Two study areas in state produce varying deer data

[Carol]

Two study areas in state produce varying deer data

The largest deer research effort in Wisconsin history is halfway through its first year.

Among the preliminary findings: Predators have taken more deer in the northern study area; fawn survival has been higher in the eastern study area; several yearling bucks have dispersed over 15 miles, but mature deer have tended to stay in a smaller home range; and capture-related mortality of deer was unacceptably high and will result in changes to trapping procedures.

Project managers provided a briefing of early research results Aug. 25 at Navarino Nature Center. The information session was part of an appreciation barbeque for volunteers and landowners who have assisted with the study.

"These are data that will become part of a much larger set, but we know there's lots of interest in the project and we wanted to share what we've seen to date," said Chris Jacques, research scientist with the Department of Natural Resources.

More than 300 state residents have volunteered for the project this year, according to the DNR. About 60 people attended the session at Navarino.

The information was presented by Andrew Norton, a doctoral student in wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin, and Michael Watt, a DNR research scientist.

The research consists of two major projects - buck mortality and fawn recruitment - and is being conducted in two study areas, the northern forest near Winter in Sawyer County and the eastern farmland near Shiocton in Outagamie County.

The fawn study, with a focus on fawn survival rates, will run into 2013. The buck study, designed to improve deer population estimates, will continue into 2015.

The research is being funded with $2 million from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration. Commonly known as Pittman-Robertson, the money is collected from excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies and distributed to states for wildlife projects.

The fieldwork for the projects started in late January as researchers and volunteers attempted to capture and place radio collars and tags on deer. A second phase started in May as newly born fawns were collared and tagged.

Researchers determined the status and location of adult and yearling deer at least once a week. Fawns born this year were tracked daily.

If a "mortality" signal was received in any instance, the researchers would go to the site and attempt to determine the cause of death.

So what does the data look like?

In the eastern study area, 135 deer (55 bucks and 80 females) were captured and tagged in winter. Twenty-three (or 17%) died by the end of August: 15 from capture-related causes, seven from collisions with vehicles and one from starvation.

In the north, 204 deer (78 bucks and 126 females) were captured and tagged last winter. Forty-one (or 20%) died by the end of August: 16 due to capture, five from starvation, four due to wolf predation, four from bobcat predation, three from human poachers, three road kills and one from coyote predation. In addition, three of the deaths were termed "unknown predator" and two were "unknown cause."

Most of the capture-related deaths in both study areas were related to the use of a helicopter and an initial design of netted cage traps. The design of the cage traps was modified about midway through the winter trapping. The changes resulted in a "huge reduction in mortality," Jacques said.

And helicopters will not be used in 2012.

"Helicopters are widely used in similar studies and allow the benefit of targeting specific animals, especially adult bucks," Jacques said. "But the mortality rates we experienced were unacceptable and we decided not to use helicopters over the next year."

Instead, Jacques said, they will employ more box and cage traps as well as drop nets. The field staff will also be increased in 2012.

So other than capture-related causes, predators were the leading cause of mortality in the north (12 out of 41 animals or 29%) and motor vehicles were the leading cause in the east (7 out of 23 animals or 30%).

With burgeoning populations of gray wolves and black bears - as well as less intensely studied but not unsubstantial numbers of coyote and bobcat - northern Wisconsin has no lack of deer predators.

And the study hasn't even gone through a hunting season yet.

"It will be very interesting to see what impact the archery and gun seasons have on the deer in the studies," Jacques said.

The two study areas are distinct in many respects. The northern study area has much more public land. The eastern study area is almost all private land, has more agricultural acreage and a much denser network of roads.

With respect to fawns, 48 were radio-collared in the eastern study area. Fourteen are known to have died through the end of August, for a 12-week mortality rate of 29%. Six were determined to have starved, five died from predators (four coyote, one black bear), two were hit by vehicles and one died from an unknown cause.

Thirty fawns were radio-collared in the north. Eighteen died over the summer, for a 12-week mortality rate of 60%. Predators accounted for 14 of the fawn deaths in the north (five black bears, four unknown predators, two bobcat, two unknown canids and one coyote), while two fawns starved and two died of unknown causes.

The high number of starved fawns in the east was perplexing, said Jacques. Whitetail does typically abandon only 1 or 2% of fawns. Jacques said the researchers will continue to evaluate their handling techniques, taking every step to limit the amount of human or other foreign scent placed on fawns.

Researchers know the reason for the two starved fawns in the north - the does were killed by vehicles.

The long-distance award goes to a yearling buck that traveled 20 miles from Black Creek toward Green Bay, Norton said. Several other yearlings dispersed about 15 miles. But the adult deer in the study move in a much smaller home range.

Norton and Watt thanked the volunteers and landowners for their role in the project. Volunteers are critical in both study areas and landowners are especially important in the east.

Terry and Sandy Baumgartner of Bear Creek attended the Navarino cookout and information session.

They allowed researchers to trap deer on their 59-acre property in Bear Creek. Terry hunts deer on the mixed residential, recreational and agricultural parcel.

"We are all for the research," Terry said. "Now we'll have real information instead of guessing."

The helicopter portion of the project drew the most criticism from landowners. Not only did it result in the highest source of mortality during the capture portion of the study, but at times the deer were flown more than a mile off a landowners' property to be collared.

Those concerns, obviously, were heard.

So what's next?

As of early September, the researchers have 200 deer fitted with radio collars and "on the air." Those deer, 45 fawns, 90 bucks and 65 does, will be followed at least once a week. Then, on Jan. 9, 2012, the day after the late archery deer hunting season ends, trapping efforts will begin anew.

The researchers hope to get 140 bucks and 80 does in each study area with either radio collars or ear tags.

"The support of the public has been tremendous," Watt said. "We hope they will continue to help us carry out the projects and then, long-term, even take ownership."

[Carol]

Researcher Brittany Peterson checks up on a collared white-tailed fawn resting in a set of woods near Shiocton in Outagamie County.

[Carol]

A white-tailed deer wears a radio collar as part of a long-term Wisconsin deer research project

[BigHunt]

AWSOME POST CAROL thanks this is sweet info , man that was also a long read but good read

[Carol]

thanks BigHunt

[kenn1320]

Is this the study backwoodshunter (think that was the member) was part of? I recall one of our members was involved in catching fawns and tagging them. Great info, thanks for the posting Carol.

[BackWoodsHunter]

Wasn't me but neat study for sure! I would have liked to be a part of it!

[BigHunt]

Wasn't me but neat study for sure! I would have liked to be a part of it!

i know backwoods i would to work with animals like that

[GRFox]

Cool. I didn't think bobcats killed deer.

[ Post made via Android ]

[swamp-assassin]

thats an unbelievable amount of predation if you ask me..bears wolves coyotes bobcats,,,no wonder you cant shoot does up there

[Stanley]

Very interesting.

[BackWoodsHunter]

Cool. I didn't think bobcats killed deer.

[ Post made via Android ]

Dr Grant Woods Claims that big raccoons will prey on newly born fawns. Says they have an odor about them that will attract coons if the moms dont hide them well enough and a big coon will come and snap up those tiny newborn deer.

[G3s]

Interesting info, I imagine the same type of scenario would prove true for the Upper Peninsula as the north area. I would love to see a year round dog season to help control canine poredators

[dan]

Is this the study backwoodshunter (think that was the member) was part of? I recall one of our members was involved in catching fawns and tagging them. Great info, thanks for the posting Carol.

Black Squirrel is the member your thinking of...

[Black Squirrel]

Is this the study backwoodshunter (think that was the member) was part of? I recall one of our members was involved in catching fawns and tagging them. Great info, thanks for the posting Carol.

It was me, I volunteered twice. The first time was checking traps, and the second time was tagging fawns. I posted some pics of the fawn capture study. It will be interesting to follow this study. The grad student I was with checking traps, had done this study out east, I think North Carolina. She said coyotes killed over 2/3 of the new born fawns in that study