Each year, Minnesota deer hunters leave thousands of gut piles behind in the woods.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota are curious which wildlife species visit or eat from these gory remnants. They partner with hunters to monitor the gut piles with remote trail cameras. The thousands of images, initially analyzed by volunteers, are then studied by researchers to discover what species visit the piles and find surprising patterns in their behavior.
Since 2018, the first year of the project, over 455 gut piles have been monitored and over 63 species have been documented visiting them. The project is currently recruiting hunters. Learn more by listening to the full conversation above or by visiting offal.umn.edu.
KAXE's Tuesday Morning Show strives to take an in-depth look at some natural resource-based issues important to Northern Minnesota. Producer Mark Jacobs and hosts Heidi Holtan and John Latimer discuss the problems and highlight some creative solutions.
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