Eric Morken

Researchers are almost a month away from starting the second year of a three-year study that should help DNR wildlife managers in northeastern Minnesota get a better understanding of deer densities and, in turn, be better equipped to set regulations accordingly.
Eric Michel, a former lead researcher with the DNR, headed the project in its first year, but Michel has since taken a new job at Mississippi State University with the MSU Deer Lab. The study is now a collaborative effort between MSU and the Minnesota DNR, with MSU graduate student Parker Kreie helping to conduct the research and analyze the data.

Every year that a wild white-tailed deer lives in Minnesota likely means it survived a few close calls.
There’s the threat of a tough winter, as well as encounters with predators, vehicles, and hunters. There might be changes in habitat, along with other curveballs that nature might throw at wildlife. For a whitetail to live well beyond a decade, what obstacles must it have overcome? That’s the first thing that came to mind for Alexandria’s Sam Schmid after he received aging results from a doe he shot with his bow last year. It was determined to be 161⁄2 years old.