Why not rent a plane for an hour and fly transects over the area before they drop their antlers. It's a lot more accurate. I'd have to agree about the sample size being to small. I seem to remember mark and recapture studies need very large sample sizes (more than 20 or 30)to be accurate. I just don't think that few antlers is enough to make reliable predictions. Besides, there's to many outside variables. Good idea for a thread though. Good to exercise the old thinker once in a while.

What's next? how about a model designed to predict where a buck is most likely to drop his antlers based on: seasonal variables (weather, rut intensity, time spent feeding/bedding), habitat selection (type of feed, distance to feed/bedding) and habitat type (fences/downfalls to jump, thickness of cover). Any volunteers to do the math on that one? I didn't think so.