On June 4, 2013, Buck 8917 did something weird, for a deer: He took a long, purposeful walk.
Researchers from Penn State had captured and put a GPS collar on the adult male that spring in Bald Eagle State Forest, about 15 miles northeast of State College, Pa.
Put a tracker on most deer and you’ll find they stick pretty close to their home range, which was true for 8917.
Then, in 2015, after two mating seasons, two hunting seasons and thousands of laps around his home range, Buck 8917 died — unsurprising given he was about 4 years old.
Now in its 10th year, the study has tracked more than 1,200 white-tailed deer around 100 square miles of Pennsylvania forest.
Persons:
Buck, sauntered, he’d
Organizations:
Penn State, Bald Eagle State Forest, State College , Pa, U.S . Geological Survey, of Forestry
Locations:
Bald, American, Pennsylvania