Province seeks help of trail camera owners

Provincial biologists are hoping Nova Scotians who use trail cameras will help them manage deer and bear populations by sending in their observations.

Responses can help show how many does have fawns, deer population growth rates, how many cubs black bears are having this year and locations where bear or deer are thriving. They can also provide similar facts about other wildlife.

“The more eyes, the better, when it comes to collecting current wildlife information,” said Natural Resources Minister Margaret Miller in a release Tuesday.

Trail cameras automatically take photographs of wildlife when triggered by an animal’s movement. Many hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts operate trail cameras in the province.

Natural Resources already collects information on the deer herd through deer pellet surveys, information provided by hunters when deer are harvested, and by examining a deer’s jawbone after harvest to determine its age. Camera submissions will help the department add to its existing data.

“We are asking hunters and others to fill out a trail camera survey describing what they see in their photos, to add to the information we use in making good wildlife management decisions. They can also send in the photos themselves,” said Miller.

The province says that everyone who submits a completed survey form before Dec. 10 will have a chance to win a highquality trail camera. Survey participants will receive information on how to enter the photo contest.

Survey information must be from trail camera photographs taken before Dec. 10 and can be submitted at https://novascotia.ca/natr/hunt/trailsurvey/.

The winning photo and a selection of others will be posted online.