South Dakota GFP Conducts Helicopter Assisted White-tailed Deer Survival Study in Lake and McCook Counties

 Residents of McCook and Lake Counties had a different view in the sky earlier this month. A helicopter with trained wildlife wranglers dangled in the sky to assist with capturing 50 deer for the Department of Game, Fish and Parks’ (GFP) new doe and fawn survival study.

“Over the last few weeks, we connected with landowners in the two counties for permission to do the study on their land, and signed up over 50,000 acres for the study,” said Julie DeJong, regional wildlife manager. “The support of interested landowners has been crucial in this research project.”

A company out of California, Native Range Capture Services, was hired to assist South Dakota wildlife biologists with capturing does to study their survival, as well as the survival of their spring fawns. The helicopter crew, comprised of a pilot, a net gunner and a “mugger,” were dispatched in early March over the herd to first shoot a net at deer. Then, the mugger jumped from the helicopter onto the ground to wrestle the deer, tied its legs like a cowboy does a steer and blindfolded it to calm the animal.

 “After untangling the doe from the net, the mugger then attached a radio-collar and inserted a vaginal implant transmitter (VIT). The VIT will stay in the doe until she gives birth, and will assist researchers in locating fawns soon after birth. Each doe was given a shot of penicillin and was released on site,” DeJong said.

Both the collars and the VIT transmit a series of slow beeps which can be picked up by researchers using a GFP truck equipped with a specialized radio receiver.  The radio collars beep faster if a deer is stopped in one location for more than eight hours, DeJong said, usually indicating a death. The VIT transmitters are temperature sensitive and will speed up when they are expelled with the fawn.

Right now, the biologists track the collared does every seven to 10 days, driving around the two counties until all 50 does are found. They plan to spend a lot of time in the areas at the end of May when most fawns are born.

“The second part of the study involves capturing the fawns and attaching radio transmitters,” she said. “Radio-collared fawns will be monitored once every seven to 10 days for a year. Locating the fawns will involve spotlighting and walking searches.”

The public can assist in the research by contacting GFP if they find a fawn in the wild.

“But do not disturb, pick up or detain the fawn,” she said. “This could lead to abandonment by the mother. GFP personnel utilize specific procedures to reduce those chances of abandonment.”

Three-fourths of this project is paid for by federal matching funds that are acquired through a tax from the sale of guns and ammunition. The remaining funds are from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses in South Dakota.

“Deer are such an important resource to the people of our state; not only for hunters, but for others who just enjoy seeing deer in the wild. Knowledge of the number of does and fawns that survive from one year to the next is vital information for estimating population trends and making sound tag allocations. Hunters are encouraged to treat collared does like any other doe as we want to get a close estimate of the doe survival in McCook and Lake Counties and hunting mortality is a component of that estimate,” DeJong concluded.

For more information, please contact Julie DeJong at 605.362.2700. To better understand this study, video footage is available; please check out the three-minute YouTube clip here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2y3b1nxT6E&feature=youtu.be.

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SD GFP's March Commission Meeting Highlights

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission made several big game season proposals, including Archery Deer and all elk, during their March meeting.

The GFP Commission received a petition to adjust the Archery Deer Season dates to begin on the second Saturday of September and end on December 31.  This would be a change from beginning on the fourth Saturday and ending on January 15.  Final action on the Archery Deer season dates will take place at the April Commission meeting and additional information will follow at that time.For more information on these proposals, click here

 

To comment on these proposals, click here.  For your comments to be included in the public record, you must include your full name and city of residence.  Comments must be received by 10 am CDT, April 3.

 

The Commission also finalized season dates for most of the 2014 hunting seasons and changed refuge status on Reid, Dry and East Stink Lake in NE South Dakota.

 

For more information on these items or to hear audio of the meeting, click here.

 

GFP staff also gave informational powerpoint presentations on Black Hills Elk and the Spring Canada Goose Program.  To view those presentations, click here.

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North Dakota 2013 Deer Gun Season Summarized

North Dakota deer hunters took approximately 28,600 deer during the 2013 deer gun hunting season.

The State Game and Fish Department made available 59,500 deer gun licenses in 2013, and more than 98 percent were issued. Overall hunter success was 55 percent, and each hunter spent an average of 4.6 days in the field.

Hunter success for antlered white-tailed deer was 62 percent, and antlerless whitetail was 55 percent.

Mule deer buck success was 82 percent. No mule deer doe licenses were issued in 2013.

Hunters with any-antlered or any-antlerless licenses almost exclusively harvest white-tailed deer. Buck hunters had a success rate of 57 percent, while doe hunters had a success rate of 54 percent.

The department is in the process of determining recommendations for licenses in the 2014 deer proclamation. These recommendations will be discussed at the upcoming spring Game and Fish public advisory board meetings, scheduled for March 31 and April 1, and April 7-8. The proclamation will be sent to the governor’s office for approval in late April.

In addition to harvest rates and winter aerial surveys, the department monitors a number of other population indices to determine license numbers, including depredation reports, hunter observations, input at advisory board meetings, and comments from the public, landowners and department field staff.

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Ohio Deer Hunting Regulations Proposals Amended

COLUMBUS, OH – After considering public input and reviewing data, modifications were made to the 2014-2015 hunting regulations proposals that the Ohio Wildlife Council will vote

on at their next meeting, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

The amended proposal states that shotguns and pistol cartridge rifles used for white-tailed deer hunting be loaded with no more than three shells in the magazine and chamber combined. The current hunting regulation states a shotgun must be plugged if it is capable of holding more than three shells. The initial proposal required a magazine plug or inert ammunition to limit capacity for pistol cartridge rifles.

Deer bag limit adjustments were proposed in five counties. The updated bag limit proposal would lower limits in Trumbull County to three deer and Mercer County to two deer. The antlerless permit was proposed to be removed from Hardin, Knox and Lawrence counties, where the bag limit remains three deer. Hunters may harvest only one antlered deer in Ohio, regardless of method of take or location.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife remains committed to properly managing Ohio’s deer populations through a combination of regulatory and programmatic changes.

Proposals to reduce many county deer bag limits and allow pistol cartridge rifles for deer hunting were presented at the Ohio Wildlife Council meeting in February.

The Ohio Wildlife Council will vote on proposals at its next regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, April 9. Go to wildohio.com for more information about deer and deer hunting.

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IOWA HAS SAFE HUNTING YEAR IN ‘13

With no fatalities, 11 injuries and six cases of property damage, Iowa hunters matched a record low in 2013; continuing a decade long run of safe hunting seasons. That 17-incident year tied 2008, though ’08 did register a gun related fatality. Still, when any incident could result in tragedy, the goal is ‘zero’ across the board.

“We continue seeing a trend of self-inflicted incidents. There were seven this year. That has stayed pretty steady over the last four, five years,” reviews Megan Wisecup, safety education programs coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources. “It gets back to basic firearm handling. Point the muzzle in a safe direction. Keep your finger off the trigger, until ready to shoot. And take an extra minute when crossing obstacles to unload.”

A jacket drawstring….a handgun falling from a truck…thick brush on a creek bank. Each triggered a gun to fire in 2013. Linn, Marion and Floyd counties each recorded two 2013 incidents. The others were spread among 11 central, eastern and north-central counties.

The key to the long term drop can be traced directly to many Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons…in mandatory hunter education classrooms and outdoor safety courses.

“Back in the 60s; we were seeing over 100 incidents and up to 20 fatalities a year,” underscores Wisecup. “Hunter education--voluntary since 1960—became mandatory in 1983. Since then, we have seen a drastic drop in the numbers of hunting incidents.”

There were 11,505 Iowa students certified in 368 classes 2013. The 10 hour sessions, usually spread over two or three days, teach basic understanding of hunting regulations, first aid and ethics, as well as safe firearm handling, and wildlife understanding; all under the watchful eyes of nearly 1,300 volunteer instructors.

“We like the traditional classes for younger students; those 12 up to 16 years old,” outlines Pat Jorgensen, recreational safety officer for the DNR, in eastern Iowa. “They get a lot more hands-on type learning; live firing, a safety trail with ‘shoot/don’t shoot’ scenarios. They handle firearms in a safe manner.”

The classes and emphasis evolve over time. For instance an ‘online only’ course is now available for adults; recognition that work schedules and juggling family commitments don’t always leave two or three days in a row to sit through a class.

Even the areas of emphasis are updated through the years. With upwards of 50,000 archery deer hunters, now; a noticeable climb in tree stand falls—some fatal—brings special attention to tree stand safety.

“We focus more on putting up stands; carrying equipment up and down the tree,” says Jorgensen. “Using three point contact climbing (meaning three hands/feet are in contact with the ladder or stand at all times), too.”

And the emphasis on safety continues in the stand. A decade ago, most tree stand hunters slid a single strap around their waist…if that. Now, full body harnesses are recommended.

“Still, people are not always properly wearing them. That has resulted in injuries…and death,” warns Jorgensen. There were two fatal bowhunting falls in 2012.

In upland game or deer hunting, firearm hunters are wearing more blaze orange than years past. The minimum might be a ‘torso covered’ (deer hunting) or an item ‘at least 50 percent blaze orange,’ (upland game), however, instructors stress that more is always better;

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Report summary for March 13, 2014

Snow Cat (Photo credit: clickclique)

Warm weather reduces snow cover in the south, deep snow persists in the north

Some very warm weather early in the week, reaching into the 50s statewide, has taken a toll on winter sports conditions, especially in the southern half of the state. The warm weather melted a lot of snow in a hurry leaving a muddy mess in far southern areas and water standing in many fields and yards. Many southern facing slopes in the south are now snow free, much to the delight of wildlife.

In the north, however, while snow settled some with the warm up, the deep snow persists. Snowmobile trails remain open and are still being reported as good to very good in many northern counties on the Department of Tourism's Snow Conditions Report. Most state park and forest properties are reporting that cross-country ski grooming is likely over for the season, unless the state receives another big snowfall. Trails in the south are generally in poor condition, and while trails in the north are snow-covered, they have been icy in the mornings and soft and slushy as temperatures warm throughout the day.

State wildlife officials continue to monitor the harsh winter's impact on deer and turkey. They continue to ask the public's help in reporting any dead deer or turkeys to local wildlife biologists. And responding to many hunters' concerns over turkey populations in the north, wildlife officials have announced that they will reduce the number of over-the-counter spring turkey permits available in some northern units.

Northern Wisconsin lakes are still solidly locked in ice, with 22 to 30 inches on most lakes with layers of slush on top, making travel very difficult. Lakes in southern Wisconsin have just begun to show signs of early break-up with some landings and shorelines having open water, especially near inlets and outlets. Wardens are cautioning people against driving any vehicles on river systems as they are also beginning to open up.

Ice fishing pressure has been pretty non-existent in the north, but this week's warm weather did trigger some good panfish action on southern and central Wisconsin lakes. The milder weather brought out more anglers last weekend on Green Bay, where anglers continue to fish though deep ice with success for whitefish and northern pike reported along the east and west shore. There is some more open water in southeastern Lake Michigan harbors, but most are still locked in ice and anglers continue to catch brown and rainbow trout through the ice.

Raccoon, skunk, muskrat, mink, and opossum activity has increased as temperatures are increasing and snow is receding. River otter sign along creeks and streams may be more evident this time of year as male otters increase their movements during the March to April breeding season. Fox and gray squirrels are feeding furiously on nuts and seeds that have remained buried all winter under snow and ice, and males are actively pursuing females.

The spring bird migration is off to a tempered start with arrival of small numbers of sandhill cranes, red-winged blackbirds, and American robins in the south. Waterfowl rank among the earliest migrants and a good diversity of birds are now on the move. However, this winter's extensive ice cover continues to take a toll on many diving ducks as numerous dead birds are showing up along the Lake Michigan shoreline as ice recedes.

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Wisconsin DNR is measuring winter's impact on deer and turkey

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MADISON - As one of the harshest winters on record continues its icy grip on Wisconsin state wildlife officials are monitoring its effects on wildlife, particularly deer and turkey.

"We have received some reports of dead deer and turkey, especially in northern Wisconsin where snow is more than 30 inches deep in some areas," said Tom Hauge, director of wildlife management for the Department of Natural Resources.

While animals native to Wisconsin are equipped to handle snow and cold, too much for too long can overwhelm an individual animal's resources.

DNR biologists use a "winter severity index" to gauge winter stress levels. Points are assigned for each day with snow deeper than 18 inches and temperatures below zero. WSI measurements are recorded at 43 stations across the northern third of the state and in several east-central counties. Winter conditions are considered mild if a station accumulates less than 50 points, moderate between 51 and 80 points, severe between 81 and 100, and very severe if more than 100.

Many stations in northwestern counties have already reached "severe" on the index, said Mike Zeckmeister, DNR northern wildlife supervisor and more stations likely will record a severe winter index in coming weeks. The 2013-2014 Winter Severity Index [PDF] is available on the DNR website.

People asked to report any deer mortalities

DNR biologists are asking the public to report any observations of winter deer mortality. The reports can be submitted through the DNR website by searching for keywords "dead deer."

Concerned citizens can also search the DNR staff directory for local wildlife biologists and technicians to receive their reports. Additionally, DNR biologists are working in the field this time of year, monitoring deer and their habitats and talking to loggers, foresters, trappers and others who frequent the winter woods.

Sam Jonas, DNR wildlife biologist for Iron County surveyed a 4-mile stretch near the Wisconsin-Michigan border that runs through a wintering area and observed about 70 deer and 16 turkeys.

"The deer are browsing cedar, hemlock and other brush in area," Jonas said. "I am sure we do have some winter mortality in areas, however, the deer I have seen in this wintering area look like they are faring pretty well so far, including the fawns. Late March and April is historically when we see winter mortality so I will be doing a lot of snowshoeing into deer yards at that time to check on things."

Conditions generate questions about feeding deer

The harsh winter is generating questions from the public about feeding deer. Zeckmeister said it is a legitimate and compassionate inquiry but one without an easy answer.

"I understand people want to try to help deer through a hard winter, but feeding can do more harm than good," he said.

Feeding unmixed corn or hay can actually be harmful to deer in late winter. A commercialized pellet - or mixes containing small quantities of corn, plus alfalfa, oats and soybeans, as well as various vitamins and minerals - is the best choice. The food should be spread out to reduce fighting, kept away from roads or snowmobile trails to avoid collisions, and placed near areas sheltered from the wind.

Deer feeding is regulated under Wisconsin law and is prohibited in counties affected by chronic wasting disease. In all other counties, feeding is limited to a maximum of 2 gallons per site. Feeding sites must be placed within 50 yards of a dwelling or a business building open to the public and may not be placed within 100 yards of a roadway with a posted speed limit of 45 mph or higher.

Interested individuals can search the DNR website for "baiting and feeding regulations."

Conditions to have impact on deer permit levels

"There is no question this winter will affect decisions concerning the deer season," said Kevin Wallenfang, DNR big game ecologist. "We are watching this very closely and will adjust the 2014 antlerless deer quotas in response. Based upon what we've seen to date, northern Wisconsin deer hunters can expect to see a lot of buck-only units this fall. The availability of antlerless permits will be extremely low or at zero across the north, depending on the area."

Severe winter also having impact on turkey flocks

"This has been a tough winter for many of our resident wildlife species, and turkeys are no exception," said Scott Walter, DNR upland wildlife ecologist. "Although turkeys are very capable of surviving brief periods of cold and snow, the longer those conditions last the more likely it is that we'll see mortalities, and we've already had verified reports of weather-related mortality in at least a few northern counties. Young birds are likely to be the hardest hit, as they don't have the fat reserves that allow adults to survive up to four weeks with minimal food."

The cold forces turkeys to either increase their food intake or burn more of their fat reserves to stay warm while deep or crusted snow makes it difficult to locate food on the ground. Powdery snow more than12 inches deep makes it difficult for turkeys to travel in search of food.

Permit levels can be safely maintained despite population shifts

As a result of poor production last spring and a severe winter, hunters might see fewer turkeys during the spring 2014 season.

"The levels of harvest that typify Wisconsin's spring and fall turkey seasons have little impact on population trends, however," Scott said. "Some hunters understandably have suggested reducing harvest during the upcoming spring and fall to help turkeys recover. Reducing permit levels, however, would greatly reduce hunter opportunity while doing little to help turkey populations."

Landowners interested in habitat enhancements to buffer turkeys against the effects of severe winter weather can receive grain seed for winter plots through the National Wild Turkey Federation Conservation Seed Program, which provides outdated corn as well as sorghum, highbush cranberry and flowering crab seedlings to federation members for reduced costs.

"These programs allow National Wild Turkey Federation members to make a significant contribution to wild turkey winter survival in the Upper Midwest," said Rick Horton, National Wild Turkey Federation Midwest Conservation Field Supervisor.

More information about Wisconsin's wild turkeys is on the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, keyword "turkey."

FOR MORE INFORMATION: on northern deer herd contact Mike Zeckmeister, DNR northern wildlife management supervisor, 715-635-4090; Tom Hauge, DNR wildlife management bureau director, 608-266-2193, or Sam Jonas, DNR wildlife biologist, 715-476-7843; on turkey contact Scott Walter, upland wildlife biologists at 608-267-7861