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Think winter's tough? Walk a mile in their shoes

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Deer struggle through "non-yard" acreage in snow up to their shoulders. (Courtesy photo)

Have you found yourself complaining a lot about the snowfall amounts and cold this winter?

Try walking a mile in a deer's shoes.

Maine and New Hampshire's wildlife - like us - are enduring one of their toughest winters ever, with deer possibly topping the list of species most threatened by the deep snowpack.

"Deer are incredibly adaptable and can even thrive in the bitter cold, but the depth of snow this year with no crust to walk on makes it very hard for them to move around," said Maine wildlife biologist Scott Lindsay of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

For this reason deer will "yard up" which means setting up kind of mini-colonies where they gather, feed and sleep under softwood cover.

"They will pack the trails down between where they sleep and where they feed so that you could walk on top of the snow with tennis shoes," said Lindsay, who added that deer in northern Maine have yarded up much more frequently in the past than those in southern Maine who are having to adapt.

He said it's not unusual for areas of northern Maine to have snow totals like the whole state has had this year, so yarding up is less common in southern parts of New Hampshire and Maine.

"But this year the deer in southern Maine have had to do it to survive," he said.

If deer go beyond the yard, they'll be in snow up to their shoulders, he said.

"They have to expend less energy to survive, so they reduce the territory and stick to packed-down areas," Lindsay said.

Still, in some herds both north and south, there could be as much as a 35 percent dieoff, mostly among older males and fawns.

Those that don't make it won't die from starvation, but most likely from attacks by coyotes or other predators that spot weakened prey.

Meanwhile, moose have a much easier time dealing with the deep, non-crusted snowpack.

"With moose, they're so big, the snow's just up to their upper leg, so they move around much easier," said Lindsay, who takes measurements routinely through the winter at specific points in the state to measure what he calls the "winter severity index."

Other wildlife that could be having a tough time are bobcats and foxes, who rely on ground prey such as rabbits and weasels, who may have burrowed deep beneath the snow.

Lindsay said at the ground snow interface, temperatures can be quite comfortable - up to 30 degrees above the air temperature - and prove safe haven for small rodents like moles.

Raptors like barred owls can use their uncanny radar to triangulate and find prey beneath the snow, then dive in and scoop up a tasty meal, but Lindsay said if the snow is four or five feet deep, that's a daunting task. If it's 12-15 inches deep, it's much more doable.

Lindsay said homeowners may see predators showing up in their yards around bird feeders in hopes of finding nourishment in a bird or squirrel, especially hungry bobcat, owls, and hawks.

He said fisher cats have it easiest because they can do their hunting in trees.

Squirrels will become especially vulnerable, subject to attack on the ground and in trees as they scurry around looking for acorns they stored in November.

Turkeys are a constant sight on Shapleigh Road in Lebanon this month and in low branches of trees alongside. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photo)

Meanwhile, turkeys seem to be holding their own, Lindsay said.

"I've found some dead, but tested them and found plenty of fat on them," he said.

He said turkeys like to feed in low branches if they can find one that will support them.

One of their favorite feeding areas is near small creeks where they find edible ferns, but this year those areas are all socked in by snow and ice, making it more difficult.

But don't count them out, he said.

"They're a tough bird."

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