Web posted
Monday, March 24, 2008
First large-scale Kansas deer study takes place at Quivira Refuge
By PAM MARTIN
Great Bend Tribune
STAFFORD, Kan. (AP) -- At Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, ''catch and release'' refers to bigger game -- deer. The refuge is the site of the first large deer research project in Kansas.
On a recent cold Saturday morning at 6 a.m., seven people gathered at the refuge Bunk House, wolfing down a quick breakfast before heading out to check several deer traps.
''We've been up 26 hours,'' said Kevin Blecha, Kansas State University Division of Biology research assistant, who is in charge of the project.
Trapping deer is hard, labor-intensive work, but it's also an adrenaline rush. Running back to gather equipment after finding a small buck in a trap, Megan Friedrichs, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks biology technician, says she's no longer cold.
''Kansas is the last state to do this type of work,'' said Lloyd Fox, wildlife department big game program coordinator.
''There's never been a project like this in Kansas,'' Blecha said. ''There's no information on the basic biology of individual deer in Kansas. This won't be representative of all areas but it will start giving us an idea (of their biology).''
The study is funded by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, with help from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, for at least one year. Project goals focus on quantifying the deer population on the refuge so refuge staff can get a better picture of how the animals impact the refuge environment. Blecha is also collecting information on deer movements, habitat use and deer herd social structure.
''It's a unique area,'' Fox said, ''with a very dense population of deer.''
The numbers of deer present at the refuge provides ample opportunity to capture, tag and release up to 60 deer, if they cooperate. To this point, Blecha and his assistants have tagged or collared over 40 deer.
The work began in late November. Since this study is an extra project for Blecha, in addition to two other research projects, the trapping and tagging is conducted on weekends late at night and early morning when the deer are active.
''We went two weeks strong but were shut down the whole month of December,'' Blecha said.
Once the weather cleared, trapping and tagging began again, but not without challenges.
''The traps are like large have-a-heart traps,'' Blecha said.
They are introduced into an area and baited for a couple of weeks to acclimate the deer to the traps. In cold weather, deer are more likely to enter traps to get at the food. At first Blecha used corn as bait; however, another common Quivira mammal -- raccoons -- found the offering to their liking. Free food was too much of a temptation for the opportunists and Blecha switched to alfalfa hay in some traps.
Evidently, the deer do not associate the traps with capture, which may be due in part to the anesthesia used to sedate the deer. Blecha said they have recaptured one deer three times.
Trapping and tagging will continue through mid-April. Once the weather begins warming up, it becomes too stressful on the animals to trap them, Blecha said, and it's harder to get them interested in bait when they have fresh tender grass to graze.
Once a deer has been ''captured'' it usually bumps around a little and then settles down to finish eating the bait, he said. All the traps have remote sensors installed that alert the team a capture has been made.
All animal handling and testing methods are reviewed and approved by an animal use and care committee, Blecha said, to protect not only the animals but the university and researchers.
Technicians move quickly to subdue the deer before it can harm itself. Blecha administers anesthesia that knocks the deer out cold. By the time the rest of the crew arrives, the deer is ready to be moved to a plastic tarp. One assistant takes the animal's temperature every five to 10 minutes. A deer's normal temperature is 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
If its temperature begins to drop, the deer is covered in the tarp.
Working efficiently, the technicians take measurements, while Blecha applies ear tags and removes one small incisor from the deer's mouth. As luck would have it, Blecha's dentist works with animals, and recommended the correct tools and technique. The tooth will give an accurate age for the animal. Deer teeth contain rings, which give an indication of age similar to tree-ring aging.
He also takes a tissue sample to obtain DNA information. A radio or GPS collar is fitted around the deer's neck, making sure it is tight enough the deer can't pull it off or get a hoof caught while scratching at the collar.
As the researchers collect data, Fox points silently out into the grass. A deer, with only its head visible, is watching the activity.
''He's probably thinking, 'What are they doing to Hal?''' Fox said.
Fox estimates the antlerless buck's age at 3 1/2 years. Although its coat and hooves are in good condition, the deer is very thin, with protruding shoulder blades. Its thinness could be left over from rut, parasites, lack of food source, or a host of other reasons, Fox and Blecha surmise.
Tracking deer is much easier than in the past, Blecha said. In the 1960s, deer and other animals were radio-collared and watched with spotting scopes. With global positioning units, animal location is much easier to obtain. Some of the more sophisticated collars contain remote detonators used to detach the collar when the batteries are dying. They may also detach if a malfunction develops.
The project has presented several challenges, Blecha said, and some surprises. Two fatalities already have been recorded.
''Deer do get harvested,'' he said.
One deer was harvested off the refuge. No deer hunting is allowed on the refuge. Another deer was believed to have been hit by a vehicle. However, the coyotes got to the carcass first, Blecha said.
''They even tasted the collar,'' he said.
After the trapping wraps up, the tracking will begin. Friedrichs has been living at the bunk house during the week and following the deer. In the summer, Blecha's co-project manager, Jonathan Conard, a Sterling College professor, will help track the deer.
By the time the crew wrapped up the weekend's work, they have captured nine deer, collaring six adult deer. Fawns are tagged only. Over 40 deer have been tagged or collared for the study so far.
Blecha hopes to continue the program and will search for more funding. In the meantime, information will be gathered on the ''released'' deer, as they continue their lives in and around the refuge.
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