The Pennsylvania Game Commission will take a more in depth look at the impact predators have on whitetail deer fawns.

The PGC has identified the primary predators of newborn fawns as coyotes and black bears, along with bobcats and fishers as responsible for a 22% fawn mortality rate.

Add automobile collisions, dogs and other accidents in the wild it becomes a challenge for newborn deer making it to adulthood.

Coyotes have been the most often blamed culprits in deer predation; however studies made in the past have shown that coyotes seldom take on a healthy adult deer.

They are more likely preying on injured or sick deer and fawns in their first weeks of being newborn.

Many tales surround the introduction of the coyote in Pennsylvania since around 1930.

One of the most often heard is that insurance companies introduced them to the commonwealth to help reduce the deer herd to save money on deer collision claims with autos.

There is no doubt that Butler County and surrounding counties support a substantial coyote and predator population. I have seen numerous coyote and bear during my travels throughout the region and have even taken a 50 pound coyote out of the deer predation business while deer hunting a few years back.

The PGC also notes that the black bear is a significant predator on newborn fawns and as the bear range spreads throughout Pennsylvania the more it may impact the deer herd.

A fawn deer is most vulnerable during its first few weeks of life after birth.

Fawns rely on being hidden and laying quietly to avoid detection.

Some of the greatest noses in the business use their sense of smell to find prey and are quite successful at it.

Once a fawn gets its legs strengthened and can move with its mother the role of predators claiming prey is greatly reduced.

However, fawns’ moving about with their mothers takes its toll also, quite often we see the results of deer taking trails across highway traffic and the results are significant deer mortality. We all are aware of the great number of deer-auto collisions in our region.

The last fawn deer predation study done by the PGC was in 2001.

That study is now 14 years old and much has changed in the landscape of Pennsylvania both literally and figuratively.

The PGC has entered into discussions with leading biologists from the U.S. Forest Service, Penn State, the University of Georgia, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Quality Deer Management Association among many other states and programs giving input into this issue.

Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough stated that the Game Commission wants to ensure that Pennsylvania’s deer resource is managed to ensure healthy deer, healthy habitat, and hunting opportunity.

To that end the PGC is launching a new study on the predator impacts on fawns.

The new study is a bit different from its predecessor in several ways.

For example it will be coordinated with current studies already going on to help reduce cost. The study calls for capturing doe deer this winter to implant transmitters that signal when fawns are born.

This job was made easier by the fact that some of these does already are fitted with GPS collars as part of a separate study on deer movements.

This will also make it easier to find fawns with implanted transmitters and equip them with collars.

The second way this study will differ from the first is that it will measure the types of predators present in the study areas and their relative abundance, which will be useful for interpreting any differences in survival noted during the study.

“The time has come for new research into predator impacts on deer, and we stand to learn much from this study our staff has worked hard to develop.” Hough said. “Hunters have made it clear: The question of how many fawns are lost to predators is on the minds of many, and this study could well help answer that question.”

“One area of interest biologists from the Game Commission and other agencies discussed is better understanding the community structure and relative abundance of forest predators in several areas of the state to provide insight on how these species compete for and partition prey resources,” Matt Lovello, who supervises the PGC game mammal section said.

The PGC designates specific WMU’s as open and closed areas for these predators; they then can be trapped and hunted to help control the species while keeping in place targeted harvest numbers.

We will keep an eye on the new PGC study on fawn mortality due to predator impacts and see what the findings uncover.

In the meantime your current hunting license allows you to harvest a coyote any time that you are afield all year round.

Bear, bobcats and fishers require an additional license and have limited seasons and areas to hunt.

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.