The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is launching a research study to develop new methods for monitoring black-tailed deer populations in the state, according to a department announcement.
Starting this month, WDFW biologists will use a variety of technologies in southwest Washington to improve their understanding of the deer.
Current methods are difficult due to the deer’s densely vegetated habitat, according to Kyle Garrison, WDFW ungulate section manager.
He stated, “Black-tailed deer are hard to survey because of the densely vegetated habitat they live in. You can’t count each individual deer over a large area, so we have to rely on other sources of information to monitor their populations. With this study, we will gather the data we need to develop and test new surveying and monitoring methods.”
The research will utilize GPS collars to track the real-time locations of deer, and trail cameras will capture photos and videos.
Proximity sensors will also be deployed, alerting researchers when a collared deer comes within a certain distance of a trail camera, regardless of whether the camera captures footage.
“Improving our understanding of these populations and their characteristics will help us better manage this species into the future, including during hunting season setting,” said Brendan Oates, WDFW ungulate specialist. “All of this information will help us create a model that uses multiple sources of information to estimate black-tailed deer populations in Washington more accurately.”
The study will take place on state and private industrial forestlands east of Longview, within Game Management Units 520, 550, and 556.
Biologists will begin by capturing deer, fitting them with GPS collars, and releasing them.
They will then deploy trail cameras and proximity sensors throughout the deer’s habitat in the study area.
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