Phase 1 Recap

The first phase of the Southwest Wisconsin CWD, Deer and Predator (SW CWD) Study started at the end of 2016 with the first deer capture season and ended in 2020. This four-year phase involved intensive field work, capturing and collaring over 1,200 animals, and required a lot of coordination between staff and the public. The researchers want to thank everyone who participated, whether as staff, volunteers or landowners who granted permission to trap on their land. Daniel Storm, the head researcher leading the project, wrote a special thank you note at the end of the November edition of the project newsletter. 

Phase 1: Setting Up The Data Collection Infrastructure

Since its launch, the SW CWD study has been focused on setting up the extensive infrastructure needed for this project. The purpose of the capture-collar phase (Phase 1) of this project was to get the data generation machine flowing. Data, including the location of over 1,200 animals, will continue to be transmitted to project staff over the next two to three years.

Fortunately, the researchers have already received enough data from the past four years to start analyzing the data that’s already been collected. Researchers are building the components of the project’s main product, a comprehensive model of how CWD is influencing deer in Wisconsin. Daniel Storm, the project’s lead researcher, said earlier this year, “We’ve got a lot of good, quality data for this project. The more animals we catch, the more we can learn.” And if the 1,249 animals that were captured and collared for this study are any indication, there is a lot researchers will learn about deer and CWD.

While researchers are building their model and analyzing the data that is flowing in, the project staff are excited to share the data that was collected at capture, including the age, sex, weight and CWD status (for adult deer only) of the individual animals in this study. The following infographic and table are summaries of this initial data, but more information about Phase 1 (and Phase 2) can be found in the July 2020 edition of the project newsletter.  

Table with the final counts of collared individuals by species

* Due to the pandemic, fawn capture was canceled in 2020.

** Capture counts were high enough the previous years, so efforts were redirected towards the other species.