Purdue-led study could improve population control for deer, turkeys and coyotes
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A research project led by a Purdue University professor could improve population control regulations for white-tailed deer throughout Indiana.
The study aims to better understand Indiana’s deer population during times of disease outbreak to create predictable population maps for the species. An often-fatal disease for deer called EHD impacted nearly 500 deer in Indiana last year.
Patrick Zollner, the lead professor on the project, said the goal is to understand how quickly the population can recover from an outbreak.
“So that hunting regulations can be set in a way that leads to a healthy deer population, and still satisfies the demand of the public to be able to have animals to hunt,” Zollner said.
However, Zollner said accurately counting animal populations across the state can be a challenge.
“Looking and not seeing an animal somewhere doesn’t mean the animal is not there,” Zollner said. “If we want to have reliable quantified estimates of how many individuals of these species we have in different places, we have to use more sophisticated approaches.”
The study will use several methods including drones, aircrafts, trail cameras and infrared cameras to estimate the population. The research will also look into the populations of wild turkeys and eastern coyotes in Indiana as well as transmission patterns of different diseases.
The joint venture between Purdue and Michigan State University will be conducted over 5 years. The $1.6 million project is funded by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Researchers will collect aerial data from December until March.
This story first appeared on WFYI. Contact WFYI Morning Edition newscaster and reporter Abriana Herron at aherron@wfyi.org.