Deer Lab Members Awarded Scholarships
April 2022
Three Deer Lab members were awarded merit-based scholarships. Adam Edge (right), PhD student, was awarded the Shirey Forestry and Natural Resource Education Endowment and received $1,500. Amanda Van Buskirk (middle), PhD student, was awarded the Archie E. Patterson Scholarship and received $3,250. Patrick Grunwald (left), MS student, was awarded the Elmo C. Hester, Jr. Scholarship and received $500. Each of these students excels in their graduate program and their financial awards are much deserved. Congratulations Adam, Amanda and Patrick.
UGA Deer Lab Member Earns 1st Place Award at Wildlife Society Meeting
February 2022
The UGA Deer Lab regularly attends the Georgia Chapter of the Wildlife Society's Annual Meeting to present new research related to deer management in the state. This meeting includes wildlife students and professionals from across the state that speak on a variety of wildlife-related topics. During the February 24-25th annual meeting, PhD candidate, Adam Edge won the 1st Place Graduate Student Presentation award for his talk "Population dynamics of a declining white-tailed deer population in North Georgia" where he spoke on the concerning future of deer populations in the Southern Appalachian region and possible management actions to facilitate recovery.
Congratulations Adam!
UGA Deer Lab Sweeps SEDSG Student Presentation Awards
February 2022
Since 1996, the Southeastern Deer Study Group has presented achievement awards to students for the quality of their deer research-related presentations. For all years combined, the UGA Deer Lab has captured 12 first place awards. This speaks volumes for the quality of our graduate students and our deer research program.
At the February 21-23 annual conference, PhD student, Blaise Newman earned 1st Place with her presentation titled "Influence of visual perception on deer movements". In addition, PhD student, Jordan Youngmann earned 2nd Place with his presentation titled "DNA metabarcoding to assess predator diets during fawning season in South Carolina, USA" and 3rd Place with his presentation titled "Recursive foraging behavior of coyotes in the southeastern United States".
Congratulations Blaise and Jordan!
Deer Lab Rabbit Hunt: A Lot of Fun
January 2022
Dr. Gino D'Angelo, Dr. Larry Marchinton and Betty Marchinton hosted the Deer Lab rabbit hunt on January 29, 2022. This annual event provides students with the opportunity to learn about the time-honored sport of hunting eastern cottontails and swamp rabbits with beagles.
Deer Lab Member Earns Outreach Appointment
October 2021
Dr. James Johnson recently was selected as the Outreach Program Assistant in the Warnell Outreach Program, where he will be teaching various continuing education courses. Everyone in the UGA Deer Lab has little doubt that James will do great things in this job.
National Deer Association Asks: Should You Shoot a Deer Wearing a Tracking Collar?
October 2021
UGA Deer Lab Received Donation from SCI
September 2021
The Georgia Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI) generously donated $2,500 to the UGA Deer Research Lab. SCI advocates for the rights of hunters and focuses on informing the public about hunting and related activities including wildlife conservation worldwide. The donation was presented at the inaugural Conservation Classic Banquet on September 14, 2021 in Monroe, GA. Pictured from left to right are Marc Stewart (Treasurer), Trevor Santos (President-Elect), Gino D’Angelo (UGA Deer Lab), and Chris Albrecht (President). The UGA Deer Lab sincerely appreciates the support of its partners in conservation.
UGA Deer Lab Member Awarded Travel Grant
September 2021
Amanda Van Buskirk recently was selected as the recipient of The Wildlife Society's Biometrics Working Group Student Travel Grant. The purpose of the grant is to promote and support student interest in biometrics. The grant will cover cost of Amanda's The Wildlife Society Conference registration and for any associated workshop. Congratulations Amanda!
UGA Deer Lab Member Scores Elk Project Leader Job
June 2021
We are excited to announce that Jacalyn (Jackie) Rosenberger recently accepted the Elk Project Leader position with Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, and will begin working in late-July 2021. Jackie will direct Virginia's elk research and management program. The current Virginia population of about 300 elk occur in 3 southwestern counties (Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise), which border the Kentucky elk-management zone containing about 18,000 individuals. Everyone at the UGA Deer Lab is very happy for Jackie and know she will do well in her new role.
COVID Can't Stop a Deer Lab Tradition
February 2021
Each February. Dr. Gino D'Angelo and Dr. Larry Marchinton host a Deer Lab rabbit hunt using their well-trained packs of beagles. Although COVID negatively affected many aspects of normal activities across the world, it couldn't stop this UGA Deer Lab tradition. It is common for students to have never hunted for small game with dogs. Therefore, for those students, this annual hunt provides them a new outdoor-recreation experience. Hunting rabbits is fun. Beagles are fun. Put them together and you have a memorable experience.
Adam Edge Acknowledged for Presentation Quality at Annual Graduate Student Symposium
February 2021
Each spring the Warnell Graduate Student Association hosts a symposium to provide our School's graduate students an opportunity to communicate about their research and to learn about research being conducted by their peers. This year's Graduate Student Symposium was conducted February 11 and 12. The agenda included speed talks, 15-minute oral presentations, a keynote presentation by Dr. Todd Petty, a trivia contest and an award ceremony. We are pleased that Deer Lab member, Adam Edge, tied for 1st place in the Wildlife and Management Session with his presentation titled, "Population dynamics of a declining white-tailed deer population in northern Georgia." He did an excellent job of walking the audience through a complex topic while keeping his presentation both interesting and informative. Congratulations Adam!
Jacalyn Rosenberger (Jackie) Presented and Defended her Research
November 2020
On November 19, Jackie successfully presented and defended her thesis, which focused on hunter satisfaction on wildlife management areas in the North Georgia mountains during a period of drastic deer population declines. In addition, on those properties, she studied hunter use of the landscape and deer movements during hunts. You can learn more about Jackie's research at North Georgia Mountain Project.
Jordan Dyal Presented and Defended his Research
November 2020
Jordan Dyal successfully presented and defended his thesis on November 12, which focused on developing sightability models for helicopter surveys for deer in central Florida, deer behavior in response to helicopter surveys, and resource selection of bucks relative to livestock management. You can learn more about Jordan's research at Deer and Cattle.
Leading Deer-Related Organizations Join Forces to Better Serve Needs of the Resource, Managers and Hunters
November 2020
Our longtime partners and friends at Quality Deer Management Association and the National Deer Alliance have united to form a new organization called National Deer Association
Adam Edge Completes Army Training
October 2020
Deer Lab PhD student, Adam Edge, completed Army Basic Combat Training (BCT) on August 6 to serve in the Georgia Army National Guard. He received the Soldier Leader of the Cycle Award for his company, which is among the highest awards that can be received by a trainee in BCT.
Cheyenne Yates Earns Her Master's Degree
October 2020
Under the direction of Dr. Gino D'Angelo, Cheyenne Yates successfully defended her graduate research on August 24 to an audience of her peers and academic advisors. Her thesis is titled, "Resource selection, home ranges, and movements of white-tailed deer in the mountains of northern Georgia". Her research provided important information, which will help managers to better address habitat use and population dynamics within this unique mountainous landscape.
Dr. Karl V. Miller Retires After 35 Years of Service
September 2020
Dr. Karl V. Miller retired from Warnell on August 31 and soon will be awarded the recognition of Professor Emeritus. Dr. Miller has had a long and distinguished career at UGA. He earned his Ph.D. at The School of Forest Resources in 1985. Since then, he served as Research Coordinator (1985-1990), Assistant Research Scientist (1990-1995), Associate Research Scientist (1995-1996), Associate Professor (1996-2000) and Professor (2000-2020). In 2016, he was appointed as the Wheatley Distinguished Professor of Deer Management. Dr. Miller is highly respected as a scientist; teacher; and leader in the field of wildlife ecology and management, particularly within the scope of deer population and habitat management. He has been awarded recognition by The Wildlife Society, the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Southeastern Deer Study Group, Quality Deer Management Association and the USDA Forest Service. During his career, he generated almost 11 million dollars in research grants and outside funding for our School. He served as author on more than 400 publications and more than 600 presentations at professional conventions and invited seminars. He taught more than 160 service and outreach classes. We believe Dr. Miller’s greatest contribution was related to his excellent teaching and student-mentoring abilities. He taught Management of Wildlife Habitats, Senior Project in Forest Resources Management and Advanced Problems in Integrative Forest Management. He served as Graduate Advisor (i.e., Major Professor) for 67 Master of Science and Master of Natural Resources students, 19 Ph.D. students and Academic Advisor for about 250 undergraduate students. In addition, he served on the graduate committees of more than 60 other students. Although he has opened a new chapter in his life, we know Dr. Miller will remain active in the wildlife management and research community because of his continued passion for wildlife, especially deer. Hopefully, retirement will afford him more leisure time to spend with his wife, Renee, and sons, Shaun and Tim. He provided excellent leadership for the UGA Deer Lab for many years and his presence at Warnell will be sorely missed.
Deer Lab Research Highlighted in UGA Today
August 2020
Dr. Gino D'Angelo's deer research project that is taking place in the mountains of North Georgia was featured in a recent edition of UGA Today. The article can be viewed here.
Exciting News at the UGA Deer Lab: Five New Graduate Students (click on their name to meet them)
August 2020
Central Florida Deer and Cattle Study
July 2020
We wanted to share a series of annual trail-camera photos from Jordan Dyal's Central Florida study site. The property is managed to provide optimal grazing conditions for cattle while also providing quality deer habitat. The photos below show the same collared buck at 1 year old (left), 2 years old (middle) and 3 years old (right). When captured in 2018, the buck's only antler points greater than 1 inch long were his 4 5/8 inch main beams. His first set of antlers were considered below average for yearling bucks on this property. In 2019, he grew a small-framed 8 point rack. In 2020, he grew above average antlers for 3 year-old bucks on the property. Obviously, we could not have predicted this buck's adult antler quality based on his first year's antlers.
An update on Jordan's graduate research can be found on the Deer and Cattle research page.
Buck at 1 year old
Buck at 2 years old
Buck at 3 years old
Fawn Survival in the North Georgia Mountains
July 2020
The 2020 fawn capture season at the Appalachian Mountain field sites in North Georgia has been productive. Because each captured fawn is fitted with a telemetry transmitting collar, researchers can monitor its survival and daily movements. More information about this year's fawn capture can be found on the Appalachian Deer research page.
Project Update: North Georgia Fawn Mortality Study
April 2020
Ph.D. student, Adam Edge, provided an update on his portion of the North Georgia deer study. From 2018-2019, 32 neonate fawns were captured. Subsequent monitoring suggested an estimated survival rate of about 19%. Of all known fawn mortalities, 75% were associated with predation due to DNA and field evidence. About 70% of neonates died within the first 4 weeks of age. This is the critical period when fawns are most susceptible to mortality. From 2018-2020, we captured 59 reproductive-age does (females ≥1.5 years old) and monitored their subsequent fawning behavior. Of those females, we opportunistically recaptured 20 and replaced their collars to extend duration of our ability to monitor them.
UGA Deer Lab Earned Top Honors at the Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting
February 2020
The 43rd annual meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group was hosted at Auburn, Alabama February 23-25. This meeting always feels like a family reunion because so many of the participants are former UGA Deer Lab members, even though they currently are affiliated with other deer-related groups. For example, two of the three plenary speakers earned their graduate degrees here at Warnell, and four other former Warnell students gave oral presentations.
The most coveted award at this meeting is the Outstanding Student Presentation Award. This year's award went to Deer Lab member, Jordan Dyal, for "Development of a Sightability Model for Helicopter Surveys of White-tailed Deer in Florida" Jordan, we are all very proud for you.
Other current Warnell students and faculty to present deer-related research at this year's meeting included:
Adam Edge ("Habitat Characteristic Effects on White-tailed Deer Fawn Survival in the Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia")
Dr. Richard Chandler ("White-tailed Deer Survival in the Florida Panther Range")
Jackie Rosenberger ("Human Dimensions of Managing Public Land Deer Hunting in the North Georgia Mountains")
Zach Wesner ("An Evaluation of GPS-sized Expandable Radio Collars Designed for White-tailed Deer Fawns")
Cheyenne Yates ("Space-use of White-tailed Deer Relative to Acorns, Black Bears, and Wild Pigs in the North Georgia Mountains")
Jordan Youngmann ("DNA Metabarcoding of Coyote Scat to Assess Diet in South Carolina")
Deer Lab Members Shine at Warnell Graduate Student Symposium
February 2020
Each year, the Warnell Graduate Student Association hosts a symposium to showcase the hard work and dedication of the School's graduate students, and to communicate their research to their peers. The students compete for awards of recognition based on the quality of their presentations. This year, on February 12-14, all Deer Lab members did an excellent job. Three members were singled out among the 50+ participants in the Warnell Graduate Student Symposium. Adam Edge (left) tied for 1st Place in his category with his oral presentation "Survival and cause-specific mortality of white-tailed deer fawns in the southern Appalachian region of Georgia." Jordan Youngmann (middle) secured 1st Place for his proposal speed talk "DNA metabarcoding of coyote (Canis latrans) scat to access diet in South Carolina, USA." Jackie Rosenberger (right) earned 1st Place in her category with her oral presentation "Using human dimensions research to guide deer management on public lands in North Georgia." The Deer Lab is fortunate to be represented by such outstanding young scientists.
UGA Deer Lab Member Proudly Serves
February 2020
Adam Edge, Deer Lab PhD student, was sworn into the Georgia Army National Guard on January 31st. He will be attending Basic Training beginning May 26th. We know he will excel in this endeavor, just as he has in his graduate program. Congratulations, Adam!
UGA Deer Lab Member gives Invited Seminar in Aveiro, Portugal
February 2020
David Osborn, recently traveled to Portugal where he was warmly hosted by Drs. João Carvalho, Rita Torres and Carlos Fonseca of the Unit of Wildlife, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro. David presented a seminar about wildlife management in the United States. In addition, he toured the country learning about regional wildlife and natural resources.
UGA Deer Lab 2020 Rabbit Hunt
February 2020
It has become a tradition for members of the UGA Deer Lab to get together at least once each year for a rabbit hunt. On January 29, Drs. Larry Marchinton and Gino D'Angelo provided their packs of trained beagles to find rabbits in the briar thickets of a young pine plantation. Although some hunters (we won't mention names) found running rabbits to be challanging targets, the group ended the day with plenty of quality meat for the pot. Although productive, the day was really about friends spending time together in the outdoors and enjoying an often overlooked part of our hunting heritage, small game hunting.
THE FILSON JOURNAL
UGA Deer Lab Featured by Prominent Outdoor Products Company
December 2019
The C.C. Filson Company recently highlighted the UGA Deer Lab in The Filson Journal, which profiles interesting people and organizations, provides important outdoor "How-To" information, features delicious recipes for the campfire and at home, and other informative articles for the outdoor enthusiast.
New Deer Lab Member
December 2019
The UGA Deer Lab welcomes the newest member of the family, Paige Savannah Johnson! Paige was born to Dr. James and Mrs. Nicole (Nicki) Johnson on December 9th, weighing in at 6 lbs. 2 oz. (the size of a decent bass). Mom and baby are doing well.
National Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucuses Annual Summit Hosted at Reynolds Resort, Greensboro, Georgia
November 2019
The 16th annual Sportsman-Legislator Summit was hosted at the Ritz Carlton Reynolds at Lake Oconee during November 12-15. Dr. Michel Kohl (Assistant Professor of Wildlife Management & Wildlife Extension Specialist), Dr. Gino D'Angelo and Jackie Rosenberger gave an oral presentation titled, "Training the next generation of wildlife and fisheries managers". Dr. Kohl provided a national perspective relative to the changing demographic of wildlife students across time, and characterized wildlife students at UGA. Dr. D'Angelo spoke about specific programs available to fisheries and wildlife students at UGA. Jackie gave personal testimony about how she became a hunter when she was in high school, and how specific people and programs contributed to her interest and participation in hunting. In addition, members of the UGA Deer Lab displayed a informative poster and answered questions related to our research program.
Dog-deer hunting was focus of presentation at regional conference
November 2019
The annual conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies was hosted at Hilton Head, South Carolina during October 27-30. Dr. Gino D'Angelo presented research on the national status of dog-deer hunting and best management practices for natural resource agencies to employ where the tradition remains important to a segment of the hunting public. The presentation and associated article, to be published soon, provided a logical road map for minimizing potential conflicts among stakeholders.
UGA Deer Lab research featured in American Hunter magazine
November 2019
"Deer Trust Their Ears" an article written by Pat Durkin was featured in the September issue of National Rifle Association's magazine American Hunter. The article featured research conducted by the UGA Deer Lab.
UGA Deer Lab traveled to Reno, Nevada for national conference of The Wildlife Society
October 2019
The Wildlife Society (TWS) and The American Fisheries Society shared the first-ever joint conference in Reno during September 29-October 3. This conference provided the opportunity for wildlife and fisheries professionals to participate in workshops, panel discussions and scientific presentations.
Dr. Gino D'Angelo organized and moderated a symposium sponsored by Boone and Crockett Club and the Early Career Professionals Working Group of TWS titled, "Challenges of balancing stakeholder engagement and scientific decision-making to inform wildlife policy." In addition, he gave an oral presentation on his research looking at the value of localized management for reducing corn damage caused by deer in Minnesota.
Deer Lab students contributed the below poster and oral presentations on behalf of UGA, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and The U.S. Forest Service.
Poster Presentations:
Adam Edge-"Survival and mortality of white-tailed deer fawns in the Appalachian Mountain region of North Georgia: preliminary data."
Jackie Rosenberger-"Space use comparison of deer and hunters in the North Georgia mountains."
Jordan Youngmann-"Use of fecal genotyping and spatial capture-recapture to investigate population density, resource selection and genetic structure of coyotes in South Carolina."
Oral Presentations:
Jackie Rosenberger-"What keeps them coming back? An evaluation of hunter satisfaction in the North Georgia mountains."
Zach Wesner-"Evaluation of GPS-sized expandable radio-collars for neonatal white-tailed deer."
In addition, Tim Calhoun from Virginia Tech presented collaborative research with the UGA Deer Lab on using hair diameter to distinguish fawn and adult deer hair in predator scat.
Quality Deer Management Association instructional video
September 2019
The QDMA staff posted an online article with videos of the UGA Deer Lab's Dr. Karl V. Miller demonstrating how to most efficiently debone venison shoulders and hindquarters. When it comes to processing and cooking venison, Karl and Renee Miller have honed their skills through much practice. This step-by-step tutorial is useful for both novice and experienced deer hunters.
Deer Lab takes home multiple awards from the Georgia Chapter of the Wildlife Society meeting
September 2019
(Left photo) Renee Miller, Dr. Gino D'Angelo, Dr. Steven Castleberry and Warnell alumni help Dr. Miller celebrate being the recipient of the Jenkins-Crockford-Hayes Career Award. (Right photo) Zach Wesner (left) and Jordan Dyal were honored to receive merit awards for the quality of their scientific presentations.
The annual meeting of the Georgia Chapter of The Wildlife Society was hosted in Carrollton by the University of West Georgia on September 12-13. The UGA Deer Lab was well represented at the meeting with oral scientific presentations by Adam Edge, Cheyenne Yates, Jackie Rosenberger and Zach Wesner. Jordan Dyal and Jordan Youngmann gave scientific poster presentations. They all did an outstanding job.
Three Deer Lab students received special recognition and took home professional awards. Jackie and Zach each were awarded travel grants for winning a competitive essay writing contest. In addition, Zach earned recognition for giving the best student presentation. Jordan Dyal was recognized for presenting the best student poster. We are really proud of all of the students for how well they represented UGA.
Another major recognition was presented to Dr. Karl V. Miller. He was awarded the Jenkins-Crockford-Hayes Wildlife Conservation Award. This award is designed to be a later career award to honor wildlife professionals who have made significant impacts over their careers across a variety of avenues, to include but not limited to, innovations in research and/or management techniques and contributions to students and professionals, across our state, region, and nation. The award was started and named in recognition of Dr. James Hobart Jenkins 1919-2006, Jack A. Crockford 1923-2011, and Dr. Frank A. Hayes, 1921-1997. These larger than life men were well known for their many contributions to wildlife conservation, but are most famous for design and development of the Palmer CapChur Gun. This chemical immobilization drug delivery system was revolutionary for its time and still widely used for live wildlife capture. Jenkins, Crockford and Hayes were each well-known, highly regarded, active in their respective societies, well awarded, and they made significant impacts on wildlife in the state, region, and nation. To be eligible for this award, the Nominees must: 1. Be 50 years old or older; 2. Have demonstrated success while working as a wildlife professional in an agency, organization, or the private sector for at least 15 years; 3. Be a member of both The Wildlife Society and Georgia Chapter of The Wildlife Society; and 4. Made a significant impact on wildlife/wildlife management in Georgia. In addition, a strong regional and/or national reputation is a plus. When considering the required qualifications for being nominated for this award, we feel blessed that Dr. Miller was chosen as the current recipient. We are very fortunate to have such high quality students, staff and faculty here at Warnell.
Effect of baiting on deer feeding behavior
September 2019
The Quality Deer Management Association spotlighted recently published Deer Lab research in an online article about deer visitation to feeders. The research was conducted by Dr. David Stone as part of his doctoral studies under the direction of Dr. Karl V. Miller. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources-funded research was designed to provide additional insight into the effects of recent law changes, which made it legal to hunt deer in Georgia over bait. Another part of David's research monitored the affect of baiting on movements of GPS-collared deer. We will provide information about those research findings as soon as possible. The adjacent photo was copied from the QDMA article and was submitted to them by Fred Hart.
Former Deer Lab member accepts job with national focus
September 2019
Effective July, Elizabeth Miller was selected for a new position within USDA APHIS Wildlife Services (WS) Operational Support Staff. Now based out of Fort Collins, Colorado, Elizabeth’s area of focus will be the agency’s nation-wide efforts to mitigate predator conflict. Much of this work includes integrated predator damage management programs to protect livestock from depredation from grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, mountain lions, and coyotes.
Elizabeth graduated from Warnell in 2010 with a BSFR in Wildlife, and immediately began studying in the deer lab under Drs. Miller and Warren. She began her career with WS at their Predator Research Field Station of the National Wildlife Research Center after completing her MS in 2013. Elizabeth returned to Athens in 2014 to serve as a Wildlife Biologist in the Georgia WS Program’s state office. In this role, she assisted landowners in resolving wildlife conflict affecting agriculture, private property, natural resources, or human health and safety. Common species involved in these conflicts included white-tailed deer, beavers, vultures, pigeons, Canada geese, and feral swine. Other regular duties included assisting airports with hazardous wildlife and assisting wildlife disease surveillance efforts.
Former Deer Lab member earns State Director job
September 2019
In July, Odin Stephens was selected as Georgia's new State Director of U.S.D.A. APHIS Wildlife Services (WS). In this role, he will lead a team of wildlife specialists and biologists to manage wildlife for the purpose of reducing damage to agriculture and property, minimizing threats to public health and safety, and protecting natural resources.
Odin graduated from Warnell in 2005 with a M.S. degree in Wildlife and Forest Resources. While enrolled at UGA, he volunteered with Georgia WS on Canada goose and urban deer projects. When he graduated, Virginia WS hired him as a Wildlife Specialist, where he provided corrective and preventive coyote control for livestock producers. This was his first of several jobs with WS on his way to lead the Georgia program. In 2006, he was selected for a Wildlife Biologist position at Moody AFB in South Georgia. In 2008, he was selected for a Wildlife Biologist position in coastal Georgia where he conducted wildlife hazard assessments and assisted with feral swine, urban deer, beaver and Canada goose projects. In 2010, he was selected as the Georgia Rabies Biologist. In 2015, he was selected as a Georgia District Supervisor.
We couldn't be more proud of Odin. We know that his excellent management skills and strong work ethic will enable him to excel in his new role at Georgia WS.
Update on South Florida deer study
September 2019
Members of the South Florida deer study, including PhD student Lydia Stiffler and Dr. Richard Chandler, submitted the final project report to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on June 30, 2019. The document addressed the effects of hydrology, hunting, and predation on deer population dynamics in South Florida and the development of a camera trapping protocol for continual monitoring of deer populations within the region. Following an internal review process by FWC, the final report will be released to the public.
In addition, the research team presented results of the 4-year project to representatives of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and FWC on August 6, 2019 at the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Florida. More detailed information about this collaborative research, including quarterly reports, is available from the FWC at South Florida Deer Project.
Update on the Appalachian deer study
September 2019
During January-April, graduate student researchers (Adam Edge, Jackie Rosenberger and Cheyenne Yates) and their field technicians captured 36 adult female deer on Blue Ridge and Cooper's Creek Wildlife Management Areas in North Georgia. Each doe was fitted with a GPS collar, ear tags and a specially designed radio transmitter to signal when their fawns were born. The deer capture team subsequently captured 32 fawns during May-July and fitted them with radio-telemetry collars. More information about the fate of the fawns is available on the Appalachian deer study web page.
GO DAWGS!
September 2019
Lindsay Thomas Jr., Director of Communications for the Quality Deer Management Association, authored an online article titled, "College football playoffs of deer science". He did a great job of comparing deer research programs of the nation's colleges and universities to collegiate football programs. Much like time-honored powerhouse football teams, certain deer research teams have consistently excelled over time in spite of periodic roster changes. However, unlike football rivals, deer research teams from various schools often collaborate to gain a collective win for the resource (i.e., deer) and those that benefit from the research ( i.e., deer managers and deer hunters). The Deer Lab at The University of Georgia was recognized as a strong contender in the National Championship of deer research. That is quite an honor! One thing is certain. The UGA Deer Lab has been blessed with many outstanding faculty, staff and students during the years. We look forward to an equally bright future.
Aren't deer amazing creatures?
August 2019
Jordan Dyal, graduate student on the central Florida project, wanted to share this sequence of time-lapse photos of a collared buck on his study site. Trail cameras captured the buck just as his tines were forming (left, June 17), before complete antler growth and mineralization (middle, July 5) and after mineralization and velvet shedding (right, August 12).
South Carolina coyote project team hits the road for answers
July 2019
For the last month, Ph.D. student Jordan Youngmann and his project technicians (Emily Masterton and Adam McFall) have been driving roads around 7 sampling sites in South Carolina. Jordan will estimate coyote abundance at each site by collecting scat and using genetics to identify individual coyotes for spatial capture-recapture models.
Area Covered: 1399 square miles
Percentage of South Carolina: 4.4%
Length of Transects: 440 miles
Average Speed Driven: ~12 miles/hour
Total Man Hours: ~200 hours
Total Scat Collected to Date: 130
Stay tuned as they finish out their field season and begin the lab work required to genotype each scat.
Deer Lab member completes research and earns Ph.D.
July 2019
On July 9, James Johnson successfully defended his doctoral dissertation. His research, under the direction of Dr. Karl V. Miller and Dr. Richard Chandler looked at using unbaited trailcameras, collared-deer movements and modern statistical techniques to estimate deer population density on 4 study sites in southwestern Georgia. He compared deer density estimates among unbaited and baited camera surveys and distance sampling surveys. In addition, he looked at seasonal shifts in deer distribution across each property, including shifts associated with baiting.
We soon will provide a link to more detailed information from Dr. Johnson's research. Following his dissertation defense, James and his wife, Nicki, took a much deserved vacation to Montana.
Deer Lab alumnus returns to help manage deer on private lands
July 2019
Dr. Emily Belser earned her M.S. degree at the UGA Deer Lab where she studied cranial abscess disease of deer under the direction of Dr. Karl V. Miller. She then earned her Ph.D. at Texas A&M-Kingsville and spent the last couple of years as a private lands biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. We are excited that she has returned to Georgia as a private lands wildlife biologist in the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s brand new Deer Management Assistance Program. Emily will spend the majority of her time working with hunt clubs and private landowners to improve deer and turkey habitat, manage their populations, and put the latest and greatest wildlife research into practice out on the landscape. She is based in Cordele and will serve the bulk of South Georgia to roll out this new program.
Deer Lab member takes flight in central Florida
July 2019
Jordan Dyal will begin aerial surveys to determine sightability of deer from a helicopter on a 5,500-acre study site in central Florida. He will be using statistical methods to estimate detection probability of deer across the property as a function of vegetation type, distance from transect, and light conditions. Twenty-eight archery targets and/or deer decoys will serve as surrogates for free-ranging deer. The targets and decoys will be moved to new locations between each of 12 aerial surveys. Observers in the helicopter will be unaware of their locations before each flight. Therefore, a survey to detect them along each flight path will test the accuracy of this population estimate technique for free-ranging deer in this habitat type. We will post more photos and information on Jordan's project page.
Georgia Public Broadcasting begins filming a future episode focused on Georgia deer
June 2019
Graduate students Adam Edge and Jackie Rosenberger recently spoke with a film crew from Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) to explain the background of the North Georgia Deer Project, the equipment used to make the project possible, and why the research is important for the state. The GPB crew filmed one of the first fawn captures of the season and witnessed its release back to Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area.
In addition to this field site-footage, the GPB crew recently filmed interviews with Dr. Gino D'Angelo, Charlie Killmaster (Georgia's State Deer Biologist), Zach Wesner and David Osborn at the Whitehall Deer Research Facility in Athens.
Deer Lab has strong presence at Trout Unlimited event
June 2019
At the Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery's Kid's Fishing Rodeo on June 8, Adam Edge and Jackie Rosenberger spread awareness about the summer fawning season. They also used this event to provide the public with information about the North Georgia Deer Project in hopes of building relationships with landowners and outdoor recreationists in the region. Public outreach is of great importance to the UGA Deer Lab.
Deer Lab supports local wildlife education center
May 2019
The UGA Deer Lab recently donated several antlers from our Whitehall Deer Research Facility to Hardigree Wildlife Sanctuary in Watkinsville, Georgia. The adjacent photo was taken at a kid's camp hosted by Hardigree, where youngsters learned about wildlife conservation and white-tailed deer biology. The sanctuary's executive director, Steve Scruggs, said most of the camp participants had never before held deer antlers and enjoyed the opportunity to study them.
Central Florida bucks have adapted well to their GPS collars
May 2019
Graduate student, Jordan Dyal has been monitoring GPS-collared bucks at his study site in central Florida. As you can see in the adjacent photo, by late-May, bucks already had a lot of antler growth.
Status updates on 3 ongoing research projects
May 2019
North Georgia Mountains Deer Project:
Cheyenne Yates, Adam Edge, Jackie Rosenberger and their field technicians have completed another year of deer capture on Blue Ridge and Cooper's Creek Wildlife Management Areas. They captured 47 deer. Of those, 25 were adult does, which they fitted with GPS collars, numbered ear tags and intravaginal transmitters (VITs). The does will expel the VITs when they give birth to this year's fawns. We then will use the resulting radio signals to locate and capture their fawns, so we can collar them, too. Twenty two of the 47 captured deer were bucks or last year's fawns. Those deer received only ear tags and will be used as marked samples in our deer population surveys based on trail camera photos.
GPS Fawn Collar and Acorn Preference Projects:
Zach Wesner is awaiting this year's fawn crop at the Whitehall Deer Research Facility. When fawns are born, he again will take anatomical measurements and fit a sub-sample of fawns with expandable GPS collar mock-ups. We provided the participating telemetry companies with information about fit and function of last year's collars. They made collar modifications based on our observations and Zach is eager to test the new designs. In regards to the acorn preference trials, Zach has completed his observations and is beginning to analyze data.
Deer Lab member gets married
April 2019
David Osborn and Hope Callaway were married on April 28. Their ceremony was performed at the First African Baptist Church on Cumberland Island, Georgia. This tiny one-room church is a 14-mile drive from the island's southern boat dock along a narrow and bumpDavidy dirt road. The venue is best known as the wedding chapel used by John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette for their top-secret wedding in 1996. Hope's father, Reid Callaway, served as the ordained minister and photographer. Andrea Callaway served as the witness and back-up photographer.
Deer Lab members participate in QDMA Whitetail Weekend
April 2019
UGA Deer Lab members had a great time at the Quality Deer Management Association's Whitetail Weekend on April 12-13. The event included presentations on many topics related to enjoying and managing whitetails including aging bucks on the hoof, predator trapping, aging deer by tooth replacement and wear, shot placement, how to tune a bow, no-till food plots, what to learn while gutting your deer, bow-range burning, how to make venison sausage, how to use a chainsaw to improve habitat, food plot seed blends and weed control, trail-camera technology, and treestand safety.
In addition, several Deer Lab members (Dr. Gino D'Angelo, Dr. Karl V. Miller and Renee Miller, James Johnson and David Osborn) played an active roll in the event by giving presentations on a variety of topics including black bears and other fawn predators, skinning and quartering deer, deboning venison, where bucks go during the rut, venison recipes and cooking tips, and tree orchards.
QDMA contributes prizes to reward respondents of deer hunter survey
March 2019
The Quality Deer Management Association donated multiple items to the UGA Deer Lab to be raffled as prizes for hunters participating in a survey. As part of the North Georgia Deer Project, the Deer Lab and Georgia Department of Natural Resources are conducting a survey of hunters to study their experiences and preferences for deer management in light of declining deer populations in the mountains. Hunters who completed questionnaires were automatically entered into a drawing to win a meat grinder, fryer, luggage set, jacket, or knife.
John Eastman, QDMA Senior Director of Operations (left) and Jackie Rosenberger, UGA Deer Lab masters student (right) at the QDMA national headquarters in Athens, Georgia.
Deer Lab members received recognition at national deer conference
February 2019
Zach Wesner (left) and Adam Edge (middle) were awarded First Place and Jordan Youngmann (right) was awarded Second Place in the student poster competition at the 42 Southeast Deer Study Group meeting in Louisville, Kentucky on February 17-19, 2019. Dr. Gino D'Angelo, Cheyenne Yates and Jackie Rosenberger also presented posters.
Deer Lab member celebrates birth of first child
November 2018
Today, Jordan Youngmann and his wife Sarah welcomed their first child into the world at 4:30 AM. Their son weighed 7 pounds and 9 ounces (the size of a large fawn). The Deer Lab couldn't be happier for the new parents.
Deer Lab was well represented at international deer conference
August 2018
The 9th International Deer Biology Congress (IDBC) was held August 5-10, 2018 at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. The IDBC is a gathering of professionals interested in wild deer biology, management and farmed deer production with the goal of providing a forum to discuss common problems and share knowledge and experiences. The first IDBC was held in New Zealand in 1983 and the meeting has since been hosted in the United States, United Kingdom, Hungary, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile and China.
Dr. Karl V. Miller served on the Scientific Steering Committee of the IDBC and the UGA Deer Lab was well represented at this year’s meeting. Dr. Gino D’Angelo served as Chair of a symposium on the influence of predators on deer in North America. Our faculty, staff, and graduate students presented or co-authored 12 scientific presentations and 2 scientific posters. This was a wonderful opportunity for the UGA Deer Lab to engage with other professionals in the international deer community. In this photo, Cheyenne Yates is eager to discuss her research.