Winter snow impacting elk, deer - Montana

A long cold winter coupled with predation has trimmed the South Fork elk and deer herds, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

FWP biologist John Vore recently conducted aerial surveys of elk herds from the Hungry Horse Reservoir to the Danaher Basin in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and found that calves aren’t wintering well.
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According to SNOTEL data, the snowpack in the Noisy Basin, on the Swan Range near Jewel Basin, is actually higher now than it was in the historic 1996-97 winter. Ungulate populations took years to recover from that harsh winter.