![\"Deer](\"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/files\/2016\/01\/deerindeepsnow.jpg\")
<\/a>Deer in deep snow. Photo: LassenNPS<\/a>, Cretive Commons, some rights reserved<\/p><\/div>\n After each meteorological mood swing I have heard people comment how confusing the weather makes them. You plant daffodil bulbs on Christmas, shovel heavy snow the next week, then have to buy crampons a few days later because it rained and then suddenly froze. If you think it\u2019s hard for us humans who can retreat into our posh shelters, imagine how the animals feel.<\/p>\n Potsdam\u2019s Ken Kogut, a retired Wildlife Biologist from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, explains that \u201cthe depth and character of snow has a profound impact on wildlife.\u201d We can probably understand how deep snow might keep deer from finding food, in addition to hampering their movement. As the snowpack gets sixteen or more inches deep, their bellies drag, and it\u2019s hard for them to raise their legs high enough to take a step.<\/p>\n In these conditions, deer will \u201cyard up\u201d and find shelter in a conifer stand. These places have much less snow on the ground because the dense canopy intercepts a lot of the snowfall. The problem is that there is very little to eat and they may starve to death.<\/p>\n Kogut points out that while it might not be as obvious, in harsh winters a lot of turkeys also starve to death. Typically they forage by walking, scratching at the duff to unearth food, but they are unable to do this in deep snow. They will seek berries that may remain on shrubs and trees like highbush cranberry and hawthorn, but this food is limited.<\/p>\n<\/a>