How's Your Habitat Quality This Year ? Moisture ?

[FWS]

National Drought Summary -- July 14, 2009

[jbconnected]

Abnormally dry. And after a pretty wet early spring too.

[mmwb (Andrew Parker)]

Long wet spring, following a good snow pack all winter. The country has never looked better in my neighborhood. It'll start drying up soon and we'll be on turns for irrigation. That is the norm, but usually earlier than now.

[bobwendt]

overly wet early and till last week in june. now very dry, almost zero rain for a month. that map is not all accurate. we should show at least early drought, if not more. east central indiana shows desertification as fronts dry up going over 30 miles of concrete in indy. my wyoming ground, very good, like ANDREW said. my ks ground, been over 100, up to 108 for several weeks now. and of course always short on water. great wintering country, but you couldn`t pay me enough to live there in the summer.

[mustelameister]

The rivers are always the barometer for groundwater here. And they're down, way down. One boat landing nearby has been out of commission for at least 10 years, and the only time it's used is during spring, depending on snow melt up north.

Must be some water somewhere though, the Feds are predicting a strong waterfowl population:

outdoornewsdaily.com/index.php/archives/8005

We've got a lot of geese and cranes breeding in this area, but I'm not seeing much in the way of ducks. Mostly teal and woodies, and a handful of mallards.

'Rat marshes have been up and down, but not much activity yet.

'Coon road kills appear to be higher than last year. I'd say way higher.

[Bob Jameson]

Wet spring, dry the last 2 months. Just had a good rain the last 2 days. Ground is parched in some areas and cracked but calling for off/on rain the next 2 days.

[makete]

Wet and cool/cold here, all summer so far (what summer).

[Rally Hess]

Dry here at home, but lite rain the last two days. Was drowning in SD, with some corn left over from last fall still standing and water in the fields now. Ducks were loving it in SD.

[Rally Hess]

JB,
I talked to a friend of mine in central Texas(Copperas Cove). He said he has really been seing the rattlers out this year. Thinks maybe the drought has alot to do with it. You seing more rattlers than usual?

[17HMR]

Been lots of rain in my trapping area, some of the pastures have grass that almost comes up to upper thigh, hasnt been like that for years. Home though is not quite so good seem a storm heads towards us then splits or drys up before it gets here.

[musher]

Dry June. Daily rain since July started.

[bblwi]

I am right on the southern border of the AH in Eastern WI. Sloughs, wet road ditches are now dry, so rats are moving. I see dead ones on the road a lot now that means the predators are feasting as well too. Our 2nd cutting alfalfa was half of normal and regrowth is real slow. Coolest growing season at our UW farm north of Madison since 1962 (when the farm started). Corn will be late this year as a good way to figure is once tasseled 42-45 days to be mature enough for corn silage. Then a good 4-6 weeks later for dry grain corn. May need a lot of propane this year. For us that puts corn silage from mid September to early October and dry grain November, deer hunting etc.

The marshes in the north I was looking to trap for rats are drier than my home area so I may need to rethink the trap line this fall if this continues.
Even with the cool wet spring the wild turkey and grouse hatches look very good. Might be a good year to do more hunting this fall.

Bryce

[mustelameister]

Bryce, I'm seeing more 'rats on rivers . . . getting pushed out of the dry marshes. Yup, predators are having a field day.

Lot of 'em cutting greens and taking them into dens.

Local river here is lower than normal.



Little over a year ago . . . you can see it was about a foot higher before the heavens opened and greeted us with a flood of sorts.



And a couple months later it got back to normal.



So . . looking at the average for this area, the river is down a good foot.

May not seem much, but anything below 8' on this stretch of the river translates to increased shoreline. Above 8' and the water, for the most part, goes vertical.

It's a good time to locate beaver dens right now . . . .

[trappnman]

very dry here- early spring rain, dry earyl june, a week of rain mid june- nothing since then-

[coonhangman1]

Very Wet in our area. Lots of moisture & unseasonably cool. Should be a great crop if the high winds & hail stay away.

[bobwendt]

we missed another rain again yesterday. I`d say my little micro area of indiana is officially in a drought now- again. anymore it is flood all winter, drought all summer. essentially no rain since my return from spring denning. when I left it was so wet you`d thought it would never stop. well, it did.

[trappnman]

how are the crops there Nick?

corn over your head, beans a foot high norm here now-

[coonhangman1]

Crops are excellent, corn is tassled out, and beans are coming a long great.

We had bad wind 2 weeks ago, and bent over and twisted some corn up, but after a few days, they straightened out a bit. It'll be interesting with this weather and some sideways corn how well things are pollinating.

[trappnman]

had some oats knocked down last week by wind-

if the white reaper doesn't come, should be a bountiful year.........

[piney]

Hey Mike,
I agree with ya on the numbers of road hit young and old coons this summer....man...I hope that means they've recovered from the floods of last year.
Sure wish we'd get a good soaking rain here too.....