Alaska Winter Kill

[NorthCountryAB]

Jeez she sure doesnt look good Yellowknife.
Im thinking your right she probably didnt make it.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

Another boney cow from Murphy Dome Road.

 

[AKDoc]

It troubles me seeing that 'Skeeter...what a crazy winter you guys had. Alaska's wx always has been and always will be a major factor in the wildlife equation...and of course predation.

If any consolation, the moose have looked good all winter here in southcentral...albeit a totally different wx world of our state. A photo I took over a month ago on our property and another just the other day...

 

[Kevin Dill]

Very sad indeed.

 

[elkslare]

Very sad indeed, did not realize it was that bad up North. I was worried about our deer here in Leavenworth WA
after it snowed 4ft in 48 hours. Our snow did not last that long though.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Very sad indeed, did not realize it was that bad up North. I was worried about our deer here in Leavenworth WA
after it snowed 4ft in 48 hours. Our snow did not last that long though.

Wow, that’s pretty impressive, when was that taken?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[elkslare]

Wow, that’s pretty impressive, when was that taken?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That Photo was taken this year First week in January. After 4 feet of snow in 48 hours fell on what we already had. Crazy snow fall.

 

[Yellowknife]

If any consolation, the moose have looked good all winter here in southcentral...albeit a totally different wx world of our state. ]

Only some parts of southcentral (I.e. mostly along the Knik and Matanuska wind zones) are they doing ok. The starving moose picture I posted from earlier was only 6 miles from Palmer where we still 2 feet of hard crusted snow on the ground and it was 21F this morning. I’m still grooming the ski trails here.

The snow conditions all along the Talkeetna foothills has been pretty rough for the moose. Central Mat-Su valley is a whole different story even though only a few miles away.

 

[Sourdough]

This will likely make it harder for those "Baiting" Brown Bears. So much moose meat laying around as the snow recedes.
But, Easy for spotting the BIG brownies with a plane this year. Guys should be picking up Brown Bears with snow machine hunts this spring.
The bears have been out for three or four weeks here. (Mostly the big Males).

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Lost about 8 inches of snowpack around Gakona over the last two weeks.

 

[slick]

Saw a sow with two 2yr olds and a another with three yearling cubs on top of a moose just the other day.

 

[Southeast]

Any word on how bad things are a little farther north of Fairbanks? I'll be hunting between the Yukon and the Koyukuk. I have noticed that the official map displaying rainfall totals from the big December storm show zero to less than a quarter inch of rain in this area. Maybe there was more rain after December 26.

Midwinter rain on snow is a game changer

On Dec. 26, more than an inch of rain fell over a wide swath of the state. Much of the backcountry of Interior Alaska now has an ice sheet beneath a foot of fluffy snow.

uaf.edu

 

[AK_Skeeter]

Any word on how bad things are a little farther north of Fairbanks? I'll be hunting between the Yukon and the KoyukukView attachment 400156. I have noticed that the official map displaying rainfall totals from the big December storm show zero to less than a quarter inch of rain in this area. Maybe there was more rain after December 26.

Midwinter rain on snow is a game changer

On Dec. 26, more than an inch of rain fell over a wide swath of the state. Much of the backcountry of Interior Alaska now has an ice sheet beneath a foot of fluffy snow.

uaf.edu

32-25" recorded at Bettles Airport, 31 inches at Galena as of 12-April-2022
https://www.weather.gov/aprfc/Snow_Depth

No substantial melting likely until later in April.

 

[VernAK]

The ice on the rivers is much thinner this year due to the insulating snow. I'm afraid the temperatures will climb into 50s quickly and flooding will be bad.

 

[bairdi]

Would be interesting to hear if ADF&G is observing higher than normal mortality rates of their collared moose and caribou in the areas that got hammered by the snow. I've been pleasantly surprised that up through February, I did not see any more winter killed moose than normal out on my trapline. Though depending on how the next month or so goes, will likely be a make or break month for many animals out there.

 

[Kevin Dill]

In snow country, March and April can be the cruelest of all months.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Would be interesting to hear if ADF&G is observing higher than normal mortality rates of their collared moose and caribou .....

They won't be flying radio telemetry again until calving. Didnt pick up any moose mortality signals while doing sheep and wolves during February and March, but that's on a different frequency.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

The ice on the rivers is much thinner this year due to the insulating snow. I'm afraid the temperatures will climb into 50s quickly and flooding will be bad.

Yes I see that the Tanana at Nenana ice thickness is 32 inches which is thinner than normal for 13-April.

 

[VernAK]

Took a short ride yesterday near home and found a dead adult cow bison on a trail. I suspect there's a lot of em out there.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

Hopefully the melt starts for real this week with days in upper 40s.