The abnormal winter is having a detrimental affect on local antelope and deer populations, as Alberta Fish and Wildlife are predicting nearly half the antelopes, and all deer fawn will be killed off by spring.
The thawing and freezing experienced this winter cut out food and grain for antelope, causing them to eat low nutrition shrubs. The snow falls, melts a bit turning it into ice, it snows again and freezes on top to cause troubles for antelope trying to reach the ground. The antelope’s legs are bloody and being cut severely from the ice that crusted the deep snow.
Jensen expects Alberta to lose 8,000-10,000 antelope this year, or nearly half the total population.
The lack of food causes the natural bacteria in the antelope gut to weaken as well, so when spring rolls around and the animals find proper food again, their stomachs may not even be able to digest it.
“It just gets to the point where they can't digest food and they end up dying,” he says.
“Bad winters are just real tough on antelope,” he said. “That is nature, and it’s things like that which keep herds under control. It happens everywhere.”
It’s a combination of poor food sources and the cold weather causing them to burn more energy which causes ungulates to die from starvation in the winter.
Jensen expects the amount of tags to be handed out to hunters next year will be substantially reduced.
“That’s certainly a method we have to take the pressure off them so they can get back to what the biologists deem a healthy population.”
It isn’t the end of the antelope populations, Jensen says nature has a way of dealing with harsh conditions such as this winter.
“We normally see pregnancy rates rise – we see more twins than usual, more fawns born. We’ll give out less tags and shoot less, and it should take care of itself in time.”
“Antelope hunting will probably be affected over the next five years.”
