Maybe some winters are mild and times don't get too tough. But when enough snow forces closure of the Scenic Trail, often times that translates into challenges of finding food or traveling in deep snow for deer , making survival more diffucult . And often that same amount of snow invites snowmobilers onto the refuge - an expanse of virgin white with a view. Succumbing to too much stress can mean an easier prey for a hungry coyote , himself taxed by deep snow. Winter seems gentler on the refuge's moose population, given their longer legs and bigger split hooves providing better mobility in deep snow.
Winter can be a test.
A test in which the strong survive. The howl of a coyote slicing in the night. A deer , ever alert, nervously twitching her tail. And the knowledge that spring will soon arrive. Return to the North Dakota FWS Home Page.