Skip to Main Content

Integrated Deer Management Project Website Introduced

A multi-disciplinary team of researchers at Purdue received a grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife in 2018 to fund the Integrated Deer Management research project. 
 
Since then the team, led by FNR professor Dr. Rob Swihart and including project coordinator Pat McGovern and three PhD students, has been collecting data across the state with the goal of better informing white-tailed deer management in Indiana by integrating information on deer populations and habitat conditions with human attitudes/perceptions. 
 
“Our team of researchers, which includes Purdue faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, has been working hard this past year to collect and analyze data from across the state,” McGovern said. “We are beginning our second year of data collection and are looking forward to furthering our understanding of deer and deer management. Our aim is to collect accurate data related to deer, as well as evaluate the methods used to collect that data, and, as a result, provide the DNR with improved information and/or tools to make their deer management decisions.”
In order to achieve their goal, the Integrated Deer Management Project (IDMP) will:
  1. Estimate deer populations and fawn recruitment across Indiana
  2. Develop region-specific population models
  3. Assess deer habitat condition and deer impacts to woodlands across Indiana
  4. Evaluate people’s awareness, perceptions and expectations of Indiana deer populations and how they are managed. 
The project is utilizing a variety of techniques including remote camera surveys, infrared aerial surveys, fecal pellet counts, browse surveys, DNA barcoding, semi-structured interviews, and stakeholder surveys.
  • More than 1 million photos have been captured by more than 280 trail cameras, while 832 miles of aerial surveys have been flown. 
  • More than 60 woodlots have been sampled with 1,800 oak seedlings being planted. 
  • More than 4,400 minutes of interviews have been conducted. 
And all of that is just from year one. 
The initial data collection efforts are now available on the following website:
https://ag.purdue.edu/fnr/researchindeer

The website will allow the project to share progress and plans for the future, while a twitter account (twitter.com/researchINdeer) will offer more timely updates. 

Featured Stories

a male smiling
Undergraduate Student Spotlight: Kent Hamstra

Kent Hamstra, a Purdue junior, pursues dairy nutrition with hands-on research, internships and...

Read More
Gateway Arch at Purdue University
Purdue, Kearney announce partnership to enhance agribusiness education and innovation

Kearney’s agriculture and food team and Purdue University’s Center for Food and...

Read More
Male researcher water collecting data from water tank
Working together to mitigate forever: Managing persistent PFAS in our environment

When Linda Lee received a sample of shellfish from an Alaskan reservation in 2005, she was...

Read More
a girl looking into a microscope
Junior Pork Day educates 4-H’ers and parents on swine industry

Junior Pork Day offers hands-on learning for 4-H’ers and parents on swine industry skills...

Read More
Cattle in a field
DIAL Ventures Agrifood Economy Index posts 8-point increase since August

The overall Agrifood Economy Index rose to 94 in December, recovering from August’s low of...

Read More
Ag-Lead-Pro-Mobile
Purdue Agriculture launches new leadership certificate for students

The College of Agriculture has introduced a new undergraduate leadership certificate program,...

Read More
To Top