Canadian deer are tough!
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Rob Nye
15-Jan-20
Am always amazed that deer up here in SK can survive our winters. They are enduring a week long cold snap right now, temperatures pushing - 45 degrees with windchill at night, -20 during the day. Has been a very warm winter so far with only a foot of snow in my region so critters are looking pretty healthy.
From: standswittaknife
15-Jan-20
Will be home ya nov 14th this year.. can’t wait..
From: standswittaknife
15-Jan-20
“Hunting with ya” stupid auto correct..
From: Rob Nye
15-Jan-20
From: TrapperKayak
15-Jan-20
Thats why they get so big....to contain body heat better.
From: Rob Nye
15-Jan-20
Look forward to it “stands”! Hope you’re bringing your bow?
From: Shuteye
15-Jan-20
Big deer for sure. In extremely cold weather and heavy snow, the first to die will be the bucks and yearlings. The does are the toughest. If every buck and yearling died there would still be deer since the does are pregnant. Mother nature is great.
From: Zbone
15-Jan-20
Have always been curious how far north whitetails can survive up there...
From: Rackmastr
15-Jan-20
Sure is crazy what those deer can handle and some of the winters they go through. My folks have a cabin up in Northern SK and always interesting to see snow levels and watch winter to winter how the deer herds are doing. Hope to get back up there one day for a Non-Res WT hunt. Rob, I've worked with your son and shared a bunch of laughs together. He's always spoken highly of your camp and quality of critters!
From: standswittaknife
15-Jan-20
Yes I’ll bring my bow only..
From: ScumFrog
15-Jan-20
They are Canadian, of course they are tough ;)
From: Rob Nye
15-Jan-20
I just snapped this photo of one of my “neighbours” trespassing on my property a few minutes ago. Lol. Gotta feel sorry for all the wildlife this morning windchill -40ish.
From: Rob Nye
15-Jan-20
standswak; Good to hear you are bowhunting. Lots of regular clients switching from guns for their deer hunts now, success has been very good.
From: Rob Nye
15-Jan-20
Rackmaster; you must be the killer in pics that Levi has been sending me? If so am totally impressed with critters you’ve been taking! Congrats looks like big fun!
From: Rut Nut
15-Jan-20
Hey Rob- I thought Canada was like the US...……………………………….all game has "trespassing rights" on any land, private or public! ;-)
From: 4araquiver
15-Jan-20
They are different subspecies of deer. That’s why! They are Whitetehls up there.
From: Rackmastr
15-Jan-20
Rob, I live in East Kootenays BC and transferred after working at Coutts. Have made the best of my move with Stone sheep, Grizz, Mtn Goat, caribou, cougars, lynx, bobcat. Its been a good move so far!!! Still miss the prairies but lucky to get to go back to AB/SK and do some hunting with friends/family. Gotta love this country we live in!
From: Rob Nye
15-Jan-20
I hear ya. So lucky to have the quality and diversity of game we have right at home.
From: APauls
15-Jan-20
Like how do the ears not freeze solid.
From: crowe
15-Jan-20
I lived north of Lloydminster sk for a few years. hunted in some pretty cold temps -30 -40. I shot two coyotes one day calling, skinned them both in the field, when I got to my truck I LEANED the frozen hides up against my truck while I unlocked it. sure was good predator calling in those temps, critters came without hesitation, but dang it was cold. The deer seem to deal quite well with it.
From: Elite 1
16-Jan-20
This morning temp amazing anything survives.
From: Rob Nye
16-Jan-20
A tad chilly here too this morning. Woodpile is taking a beating this week!
From: Rob Nye
16-Jan-20
Trying to work up courage/enthusiasm to go check some trail cams. And the winner is - couch, more coffee and Fox news!
From: Rob Nye
16-Jan-20
Has warmed up to -20°. Went to check cameras and found another moose hanging out in my field. I got within 50 yards and it started to get grumpy at me so backed off. Maybe he thought I was a wolf in cheap clothing. Shed hunting time!
From: Rob Nye
16-Jan-20
From: Grey Ghost
16-Jan-20
I don't how you do it, Rob. You must have anti-freeze in your veins. Colorado winters are no longer very appealing to me, and they're moderate compared to your neck of the woods. I find myself daydreaming about beaches and flip flops this time of year. ;-)
Matt
From: Rob Nye
16-Jan-20
Ya gotta look at positives; my firewood sure splits easy in this weather. When I was 8-13 years old in winter I’d get off the school bus grab my .22 and be gone till dark at 6:00 hunting rabbits every single day of the week unless blizzarding and whenever no chores on weekends. If you are born and raised here it is just normal no biggie. My buddy Kentrock is out checking wolf traps this aft that will be a frosty sled tour today!
From: Rob Nye
16-Jan-20
But we got nothing on the far north (arctic and sub-arctic) residents, now they are tough! I experienced -63 degreess and 60 mph winds when I worked in the northern Yukon Now that was freakin cold.
From: Grey Ghost
16-Jan-20
It's so funny to hear people's different perspectives on what is "cold" weather. My good buddy down in Florida complains about +50 degree temps. Two winters ago they had a cold spell with high temps in the 30s. Iguanas were literally freezing and falling from the trees. My buddy was absolutely miserable. LOL.
Matt
From: BC173
16-Jan-20
-63 and 60 mph winds. It just don’t register.
From: BTM
16-Jan-20
Canucks are tougher because they drink REAL beer!
From: Rob Nye
19-Jan-20
The deer seemed to be hunkered diwn and not moving much at 40 below but has warmed up to -15 to -20 lows and deer trails much busier last couple days.
From: Pete In Fairbanks
19-Jan-20
Deer, like other herbivores (including moose...,) can tolerate quite a bit of snow OR very cool temps. But when cold temps and deep snow occur simultaneously, populations can suffer.
Pete
From: Mike Ukrainetz
19-Jan-20
I’ve found that the deer can survive pretty well if the deep snow and cold doesn’t set in too soon after the rut. We’ve had low snow and not too much cold for a solid month or more after the rut. This past week of -20 and even -40 will be no big deal for the critters. Lots of crops trapped in the fields for us.
From: WhitetailHtr
20-Jan-20
With that degree of winter stress I'm amazed that those bucks haven't shed yet.
From: APauls
20-Jan-20
WhitetailHtr like Rob said this winter has actually been pretty awesome for the whitetails through the prairie belt. Insane amounts of moisture in the fall left an unusual amount of crop fields stranded with farmers having no way to harvest them. Low snow amounts through December is awesome allowing bucks to put the feedbags on. I have some property that I hunt that I like to feed throughout the winter and this winter I'm not even bothering. Situation was so ideal for the deer heading in I'm not worried at all. Like Pete said, cold is fine, snow is fine, cold AND snow is the problem. The other thing I like to measure is the length of winter. A harsh start is OK, a harsh end is OK, if we have a harsh start AND late end, that's a killer. It seems God has designed them to make it through a certain amount of time of bad weather. And if that time period becomes unusually long, they start dropping like flies. Their fat reserves only carry so long.
From: Rob Nye
20-Jan-20
Have found zero sheds yet they are still packing.
