Columnist: Larry Dablemont

'Outdorrs in the Ozarks'

The week of snow and ice and cold which we had in early December would have been a real killer for wildlife if it had lasted much longer, because ice beneath deep snow makes it really tough to uncover food.

And during very cold weather, wild creatures need much more food than they need during the mild stretch we have had for the past couple of weeks.

The acorns are becoming scarce now, so we are coming upon the lean time of the year, the bottleneck that wildlife species must pass through before the arrival of spring, when there is replenishment and abundance once again. If January and February are mild, and ice is scarce, wildlife survival is good, and reproduction in the spring is much better than normal.

If there is ice and snow and extreme cold, some wildlife species suffer more than others. That’s why bird feeders are so valuable this time of year. I can’t keep mine filled.

Those who feel compassion for wildlife in winter must be careful not to overdo it.

In our region, bobwhite quail suffer more than any other species, and it’s always a temptation to feed them. Trouble is, feeding quail sometimes concentrates them in one place, where they become dependent on the hand-out. Then they are too easily found by predators, especially house cats, and can be wiped out because of that vulnerability.

If you want to feed quail, don’t create a regular feeding area, scatter the food where cover is heaviest, and don’t feed them near a road. Back in the late 1950s, during periods of prolonged snow and ice, the Missouri Department of Conservation gave rural mail carriers sacks of food to put out where they saw coveys of quail. Birds are often drawn to rural roads because they can find grit and small gravel there which they need in their crops to grind up seed and grain.

Most of the mail carriers did their job so well, that in little time, the coveys were there waiting for the feed, and many coveys were wiped out by pot-shooters who couldn’t resist the temptation. The program was ended when one mail carrier was caught with his shotgun, and a sackful of quail in his trunk.

Wild turkey suffer if the ice is heavy, but they have strong legs, and can usually scratch through heavy snow to find food. When they are fed scattered grain in the winter, they are not as subject to predation, but they are just as vulnerable to poachers.

Deer and rabbits are able to survive a hard winter better in our area because of the diversity of food sources for both.

Deer can browse on plants above the snow, and rabbits eat bark when times are hard.

Squirrels may not remember where all the acorns have been stored, but when there is a prolonged period of low temperatures, both fox and gray squirrels go into brief periods of hibernation in hollow trees. They aren’t true hibernators, like the ground-hog and black bear, but they do hibernate for short periods, and survive well because of that.