[Comments in brackets are by Jeannine and Duane]
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From the Northern Crew:
Greetings from the North!
This past week the Susquehannock Crew has worked their tails off baiting new sites and maintaining current sites. We have been gradually moving Clover traps out into the forest, concentrating mainly on the southern part of the study area. So far, we have we have 24 sites baited and 8 traps “armed”. The deer have been visiting most sites consistently and we are poised to catch our first deer this week.
The weather has continued to be favorable, with good snow cover; however, it has become somewhat icy with the recent warm up. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn’t get any icier, but the forecast is for some freezing rain around mid-week which could hinder our ability to keep some traps open or baited.
Stay tuned.
–Tom
Northern Crew Leader
PA Game Commission
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From the Southern Crew:
Hello all!
Well, I’m extremely happy to report that we have had a very successful start to our trapping season in the southern study area! As of today, we have processed three deer and put collars on two adult males. The captures have all gone very smoothly, and I’m so proud of my crew for all the hard work they’ve done so far!
We’ve also seen some unique non-target species on our trail cameras. I believe this is the first time we’ve had a bobcat on our cameras! There have also been some periodic turkey sightings and a little gray fox.
On Wednesday, the mammalogy lab from Penn State came out and we were able to put on a rocket net and Clover trap demonstration for them in addition to a presentation describing deer trapping. It was a slightly smaller lab than usual, but it was nice seeing many of the students engaged and enthusiastic about the subject at hand.
Unfortunately, it looks as though the temperatures might be slightly warmer next week, but at least for now there’s still deer moving! We will continue to move Clover traps as deer find our bait and prebait sites when we’re able. Next week we should also be able to prep some rocket net sites in addition to running our Clover traps.
Thanks to everyone wishing us luck, and fingers crossed this trend continues!
–Michaela
Southern Crew Leader
PA Game Commission
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