Balmy weather gives wildlife a break in North Dakota

Associated Press

MINOT, N.D.

The winter has been hard on wildlife in North Dakota, but a relatively balmy January has given them a break.

Early winter reports of dead and dying deer and pheasants have noticeably declined, the Minot Daily News reported. With wind blowing hilltops free of snow and warmer temperatures that have helped expose ground, wildlife are coping better with winter.

“Thank goodness for January. We didn’t need another December,” said Jeb Williams, North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife division chief. “The warmer weather definitely helped out. Wildlife was really struggling out there.”