GUNNISON, Colo.—State wildlife employees plan to keep feeding deer and pronghorns in western Colorado’s Gunnison Basin through March because of the cold and snow.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife started putting out feed for big game in January after a series of storms dumped several feet of snow in the area. There’s been more snowfall and not much melting because of frigid temperatures.
Wildlife officers are feeding about 8,600 deer at 131 sites and about 440 pronghorns at 12 sites. They’ve focused on deer because it’s difficult for them to push through deep, crusted snow to get to shrubs and other food.
Officers and volunteers are also distributing hay to elk to keep the animals away from ranchers’ hay stacks and major roads.
About 30 Division of Wildlife employees and 80 volunteers are putting out the feed. Division spokesman Joe Lewandowski said the snow in the Gunnison Basin is still above 30 inches and temperatures are still dropping below zero.
Snowfall in the basin has totaled nearly 90 inches this winter. There are about 21,000 mule deer in the area.
Lewandowski said an estimated 12 percent to 18 percent of deer die during an average winter, but expect the mortality rate to be higher this year. He said biologists will try to size up the losses later and conduct aerial surveys of deer and elk in December for more accurate estimates.
