Saturday, December 31, 2005 The sudden intensity with which
severe winter weather swept into Northwest Colorado in late
November has created concern about how mule deer herds will come
through the season. "This is the first winter in quite a while
that we've asked wildlife managers to closely monitor the
condition of the animals," said Randy Hampton of the Colorado
Division of Wildlife. There are no overt signs that the deer
have suffered from the difficult conditions that make it hard
for them to reach food. But the winter is young, and the effects
of poor forage and extreme cold may not show up until April,
Hampton said. Routt County has received 200 inches of snow at
higher elevations this winter. And during the first week in
December, overnight temperatures of 35 degrees below zero were
recorded in some low-lying areas. The DOW avoids supplemental
feeding of wild animals, but deer and elk have been fed during
the harshest winters. That's far less likely to happen in
Northwest Colorado this winter because