You’ve been hearing it, too. The La Niña watch has been re-issued for our 2016-17 Pacific Northwest winter, and we are being told to prepare for higher than normal precipitation and normal to colder temperatures – depending on location in the state. At this point, the beginning of winter looks like one storm after another across much of the state. To me, this indicates a bit more wildlife than most years in the valley and in places where they can be easily seen. It also means (particularly early on) more snow on and along the roads with fewer places for critters (including the two-legged ones taking their own walks around Paradise) to step away from traffic.
No guarantees, of course, but we may have some of the best opportunities in some time to observe and watch wild things in semi-wild places. We may also feel a greater responsibility for caution.
A couple at-large members (Aren’t we all, really?) of the Reecer Creek Rod, Gun, Working Dog & Outdoor Think Tank Benevolent Association have recently raised both those thoughts, and have asked that I again pass along the simple guidelines for safely watching wintering wildlife. As chair of our little think tank’s Winter Wildlife Watch Subcommittee, I am duty bound. Thus, the following information.
Winter survival is everything, of course, to deer, elk and bighorns. Under the best of conditions, the stress of the cold season is the major controlling factor for their populations. Our responsibility, as we are out and about seeking in-person wildlife experiences to replenish nature connections in our lives, is simply to avoid adding to the normal stresses of winter.
Animals are certainly easier to find as they move onto their limited winter range. They will move around less, and seem “less wild.”
Through the fall, as they add fat reserves, our wild ungulates develop thicker, longer coats with many hollow, insulating hairs. These heavier coats become even more protective and insulative with “piloerection,” the ability to make the hairs stand up and trap more air.
Warm protective coats and limited movement make it possible for deer, elk and sheep to slightly lower metabolic rates and caloric requirements. Even with a decent food supply, though, and a balance between energy in and energy expended, an average winter will likely cost a large ungulate 20 percent of its fall weight. Disturbed and spooked, a critter may double its rate of energy burn; burning away 30 percent of fall body weight will often cause death, even if food becomes available.
The bottom line of all this is that we have an obligation to observe critters from a distance comfortable to them, not us. I often think that one of my favorite expressions—that “Facts are facts, but perceptions are reality!” handed me by DFW’s Okanogan Land Manager Dale Swedburg – applies to wild critters as much as to people. Thus, even if we think we pose no danger, what matters is what the animals perceive. Causing wildlife to stop feeding, or leave a feeding/resting area, will affect their health and well-being.
Every species and every individual will have its own “comfort zone.” Watch behavior, and you will identify that zone. If an animal I am watching looks at me, I avert my eyes. Staring is threatening to most wild critters, so I glance out of the corner of my eye. I might even mimic non-threatening activity, such as browsing bushes or imitate some grooming activity. A head‑up, ears‑forward posture, with obvious nervousness, is enough to make me sit still, or back off quietly. Final warning signs include skittishness; moving away; hairs on neck and shoulders standing up; snorting or slapping the ground with a foot or paw. Any more will cause flight…and the harm has been done.
Staying in your rig can be non-threatening. Binoculars, spotting scopes and telephoto lenses will let us get close enough for a good look without disrupting critter activities. If you opt to take a casual walk around wildlife, of course, you will want to leave pets in the car. Consider the comfort zones of fellow watchers, too.
Expect to find wild things all around the Kittitas Valley and down the Yakima Canyon this winter, on most any drive. Joe Watt Canyon is a favorite sledding area, often with a fair number of elk nearby.
For a more organized chance to observe bighorns, elk and deer (certainly by early January), head south. West out of Yakima you will find the Cleman Mountain Bighorn feeding area (just north of the intersection of Highways 12 and 410). Then go a couple miles south on Highway 12 to the Oak Creek Wildlife Area. Over a couple hours, you may see a hundred or more bighorns and deer, and a thousand or more bull, cow and calf elk.
Enjoy the wildlife which enriches our lives, and watch the winter roads looming before us. Hitting a deer or elk can mess up the whole day for both of you.
