AUTHORS: Kristine Cotten, Southern Illinois University Carbondale; Peter Schlichting, Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Daniel Skinner, Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Christopher Jacques, Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
ABSTRACT: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) infection among white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has become increasingly prevalent throughout northern Illinois in recent years, a marked departure from relatively low prevalence rates from its detection in 2003 until 2019. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages CWD primarily through hunter harvest and agency targeted removals, i.e. sharpshooting. Sharpshooting is currently considered the best technique for removing CWD infected deer. Despite this, little is known about sharpshooting’s impact on deer behavior. The increasing prevalence of CWD in our endemic area highlights the need for a better understanding of the role sharpshooting plays in shaping deer behavior and how we can increase the effectiveness of sharpshooting efforts with limited staff and increasing area of infection. To address this, we deployed 75 trail cameras across several CWD-positive counties in northern Illinois. Cameras were deployed from approximately mid-January to mid-March of 2024 at baited sharpshooting sites and will be redeployed over the same period in 2025. We will use images captured by these cameras to examine the rates of deer vigilance behavior and visitation to baited sharpshooting sites as a function of sharpshooting effort . Additionally, we will investigate environmental variables which may have differential influences on deer behavior and site selection. This information will provide valuable insights on deer behavior in the context of disease management. The increase in CWD prevalence in Illinois suggests a shift in the established patterns of infection, highlighting the need for a better understanding of how sharpshooting impacts deer behavior . This work will address this knowledge gap and aid managers in the continued implementation of sharpshooting as a management tool.
