On January 8th and 9th, 2011, Hokkaido University held its "Field Adventure Pro" course for training future scientists. This time, the theme was animal behavior, and the practical training focused on Hokkaido deer in Nishikobe Village, about 300km from Sapporo.
January 8th
General animal ecology
On the bus to Nishikobe, we had a lecture about the ecology of various organisms. The bus was shaking quite a bit due to the heavy snow, but everyone listened attentively and engaged in discussion.
About the Nishikobe Hunting Area
Upon arriving in Nishiokobe Village, we received a lecture on hunting and an explanation of the Nishiokobe Village hunting grounds. We were told that hunting is very safe within the hunting grounds because only two groups per day are allowed to hunt with a local guide.
Hunting practice
After an explanation of the hunting grounds, we set off to actually hunt for Hokkaido deer. Because the deer would run away, no one except the instructor, who was a hunter, was allowed to get out of the car, but we were able to just barely spot the deer that were being targeted. We spotted five deer that day, but we were unable to shoot them because tree branches were in the way or the deer were facing the wrong way.
Deer butchering practice
Since we couldn't shoot any deer that day, we butchered a deer that had been captured (and bled) beforehand. The students held the legs to stabilize the animal and tried skinning it with knives. The instructor explained the structure of the deer's body as we butchered it.
Light Census Practice
One method for determining the number of wild animals is the light census. This method involves shining lights from a car at night to check for the presence of wild animals (especially by observing the reflection in their eyes). I had a hard time finding any, but I realized how difficult this survey is.
January 9th
Deer farm visit and telemetry practical training
The second day began with a visit to a deer farm in Nishiokoppe Village, in temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius. The deer at this farm are raised for tourism purposes, so there is no danger of them being eaten by humans. They were eating their food in peace.
After observing the deer, we participated in a telemetry practical session. This involves attaching transmitters to wild deer to study their behavior, and after receiving an explanation and actually trying it, I realized it's an extremely painstaking research method.
Trace investigation
We all put on snowshoes and went into the mountains to look for signs of deer and other animals. We found deer footprints and evidence of animals eating tree bark. We also heard deer calls (warning sounds) during our survey.
About the ecology and behavior of the Ezo deer
The story of the deer shape in the Japanese archipelago
