Deer trapping for research

A deer springs and kicks in an athletic burst captured in the photo above by Dave Ross as volunteers from the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council release the animal. The deer had been live-trapped and fixed with a GPS tracking collar for a northeastern Washington white-tailed deer study. The research is scheduled from 2012 into 2015 by the Department of Fish and Wildlife to better manage the state's most productive region for whitetails. Stevens, Pend Oreille and northern Spokane counties also are the most popular whitetail deer hunting areas in the state. S-R Outdoors editor Rich Landers was on the scene to shoot this photo sequence documenting how volunteers and researchers trap, process and release one of the 70 or more deer involved in the study.

Section:Gallery

Thu., Jan. 24, 2013

A deer springs and kicks in an athletic burst as volunteers from the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council released the animal after it was fixed with a GPS tracking collar for a northeastern Washington white-tailed deer study being conducted from 2012 into 2015 by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Dave Ross
Two volunteers from the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council rush at dog-kennel-size deer trap and collapse it to immobilize the panicking deer that will be part of a northeastern Washington white-tailed deer study being conducted from 2012 into 2015 by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Two volunteers from the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council collapse a deer trap to immobilize a deer that will be part of a northeastern Washington white-tailed deer study being conducted from 2012 into 2015 by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The deer was lured with bait into the trap on private land in Stevens County.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Volunteer Jim Jones, right, of the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council takes lessons from Jim Kujala, left, as they trap the first deer for a northeastern Washington whitetail research project being conducted by Woody Myers of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
With a hood over its eyes and its legs hobbled, a deer that had been caught in a trap becomes calms as volunteers from the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council prepare to attach a GPS collar for a northeastern Washington white-tailed deer study being conducted from 2012 into 2015 by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Volunteers from the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council weigh a deer before attaching a GPS tracking collar for a northeastern Washington white-tailed deer study being conducted from 2012 into 2015 by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Jerry Woods, a volunteer from the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council, comforts a deer as it's being processed for a northeastern Washington white-tailed deer study being conducted from 2012 into 2015 by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
A Washington Fish and Wildlife Department biologit draws blood from a deer that had been trapped and radio collared as part of a northeastern Washington white-tailed deer study. The blood is tested for a variety of information.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
A volunteer punches an ear tag into a deer for a northeastern Washington whitetail study being conducted from 2012 into 2015 by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Woody Myers of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife adjusts a radio transmitter clipped to the ear of a white-tailed deer at the start of a research project on whitetails in northeastern Washington.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
In the following sequence of images, volunteers carefully release the 175-pound deer they had trapped, processed and fitted with a GPS collar for a northeastern Washington whitetail research study. Deer are known to kick violently when released as they spring up and run away to freedom.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Dave Ross, right, removes the blindfold mask from a deer before it's released as part of a northeastern Washington whitetail study.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Volunteer Jim Jones, left, of the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council takes lessons from Jim Kujala, down on right, as they hit the ground to avoid flying hooves of a 175-pound buck they're releasing after it was trapped and fitted with a radio transmitter in January for a northeastern Washington whitetail research project being conducted by Woody Myers of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Standing are volunteers Jerry Woods, left, and Dave Ross.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Volunteer Jim Jones, left, of the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council takes lessons from Jim Kujala, down on right, as they hit the ground to avoid flying hooves of a 175-pound buck they're releasing after it was trapped and fitted with a radio transmitter in January for a northeastern Washington whitetail research project being conducted by Woody Myers of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Standing are volunteers Jerry Woods, left, and Dave Ross.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Volunteer Jim Jones, left, of the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council takes lessons from Jim Kujala, down on right, as they hit the ground to avoid flying hooves of a 175-pound buck they're releasing after it was trapped and fitted with a radio transmitter in January for a northeastern Washington whitetail research project being conducted by Woody Myers of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Standing are volunteers Jerry Woods, left, and Dave Ross.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Volunteer Jim Jones, left, of the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council takes lessons from Jim Kujala, down on right, as they hit the ground to avoid flying hooves of a 175-pound buck they're releasing after it was trapped and fitted with a radio transmitter in January for a northeastern Washington whitetail research project being conducted by Woody Myers of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Standing are volunteers Jerry Woods, left, and Dave Ross.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Volunteer Jim Jones, left, of the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council takes lessons from Jim Kujala, down on right, as they hit the ground to avoid flying hooves of a 175-pound buck they're releasing after it was trapped and fitted with a radio transmitter in January for a northeastern Washington whitetail research project being conducted by Woody Myers of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Standing are volunteers Jerry Woods, left, and Dave Ross.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Volunteer Jim Jones, left, of the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council takes lessons from Jim Kujala, down on right, as they hit the ground to avoid flying hooves of a 175-pound buck they're releasing after it was trapped and fitted with a radio transmitter in January for a northeastern Washington whitetail research project being conducted by Woody Myers of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Standing are volunteers Jerry Woods, left, and Dave Ross.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
A deer runs into the woods after being trapped and fitted with a GPS collar for a northeastern Washington whitetail research project. This buck (it had shed its antlers) is one of about 70 deer wearing transmitters to give researchers accurate information about their movements, migrations and homre ranges.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review