This young doe seemed to be sticking her tongue out at Old Man Winter while visiting my feeder the other day.

That’s enough! After the nor’easter dropped at least six to eight inches of new snow on us over the last couple of days, I think I’ve finally had enough. Having said that, I’m going to predict that this last storm represented the final significant snowfall for winter 09/10. You might say, “How is this guy qualified to make such a profound forecast?” Well, I was born in Punxsutawney, my grandmother lived there her whole life and loved Punxsutawney Phil (we seriously got Groundhog’s Day cards every year, and we loved it), and I’ve been to the “Groundhog Zoo” in downtown “Punxy” several times to pick his brain about predicting weather. Excuse my arrogance but if that doesn’t make you one of the best damned forecasters in the world, nothing does!

I suspect we’ll still get the occasional dusting or maybe even an inch or two just to annoy us, but I think we’re headed to spring. This was easily the toughest winter in my lifetime, and I’m sure it’s taking a toll on area wildlife. The deer seem to be doing just fine. They opted for laying low when we got the huge storm a couple of weeks ago, but once about 50 percent of the snow melted, they became active again. We’ve been seeing dozens of deer around the house, and they look to be in pretty good shape. Perhaps my biggest concern is for the turkey. I haven’t seen any, but it could be that they found a decent food and cover source somewhere, and they’re just not leaving it. I hear a lot of people saying things like, “This winter killed off a lot of deer and turkey,” and I always try to remind them about the amazing living power wildlife has. Deer and turkey, among other animals, are genetically engineered to withstand extreme conditions over a long period of time. Sure, Mother Nature uses these events to remove the weaker animals, but that’s just the harsh reality of natural selection. It’s part of the survival of a species.

Not only does this deer seem to be plenty healthy, how about those chubby cheeks? I'm going to guess it's the mineral in the feed that made her "pucker up."

I’m going to get the snow blower, shovel, and ATV out shortly and begin the final digging out of the winter. Heck, maybe I’ll even take the plow off today and store it for the summer. Who’s with me?