Deer Have a Different View

We are so lucky to have early snow and cold temperatures so early this winter! Ski conditions have not been this good in over five years. It now looks like we are guaranteed skiing and snowshoeing through the winter. I get to go out and break trail on the 2.4 miles of snowshoe trails after a snow storm. While its not as bad as lugging a chainsaw out to the trails, breaking new trail in more than 6 inches of snow will certainly warm you up!

I do love seeing what makes the first tracks after a storm though. As usual the deer make their presence know everywhere. As you approach the areas with water, the tracks increase in frequency. I did notice that one deer instead of plodding through the 16 inches of snow on the ground, decided to jump with each stride. I saw tracks that were 10-15 feet apart that showed the deer continuing to leap for over 500 feet. As I proceeded I started to notice how many bedding sites (see photo above) had been used the night before. I counted over 22 deer bedding imprints in 9 different locations on the Harold Libbey and Outback trails.

I'm sure though, the deer aren't as keen on the snow as we are but you can read their stories in the snow as you set out on the trails!