When the month of May kicked off hot and dry in Minnesota, I became uneasy in a hurry. While deer here aren’t quite as susceptible to the worst effects of drought as are their counterparts in the southern United States, severe drought still has the potential to set back the herd in several ways.
Drought, particularly in spring and early summer in these northern latitudes, can substantially set back vegetative growth, especially for ground-layer plants. These also happen to be the ones deer are primarily consuming this time of year.
Ryan Rothstein: Timely spring rains great for a deer herd
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