Tough Winter
- Thread starter Nemont
- Start date
Winter Impacts on Pronghorn Antelope Will Affect Some Hunting Quotas
GLASGOW, Mont. – One impact of the severe winter of 2010-11 in northeastern Montana will be reduced numbers of pronghorn antelope that can be pursued this fall in some Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) Region 6 hunting districts, state biologists say.
“The past winter ranked as one of the most severe on record and included an incredible nine feet of snow in the Glasgow area,” said FWP wildlife biologist Kelvin Johnson. “Severe winter conditions started in mid-November and extended through April in many areas. The hardest-hit big game species in Region 6 were pronghorn antelope, which have to migrate to survive when the snow gets too deep. Due to a wide variety of factors, many of them could not keep moving south to get out of the harsh weather and they simply died.”
An ongoing research study of pronghorn habitat selection and migration focused in FWP Region 6 and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan showed that last winter started a full month earlier than normal. Concurrently, many animals started to move south then to minimize exposure to extreme conditions.
“Traditional winter range located along the Milk River Valley was completely covered by snow, and very little forage was available,” Johnson said. “Antelope began relying on haystacks but they suffered high rates of mortality there, in part because they’re not adapted to digest that type of food. At least 200 pronghorn carcasses were found at one particular haystack alone.”
Johnson noted that the migrating pronghorn used county roads, highways and railroad tracks as travel corridors. Survey flights flown this spring confirmed that approximately 1,000 pronghorns were killed by trains in FWP Region 6. The animals often got crowded together on and along the tracks because they were unable to travel elsewhere in the deeply drifted snow.
Large herds of pronghorns also trekked across the frozen surface of Fort Peck Reservoir, and FWP Region 7 wildlife biologist Ashley Beyer said 2,500 to 3,000 of the animals are now stranded on the reservoir’s remote southern shoreline from the mouth of the Musselshell River east to Snow Creek. The animals are unable to get back to their traditional summering grounds now that the ice has melted. Johnson said many of these animals likely would have returned to Hunting Districts 670 and 630, which have experienced the most severe reductions in pronghorn numbers.
“Hundreds of antelope have also been observed stranded on the south side of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge near UL Bend during the past few weeks, and they’re trying to migrate across the reservoir,” added University of Calgary doctorial candidate Andrew Jakes, one of the leaders of the international study. “Collaborators were able to document interesting behaviors in these groups, and in the observed cases groups swam approximately one-third of the way across but then turned back around with only the lead does successfully making it to the north banks of the reservoir.”
“As the snow has melted, the carcasses of hundreds of pronghorn antelope that had been trying to winter along their traditional winter range along the Milk River Valley have appeared,” Johnson added. “Most of the local winter range that typically works for them was not available this year, and it is evident that the vast majority of animals that tried to stick it out died. It appears that if the antelope didn’t migrate far enough south to the Missouri River Breaks or across Fort Peck Reservoir, they didn’t make it.”
Johnson said these losses will have major impacts on how FWP manages antelope this year, and major reductions in pronghorn licenses should be expected in HDs 670 and 630 because populations must again be rebuilt. Final hunting quota numbers will be decided in coming weeks.
“Not all is lost, however,” Johnson said. “In 2010, we had some of the best habitat conditions ever recorded in the summer and fall, and our antelope went into winter in the best body conditions possible. For the pronghorn that survived the past winter and soon will be dropping their fawns, there should be plenty of good habitat to live in again this summer. The record snowfall and persistent spring rains have made forage abundant almost everywhere.”
GLASGOW, Mont. – One impact of the severe winter of 2010-11 in northeastern Montana will be reduced numbers of pronghorn antelope that can be pursued this fall in some Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) Region 6 hunting districts, state biologists say.
“The past winter ranked as one of the most severe on record and included an incredible nine feet of snow in the Glasgow area,” said FWP wildlife biologist Kelvin Johnson. “Severe winter conditions started in mid-November and extended through April in many areas. The hardest-hit big game species in Region 6 were pronghorn antelope, which have to migrate to survive when the snow gets too deep. Due to a wide variety of factors, many of them could not keep moving south to get out of the harsh weather and they simply died.”
An ongoing research study of pronghorn habitat selection and migration focused in FWP Region 6 and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan showed that last winter started a full month earlier than normal. Concurrently, many animals started to move south then to minimize exposure to extreme conditions.
“Traditional winter range located along the Milk River Valley was completely covered by snow, and very little forage was available,” Johnson said. “Antelope began relying on haystacks but they suffered high rates of mortality there, in part because they’re not adapted to digest that type of food. At least 200 pronghorn carcasses were found at one particular haystack alone.”
Johnson noted that the migrating pronghorn used county roads, highways and railroad tracks as travel corridors. Survey flights flown this spring confirmed that approximately 1,000 pronghorns were killed by trains in FWP Region 6. The animals often got crowded together on and along the tracks because they were unable to travel elsewhere in the deeply drifted snow.
Large herds of pronghorns also trekked across the frozen surface of Fort Peck Reservoir, and FWP Region 7 wildlife biologist Ashley Beyer said 2,500 to 3,000 of the animals are now stranded on the reservoir’s remote southern shoreline from the mouth of the Musselshell River east to Snow Creek. The animals are unable to get back to their traditional summering grounds now that the ice has melted. Johnson said many of these animals likely would have returned to Hunting Districts 670 and 630, which have experienced the most severe reductions in pronghorn numbers.
“Hundreds of antelope have also been observed stranded on the south side of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge near UL Bend during the past few weeks, and they’re trying to migrate across the reservoir,” added University of Calgary doctorial candidate Andrew Jakes, one of the leaders of the international study. “Collaborators were able to document interesting behaviors in these groups, and in the observed cases groups swam approximately one-third of the way across but then turned back around with only the lead does successfully making it to the north banks of the reservoir.”
“As the snow has melted, the carcasses of hundreds of pronghorn antelope that had been trying to winter along their traditional winter range along the Milk River Valley have appeared,” Johnson added. “Most of the local winter range that typically works for them was not available this year, and it is evident that the vast majority of animals that tried to stick it out died. It appears that if the antelope didn’t migrate far enough south to the Missouri River Breaks or across Fort Peck Reservoir, they didn’t make it.”
Johnson said these losses will have major impacts on how FWP manages antelope this year, and major reductions in pronghorn licenses should be expected in HDs 670 and 630 because populations must again be rebuilt. Final hunting quota numbers will be decided in coming weeks.
“Not all is lost, however,” Johnson said. “In 2010, we had some of the best habitat conditions ever recorded in the summer and fall, and our antelope went into winter in the best body conditions possible. For the pronghorn that survived the past winter and soon will be dropping their fawns, there should be plenty of good habitat to live in again this summer. The record snowfall and persistent spring rains have made forage abundant almost everywhere.”
Amazing how tought those animals are to make it through a winter like that. Hope some walleyes made it through, as by this time tomorrow, a limit will be taking up residence in my livewell.
Breaks Runner
New member
I looked at the lake today....it's getting full in a hurry.
You wouldnt want to be out on Ft. Peck today...3 and 4 footers.
You wouldnt want to be out on Ft. Peck today...3 and 4 footers.
Yeah, saw that. Forecast for most of the week doesn't look much better. That, along with Highway 191 having flooding and washouts, I decided to keep the boat in the shop and rescheduled to assault the walleyes next week. Maybe it will improve some by then.
Looks like you guys on the Hi-Line better start building some arks. It might not have bene 40 days yet, but with the rainy forecast and the amount you received last week to go with that huge snow melt, Noah himself might be worried.
Breaks Runner
New member
I saw catfish in my backyard yesterday...and that is the truth. Those folks down on the Mississippi havent seen any water compared to whats coming...
Get your walleye boat out there and hunt lopes on the shore.
http://helenair.com/lifestyles/article_cd7e4b70-8cde-11e0-aeae-001cc4c03286.html
http://helenair.com/lifestyles/article_cd7e4b70-8cde-11e0-aeae-001cc4c03286.html
BuzzH
Well-known member
Dam removal...
Nemont
Well-known member
HIGHLY unlikely
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
my aunt said that ft. peck is fuller than full right now, she said about a foot from going over the dam, JCS those are some nice walleye's.... get them lately, i'll be up in 9 days or so too do some fishing and visit relatives for about 2 weeks or so.... going too hit the walleye's if I can find a cousin with a boat....
Matt
Matt
Nemont
Well-known member
The top of the exclusive flood pool is at 2250 ft of elevation and this morning the lake is sitting at 2249.96 ft.
http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/reports/showrep.cgi?3MRDTAP7
When they raise the gates it actually raises the level of the lake as they will be into the Surcharge flood pool by tommorow.
The fishing is supposed to be really picking up down the Big Dry and over by Nelson Creek.
The challenge now is that the Corps is talking about closing some ramps and recreation areas due to high water. The ramps will be unuseable in areas. Crazy year.
Nemont
