Eight coyotes and eight bobcats also have been caught and fitted with special collars that allow DNR researchers, led by Furbear Research Scientist Nathan Roberts, to track all of the animals’ movements and ultimately determine how much their interactions affects the deer population.

“We’re trying to get an idea of the impact coyotes have on deer, and in particular the role coyotes might play in disease ecology and Chronic Wasting Disease ecology down there,” Roberts said.

Whether coyotes perhaps play a positive role in reducing the number of deer with CWD is one question the study may answer, as well as how much of a negative effect the predators have on deer populations in general, Roberts said.

“When a deer dies, we can go in and see what killed it,” he said. “If it was predation from one of these animals, coyote or bobcat, or something else — for example, domestic dogs — we can find out.”

Adding more coyotes to the study remains a goal as it proceeds, Roberts said, and the DNR is looking for trappers willing to help catch more in the two southwestern counties.