So it has taken me nearly a year and a half to get my shit together and find a job in my field. I love the fact the I'm finally getting paid to do something I'm passionate about, even if the money isn't that much. Right now I'm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (in a small town called Escanaba) and sharing a beautiful house with seven other scientists, which includes graduate students and fellow wildlife technicians.
My first day in the field involved checking 22 deer traps. The morning started off very well with a pregnant doe in our first trap! Unfortunately we didn't get any more pregnant does, but we did also trap a female fawn and buck. I aided in holding down the doe during the ultrasound and insertion of a vaginal implant transmitter (VIT tag). Soon I will be taking blood samples myself as well as inserting ear tags. It is amazing how much I've seen and learned in just one day!
Next week we will be checking black bear dens, which means I will potentially have the chance to hold a black bear cub and aid in the immobilization of adults. I will also be able to participate in aerial telemetry. This means I will be flying in a plane trying to locate radio-tagged deer using GPS. Wow! This job is full of all sorts of surprises.
Right now I would like to sleep since I didn't get enough of that last night and working out in the cold plus running from trap to trap is tiring. However, I still have some data entry left to do. I am looking forward to getting into bed early this evening since tomorrow it is rise and shine at 6:30am once again!
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