upcoming winter fiasco in WY?

[DougW]

Guys-just wanted to get some other opinions on what's going to happen this winter in the antelope capital of the world. In at least the western half there was little/no moisture thru july, hence no plant growth.

Since then it's been wetter but the catch is there's already been 3 snowstorms...warm ones relatively but a portender of things to come? I'm sure the plants responded a bit, but how much growth can occur after summer is already over?

Anyways I'm hearing from multiple sources (and saw it myself in the west-central) about antelope herd numbers being way up.

G&F issued extra doe licenses in many areas.

Are we looking at a major die-off if the winter is average or worse? Weather doesn't look to bad in the next week, but it could hit anytime after that, for real.

D

 

[HuntElk4Fun_]

One thing we noticed in SW Wyo. was all the new growth due to the late moisture. I've been hunting SW Wyo for 20+ years and all of the little ridges in the winter ranges have nice little new growth of good short green stuff the animals love. We usually don't see this. The late moisture, combined with some warming might have actually helped a little. Not a biologist by any means, but did notice this for the first time in a long time.

ODDNUT1
Kirt C.
Hunt Odds.com

 

[DougW]

Kirt-that's good news. I left WY on Sept. 24 or so before it warmed up....they must've gotten and inch and a half of moisture out east of Riverton while I was there (all the washes were flooded at one point). Maybe the new growth is enough to get the animals over the hump this winter.

There's been significant snow since then up in the red desert and surrounding areas, but the satellite loop is showing that much of that has melted.

How'd your hunt go?