wondering how they all survived the deep freeze if the food source has been so bad over the years? Kinda strange wouldn't you think?You think they would of starved to death looking for food. How about this theory? The people in charge of deer management have no idea about habitat and food supplies of a deer to survive. Maybe they should study the deers internal functions to figure out why they take little turds that are hard and compressed and all the nutrients are used up. Deer are very efficent animals when it comes to eating and they can take the nutrients they need from any living plant. We are trying to get a permit to see how long a deer can actually live in a 50 by 50 enclosure without the help of man in the wild. This should be quite interesting results. All in the name of survival. We even got a piece of land with a small creek for water supply for this deer. This will let us come to our own conclusion of can a deer eat its self out of house and home. This is how real study of deer and habitat should be performed to get the best results. Also by this, We can tell if we are being BS by the people in charge of deer management. 1 deer in a 50 by 50 caged enviroment with no human outside help. Should be quite interesting at the least.
02-07-2007, 09:02 PM
#15
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 64
RE: How long can Whitetails survive the deep freeze?
OH-OH your in trouble now.
How you gonna get a permit for this study. The results would be interesting I dont think the g/c will give you a permit for that or who takes care of permits. You might have to do this John Wayne style good luck keep us posted.
How you gonna get a permit for this study. The results would be interesting I dont think the g/c will give you a permit for that or who takes care of permits. You might have to do this John Wayne style good luck keep us posted.
02-07-2007, 09:34 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location:
Posts: 1,157
RE: How long can Whitetails survive the deep freeze?
ORIGINAL: germain
It was right beside the road so I couldn't tell if idiots poached them,starvation,or predators got them.Being right beside the road I'm thinking idiots shot them and left them lay.
It was right beside the road so I couldn't tell if idiots poached them,starvation,or predators got them.Being right beside the road I'm thinking idiots shot them and left them lay.
02-08-2007, 04:27 AM
#17
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 196
RE: How long can Whitetails survive the deep freeze?
How about this theory? The people in charge of deer management have no idea about habitat and food supplies of a deer to survive. Maybe they should study the deers internal functions to figure out why they take little turds that are hard and compressed and all the nutrients are used up.Deer are very efficent animals when it comes to eating and they can take the nutrients they need from any living plant. We are trying to get a permit to see how long a deer can actually live in a 50 by 50 enclosure without the help of man in the wild. This should be quite interesting results. All in the name of survival. We even got a piece of land with a small creek for water supply for this deer. This will let us come to our own conclusion of can a deer eat its self out of house and home. This is how real study of deer and habitat should be performed to get the best results. Also by this, We can tell if we are being BS by the people in charge of deer management. 1 deer in a 50 by 50 caged enviroment with no human outside help. Should be quite interesting at the least.
Science at it's very best!
02-08-2007, 06:32 AM
#18
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW PA USA
Posts: 7,220
RE: How long can Whitetails survive the deep freeze?
ORIGINAL: georgepoker
I am just wondering how they all survived the deep freeze if the food source has been so bad over the years? Kinda strange wouldn't you think?You think they would of starved to death looking for food. How about this theory? The people in charge of deer management have no idea about habitat and food supplies of a deer to survive. Maybe they should study the deers internal functions to figure out why they take little turds that are hard and compressed and all the nutrients are used up. Deer are very efficent animals when it comes to eating and they can take the nutrients they need from any living plant. We are trying to get a permit to see how long a deer can actually live in a 50 by 50 enclosure without the help of man in the wild. This should be quite interesting results. All in the name of survival. We even got a piece of land with a small creek for water supply for this deer. This will let us come to our own conclusion of can a deer eat its self out of house and home. This is how real study of deer and habitat should be performed to get the best results. Also by this, We can tell if we are being BS by the people in charge of deer management. 1 deer in a 50 by 50 caged enviroment with no human outside help. Should be quite interesting at the least.
I am just wondering how they all survived the deep freeze if the food source has been so bad over the years? Kinda strange wouldn't you think?You think they would of starved to death looking for food. How about this theory? The people in charge of deer management have no idea about habitat and food supplies of a deer to survive. Maybe they should study the deers internal functions to figure out why they take little turds that are hard and compressed and all the nutrients are used up. Deer are very efficent animals when it comes to eating and they can take the nutrients they need from any living plant. We are trying to get a permit to see how long a deer can actually live in a 50 by 50 enclosure without the help of man in the wild. This should be quite interesting results. All in the name of survival. We even got a piece of land with a small creek for water supply for this deer. This will let us come to our own conclusion of can a deer eat its self out of house and home. This is how real study of deer and habitat should be performed to get the best results. Also by this, We can tell if we are being BS by the people in charge of deer management. 1 deer in a 50 by 50 caged enviroment with no human outside help. Should be quite interesting at the least.
02-08-2007, 06:59 AM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,236
RE: How long can Whitetails survive the deep freeze?
ORIGINAL: georgepoker
I am just wondering how they all survived the deep freeze if the food source has been so bad over the years? Kinda strange wouldn't you think?You think they would of starved to death looking for food. How about this theory? The people in charge of deer management have no idea about habitat and food supplies of a deer to survive. Maybe they should study the deers internal functions to figure out why they take little turds that are hard and compressed and all the nutrients are used up. Deer are very efficent animals when it comes to eating and they can take the nutrients they need from any living plant. We are trying to get a permit to see how long a deer can actually live in a 50 by 50 enclosure without the help of man in the wild. This should be quite interesting results. All in the name of survival. We even got a piece of land with a small creek for water supply for this deer. This will let us come to our own conclusion of can a deer eat its self out of house and home. This is how real study of deer and habitat should be performed to get the best results. Also by this, We can tell if we are being BS by the people in charge of deer management. 1 deer in a 50 by 50 caged enviroment with no human outside help. Should be quite interesting at the least.
I am just wondering how they all survived the deep freeze if the food source has been so bad over the years? Kinda strange wouldn't you think?You think they would of starved to death looking for food. How about this theory? The people in charge of deer management have no idea about habitat and food supplies of a deer to survive. Maybe they should study the deers internal functions to figure out why they take little turds that are hard and compressed and all the nutrients are used up. Deer are very efficent animals when it comes to eating and they can take the nutrients they need from any living plant. We are trying to get a permit to see how long a deer can actually live in a 50 by 50 enclosure without the help of man in the wild. This should be quite interesting results. All in the name of survival. We even got a piece of land with a small creek for water supply for this deer. This will let us come to our own conclusion of can a deer eat its self out of house and home. This is how real study of deer and habitat should be performed to get the best results. Also by this, We can tell if we are being BS by the people in charge of deer management. 1 deer in a 50 by 50 caged enviroment with no human outside help. Should be quite interesting at the least.
BTW, I'm also betting that you might just end up with an animal abuse charge should you proceed with this "scientific" experiment
02-08-2007, 07:04 AM
#20
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,262
RE: How long can Whitetails survive the deep freeze?
George those studies have already been done many times.Unless,I'm mistaken.R.S.B. actually participated in some of them.Being he's only a LEO,no one would probably take his word on the findings though.
It isn'tthe deer that die during the winter that have the biggest effect.What really matters the most is if the preganant does maintain sufficient body weight to give birth to healthy fawns that will survive.
It isn'tthe deer that die during the winter that have the biggest effect.What really matters the most is if the preganant does maintain sufficient body weight to give birth to healthy fawns that will survive.