Yahoo Autos Look who's back: GPS-tracked deer crosses Mississippi River into South Delta, again
He's at it again. Buck No. 140 has crossed the Mississippi River on a journey from his summer range in Louisiana to his winter range in the South Delta.
"He's on the Mississippi side of the Mississippi River, but he's not where he spends the rut," said Luke Resop, Mississippi State University graduate research assistant. "He's right on the edge of the river.
"It seems to be a staging area. When he's there, he doesn't move much at all."
Resop said its an area where Buck No. 140 stopped last year when he made the same journey. His movements have been tracked for almost two years by a GPS collar as a part of a study conducted by MSU and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
His lack of movement is a characteristic Buck No. 140 has displayed before -- to the point researchers thought he was dead.
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A deer taking it easy
"So, we caught him in December 2020 where he spent the rut," Resop said. "About two weeks after hunting season he went into this really thick area.
"He moved 100 yards over the course of 10 to 12 days. Typically, that means they died and a scavenger is dragging around the collar. We sent some of our workers in there to retrieve the collar and he jumped out of his bed and took off like nothing was wrong. I guess he's recovering."
Buck No. 140 got his name from the ear tag on him with the number 140. He's part of a study to develop a method of tracking deer populations using cameras and other tools. The study is being conducted in the South Delta where deer face severe flooding as well as chronic wasting disease and in Benton County where CWD appears to be the most prevalent in the state.
