Leaving detrimental effects on the western part of the US, the drought of 2014 is definitely one for the books. The record breaking impact is the worst since 1989, killing off crops and forcing water regulation. It is also having a detrimental impact on wildlife from California to Missouri.
Wildlife seeking food and water, in short supply due to the dry conditions, are being driven closer to people. In northern California, known for their “garbage” bear population, are now seeing what are being called “drought” bears. These bears wouldn’t normally wonder into urban areas, but with streams drying to a trickle, are now being forced to.
In addition to the adverse impact the drought is having on wildlife behavior, it is also hurting sustainability and longevity. Many regional deer hunters are concerned with the impact this will have on the deer population come autumn, and rightly so. With vegetation as dead as dirt on massive tracts of land spanning half the Country, deer are not only dying from starvation, they are migrating into dangerous territory.
Unfamiliar terrain for deer to their population means greater highway road kill and making themselves easier prey such as mountain lion. In Colorado, the deer population is down nearly 40% over the past 7 years. In Wyoming it has declined 30% since 2000 and in California, the population has dropped 1.5 million since 1960 to a meager 500,000.
Across the US, the deer population is struggling to maintain itself. This is sure to limit the target number available this hunting season across the nation. And with the carry-over effect, this impact could possibly last for years to come, even if the drought of 2014 ends in 2014.
Rather than risk coming home from the woods empty handed, head on a guided hunting trip where your rates for success will increase incrementally. To book one with Watson’s Kaby Lodge in Northern Ontario, please contact us today.