The Michigan Department of Natural Resources set up 200 trail cameras as part of a research study to monitor the state’s elk population.
Researchers are using the cameras to estimate Michigan’s elk population to determine the most accurate and cost-effective ways of managing the population.
Here’s everything to know about the project:
Where are the cameras set up?
The 200 cameras were set up in and around the core elk range, which includes 1,100 square miles of northern lower Michigan, according to the DNR.
Most of these battery-powered cameras were put on land managed by the state, but the DNR coordinated with people to also set up these cameras on private land.
They are attached to trees about 40 inches off the ground and use infrared and motion detection to take photos. The photos will be stored on an SD card.
The DNR said they
What are the goals of the survey?
Knowing the elk population estimate helps officials decide how many elk hunting licenses they should issue each year, the DNR said.
Other ways DNR estimates elk population
The DNR also uses the annual elk harvest and aerial surveys to determine the state’s elk population.
The aerial surveys are conducted every other year, and in 2024, the elk population was estimated to be between 884 and 1,408.
The next aerial survey will happen in 2026. This type of survey typically takes about eight days. Two planes will fly each day, and two DNR officials will be on each plane.
“We will compare the results from these different survey methods and balance the precision of the estimates they provide with the resources they require,” said Angela Kujawa, a DNR wildlife biologist.
The aerial surveys have also proven to be unreliable lately due to the lack of snow coverage.
“Tyler Petroelje, the DNR’s northern Michigan wildlife research specialist, noted that the aerial survey requires sufficient snow cover to aid in detection of elk; such cover has recently been unreliable during the January survey period,” according to the release from the DNR. “The aerial survey’s uncertainty rate of about 25% would adequately inform typical wildlife population management needs but is somewhat imprecise to evaluate effectiveness at reaching Michigan’s narrow population goal of 500 to 900 elk.”
How data from trail cameras will be collected
To pilot using cameras as a new way to determine elk populations, researchers will collect data from the cameras each summer from 2025 to 2027.
The DNR said it will collaborate with the Michigan Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Michigan State University to review the photos, using artificial intelligence and human review.
Here’s exactly how the photos will be analyzed, according to the DNR:
The photos will be run through an open-source program called MegaDetector that is highly accurate at detecting animals, though it does not classify by species. Photos of humans are deleted.
The animal photos will then be uploaded to a cloud-based platform called Wildlife Insights that will identify photos of elk. All animal photos uploaded to the platform are checked by a human as an extra layer of review.
Seasonal staffers on the MSU Cooperative team will then verify that the technology accurately identified elk photos.
Researchers will also analyze the teeth taken from elk that are harvested this fall and winter to help supplement the collection. This type of survey wouldn’t replace the use of aerial or camera surveys, according to the DNR.
If this survey method proves to be accurate, it could be used every year, potentially allowing researchers to conduct the aerial studies every three to five years instead of every other year.
These methods for determining elk population support the state’s elk management plan.
“That management plan really guides the information we need to manage our elk herd,” Petroelje said. “And so we have a responsibility to follow the management plan to estimate elk abundance with the best tools that are available.”
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