how do animals take this cold?

[Brad]

It never seems to be an issue unless there is lots of snow but how do deer and other animals not get frostbite during these bitter cold days? I know a deers hair is hollow but it also isn't very thick, it can't be that warm I'd think. I figure if their hair acts as an insulator that would be like us having on a nice coat, after a few days people would freeze to death or have frostbite in the same temps. I don't see how their paper thin ears don't get frostbite either, you can practically see through them an there isnt a lot of fur. I feel bad for them in this weather.

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[BigHunt]

Ive been tossing my dead minnows out side and a white cat has been eating them up...at least I know one cat is happy

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[Dewey]

Parts of northern MN were -40 last night. Actual temp.

Local reports
Crane Lake -36°F
Cook -32°F
Orr -32°F
Ely -32°F
Grand Marais Airport -31°F

[Edcyclopedia]

Some won't...

Next years deer numbers will be down!
Especially (also) considering some ice storms have created havoc...

[Bucky]

Buddy that lives in Duluth sent me pics of a fawn coming up to the back window of their porch looking in.... like LET ME IN!

[headgear]

Mother nature does a pretty good job of insulating those deer, no doubt they can't live through everything but they are made to survive. A recent D&DH article talked about how deer had 3 different kinds of hair, we just see the larger outer hairs, there are mid sized and small hairs so the closer you dig down to the skin the thicker their coat gets. Sounds warm to me but I am sure glad I don't have to live in it.

[BassBoysLLP]

I have no idea! Brrrrrrrrrr!

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[Dewey]

They will be fine. Supposed to be mid 30's by the weekend.

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[matt1336]

I don't know how fine they'll be. This winter is a tough one so far. Deer numbers are predicted, partially by the winter severity index....or something like that. This cold weather is putting a good crust on the snow. This is a hard one for the deer population.

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[Spysar]

This is normal cold in Saskatchewan, and the deer do fine. Deep snow is the real killer.

[GRUD]

Go out tomorrow on a south facing slope out of the wind and you will be able to understand a little more. Keeping warm is not as hard as finding food.

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[kurt]

I've shot and skinned deer around southern wi and around Duluth their is a hide difference and fat content diffference. Routinely shoot doe's heavier than 150 dressed around Duluth not so much around southern wi. If you just pick up the two hides the weight in that is quite different. The deer around southern wi area less prepared for sustained weather like this then way up north. But a week or so of way below normal temps. Isn't going to hurt the population too bad. Even up in Duluth it's been way colder than avg. But as most people suggested snow isn't too deep and that tougher on them. I would be more worried if we had multiple weeks with no let up. Even though it was cold today their was sunshine and if they kept out of the wind proably faired pretty well.

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[Buckfever]

I was watching them feed this morning boy their coats looked heavy.

[seeds]

I did a little scouting yesterday and today. Turkeys seemed unbothered and there was a lot of very fresh deer sign. I saw a couple does today feeding out in the open in a VERY heavily hunted piece of public land in the metro unit - season's open 'til the end of January.

Some big bucks have made it thru,freshest tracks headed back out into the cattails. Looked like they deliberately bypassed any trees....Blowing and drifting made judging track age easy.

When I returned to my truck it was -3*f. I had my hat and gloves off,my coat open and my base layer was sweaty. -3 is balmy compared to -17.... The rest of the winter should be a piece of cake.

[seeds]

One thing I found this afternoon that struck me as odd...at a point where several individual trails came out of the cattails and converged on a canal leading to dry land...the first solid ground created from the dredging the canal was a single willow. Under that willow - on the ice - was a spot where several deer had been peeing and kicking the frozen pee.

The area was several yards around and as fresh as the last snowfall - 3 days ago?...but it appeared the bucks come from the cattails and converge there before heading into the hardwoods to browse. There was more frozen,kicked-around pee under the snow.

I've seen 'yotes make a piss-mound of snow but this was all large deer tracks. The area was a bit out of the wind so tracks were clear.

Sound familiar to anyone?