Winter kill?

[Mule Deer]

Harsh winters are not uncommon in the West. Wyoming’s big game have faced arctic-like conditions in years past, most recently in 2011. Impacts on big game can be significant during harsh winters, but the worst winter in recent memory was 1983-84 with populations rebounding within a few years.
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That's not true. Most certainly parts of Montana and wyoming are still now just now getting a little better from the 2010 / 2011 winter. Even with extremely light winters ever since. Loose use of the word few from the game managers.

I really think all the doom and gloom I've been reading online the last month and a half is way too early. Let's see what March gives us first.

 

[Hunting Wife]

That's not true. Most certainly parts of Montana and wyoming are still now just now getting a little better from the 2010 / 2011 winter. Even with extremely light winters ever since.

Montana's populations were hit hard by EHD a couple of times since that winter. To attribute low populations since then to just that one winter is not completely accurate either.

I agree with you though that we'll have to wait and see how things go for the next month or two. So far, I think things could have been a lot worse in many places.