Report Nr. 3406 2003 Deer Pellet Group Surveys

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) collects sample data to estimate population size and other population parameters of a wildlife species, based on statistical principles. These field surveys often draw inferences about a wildlife population based on observations of signs a species leaves. Experienced hunters frequently use pellet group sightings as a measure of the abundance of deer in an area and the pellet group survey is a formal extension of this common technique. It is designed to estimate deer density from the amount of fecal debris (pellet groups) deposited over a known period of time within a fixed area, since wildlife populations can be elusive and difficult to capture or observe.