JACKSON HOLE, WYO – It may be spring, but the hardships of winter are far from over for area wildlife. With their reserves at a low point, hungry animals are still finding it difficult to locate forage until things green up.
The March newsletter from the Jackson Region Game & Fish Office chronicled just how tough of a winter it’s been, especially for ungulates.
“The combination of very cold temperatures, deep snow, and a couple thaw-and-refreezing cycles has made it very difficult for animals to move or find forage. Consequently, the animals typically head for the lower elevations and developed areas which puts them into conflict or potentially unsafe situations for the animal and/or people. And this is when the Game and Fish phones start to ring,” read the monthly newsletter. “Our game wardens and other regional personnel continue to spend countless hours responding to calls of wildlife in a variety of conflict situations or that have died on people’s property. Of course, many more animals have died that the Game and Fish doesn’t even hear about. This winter will undoubtedly have an impact on many big game herds, especially mule deer.”
