Finding Deer in the Spring
 

Hi everyone,

I am a wildlife technician at the University of Calgary looking for your knowledgeable insight!

I am going to be looking for deer poop samples May & June from both white-tails and mule's for a parasite study I am working on. I ran the project last year and had a hard time finding deer during this time of year due to fawning reducing movement, deer not being grouped up as they are in winter and all the lush veg making it difficult to opportunistically find poop.

Looking for any advice on deer patterns, habitat preference or good areas to find alot of fecal samples in the spring as this is when they shed the most parasite eggs in their feces. Note this is a parasite that very rarely alters the health of deer and is not a risk to humans or your house pets. The parasite is more harmful to domestic sheep so we are trying to see if deer may be transmitting the parasite between sheep flocks in the province.

Also if anyone opportunistically has fresh deer poop they come across and you want to participate in the study and help me out big time I can set up a Purolator shipment for you to send in samples you find or meet you in person if you are in the Calgary area.


Contact:
Collin Letain

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary

HSC 2535, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N4Z6 Canada

Ph: 403-210-6678 /403-992-7817

Please feel free to email or call anytime with questions or to update me if you have a batch of samples you are wanting to send down so I am prepared for when they arrive. My cell if the time is outside office hours is 403-992-7817 which you can reach me at anytime.

Please see a brief description below. Thanks!

Brief project description:


University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Funding Agency: Alberta Livestock & Meat Agency

Objectives:
1) To gather information on gastro-intestinal parasite diversity in wild deer.

2) Compare parasite burdens between deer in contact with domestic sheep to those that are not, with special interest given to the parasite Haemonchus contortus.

3) Investigate the occurrence of drug resistance in H. contortus in wild deer and their possible transmission to sheep flocks.

Here are a couple articles we have had in the western producer and a wildlife group I work for if you wanted a bit of a story on the project.

http://blog.healthywildlife.ca/dispe...ock-interface/

https://www.producer.com/2017/11/she...for-deer-poop/

Thanks again!

I don't mind helping you out if you want samples from just north of Edmonton.

Is there anything special that you want done to preserve the samples and do you want them labeled with the date, location, etc?

Edited

Leave em alone, they need quiet solitude after a hard winter.

Ya ok bud. Ya wanna blow smoke step outside and have a dart.

Why the negative response ? Do you feel this person isn't who they say they are, or that there are ulterior motives ?
I'm willing to contribute to his study, but would like to hear your reason for brushing him off.

:confused:

Yup.
First post and it’s a hum dinger.

Yup

Wouldn't his contact info be easily vetted ?

Been there dun dat.

Aren’t you the slightest bit perplexed why such a Rhode scholar wants out opinions on such matters. When he could schmooze up to a F&W biologist, and get all sorts of intel?

If it walks like a duck......

So, you don't know shyt?


This is quite a bizarre post and request.

The concern is Deer are potentially harmful to domestic sheep?

What is the parasite?
Is it indigenous, or exotic?

What effects does it have on domestic sheep?

What potential control measures are considered in areas where the parasite is found?

Are you seriously asking Us for help to find this hard to find shyt with the reward being a declaration that Wild Deer are a source of disease to domestic sheep?


Hunters, this stinks....

The second stage of the project is gathering volunteers to round up the deer and Ivomec them all.

lol

Hi Collin,

Please answer the questions. It is only fair as you have asked for hunter's help on this research that you are being paid to do.


And expect cries for a Wild Deer and Elk cull in hotspots so that those disease infested range maggots can be profitable.

Hi again Collin,

Can you give us some of your thoughts on the newly released information of Movi being discovered in Alaska Dall Sheep?

How the heck does this old world disease show up in Alaska?
Was is domesticated sheep, that can't be removed due to political pressure from agricultural interests?


http://akwildsheep.org/news/2018/dal...reign-pathogen

Wow! A Wildlife Technician comes on AO asking outdoorsmen for help with his research and he gets responses like this? Unbelievable!

Perhaps a couple of you should read the Western Producer article in the link that he posted:

https://www.producer.com/2017/11/she...for-deer-poop/

That would just make too much sense Dave.....way easier to blast the guy lol. No surprise why there’s only a few comments in the hunting section each day now.

Hi walking buffalo,

Everyone, I do want to address this is a bizarre post but I have followed these forums quite a bit the past 6 months and have recognized how much good knowledge & conversation is shared here. I have spoken to several F&W officials (bios and wildlife officers etc.) opportunistically as well as other researchers. Main responses I get are that yes deer are notoriously hard to find during this season, especially in considerable numbers to sample feces and alot of wildlife capture & collaring goes on during the winter when egg shedding is not as significant.

My goal is not to spam this community & make enemies, I just recognize how this forum can can bring a large number of people together at once in a conversation instead of speaking to numerous people individually. By no means do I expect knowledge on secret hunting spots. Those are kept secret for a reason. I was just hoping to gain any knowledge on what people may know about deer during spring and if there was interest in participation. If there is no interest, by no means is there any hard feelings.

In response to your questions, I can direct you to reputable information answering many of them and there is alot of good background information in the healthy wildlife article below. The question is not only if deer influence parasite burdens in domestic sheep as many sheep flocks are already infected with the parasite and this is not to the fault of wild deer. We are also hoping to more accurately describe what parasites are in Alberta deer and if parasite burdens change when they are in contact with domestic sheep. This could contribute to baseline knowledge we have about the health of all of our deer.

http://blog.healthywildlife.ca/dispe...ock-interface/

Western Producer has a pair of good articles with expert opinions on the parasite, its origin, management implications and how it effects domestic sheep.

https://www.producer.com/?s=barber+pole+worm#

If anyone has concerns about the contact information I have provided please do feel free to call or email and I would be more than happy to speak with you.

Hi Dave,

Any help you are willing to offer is greatly appreciated! Samples from North of Edmonton would be great.

Simple instructions we are giving are as follows and if you or anyone else are interested I can certainly send anyone some more detailed information for collection and submission.

We’re looking for any deer, white-tailed deer, mule deer anywhere in the province. We are asking for at least 30 pellets per sample, and they should be placed in a Ziploc sandwich bag with as much air squeezed from the bag as possible. Double bag the sample and include land location or gps coordinates on where it was collected and, if known, the species, gender and approximate age of the deer involved (even as general as adult or fawn are useful).

Samples should not be frozen and should be shipped by courier early in the week so they don’t sit over a weekend if at all possible.

Thank you for the response.

We certainly do eat our own...

Colin, if your willing to travel to Medicine Hat, I would more than gladly put you onto the nuggets you need for the study.

How fresh does said poop need to be? Steaming, semi steaming or merely warm?

Could put you on buckets of poop but please define what you mean by "fresh".

spring deer
 

Good morning,

Thanks so much for the positive response!

Medicine Hat is actually a great area of interest for us with sheep farms and the CFB Suffield base being in that area.

We are planning on starting the field process in the 2nd or 3rd week of May and continuing until the end of June. For now would I be able to grab some legal land locations or gps coordinates of where you are thinking so I can have a look at a map and plan logistics? If you prefer to hold off with this until May that works well to.

I am currently tied up with other projects until May but if we could meet some time in May when we begin the fieldwork that would be a great opportunity to get any first hand intel from you as we begin if you have any time to spare during May?

If you would like to chat more on this or want to contact me, please feel free to contact me anytime via call, text or email at the following.

email: cletain@cwhc-rcsf.ca
office: 403-210-6678
cell/text: 403-992-7817

Grove carver
 

Hi there,

At this time of year anything deposited same day that hasn't been frozen we consider valid. Colder days, essentially deposited within a few hours before it freezes. On warmer days, before the freezing temperatures of night can kill the eggs.

As we get into April/May anything within 72hours is good for us. Visual observation of deer pooping is ideal as it allows species, age, and sex information to be collected as well and guarantees a fresh sample. This takes time though. So if you think it is 3 days or fresher, we are happy to take it.

Would be best if you contact myself closer to the dates your available and we can put a plan into motion... I look forward to hearing from you later this spring.

Cheers

Ya sounds like a scam....Don't give this guy any of your deer poop.

I know I for one will not be tricked into giving away my hard to find spring deer poop or giving away any of my prime spots for the early season fecal hunt.

Sounds good. I will be sure to get in touch.

Hi Collin,

Glad to see that you are responding to questions.
This will greatly increase acceptance and understanding of your research.


I have read all of your linked material, and some cursory googling before asking these questions.


Please answer this questions that I previously asked, as they are not addressed in the provided material.


Where does this parasite originate from?
Is it naturally endemic to Alberta or was it brought in by livestock?

What potential control measures have been conceived for management of this parasite within wild animals?


Please expand on your comment "Note this is a parasite that very rarely alters the health of deer ".
It appear that this is not correct, particularly for Whitetail deer.


As you can postulate from the few replies here, some people will jump on board without questioning what they are being asked to do.
Others are going to demand knowledge before accepting the request.

That this research has not been able to find sufficient volunteers within the sheep/cattle community is interesting... and suspect. Perhaps the research modelling for sample collection is simply poorly conceived, or there is something more nefarious at hand.
Why can't you obtain sufficient samples provided by those in the agricultural community?



My first impression based on your request is that you are not familiar with the outdoors. Finding fresh deer shyt is not hard, at any time of the year. Yet, I suspect that this impression could be wrong, and that you are mistakenly taking a
marketing approach based on helplessness, a cry for "skilled hunters" to save the day.

I do understand that collecting fresh samples from a wide area in a short window of time requires a team. Perhaps you should simply acknowledge that this is not a difficult item to find, but that you still need help to gather samples from a broad area during the defined timeframe.


Constructively, I suggest that your request will fail as promoted, as it appears to have elsewhere. You need to back up and start again. Don't rely on people having to find clues within linked articles to make your case for help.

Why can't we all just be Sheep. :thinking-006:

I guess that would depend on if we would need to be inoculated against parasite's. My fear is that we would be given the direct injection method so routinely handed to the hunting community. :)

I'm curious. I'm not going deer poop hunting. But if I was in a position to help, this is what I would do. Not post on the forum cutting up the OP as to being a fake and false person looking for the information he has requested.

I would call the guy as he has provided phone numbers, email, cell phone etc. I would set up a meeting and get together and have these discussions about what you want to know about his motives.

You have been on here a long time and have a lot of posts. Do you just want to hear yourself talk or rather read your typed words. Sorry I guess I just don't understand.

This sort of thing may be new to you but Trappers are the eyes and ears for biologists and many of us routinely participate in research projects such as this to assist with them.

When someone can imagine some sort of grand conspiracy with this research I think that their hat is on too tight.

https://i.imgur.com/3AXu4uq.jpg

This guy gets it. Why should I do all the work for someone to get all MY hard earned spring deer poop reserves. Those fecal trophies have a prime spot on my trophy wall, between the moose poop and my collection of belly button lint.

I do my own poopy work and enjoy the fruits of my labour, I suggest you do the same, Sir.