jbaichtal

I am the Forest Geologist for the Tongass National Forest. I am a deer hunter. I have lived and hunted in southeastern Alaska since 1990. I am fascinated by the Sitka black-tail. I am passionate about these deer, I love the fact that little is known about their habits, and less is written. They constantly school me about their habits. I want to help facilitate research into the Sitka black-tails life cycles, habitat needs, and habits.

Since 1999 I have been involved as a volunteer in the capture, processing, and monitoring of radio collared deer here on Prince of Wales Island for ADF&G and researchers. I have assisted Dr. Dave Person, Boyd Porter, Doug Larsen, Amy Russell, Dr. Todd Brinkman, and Dr. Sophie Gilbert with their research efforts. Most recently, I monitored doe and fawn mortality during the winter of 2011 and 2012 for Sophie Gilbert’s PhD research project. The high fawn mortality experienced during the winter of 2011-2012 (91%) coupled with the reduction of deer numbers reported as a result of Dr. Todd Brinkman’s research from 2006-2008 highlights the importance of winter severity on deer populations and recruitment. My personal research into the relevance of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, El Niño, and La Niña events in southeastern Alaska was a result of these ongoing studies on Sitka black-tail deer in Southeast Alaska and my interpreting post-glacial climates.

December 2018