Eight inches of snow isn’t normally enough to cause deer any problems or to force them into the wintering grounds. Even with ice under the snow it is not a problem for the deer as long as they have mobility.

Deer get forced into the wintering grounds when the snow is deep and they have trouble pushing through it. When they have to push through deep snow, especially when it is frigid cold, it causes them to expend too much energy so they head down hill until they find the most protected areas with the best thermal cover they can find. Those areas are also generally the areas where the snow depth is a little less if it is under the cover of the pines and hemlock. Once there they will make trails that they continue to use day after day to keep them open.

If those deep snows continue for extended periods the deer can get locked into those wintering grounds and simply can’t muster the energy to get out even if they have totally depleted the food supply.

Hopefully it doesn’t get that bad this winter. It sounds like things are ok in your area so far. The deer here are starting to show early signs of winter stress but then we have about eighteen inches to two feet of snow on the high ground of the mountains and plateau. Hopefully the warmer weather predicted for this weekend helps to pack the snow down enough the deer can more around easier.

R.S. Bodenhorn