There was a posting in another section on ALDeer that was discussing the presence of radio-collared deer here in Alabama, and I wanted to bring this discussion into this section, where more people likely read the posts.

We are conducting a study with ADCNR, Westervelt, and two private groups to study movement patterns and survival rates of bucks and does on public and private lands in Alabama. We are working on Barbour and Oakmulgee WMAs, as well as on two conglomerates of private lands in Pickens and Marengo counties. These data will help the ADCNR with their management decisions in the future, and provide insight into how deer move relative to hunting pressure.

There are two graduate students on the project, and they have been working incredibly hard over the past 15 months to get these collars out. The goal is to have 60 VHF collars and 30 GPS collars deployed this fall. The VHF collars are brown, and the GPS collars are orange. The brown collars are being used to examine survival rates,a nd the orange collars are being used to examine movement patterns. If you see a deer with an orange collar...PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT THAT DEER. We are hoping to get 2 years of movement data out of each of these deer. If you see a deer with a brown collar, then make your decision to shoot regardless of the collar. If you would normally shoot that deer, then shoot it. If you would normally pass it up, then please pass it up.

Some individuals have indicated that these collared deer would make a great trophy. I'm not sure why the presence of a collar would make this a "cool trophy" in anyone's mind....especially considering that you would be biasing the data of two grad students that have poured their lives into this project. Additionally, you would be cheapening the study that the state and these other groups have so graciously funded to collect data about your hunting resource.

You may have heard last year that brown-collared deer were not eligible for harvest. This was because of the presence of drugs in some of these animals for a period after they were darted. This year, all brown-collared deer will have been darted well prior to the hunting season, and so will be fit for consumption. YOU CAN EAT THE BROWN-COLLARED DEER. Some orange-collared deer might have been darted during this upcoming season, so not only would you be hurting our data collection, but you may very well be harvesting a deer that is not fit for consumption.

Please pass the word along. Brown can be harvested...but only if you would normally shoot it. Orange...DO NOT HARVEST. If you do harvest a brown-collared deer, either contact someone with the ADCNR, or call the phone number that is printed on the collar. The number on the collar is my phone number. I'm sorry, but you will be asked to return the collar so that it can be deployed on another deer following the season. If you shoot at one of the collared deer, and you wound it (evidence of blood, etc.), please let me or the ADCNR know. It will help us to interpret the data we collect. And NO...we will not come out and help you find your deer. That would bias the data we are collecting.

The two students will be writing their theses from these data sets, and these will be available to the public both on our DeerLab website, and at the AU library. I will post links to these theses when the studies are done. But, they won't be completed for several years. We will also be preparing some articles for public reading, as well as for some scientific journals.

If you have any questions about the study, or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me. If it's a general question that everyone can benefit from, then post it here. And, don't hesitate to shoot me an IM to let me know that there is a question waiting, as I can't monitor this all day. If you have a specific question for me that would only relate to you, then it may be more efficient to contact me at ditchss@auburn.edu