Mapping Deer Trails with GPS by Andy Eklof and Randy Klatt

What Vegetation Types Do Deer Prefer?

Our Hypothesis:Deer Prefer Areas Dominated By Oak, Aspen, and Pine Vegetation.

Where Did We Get The Background For Our Hypothesis?

“Deer trail abundance suggested a strong preference for open, aspen, and jack pine habitats. Lower deer use occurred in oak and red pine habitats…….If the management objective is to maintain the existing deer habitat suitability in central Wisconsin, we recommend maintaining as much of the existing open, aspen, and jack pine habitats as possible.”

-Habitat Relationships of Deer and Ruffed Grouse in Central WisconsinJohn F. Kubisiak and Robert E. RolleyWisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Research Report #176, March 1998

Where And When Did We Perform Our Research?

Air photo of the Beaver Creek Field Research Station

How Did We Record The Deer Trails?

What Did We Do With Our Recorded Data?

How Did We Know What Vegetation Dominated The Area Where We Did Our Research?

What Type of Vegetation Did Deer Prefer?

What Type of Vegetation DidThe Deer Prefer The Most?

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Agland Poplar-Pine White Pine Red Pine JackpineOpen

Oak-Maple DeciduousHardwood

Oak

Vegetation Type

Mile

s

Trail DistanceHighway Distance

Travel Distances by Vegetation Type

To Summarize

• “Deer trail abundance suggested a strong preference for open, aspen, and jack pine habitats. Lower deer use occurred in oak and red pine habitats…….”

• While we found that deer prefer vegetation dominated by oak and pine, they also prefer open fields surrounded by oak and pine vegetation.

Original Hypothesis Our Findings

Any Questions?