Six More Weeks

Well it sounds as though the winter woodchuck saw is shadow. Near as I can tell that means six more weeks of winter or at least six more weeks until spring! Either way I think anyone located here in NE Ohio would be happy if winter would go away in six weeks! We had a good blast of snow this week and finished up round two with somewhere around 20” on the ground. Makes a beautiful scene to watch if you do not have to get out in it work.

The critters are all feeling the effects of the deep snow and there is also a crust on the top which helps to complicate things for them. If you are planning on adding some supplemental feed to your area now is the time. All of the animals will appreciate the boost in energy to help get through the middle of the winter season. Also if you are going to put out corn or feed for turkeys do not forget that they require grit to digest their food. Adding sand or oyster shell from the local feed mill will help them as much as the feed itself. Other easy things to add to a feeding area are travel paths that the animals can use to access the food. Deep snow makes it extremely difficult for them to move about without spending great amounts of energy. Break a path for them and watch how quickly they find it.

The trophy bucks are continuing to shed their antlers although it may be a few weeks before we are able to easily navigate the woods to hunt for them. It is also a good idea not to bump the deer in your area right now as the added stress with the deep snow cost them much needed energy. This is a great time of year it is to get caught up on those inside jobs so we are ready to get outside when the weather breaks.