Deer, turkeys and other wildlife have had a fairly easy winter so far. Snow depths have been minimal and temperatures have been tolerable. Recent snowstorms have made travel in wooded areas a little hard, but the fields are still providing easy foraging for food. Large flocks of turkeys are being observed. They appear to be in excellent condition so far.
Deer seem to be moving about more after the thick ice crust disappeared.
The Black River State Forest cross-country ski and snowmobile trails are in excellent condition. They were groomed on Friday, January 19. The big news is that 11 inches of snow fell in the area on January 19. Although Eau Claire County trails were not groomed as of January 21, a good base is there and the new snow, when groomed, will provide excellent conditions for snowmobiling. Deep snow will mean difficult access to lakes for ice fishing for vehicles without four-wheel drive.