Cattle Struggling in Brutal Winter
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: LKH
11-Mar-18
This is in response to Pat's query about how much snow we hand in MT. Google the topic and you will find a great article by Puckett in the Great Falls Tribune. Story and pics pretty much says it all.
From: 137buck
11-Mar-18
I know in east Glacier, they've had the last time I checked, 242" of snow so far this winter. I'm a heavy equipment operator who snow plows in Helena and it seems like I'm plowing and or hauling snow every other night and every weekend and when I go over McDonald pass they have quite a bit of snow.
From: Ermine
11-Mar-18
It’s crazy dry here in Colorado
From: Bowboy
11-Mar-18
It's really dry here in SE WY.
From: Treeline
11-Mar-18
Low snow years in Colorado are good for the deer - at least up in the mountains! Pray that we don’t get hammered in March or April in the high country so more deer make it.
From: Ermine
11-Mar-18
Yea I agree. I just don’t want to be busy fighting fires so I can hunt those deer lol
From: trackman
11-Mar-18
If it snows this time of year the snow will not last long so the deer i think will be OK. fIRE this summer ????
From: Treeline
11-Mar-18
Unless we get a hard cold snap, Lyle. We have had some pretty bad deer kills in March and April in the past. A big snow followed by below zero for a week or two and bam!
From: Ucsdryder
11-Mar-18
Track man fires could be an issue. We need some late rain throughout spring and early summer.
From: fubar racin
11-Mar-18
rains throughout spring and summer would be awesome! but then ermine will be fighting fires through christmas with all the fuel that will grow!
From: Treeline
12-Mar-18
North Platte is at 86% of normal, South Platte is at 83%, Yampa/White is at 75%, Colorado is at 76%, Gunnison & Arkansas at 58%-59%, Rio Grande & Dolores at 50%. SW Colorado is driest, but the northern part of the state is not too bad. With some late spring snows (hopefully not too much at one time) and summer rains, should be fine.
Worst conditions for big fires are a heavy snowpack followed by a hot, dry summer. Gets all the stuff growing fast and early and then dries out to a tinder box.
Lower snowpack is usually toughest for the front range folks because the reservoirs don't fill and they have to go to water rationing.
