Colorado drought…

[ColoradoV]

WOW he looks dang good for April

…

Like I said great nutrition this year!!!

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Do you feel like with the lack of snowpack that the feed in the alpine will "crisp up" before archery seasons start?

This killed my archery hunt last year, hopefully get some moisture in the summer.

 

[Roadgoat]

Light winters do more for the mountain deer than anything. CO deer will be just fine in a 'drought'.

 

[180ls1]

Yea it gets crispy even after a week with out rain. That will all be dependent on what happens in August. There are lots of springs where I usually am so that will not change.

It is real real dry I doubt there is any run off in the rivers this year and the ranchers are sweating if there will be irrigation water.

It will be interesting to see how this all goes this summer into fall = we just got a good rain but not enough to make a dent overall but did green things up a bit. Fires this summer will be crazy the fall might be working between when you can see through the smoke depending on where the fires will be.

Maybe this guy who is 32-33” wide to the matching stickers will get some tine length..
View attachment 1046438

Any thoughts/assumptions if this type of year effects rut timing? Possibly early?

Our local turkeys fired up early and are already shut down. This several weeks early this year.

@robby denning

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Our local paper (Cortez Journal) recently ran a story about the drought. The weather people say we have had the driest winter in the last 100 years. It was before the last 2 storms and there is a lot more snow on the La Plata Mts,, our local mountains. Our irrigation company turned on our irrigation water today. I have 17 shares of water. Everything just woke up......blooms on all the fruit trees, grass greening up and the weeds just exploded. Spent all day today spraying weeds and ordered fertilizer today.

 

[fngTony]

Antler growth might be good this year. The deer probably are resilient enough to make it through until next winter. What I’m concerned about is monsoons causing mudslides and fires. The things that get access closed or ruin (at least temporarily) good habitat. Also expecting crowds of hunters in what’s left of any water sources.

 

[Coveyleader]

One has to remember, the mountains get rain almost every afternoon it seems. Most people said it was a dry fall, and it was, but the unit I elk hunted in last fall had me wearing my rain jacket more than not. It absolutely poured in there prior, and during season. We shall see. I will control things I can. Drought years actually makes the hunting easier.

 

[robby denning]

Any thoughts/assumptions if this type of year effects rut timing? Possibly early?

Our local turkeys fired up early and are already shut down. This several weeks early this year.

@robby denning

I don’t know anything solid on dry vs wet.