Black Hills wildlife fared better than in much of Wyoming this winter

The Black Hills region appears to have escaped the more severe levels of wildlife mortality that have affected much of Wyoming this winter.

The Wyoming Game & Fish Department has announced that active monitoring of the big game across the state has shown increased mortality due to the increased snowfall and extreme temperatures over the last few months.

“Wyoming is used to tough winters, but it has been a while since we have had a winter where severe conditions were so widespread across the state,” said Doug Brimeyer, Wyoming Game and Fish Department deputy chief of wildlife.

“Wildlife managers throughout the state are acutely aware of the effects winter is having on big game populations.”

Game & Fish’s Casper region, unlike many others, has experienced normal winter survival. Snowpack and temperatures have been moderate in the northeastern portion of Thunder Basin and the Black Hills, according to a Game & Fish statement.

The same is not true for the rest of the region, with heavier snowpack in places like Lusk and the southern Bighorns. Unlike most winters, snow has persisted on much of the landscape in these areas.

Mule deer and pronghorn in the Casper and Glenrock areas have the highest potential for above-normal winter mortality in this region. However, the final tallies will depend on how the weather continues to unfold as spring arrives.

Winter mortality and the severity of the weather will be taken into account as wildlife managers finalize their recommendations for the 2023 hunting seasons.

“Game and Fish has a proven track record of adaptively managing the state’s wildlife through setting hunting seasons that take into account the challenging conditions wildlife face in the winter,” Brimeyer said.

Public safety across the state has also been a concern as big game herds cross roads and highways towards lower elevations and habitats in search of forage.

The situation has looked even more bleak on the western side of the state, where Governor Mark Gordon this week scheduled a second town hall session to discuss the impacts of the severe weather on wildlife.

A full accounting of the impacts of winter on Wyoming wildlife will be possible in the coming months, as wildlife managers develop a better understanding of the winter’s outcome.