Wildlife will suffer a lot from this cold snap. I have come across several coveys of quail which froze to death on the roost in a little circle. Very sad sight.
When I was hunting off the Chesapeake Bay, when things froze solid I had three fresh water fed springs which stayed open in my marsh. During duck season they always held birds. In 1979 the Bay froze completely but my little springs stayed open. It was so cold every state in the lower 48 had snow which could be seen from orbit. It froze a mile and a half out into the ocean.
Season was closed so I put out several hundred pounds of corn. State game warden saw me doing it and though I was going to shoot ducks out of season. When he confronted me I explained that I was feeding the ducks because I had killed many a duck on this marsh and today was time to pay them back. Believe it or not he helped me take in the last couple hundred pounds of corn to one of the springs. Ronnie is retired now but I always remember him helping me keep a few ducks alive. In a week things opened up and the ducks dispersed but without that corn, at the right time, far fewer would have been left to disperse. I still put out a bit extra when the weather gets extreme.
