Patrick Brejcha couldn’t believe his eyes when he checked his trail camera: a bald eagle, wild turkey and crow were side by side, eating from the same food source inches apart. They were gathered around a deer gut pile near Brejcha’s family land, seemingly feasting in harmony.
The moment was one of many fascinating wildlife interactions Brejcha has observed as a participant in the Offal Wildlife Watching Project. The project, led by University of Minnesota Extension, is designed to better understand what species use deer gut piles (offal) provided by hunters across Minnesota by using remote cameras to capture images of wildlife. Its goal is to understand how hunter-provided offal fits into wildlife food webs in Minnesota.
As one of more than 400 hunter-participants, Brejcha uses trail cameras to collect image data from gut piles. More than 10,000 global volunteers identify which animals are captured in the images through the participatory science site Zooniverse. It is a collective effort that’s produced surprising insights into animal behavior, and Brejcha gets a front-row seat to the action.
Science-minded service
Brejcha brings nearly three decades of outdoor experience to the Offal Wildlife Watching project. With a bachelor’s degree in zoology specializing in fish and wildlife from North Dakota State University, he now works in conservation, handling grasses, trees and the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) program at the Wilkin Soil and Water Conservation District.
“I read about it in a DNR conservation volunteer news site,” Brejcha explains about discovering the project. “I wanted to find a way to keep using my degree. I like doing citizen science projects because I find it rewarding to be a part of that work. It was no trouble for me—just a matter of having a camera ready to go when we did shoot a deer. After that first year, I’ve been hooked on it.”
Grace Milanowski, program coordinator for Offal Wildlife Watching, notes the ease of program participation: “We have about 200 cameras to loan out. Hunters can simply request one online before they go hunting, take it with them so they can set it up immediately after they field dress their deer, fill out a brief form about the camera setup and then send us the photos afterwards.”
Unexpected discoveries
His curiosity has evolved into a passion project, with 13 trail cameras that rarely come down. Brejcha’s cameras have captured remarkable wildlife moments.
“I’d always heard about fishers near me, but never seen one in my county. The first picture we got was through the gut pile project,” he shares. “The amount of birds, eagles, birds of prey ... even deer going on the gut pile to visit it is interesting. It’s amazing to see what is in your little snippet of land. Without the camera, you’d never see it.”
Among his most memorable captures: a wolf, badgers, a bobcat and a family of eagles hunting with their juveniles. He’s even witnessed these encounters firsthand: “I watched a fisher eat offal for about 25 minutes. I was able to see it clear as day, 40-50 yards away. It was special.”
Passing on the value of conservation
The project has become a family affair. His wife, Megan, is a high school science teacher who is an active participant in community science projects, like helping tag monarch butterflies. Brejcha’s 14-year-old and 11-year-old sons participate in the experience.
“They like to look at the images and be a part of it,” Brejcha says. “My 10-year-old harvested his first deer ever last year and contributed to the project.”
Through his volunteering, he’s developed connections with individual animals, following their stories through his camera lens. “We had a doe who was missing part of her lower jaw. Amazingly, she survived 3 years. We followed her on camera.”
Hunting as conservation
Brejcha believes projects like this help demonstrate hunting’s role in conservation.
“I hope this project shows the public how many animals can benefit from deer harvesting. Harvesting this way ethically provides food for us and a food source for so many animals. Just about every time we go to retrieve the cameras, there’s almost nothing left. Everything, from mice and small birds all the way up to bears, is consuming it. It doesn’t go to waste, and it’s all part of a chain of life.”
What we’re finding out
“Through the Offal Wildlife Project, we’ve documented 62 different species of wildlife visitors to offal around the state,” says Grace Milanowski, program coordinator for Offal Wildlife Watching. Here are a few of the fascinating insights from the project so far:
- Gut piles serve as opportunistic hunting grounds for predators. Barred owls and bobcats visit the guts not just to eat offal, but also to hunt rodents.
- Birds are the top visitors to gut piles. About two-thirds of all species documented so far are birds.
- Although the researchers expected that birds would find gut piles first on the prairie, since it’s so open, carnivores were the first to find and eat the gut piles.
A complete list of insights can be found at offal.umn.edu.
Permission is granted to news media to republish our news articles with credit to University of Minnesota Extension. Images also may be republished. Check for specific photographer credits or limited use restrictions in the photo title.