Deer mortality study

Researchers say coyotes were the No. 1 predator for deer in parts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during a recent study and bobcats were No. 2 on the list.  The Grand Rapids Press reports Monday that wolves came in fourth after a three-way tie among hunters, unknown predators and undetermined causes.  Jerry Belant is an associate professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at Mississippi State University. He oversees student researchers working with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to study deer deaths.  Researchers got data from 142 fawns fitted with GPS collars. Eighty collared fawns died during the three-year first phase of the study.  The study focused on a region known for “low snow” depths. The next two phases of the deer mortality study look at areas with deeper snow.  (AP)