Posted on 01/18/2011 4:49:30 PM PST by SJackson
Residents living within a 30-mile radius of the Navarino Wildlife Area in Shawano County can expect to see a low-flying helicopter later this week.
The chopper will be used to trap and capture deer as part of a first-of-its-kind study in the state.
It's part of an effort to better estimate Wisconsin's deer population.
Jeff Pritzl, a DNR Wildlife Biologist, said, "We don't see low-flying helicopters everyday and this will be a single, very low-flying helicopter, basically working as a big border collie in the sky."
He went on to say, "Their operation will be to locate some deer, carve one out into an open area, and then they use what's called a net gun to basically capture the deer."
Once captured, the deer will be air-lifted to a nearby processing center where biologists will radio collar 30 bucks and 30 does.
Others will receive ear tags.
Pritzl expects it will take four or five days to mark the number of deer they want.
"We can essentially measure their survival rates and what their mortality factors are, how many of them are recovered by hunters, and how many of them die of other causes," he explained.
Pritzl says every winter, more deer will be captured and collared to make up for those dying the previous year.
After four years, he feels the data will play a key role in helping biologists determine the deer population more accurately.
Once the process is complete in Shawano County, the helicopter will head to northwest Wisconsin where the same number of deer will be captured and radio collared.
Probably stimulus money at work
Trapping deer is cheaper and less traumatic that acting out one’s childish fantasies of being the steely-eyed pilot at the collective of an attack helicopter.
Bambi and family don’t shoot back.
I’ve gone through an entire Fall and this Winter to date and haven’t had a SINGLE deer leap in front of my car. I’ve usually avoided 6-8 by now. That has not happened in the 18 years I’ve been living here, out in the wilds of southern Wisconsin.
Something is amiss. And I want the DNR to find out what that is...
The dogs and I pretty much stampeded a HUGE herd when walking our ‘Back Forty’ earlier this week. Four HUGE bucks and dozens of does. All looked hale and hearty...though they DO live on protected land. *SHRUG*
There don’t seem to be many around, though I’m not sure netting 60 from helicopters will provide the answer. Aside from the growth in predators, particularly coyotes, don’t forget the record snow three years ago. Both are tough on fawns. Just as the DNR was predicting large herds both this and last year, despite everyones observations, I won’t be surprised if they miss the upside of the cycle when it comes.
“...despite everyones observations, I won’t be surprised if they miss the upside of the cycle when it comes.”
They totally will! What’s the over/under? :)
And you’re right about our past two VERY snowy winters - that IS hard on fawns...poor little buggers.
Wonder why we don’t eat fawn, as we do veal? I don’t care for veal myself and I’m PRETTY sure I couldn’t shoot and eat a fawn, LOL! Guess our ancestors felt the same way.
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