Community science helps broaden understanding of deer and other Minnesota animals
With archery deer season just around the corner on Saturday, Sept. 13, now is an ideal time for hunters to familiarize themselves with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ online log for deer and other wildlife sightings.
“We will again welcome hunters to use our online hunter field log to share what wildlife they see once the season begins,” said Tyler Obermoller, DNR research scientist. “Deer hunters definitely give us valuable information about deer and other wildlife species through this community science approach.”
This is the fifth year of this community science approach. The Minnesota DNR uses the information to supplement its model-generated population estimates, which are an important tool for managing wildlife.
Using a mobile device or desktop computer, deer hunters can enter information about wildlife they see while in the field on the Minnesota DNR website, including deer, turkey, bear, fisher and other species.
Hunters are encouraged to fill out a hunter field log after each hunt, even if they don’t see any deer that day. Filling out the log, even if no deer are observed, allows for an accurate estimate of the number of deer observed per hour of field observations, which provides a useful comparison to deer density modeling results. The log will remain open through the end of 2025.
More information on the hunter field log is available on the Minnesota DNR website.