Continuing impact: GVSU-led study on deer population gaining wider interest for herd management strategies

And so it was one evening at a northern Kent County Road Commission facility, where a pickup truck driver from southeastern Kent County pulled up with eight does in the truck bed.

The hunter sat down with Brody Glei, who did extensive work on this initiative as a graduate student, to provide details on measurements and where the deer were harvested; those locations were marked on a map with a pin.

After that, the carcasses were loaded into a refrigerated trailer to provide food for those in need, a donation from the hunter that was a key aspect of the event in cooperation with the organization Hunters Feeding Michigan.

In total there were 68 deer measured for the contest, with 36 donations. Glei calculated that provided more than 5500 servings of protein to people in need.

Glei's work ranged from driving through Kent County to survey deer populations to meeting with citizens at public open houses to explain the work, all done as part of a focus on collecting comprehensive data to bolster recommendations.

He noted that events like this encouraging the reduction of does - and thus their potential subsequent generations of progeny - helps reduce the population, but acknowledged hunters have differing views. Some, for instance, are only interested in harvesting bucks. Or, they like having deer around their landscapes so they don't want to shoot does.

Still, an event like the doe pole is part of a strategy of "population reduction with ethical utilization," he said.

"It means we want there to be less deer and we want to use that meat that is going to be harvested for good, not just going into the dump."

Indeed, Locher noted efforts to manage the deer population also have a humane aspect for the animals: The deer often suffer when they are hit by vehicles and then they are dumped into landfills.

She said the work of Glei and other undergraduate and graduate students on this research project showcases the kind of learning opportunities students receive when they come to Grand Valley.