Will the drought and heat cause a modification of hunting seasons and limits?

[imhntn]

We have not had a bad drought since the 1950's and one of my buddies that is an agronomist at OSU told me several years ago that we were long overdue for a big one. We may have some tough years ahead. It happens. Maybe the jack rabbits will come back like they had them during the dust bowl. That would be cool. I am with you guys on getting rid of this heat. I hate summers and the older I get, the harder they seem to be on me. I'm thinking in retirement, I'm spending summers in the mountains and winters right here hunting.

 

[264Magnum]

Luckily, I hunt the S.E. part of the state and they have gotten a lot more rain than anywhere else.

I hunt the panhandle. I'm screwed.

 

[Buzzgun]

Several years ago, if memory hasn't failed yet, ODW considered cancelling muzzle loader deer season due to the dry conditions. I don't think it was nearly as dry then as it is right now, so maybe we will have rain to solve all the problems.

The talk about canceling muzzle loader season was due to high fire danger, not because of a drought.

We definitely have a high fire danger now, but we are 3+ months from muzzle loader season.


The drought will probably hurt antler growth and fawn recruitment.

 

[dennishoddy]

Well, reading all of this, I doubt there will be any adjustment of hunting seasons. The comment about the fire danger is the only reason that happened in the past.
Drought is good for some critters, if they have water to sustain them. I have a creek that runs through one farm. Its now just pools, with no water flowing, but its water.
Another place is DRY I have put a couple of watering troughs in there to help.
With a drought, the grasshoppers will have a huge presence. A week ago, there were clouds of them flying up in front of the truck, driving into the CRP. Not good for the grass, but dammed good for the quail and pheasant. No floods to wash out the nests as in the past couple of years. The heat is my only concern. Can the chicks survive?

Time will tell.

 

[Deer Slayer]

Dennis - Papa John had quail dying in his pens with a fan blowing on them inside a building. He butchered them tonight. He is done. This drought will hurt the deer because their forage has shriveled and the protein is marginable. The fawns need their protein now and Momma needs protein to make plenty of milk. My deer are cleaning the trough every night or what
ever the crows don't get. Time to pop crows

I seriously doubt hunting season to be modified except because of fire danger.

 

[ripnbst]

I doubt hunting seasons will be modified either, they may just be terrible seasons.

 

[dtaylor9551]

I like my dove season but at this time I wouldn't mind a cold fromt with some slow drizzle. But like said previously it usually does that right at the beginning of dove season.