WDNR, in partnership with UW-Madison and in collaboration with multiple landowners and conservation stakeholders, initiated a large-scale study of white-tailed deer survival in 2010. These projects were initiated to better understand factors affecting deer mortality. We radio-collared deer and are monitoring movements, survival, and cause-specific mortality. We radio collared deer in a ‘Northern Forest’ study area, near Winter, and a ‘Eastern Farmland’ study area, near Shiocton. Over the course of the project, we’ve radio collared a grand total of 1,001 deer! Deer capture for this project is complete, but we will continue to monitor survival through the 2014 deer hunting season.
If you are new to the deer research project, background materials can be found by going to the WDNR website:
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat ... dDeer.html Here is the latest information on the project through May 2014:
• From the start of January to June 1st, 43% of our collared juvenile deer and 10% of adult deer have died in the Northern Forest study area.
• In the Northern Forest, it’s typical that 40% of deer at the start of winter are juveniles and 60% are adults. Assuming this age structure, the overall winter-spring mortality rate in the Northern Forest was about 23%.
• In the Eastern Farmland study area, 14% of our juvenile deer and 9% of adult deer have died during the same period.
• A typical age structure in the Eastern Farmland at the beginning of winter is 46% juveniles and 54% adults. Under this assumption, the overall mortality rate in the Eastern Farmland study area would be about 11%
• Now that spring green-up has occurred, these deer will have a very low risk of mortality until the hunting season rolls around.
• The results of this research will have broad application across the northern forest and farmland regions of the state and can help wildlife managers make future deer management decisions
• We’ll be putting together an annual report over the next couple of months