Hunters May See Collared Deer This Season
Tuesday, October 1st, 2019 -- 7:45 AM
(WRN) -Hunters in Southern Wisconsin might be spotting deer with radio collars out in the woods this season.The Department of Natural Resources is letting hunters know it's okay to shoot deer that are wearing radio tracking collars. Deer Research Scientist Daniel Storm says those collars are there as part of a research project in southern Wisconsin that tracks how deer die.
"It's very similar to if you're a bird hunter or duck hunter, and you harvest a banded duck. There's a number on there, and you call it. So it's a very similar concept."
Storm says the DNR has been tracking how deer die in Grant, Iowa and Dane Counties.
"It's a study we've been doing the last three years, trying to understand survival rates, mortality in the area."
Storm says shooting a collared deer is the same as shooting a banded bird or taking a tagged fish, just call in that you've made a kill.
"Collared deer are totally legal to harvest, provided you have the normal, legal authorization to harvest a deer."
They're hoping that information will put together a better picture on deer mortality, whether from hunting, predation, or even chronic wasting disease.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.