Is it April yet?

The area from Bismarck and Minot west was under a blizzard watch.

"We've got it all, if you like weather," Kellenbenz said.

The weather service said northwestern South Dakota could get up to 2 feet of snow and southwestern North Dakota could get up to 18 inches by midweek. The Bismarck and Minot areas could get up to a foot of snow, with up to 6 inches in the Devils Lake area.

Northern Wisconsin: "especially harsh" '07-08 winter killed deer

In the prime deer-hunting state of Wisconsin, the 2008 harvest was down 13 percent over the previous season. The numbers were skewed by the 25 percent year-over-year reduction in harvested deer in the northern counties where winter was especially harsh.

Michigan: EUP Deer Herd Suffers in Tough Winter of '08-'09

This winter is more harsh for the area deer herd than any in the past decade, according to snow accumulation data from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Snow amounts measured in five local areas are far above average this year.

Maine: Last two harsh winters very tough on fawns

AUGUSTA (March 11): The winter of 2008 was one of the worst for Maine’s deer population across the state. Preliminary harvest numbers of 21,062 deer represent a 27 percent decrease in harvest from 2007 and the lowest deer harvest since the beginning of the any-deer permit system in 1986.

The long winter, with record-setting snow packs, created extremely difficult conditions for deer, with deer yarded up on average for over 140 days statewide compared to the normal 84 days, according to Lee Kantar, deer and moose biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Those additional 56 days resulted in extremely low overwinter survival rates for fawns, and left adult does in poor condition prior to fawning season. The poor condition of the adult likely resulted in a high rate of mortality for the fawns born in 2008. This was evident in the dramatic decline in the fawn harvest (45 percent) as part of the total antlerless harvest. Fawns were not available during the fall hunting season.

"The harsh winter of 2007-08 and its effects on Maine’s deer herd will be felt for a long time," Kantar said. "The current winter of 2008-09 so far looks very similar to last year and will exert additional pressure on the state’s deer herd. If this winter results in conditions similar to last year, we will need to brace ourselves for a further decrease in any-deer permits as well as a reduced harvest in 2009. A reduction in any-deer permits is needed in order to compensate for an expected high rate of winter mortality."