The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for hunters and citizens to get involved in trapping, handling, and tracking deer.

It also needs hunters to participate in searching for fawns and placing radio collars on them. This is a unique opportunity for hunters to participate in a large-scale study and to take part in the science of deer management.

Beginning this year, the DNR will make a huge investment in Wisconsin deer and deer hunting. Two study areas have been established to investigate these important questions:

1. What is the survival rate of bucks and what portion of bucks are harvested by hunters? This study is specifically designed to make herd estimates more accurate. It will look at various causes of death in bucks – hunting, predation, vehicle collisions, harsh weather – and determine what percentage of deaths within the study areas can be attributed to each cause.

2. What impacts do predators have on deer populations? This study will examine the roles of predation, habitat and weather in the deaths of fawns in each study area. Wisconsin’s research will build on and share results with a similar study in Michigan. Learn more.

Start a research project of your own by studying Deer & Deer Hunting TV Season 5.