Lack of Snowfall out West = Smaller Elk, Deer, and Moose Racks for 2026?

[RockAndSage]

For deer, I'll take a mild, dry winter and a wet spring over lots of winter snow any day. Mild winters mean more animals, wet spring means more food with less work, for better antler growth and mother health.

 

[ReaptheHeat]

Water rights are gonna be interesting this year. A lot of farmers and ranchers are gonna be hurting.

 

[ajf243]

wet spring and mild winter has always been my vote.

 

[7mm-08]

I know of no relationship between winter snow levels and antler growth (other than more animals making it through a high snowfall winter). The key to antler growth (as my small software package understands) is availability of high quality and volume forage on spring and summer ranges where ungulates graze.

 

[Customweld]

All I know at the moment is that there are a TON of animals out and they look really well.
Usually at this time of the winter, I see lots of winter kill.

Randy

Was up yesterday hiking at about 4k, the buttercups are already blooming. The deer look to be in fantastic shape. Didn’t see any elk. I ran into a guy last week that was doing Lidar surveys and he was able to move around pretty easily at 5k.
Did you see that you can still get a 4x4 vehicle into Silver Creek?! Crazy winter.

 

[deltadukman]

Speaking of rack size...nahhh, not going to say it, but you all know the analogy I was going to use. And it's true. "Eager beats pretty" has always been my mantra.

 

[Serrano]

Copied from my post in similar thread in elk forum:

Last year (2025) was almost as dry as this year where I hunt.
It continued into the spring, and the snow was gone early.
Not much in summer rains either.
Grass was short and there wasn't much.
Willows were browning before the frost in summer.
Few raspberries, currents or other berries. Forbs were dry.
They took the range maggots and cattle out early. Great!
Plenty of elk and some of the best bulls I've seen though.

 

[IDbrushswimmer]

Went up to Schweitzer today for work, and saw a couple groups of mulies, all big fat and happy

 

[wildwilderness]

True drought will affect antler growth mainly in areas that are already on the edge- like Arizona, southern UT, CO deserts that barely get enough rainfall to support animals.

So when they don’t get any rain there is no feed. And waterholes can go dry and animals die, or have to migrate long distances to find feed and water.

so if you don’t hunt the desert, a mild winter is generally just fine

 

[Poser]

Thankfully, we're getting 3-4 feet of snow this week in the San Juans.

 

[270-300]

Its been terribly dry. So far this pattern will result in a drought. However, its quite common when snow doesnt exist in the winter, the spring will bring some very heavy snow falls, several feet at once in past years. It could also come post winter and be a very wet rainy spring and summer like we had 3 years ago.

 

[BluMtn]

In the last week here in SE Washington we have received about 2.5" of rain. My weather report last night showed major storms coming on shore around southern California with a possible drop of up to 6 to 8' of snow continuing into Nevada. Our winter has been getting later each year.

 

[doc holiday13]

Seems like any answer is pure speculation at this point. Precipitation doesn’t have to be snow. Still a lot of winter left. Can get rain in April and May. Crazy to me a guy wouldn’t burn points because racks might be smaller. Upside is should be near zero winter kill........

Easy winters mean stronger healthier spring start for most animals. Farmers love warm winters because they won't have to supplement as much hay/feed.

East coast however had record cold and we had hard packed snow and ice hang around for weeks after the precipitation which is not typical on the east coast. Lots of deer starved and got hit on the highway while trying to find thawed ground. Our winter kill number are goign to be HIGH

 

[Laramie]

Likely the biggest impact to drought for trophy hunters is rack strength. On dry years, I see a lot more broken bulls and bucks. For those guys planning top end ranch hunts, it's something to keep in mind. I do agree that spring rains hold as much, if not more importance though. Nothing to panic about yet.

 

[KurtR]

Easy winters mean stronger healthier spring start for most animals. Farmers love warm winters because they won't have to supplement as much hay/feed.

East coast however had record cold and we had hard packed snow and ice hang around for weeks after the precipitation which is not typical on the east coast. Lots of deer starved and got hit on the highway while trying to find thawed ground. Our winter kill number are goign to be HIGH

To a point they love warm winters. When you have no grass you will be feeding/selling in the summer. They are already worried about drought and the lack of run off to fill damns.

 

[CorbLand]

Only way it would change my plans of applying is if I was looking to drop max or near max points on a specific unit. Even then, it would just be lots of phone calls and research being done to see if it will effect that unit to a level I wouldn’t want to drop the points.

It’s been warm in N. Utah with very little snow all winter. We have gotten rain though, just nothing in the form of snow. That can all change really quick up here though. A couple good storms can result in a foot plus a day in the mountains. It’s always helpful to get it up there, in quantities that it holds until end of May at least.

According to the weather, we are supposed to be socked in with snow in the mountains and rain/snow in the valley for the next week or so. Local ski resort got 7 inch’s last night and it’s still snowing up there.

 

[Weldor]

Last summer our tanks were dry until late September and early October, then it rained on and off for a couple of weeks right in the middle of the youth hunts and cow hunts. Filled the tanks some. The Elk had moved off the tanks in the early summer so hunting was a bit tough for those hunters who sit water. Had a few fires and one just 2 weeks ago. Hope it rains or snows soon. That said the Elk in my front yard are Fat. No stress at all.

 

[Huntindog45]

getting pummeled right now in Northern California. Looks like it is going to head east across the rockies. Should be substantial snowfall.

 

[cnelk]

A good read from the CSD about mild winter and animals

Wyoming Mule Deer Fat And Happy Now But Biologists Say Snowfall Is Needed

Unlike the winter of 2022-2023, when mule deer were starving and dying by the thousands in Wyoming, this year the herd is looking quite healthy. “The deer…

cowboystatedaily.com

 

[HilltopHitman]

If you look at the averages for snow pack, Idaho and Wyoming are almost at 100% in every region. It seems it just hasn’t snowed much in the lower elevations or melts almost immediately. Should be a great year on winter survival and hopefully fawn survival. A really wet spring would probably put this year on top for being one of the better years.