From the Northern Crew:

Hello All,

This week was nothing out of the ordinary, I performed telemetry and did five daily mortality runs for the remaining fawns. In addition, this past weekend I assisted Brandon trapping bears in the Sproul. 

collared fawn-12 weeksOn Saturday he was able to trap two sows, both had been previously capture and collared. However, one of the sow’s GPS components on her collar was broken so we replaced the collar, and tested it to make sure it functioned properly. The new and improved collar will come in handy this winter for den surveys if she has cubs. 

Tuesday I will be going down to the Sproul again to help with their last day of trapping, and Wednesday the new Northern Crew Leader will be shadowing me since I will be leaving in October to begin graduate school. [That’s right.  Another crew leader is moving on to bigger and better things]

-Maureen
Field Crew Leader
PGC Deer and Elk Section


 

From the Southern Crew:

Hello all,

A full week of attempting to catch bears in Bald Eagle and Sproul State Forests! Unfortunately, Bald Eagle yielded only one capture and the Sproul—none (while we were out assisting). The Bald Eagle sow had mange and was malnourished. 

We checked and rebaited the trap line while she was being processed since time was escaping us. We had one trap with the door down and the bait rock flipped, but no bear in the trap. Otherwise, we had no bear activity; just one site with raccoon activity.

We assisted Brandon and Quig on Thursday in the Sproul. We recorded four sites with bear activity, but again, left with no captures. It’s always nice to experience the Sproul State Forest though. It’s a different world there. Both Nate and Brandon have caught a few bears since beginning their trapping sessions on Tuesday, but it’s certainly been a tough session.

We assisted Wyatt checking a duck trap on our way out from setting bear traps in Bald Eagle State Forest. There were a couple Mallards and a Canada goose in the funnel trap.

Wyatt checking duck trap

We completed our locations for the week and monitored fawns all week.  While gathering locations, Phyllis and Bill (landowners) ran outside and called us over to view the solar eclipse with them and even share their eclipse sunglasses with us.   We were at the right place at the right time. I’m convinced that I’ve met some of the very best people working on this job. I cannot thank them enough! 

My 2017 fawn crew helped me to realize that I’ve become somewhat of a local celebrity because of the Fawn Survival Study. Everyone is always wondering the scoop on the collared fawns and our projects, which is awesome!

Amber reviewed the crew’s location data and finished up the fence plot worksheet on Friday. I rounded up the rest of the gear, inventoried it, and put it in storage over the weekend. 

Next week, I am assisting Brandon in the Sproul, Nate in Bald Eagle, and continuing fawn monitoring the rest of the week.

-April
Field Crew Leader

PGC Deer and Elk Section

 


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