Winter weather and wildlife

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Lakenut

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Messages
966
Reaction score
950
Location
Central Oklahoma
So the forecast for the weekend is calling for 8”+ snow, lows in the sub zero range, and highs in the single digits and strong winds. And with sub freezing temps for at least 5 days after the snow it ain’t going anywhere quick. If this happens I see it being really hard on some of our critters.

Upland hunters of days gone by still talk about the number of quail that froze to death back in 83..... which is what the weather guys are using as the measuring stick for this go around.

What says the outdoorsman (and women) of this site? How will our turkey/quail/pheasants fair? What about the deer herd? The ducks and geese will eventually relocate to Texas. The non migratory species don’t get that luxury.
 

dennishoddy

Sharpshooter
Supporting Member
Special Hen Supporter
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
84,556
Reaction score
61,836
Location
Ponca City Ok
It's not going to be good for them, that's for sure.
I was upland hunting that year as well as every year since the mid 70's through lots of snow storms.
Was kind of amazed in how those critters survived. Big snow drift in a field with a tiny hole going into it around some brush.
Bird tracks as well as other game tracks going in and out in different areas. The brush created a cavity the snow was bridged over so the birds took advantage of it, going out to forage for seeds. Snow caves maintain a 32 degree temp for the most part no matter the ambient temp.
Some will survive and some will succumb to predators. Mother nature will let them repopulate.
 

Oklahomabassin

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Mar 27, 2007
Messages
24,975
Reaction score
23,420
Location
America!
We probably don't have the number of quail today that we did back in 1983. I see quail suffering the most from this bout of winter. Deer shouldn't have too much issue as they feed on forbs and also graze. Most forbs won't be covered up with snow like the seeds that quail, pheasant and turkey eat. Overall it is part of mother nature and is a vital part of the circle of life. In areas that populations are higher than carrying capacity mother nature can be brutal when it lowers the population levels.

Managing deer herd levels during hunting seasons and helping to provide good habitat are 2 of the best ways people can help wildlife out. Not to leave out the importance of financially supporting conservation efforts of the ODWC, NWTF, DMAP, QF etc.
 

PBramble

Let's Eat
Special Hen
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
2,793
Reaction score
3,658
Location
OKC
We probably don't have the number of quail today that we did back in 1983. I see quail suffering the most from this bout of winter. Deer shouldn't have too much issue as they feed on forbs and also graze. Most forbs won't be covered up with snow like the seeds that quail, pheasant and turkey eat. Overall it is part of mother nature and is a vital part of the circle of life. In areas that populations are higher than carrying capacity mother nature can be brutal when it lowers the population levels.

Managing deer herd levels during hunting seasons and helping to provide good habitat are 2 of the best ways people can help wildlife out. Not to leave out the importance of financially supporting conservation efforts of the ODWC, NWTF, DMAP, QF etc.
If only everyone would keep the feeders going year round, this wouldn't be much of an issue. I know I've seen quail in places they havent' been seen in years, but I've been helping to keep the feeders full too. we feed them at the house as well. And I've not cut the front 3 acres in a few years to give them a safe place to bed. Habitat and food is key.
 

dennishoddy

Sharpshooter
Supporting Member
Special Hen Supporter
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
84,556
Reaction score
61,836
Location
Ponca City Ok
If only everyone would keep the feeders going year round, this wouldn't be much of an issue. I know I've seen quail in places they havent' been seen in years, but I've been helping to keep the feeders full too. we feed them at the house as well. And I've not cut the front 3 acres in a few years to give them a safe place to bed. Habitat and food is key.

Feeders can be an issue with game birds as they attract predators as well looking for an easy meal.
I used to deer hunt from the loft of a barn that is now down and saw bobcats waiting in the perimeter for the quail to appear at the feeder.
Habitat to provide food as well as protection from Avian and ground predators seems to be the key to bringing them back from many studies the ODW has done with the old handheld locator devices on tagged quail as well as the new Satellite technology they are using now.
It's amazing they can track a quail travels every 20 seconds or so now with the new technology so they get a real time observation of the bird.
They post that information on the ODW website page.
 

Snattlerake

Conservitum Americum
Special Hen
Joined
Jan 19, 2019
Messages
20,444
Reaction score
31,736
Location
OKC
I saw something today I have never seen before. Hundreds of Robins swarming my neighborhood. They were intermittently flying and landing on the south side of my house. Some were roosting in a tree across the street, and some were on the lawns of everyone around me. All of the ones I saw were all puffed up in an obvious attempt to ward off the cold. They were not walking around looking for seeds or food. Once they landed, they didn't move unless they were disturbed by a car driving by.

Knowing Robins, I have only seen them usually singly or maybe two or three but never hundreds in a group. They never swarmed like Starlings but they would flush like quail and go every which way. They stayed for two hours in the neighborhood then all of a sudden, gone.

Here are some pictures

If you blow up the pictures you can see the Robins in the yards and tree across the street.
robins 1.jpg
robins 3.jpg
robins tree  2.jpg
 

GlockPride

Sharpshooter
Supporting Member
Special Hen Supporter
Joined
May 15, 2010
Messages
5,450
Reaction score
7,007
Location
Unfixed Arrow
We’ve seen the robins in BA too, just not in the hundreds. It seems like they are hitting the bushes and beds right next to the houses looking for small forage and bugs that are up right near the house for warmth.
 

Okie4570

Sharpshooter
Staff Member
Special Hen Moderator Moderator
Joined
Nov 28, 2010
Messages
22,922
Reaction score
24,758
Location
NWOK
I saw something today I have never seen before. Hundreds of Robins swarming my neighborhood. They were intermittently flying and landing on the south side of my house. Some were roosting in a tree across the street, and some were on the lawns of everyone around me. All of the ones I saw were all puffed up in an obvious attempt to ward off the cold. They were not walking around looking for seeds or food. Once they landed, they didn't move unless they were disturbed by a car driving by.

Knowing Robins, I have only seen them usually singly or maybe two or three but never hundreds in a group. They never swarmed like Starlings but they would flush like quail and go every which way. They stayed for two hours in the neighborhood then all of a sudden, gone.

Here are some pictures

If you blow up the pictures you can see the Robins in the yards and tree across the street.
View attachment 192873 View attachment 192874 View attachment 192875

We’ve seen the robins in BA too, just not in the hundreds. It seems like they are hitting the bushes and beds right next to the houses looking for small forage and bugs that are up right near the house for warmth.


Those robins must have bought into the global warning idea too lol :)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom