University of Minnesota researchers remain interested in the messy and, perhaps, off-putting markings of a deer hunt: a gut pile.
The Offal Wildlife Watching project team wants hunters, after field-dressing their deer, to set up trail cameras for a month at the sites, which have become a window into the world of scavengers.
Over five hunting seasons, researchers have been learning what descends on whitetails' internal organs, or offal. They say the study will help fill a knowledge gap in an area that is all about scale: About 150,000-200,000 whitetails are harvested annually in Minnesota, creating tons of offal on the land. How many species use it? Are some more common than others? How does it vary across Minnesota habitats?
"If we didn't hunt this time of year, that wouldn't be available," said Ellen Candler, a postdoctoral researcher among the analysts. "Deer are pretty healthy this time of year. They don't just die, typically. Not in that mass.
"So, understanding what our impact is on those species — whether it is positive? Do we impact the survival of some of those scavenger species? That is not a question we can directly get at with our research, but it is something the research can inform. What could possibly be the negative impacts? What are we provisioning as hunters?"
Another season, another request
The project recently received state funding for two additional years. It also received money from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund that helped buy about 150 remote cameras to lend to hunters, Candler said. At least 40 camera kits remain. Some of the new cameras have been deployed after special hunts in the Three Rivers Parks District, Dakota County and elsewhere.
Using social media and other communication means, the project has scored repeat participants. Some hunters use their own trail cams. Researchers also have relied on partnerships with groups like the Minnesota Master Naturalist Program and Bluffland Whitetails Association.
