In this episode of the Wildtalk Podcast, we talk to Jesse Lincoln from Michigan Natural Features Inventory about all things habitat, fly away with a discussion about bird migration and die-offs from window collisions, and we wrap up the episode with a chat about what is perhaps Michigan’s most iconic fall mammal, the white-tailed deer.
Episode Hosts: Rachel Lincoln and Eric Hilliard
Producer/editor: Eric Hilliard
Questions or comments about the show? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 (WILD) or email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov.
In this episode of the Wildtalk Podcast, we talk to Jesse Lincoln from Michigan Natural Features Inventory about all things habitat, fly away with a discussion about bird migration and die-offs from window collisions, and we wrap up the episode with a chat about what is perhaps Michigan’s most iconic fall mammal, the white-tailed deer.
Episode Hosts: Rachel Lincoln and Eric Hilliard
Producer/editor: Eric Hilliard
Questions or comments about the show? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 (WILD) or email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov.
Announcer:
The Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app is your digital connection to all things hunting and fishing in Michigan. Buy, store and display your hunting and fishing licenses, check your points and chances for elk and bear, apply for the draw and view drawing results. Access all the hunting and fishing regulations, view your hunter safety certificate and report your harvest all from within the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app. Just click the app banner at the top of the page for download instructions at michigan.gov/hunting.
You know what that sound means? It's time for the Michigan DNR's Wildtalk Podcast. Welcome to the Wildtalk Podcast where representatives from the DNR's Wildlife Division chew the fat and shoot the scat about all things habitat, feathers and fur. With insights, interviews and your questions answered on the air, you'll get a better picture of what's happening in the world of wildlife here in the great state of Michigan.
Rachel:
Welcome to the Wildtalk Podcast. This is your host, Rachel Lincoln. And returning to join me today is none other than Eric Hilliard.
Eric:
Yeah, the whole Lincoln thing is still throwing me for a loop.
Rachel:
Believe me, I have had to write my name on a name tag yesterday and it took literally two different tries to get it correct in my brain. So it's going to take me a while too.
Eric:
Well, good. At least I don't feel so bad then. I mean, if it's your actual name and you're still struggling with it, I feel okay about it.
Rachel:
Well, in this episode we'll discuss what work for wildlife is being done across the Upper Peninsula. Then we'll chat about fall bird migration and some current events regarding this year's migration. And then later on we'll talk about the big holiday that occurs this month, the firearm deer season opener. And of course somewhere in the episode we'll have a chance to win the one and the only Wildtalk Podcast camp mug. As always, we're excited to bring you a fresh episode filled with wildlife factoids and interesting critter bits. But before we dive into the podcast, let's hear a word from our forests.
Speaker 3:
Trees provide for the wellbeing of our state. That's why we work so hard to keep our forests healthy and abundant, so wildlife has a home, and so do people. So that there's clean air and water for everyone. And so Michigan's economy can be as strong as the trees that support it, because every branch of forestry ensures that future generations will always have a tree for life and forests for a lifetime. To learn how sustainable forestry benefits your life, visit michigan.gov/forestsforalifetime.
Rachel:
Today we are joined by Jesse Lincoln, a conservation scientist and ecologist for Michigan Natural Features Inventory to tell us about the awesome work his organization does for habitat and natural resources across the state. Thank you, Jesse, for joining us today.
Jesse Lincoln:
Yeah. I'm really happy to be here. I'm a big fan of the podcast, so thanks for having me.
Rachel:
That's great to hear. Why don't you start of by telling us what exactly Michigan Natural Features Inventory is? It is quite a mouthful for first time listeners.
Jesse Lincoln:
It is. My parents still have a hard time saying it all. So it's Michigan Natural Features Inventory, MNFI, and we are our state's natural heritage program. Every state has one of these programs and we are basically in charge of keeping track of the populations of rare plants and animals and then also high quality natural communities. So things like old growth forest, until prairie, high quality wetlands. And we maintain data on these special organisms and places and then provide those data to our conservation partners like the DNR or the Nature Conservancy. So we do this all around the state.
Rachel:
That sounds like really important information to have. And specifically, what is your role at MNFI?
Jesse Lincoln:
So I have a lot of different roles. We are grant funded, so we are constantly developing new projects with different conservation partners. But a big role that I've had over the past 10 years has been working closely with the wildlife division to conduct MiFI, Michigan Forest inventory. So it's this process that the state uses to understand what their different lands are, like different ages of forest. And it's an important tool so that they can manage these habitats around the state. It's basically how they keep track of what's on public lands around the state. So I've been in charge of collecting information on these different forests and it's been a really wonderful process and I've gotten to make a lot of great connections around the state.
Eric:
Jesse, do you spend a lot of time on foot then? Are you mostly doing that work hiking or are you flying drones?
Jesse Lincoln:
Yeah. So we use drones a little bit for looking at remote places, invasive species, things like that. But 99% of the time, at least during field season, we are out in the field. We're hiking, hiking through the bush, off trail, just in some of the most remote places out there. It's very exciting. It's very rewarding work. And it's getting more challenging as I get a little bit older, but it's a lot of fun and it's really given me a huge appreciation for the value of our public lands because I always had heard about these places, but actually being part of a team that gets to inventory state land has been extremely rewarding.
Rachel:
So Jesse, do you have any idea how many acres total you have surveyed of public land?
Jesse Lincoln:
We have a pretty good idea. At this point, I've surveyed over 110,000 acres of public land across the state and it's been really rewarding. So 5 to 15,000 acres per field season. So it's a lot.
Eric:
For you, you've personally done that many acres?
Jesse Lincoln:
Personally done that many acres. And so those are acres that we've described the composition of the forest, collected brief species lists and then entered it into the state inventory program. So yeah, a lot of land.
Eric:
You must have burned through some hiking boots over the years.
Jesse Lincoln:
They last about one and... We get one and a half seasons per pair. Yeah, we really churn through them.
Rachel:
So then on the small scale, your scale, your day-to-day, what does the day-to-day in your field season look like?
Jesse Lincoln:
I mean, get up, drive to the site and then just kind of we have these... We know the boundaries of the areas we're going to survey, and so we develop sort of a transect and we just walk these representative transects through these different cover types. So you can imagine, if you're looking at a satellite image, you've got uplands, we've got lowlands, and we just walk these transects through these different cover types and describe the dominant vegetation. And so we're just taking notes all day, just trying to read the landscape and then eventually make it back to the truck. So they're very long days and we try to cover as much ground as possible because we're often working in remote areas, on the road, away from home and so it's just cover as much ground as you can so you can get back as soon as possible.
Eric:
For the listeners that might not know what a transect is, can you kind of explain that just so they can get a good idea of what you're doing when you do that?
Jesse Lincoln:
I guess the way I think about the landscape is it's a big jigsaw puzzle, right? With each little piece being a different type. So one piece of the puzzle might be an open wetland, another piece might be pine plantation or an upland forest. And so each one of those jigsaw puzzle pieces needs to have data associated with it. And so what we do is we walk a line that we think best represents that area, that jigsaw puzzle piece, and so we collect data on all the species that grow there and then we enter it into the states program or keeping track of what's there.
Eric:
So that transect is really sort of the course that you chart out ahead of time that you feel is going to give you the best view of that piece of habitat?
Jesse Lincoln:
Exactly. Yep, that's right.
Rachel:
And then in addition to the forestry work and the plant and habitat surveying that MNFI does, you also have team members who are looking at wildlife species.
Jesse Lincoln:
So we have a huge team. We have a lot of great staff that specialize in all sorts of different things. So from aquatic invertebrates to butterflies to raptors to migratory birds, we've got staff that really specialize in all the groups of rare species. I think there are some gaps in our knowledge for sure, but we're constantly working to address those, especially as funding allows.
Rachel:
Larger scale, why is this level of data collection and analyzing and providing recommendations, why is that as critical as it is?
Jesse Lincoln:
That's a huge question. I guess, you need to understand where these are, where these different plant populations are or where these high quality natural communities are so that we can work to protect them. And so in some cases, avoiding intensive forestry to protect the population of fern growing on a cliff or in other cases that a beaver is going to impact hydrology of a wetland and flood it and displace the population of massasauga rattlesnakes that occur there. So there are all these different factors and we really need to, in such a rapidly changing world, we really need to understand the populations and the special places that remain. And so our data go to help make informed decisions about habitat management and restoration work or treating invasive species. It really helps prioritize statewide efforts towards making good conservation decisions.
Rachel:
Well, it's really reassuring to know that we have so many great people who are really looking out for individual species and special habitat types. It sounds like that's kind of niche MNFI fits into is making sure these things go recognized. Now if any of our listeners were interested, is there any way folks can get involved with MNFI or do you have any recommendations for people who want to either learn more about the work that you do or also want to get involved with how to help move this work further?
Jesse Lincoln:
We described the natural communities on our website, and that was really my first introduction to this type of conservation work is looking at the MNFI website before I even started. We describe the rare species that are protected around the state, where they're located. And so the website's really rich. As far as doing really good conservation work, obviously the DNR has a lot of programs, so you can contact your local DNR office. There are other organizations that are really focused on this type of work though, The Nature Conservancy, Michigan Nature Association is a favorite of mine. And then also there are local conservancies probably wherever you're at.
So I live in southwest Michigan. In our area, there's [inaudible 00:11:20] or Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, and they're doing a lot to protect the rare plants and animals in that region. So I guess, for me, it's looking into some of these other organizations that are doing great on the groundwork.
Rachel:
Out of all of those many thousands of acres and pieces of land you've been to, do you have a favorite location?
Jesse Lincoln:
It's really hard. I feel like we need to narrow it down by region or community type. At this point, I've become kind of a snob or a connoisseur maybe. Pine Mountains are so incredibly special, it's horizon to horizon, old growth. It's just one of the few places where you can really see sort of a functioning landscape at that scale. And it doesn't hurt that it's breathtaking scenery on the Lake Superior shoreline with beautiful escarpments. It's just an incredibly special spot. It's certainly one of my favorites. In the lower Peninsula, I love Allegan State Game Area. It's just such a biodiversity hotspot. They're doing a lot of work to help protect the systems and reintroduce... Prescribe fire to these areas. And so Allegan is one of my favorites in the lower Peninsula, so I always go to those two.
Rachel:
Those are not bad recommendations. And if you'd like to explore the Allegan State Game Area, we will link a map to that area in our show note. How does MNFI impact habitat around the state?
Jesse Lincoln:
That's one of my favorite parts of the job. We've done all this inventory and then it's kind of like, well, so what? What we've begun to do is work closely with different game areas or different biologists around the state to say, hey, we've found these special places, they're worthy of your attentions.
One area is Muskegon State Game Area where we found all these community types that historically saw a lot of fire and we've worked closely with the guys in Muskegon to get invasive species treated in these areas. So these are savannas, and they need fire to sort of maintain in these conditions with high native biodiversity. So they've treated invasive species, they've returned fire at a relatively high frequency. And that's great news, not just for the rare species that we're interested in at MNFI, but also because these systems also benefit game species. So they're really good for turkey and white-tailed deer and sort of it's kind of best of the best in terms of managing for intact natural communities and game species, which is what the land was originally set aside for. So it's some of my favorite work and I get to work closely with just great people all over the state.
Rachel:
Well, thank you Jesse for joining us on the podcast today. It was a joy having you on and learning about all the meaningful work MNFI is doing for natural resources across our state.
Jesse Lincoln:
Happy to be here, guys. Thank you.
Rachel:
Well, don't fly away or you'll miss all things feathers coming up next.
Announcer:
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Rachel:
As the days have grown shorter and the leaves have turned, millions of birds have taken to the skies embarking on an incredible journey, the great fall migration is occurring. When birds will fly south to spend winter in areas that have more hospitable temperatures and food abundance is in better supply.
Eric:
I wish I could fly south for the winter to places of great food abundance.
Rachel:
Unlimited snacks and warm weather.
Eric:
Every year. If I could just go south for the winter, that would be pretty awesome.
Rachel:
You just have to fly the thousands and thousands of miles and avoid all of these challenges. But it's worth it if you can make it. Now here in the Great Lake State, we get to really experience this fall spectacle as Michigan is an avian superhighway. So Michigan is a hotspot for bird migration because it's situated at the crossroads of the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways. So you can picture a flyway as essentially a pathway through the sky that moves north and south across the United States. Now these flyways happen all across the continent, but just for the sake of talking about Michigan migration, just picture the United States. And there are four major flyways ranging from East coast to west coast. It's the Atlantic, the Mississippi, the central, and the Pacific flyways. And these are basically pathways in the sky that birds take to migrate north and south and south to north.
And Michigan is situated right in between the Atlantic and the Mississippi flyways. And so we get birds moving through that are flying those pathways because of the water that we have here and the wetland habitats that are extremely inviting and act as this big pit stop for birds to be able to refuel and rest before continuing on their journey. Now according to the Audubon Society, more than 325 bird species will travel along the Mississippi flyway for their breeding grounds in Canada, in the northern US to winter, and then they'll move south to the Gulf of Mexico and Central South America. So to give you a mental image of what that looks like, if we were able to take a times stop photo, just picture a river of birds from the headwaters of the Mississippi River all the way down to the Gulf. And though the Great Lakes are directly along that patch, the waters and the wetlands provide that critical resting and feeding grounds for feathered travelers, especially along our coastlines but also inland because we have an abundance of lakes and wetlands across both the upper and lower peninsulas.
Eric:
We are really spoiled in this state with the amount of water that we have.
Rachel:
I certainly take that for granted. It's incredible how much water and access to water and coastlines that we have.
Eric:
Yeah, and because we're spoiled, then obviously the birds are spoiled also, which makes us such a hot destination for those migrating travelers.
Rachel:
We just have incredible bird diversity. And in the winter we have species that will come south that live farther north. Things like the snowy owls, as soon as it starts to snow here and temperatures really drop, we'll start to see those birds doing their overwintering here because we actually have more food available to them in our snowy Michigan winters than they do in the tundra, the arctic tundra during that time of year. So we are a bird hotspot year round.
Eric:
Did you see that weird story on, I think MLive had it about the flamingo that showed up somewhere?
Rachel:
I did. So I don't know the exact specifics on that bird, but I can just assume it's the same as every other strange bird that we get. It seems like it happens at least every year, if not during every big migration where a bird basically gets lost or blown off of its path and it just ends up here. They get lost or blown off path and they just show up here and it's like the birders come from everywhere to get that lifer species and it's super... It always makes for interesting headlines and great birdwatching if you can go and find it.
Now, the bulk of the migration has occurred over the past month and a half, but you still may see some birds migrating through. A few of the stars of the grand bird superhighway show are some species that you've likely been seeing over the last month, Sandhill cranes, Blackburnian and Yellow-rumped warblers. My personal favorite is the American Woodcock, which is here from March till this time of year, and you can see them migrating back south during this time of year. But that's only a few species out of the thousands that are moving through right now.
And as I just mentioned, I am slowly learning birds and bird calls, and I find that the fall and spring migration is actually one of the most enjoyable times to spend outside learning birds because of how different each day of birding will be if you're paying attention. So because these birds are moving through at such speeds, you'll notice different bird signs and different bird calls every day, if not even every hour. And as I've mentioned, one of my preferred and most favorite ways to see the migration and to learn birds is to continuously return to the same spot. And that spot for me is my backyard.
I have a sugar maple. It draws birds in every year though we do have really great birding spots across Michigan, especially along waterways like the Lake Michigan coast or in our wetland waters. Birding can be as simple as heading out to your backyard or even on downtown streets where there are city trees planted, can also be a stopover for birds. So I live in Kalamazoo, so I'm more inland. And so just stepping outside is enough for me to see some cool birds this time of year.
And as I'm learning these birds, one of the best tools that I have used, and I cannot recommend this enough, is the Marlin Bird app for your phone. So it has this sound ID feature in the app as well as photo ID and site ID, so it will teach you about what signs to look for birds. But my most used tool in the app is the song ID because it will listen to the bird song around you and then will identify those calls for you, which is incredibly helpful, because so often you hear birds instead of seeing them. And especially right now while fall migration is ongoing and wrapping up, there's an abundance of song that are happening and birds that you're seeing. And so I highly recommend just spending a little bit of time outside each day, and I would challenge you to see how many different birds you can hear.
Eric:
Yeah, that Merlin app is pretty good. Oh, using that artificial intelligence to listen to that bird song and be able to tell you what kind of a bird it is super handy.
Rachel:
You just learn such an abundance of different things about birds and I have really enjoyed it. Remembering them is a different story, but knowing what you're listening to while you're listening to it is awesome. During migration, it is not all smooth sailing and birds can and typically will run into some big challenges, things like unpredictable weather to habitat loss, to light pollution from cities which can disorient them and make it hard for them to find their way, to tall buildings which can create physical barriers for birds on their flight paths and result in birds running directly into buildings causing injury and often deaths.
Eric:
Major die-off in Chicago this last weekend, wasn't there?
Rachel:
Yes, there was. So this happened just recently, mid-October in Chicago when over a thousand migrating birds ran into a single building and died. And this happened all in one day, which is an extremely unfortunate event for these birds. The building wasn't all that tall, but it was a side of sheer reflective glass, which can be very disorienting and confusing for birds because oftentimes they can't see the glass, they just see the reflection of the sky in the glass, or if it's glass and then a building and glass on the other side and they can see directly through it, then it just looks like a pathway for them to follow and they will hit the glass and become injured or die.
Thousands of birds will die in a city overnight from bird collisions. This one just happened to be so significant because it was just one building where these occurred. Bird collisions are certainly not rare, and they're actually the leading cause of bird mortality, and we estimate that up to 1 billion birds are killed annually in the United States from collisions alone. So this is happening frequently. It happens in large cities just due to the nature of skyscrapers being so tall and in the flight path of birds and also being made of materials like reflective glass that birds can't see. But also it happens in our homes and in residences so often that it actually makes up 44% of all bird collision mortalities are residential homes.
Eric:
Obviously we're powerless to do anything about this, right? This is just the way things are. There's nothing we can do to help remedy the situation and lower the number of bird collisions with buildings.
Rachel:
Wrong. There are things that we can do, and in fact, the first step you can do is the most simple step that we could take. And it not only benefits birds, but it helps us tremendously. And that is turn off your light. A lot of these bird collision events typically happen at night because there are a lot of migrating species that migrate nocturnally. So they're flying at night and they're drawn to light sources. So the best thing that you can do during the spring and fall migration, but also year round is just turn off your indoor and outdoor lights. The light pollution attracts the birds. So if you have lights near your windows, turn them off after it's dark outside, turn your patio lights off outdoors. If you're in an office building, turn the lights off in the hallway because no one is there after hours anyways.
So it's not only reducing bird collisions, but it's also saving you so much money in energy bills. An additional step you could take to reduce impact to windows is to reduce that clear and reflective glass that gives birds such a hard time. And there are simple fixes you can take to retrofit existing homes and buildings. So basically what you need to do is make those windows visible to birds. And there are decals that you can buy that are subtle and you just clean them onto your window and they are basically invisible to the human eye or you only see small parts of them, but they still allow you to see directly through the window and to let light in. But they're detailed enough that birds can see them and will choose to avoid glass because it looks like there is a barrier there.
So you can find that there's lots of different options. Everything from a decal you stick on, to reflective tape that you can put on your windows, to even paint like acrylic paints and things that you can put on your window. Small line space, two to four inches apart is enough to prevent birds from running into them. But if that's not an option, even rotating your window blinds to cover the windows, especially at night, can be enough to prevent birds from hitting your windows.
Bird collisions and talking about bird collisions, there's a lot of discussion around it right now and there has been for the last 10 to 15 years, especially in large cities like Chicago. So if you're interested in learning more or participating in any of these bird related initiatives in your local cities, then I definitely recommend checking out your local birding or conservation groups because they're great hubs for seeing what cities are doing to prevent bird collisions and also just helping conservation in general. Stick around for the all things fur segment where we'll be talking about another critter that we work hard to avoid hitting this time of year.
Announcer:
Find a new fishing spot, the family-friendly fishing waters map shows family-friendly fishing locations across the state that are easy to access and have a high likelihood of catching fish. You can filter locations by what type of fish you want to catch or whether you want to fish from a boat, a pier or the shore. You can even filter by amenities like swimming availability and restrooms as well as entry fees that may apply. To find out more, click on family friendly fishing waters at michigan.gov/fishing.
Rachel:
The crisp November air and the rustle of the leaves on the ground tends to mean one thing for many of us. It is deer season, specifically the unofficial holiday yet ever so important. November 15th, firearm deer season opener. It's a time honored tradition that brings together generations of hunters, each with stories to tell and skills to share from the upper Peninsula to the southernmost counties. This annual event is woven into the fabric of our state's culture. So I thought it would be interesting to share a little history on the November 15th date.
Eric:
Because that's a question that comes up a lot.
Rachel:
So I dove into the topic a little bit and I came out with it still being a little bit of a mystery, but mostly it's just baked into tradition and what hunters grew up hunting when they grew up hunting, and what they want the next generation of hunters to feel too. So it is a lot of nostalgic gooeyness that goes into the November 15th date, but specifically... So the first November 15th firearm deer season opener took place way back in 1925. Now over time, that day changed a little bit as we started to learn more about a changing deer population, but it was again, as we started to learn more about a changing deer population, we would move it earlier in the month of November and then push it back a little bit towards the end of November just to kind of see what changes would occur with a growing deer population and then with a declining deer population and where we thought the population was at that specific time.
But the season opener was again set to November 15th in 1968 and has remained that day since. So how and why that date was initially determined still remains a little bit of a mystery, but it's likely was set just a little bit outside the peak white-tailed deer breeding season, which occurs in October into the beginning of November, so that successful reproduction of deer could occur before we remove any animals from the population. And it's certainly been a discussion in the last couple of years changing the November 15th date to having the season opener fall on a Saturday so that more people can get out into the woods on the opener because it's on a weekend, that change hasn't occurred yet. It's impossible to say if it will in the future, but we can say with pretty much certainty at this point that November 15th is selected still as the opener because it's just baked into the hunting heritage that is Michigan's tradition.
Eric:
We do ask on the random deer harvest surveys that go out on occasion, we ask that question I think every few years or so on those randomized surveys. And I want to say it's over 80% of hunters say, nope, we want to keep it on November 15th.
Rachel:
Yep. November 15th has been significant to me for my 29 years here, and I have always gone out into the woods on November 15th, and I come from a really small hunting community. So it was always the biggest holiday in November for our community. I also can see the perspective of wanting it to fall on a weekend, so that the majority... So that everyone has an opportunity to participate if they can on the weekend.
Eric:
And here's something to think about too, is if you're one of those hunters that say has ample vacation time or the ability to take days off, it is in your best interest as a hunter to limit the number of other hunters that are in the field on opening day. So you have the greatest opportunity to find success while you're out hunting. And so I could actually see that being a strong motivator for a lot of people as well as saying, oh, I can take the time off for this holiday, so I'm going to take time off. And it's actually good for me that other people have to go to work because then I've got a better shot at bagging a deer.
Rachel:
It's a savvy way to think about it. I'm a sucker for nostalgia and gooey feel good thing. So November 15th has always been that for me, and I certainly think it is for a lot of Michigan hunters. If you're planning on going out on November 15th or the following weekend, or anytime within that 15 day season, right now is the time of year where you're beginning to prep your year. You are [inaudible 00:31:54] in your equipment, you're packing your deer blind with snack. You're making a game plan for how to butcher and process your harvested meat. Some forward thinkers may even be considering what new and tasty recipes they'll be trying out this winter with their bounty. But while you're in the midst of all this preparation, you'll want to make sure to brush up on current hunting regulations before you head into the field. So check out the 2023 hunting regulation summary and then download the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app to be able to report your deer after you've harvested it.
And then while you're there, you can also purchase your successful deer hunter patch for $8. It's a one-stop shop for everything you're going to need. Hunting season isn't just about the thrill of the chase, but it's also a critical tool for managing deer populations. So in Michigan, we've got a rich diversity of different types of habitats. We talked about the abundance of water and wetlands we have earlier in the episode, but we have just an incredible suite of varying types of land here, and we can use deer hunting to attempt to keep those deer numbers in check to ensure there's a healthy balance for both deer and the ecosystems they're part of. But speaking of deer populations, the fall during this specific time of year is also the white-tailed deer breeding season. And when populations are in the most flux. Breeding season is also known as the rut, and it's a time of heightened activity for deer.
For most animal species, the breeding season is brought on by a hormonal change in the animal, and right now, male deer will have an increase in testosterone as female deer are coming into heat, which makes a perfect window for reproduction. And those different hormones will act as signals that the chase is on, and male deer will then chase females in an attempt to find a mate. Now though, this is mostly a successful tactic for white-tailed deer reproduction, it can also lead to some increased challenges, especially for those of us navigating roads and highways this time of year. The high end movement can lead to deer crossing roadways much more frequently, often without warning. And it's a behavior that all drivers should be mindful of, especially during the early morning and late evening hours when deer are most active. So if you're listening to this podcast, I can only assume that you are probably a Michigan resident and you have experienced driving along the road rage.
You probably get road rage from this, but you've been driving along the roadway when all of a sudden a deer appears in front of your headlights out of nowhere. This is mostly happening this time of year, and you've probably noticed since the middle of October, there have been an increase in deer carcasses along the side of the roads. And much of this is because deer movement is increasing. They cross the roads without stopping to look, and your car just happens to be there when that happens. Deer vehicle collisions increased dramatically in the fall during this rut season, and it's crucial to be extra vigilant behind the wheel, especially during the month of November.
Keep in mind, deer are moving around much more frequently, so keep your eyes peeled for any signs of movement near the roadways. And always remember that if you see one deer, there's often more deer close behind. So deer are chasing, they're herding up right now. And if there's one, then there's likely one behind it that is pushing that deer. So slow down and just make sure all deer have crossed the road before you proceed. While traveling to and fro this fall, just keep those tips in mind to make sure you reach your destination safely. And if you're a hunter, best of luck to you in the woods this fall.
Announcer:
Michigan.gov/dnrtrails is your destination for trail maps, trail etiquette, and trail closure information. Trail information for biking, cross country skiing, horseback riding, hiking, off-road vehicle riding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and even water trails for kayaking and canoeing are available. While you're there, remember to check out information about pet-friendly recreation, track chairs and the Iron Bell Trail. All available at michigan.gov/dnrtrails.
Rachel:
Now is your opportunity to win a Wildtalk Podcast mug. As a thank you to our listeners, we'll be giving away a mug or two every episode. Our October mug winners are Jonathan Wallen and Marybeth Easton. Check your emails, we'll be getting in touch with you soon. They answered the question, what is a female red fox called? The answer is a vixen. Now to be answered into the drawing this month, test your wildlife knowledge and answer our wildlife quiz question. This month's question is, how many miles per hour can an adult moose run? Email your name and answer to us at DNR-wildlife@michigan.gov to be entered for a chance to win a mug. Be sure to include the subject line as mug me and submit your answers by November 15th. We'll announce winners and the answers on next month's podcast. So be sure to listen in to see if you've won and for the next quiz question. Good luck everyone.
Eric:
I bet you moose can run pretty doggone fast. They got long legs.
Rachel:
There may be a hint for how to answer that in the Wild Times Newsletter, if you subscribe to Michigan DNR emails.
Eric:
Oh, so you're saying people should go to our website and subscribe to the Wildlife Watching list so that they can get that Wild Times Newsletter.
Rachel:
I would recommend doing that. If you're interested and want to win a Wildtalk Podcast camp mug and be given the answer, you might find it in there.
Eric:
Good call. When does that email get sent out?
Rachel:
It will go out here in just a couple of weeks, shortly after this podcast airs. The email will come through within the first two weeks of November, so be on the lookout. You want to subscribe immediately.
Announcer:
Michigan conservation officers are working hard to protect and keep the outdoors safe for current and future generations. If you witness a natural resources violation, you can call or text the report all poaching hotline, 24 hours a day at 1800-292-7800, or fill out the complaint form available at michigan.gov/wrap. If you would like more information on becoming a conservation officer, click on become a CO at michigan.gov/conservationofficers.
Rachel:
Well, thanks for joining us on this November edition of the Wildtalk Podcast. Remember, if you have questions about wildlife or hunting, you can call 517-284-WILD or email us at DNR-wildlife@michigan.gov. We will see you back here in December.
Announcer:
This has been the Wildtalk Podcast, your monthly podcast airing the first of each month in offering insights into the world of wildlife across the state of Michigan. You can reach the wildlife division at 517-284-9453 or DNR-wildlife@michigan.gov.