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North Idaho elk study in its fourth year |
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January 13, 2017 |
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By Phil Cooper
IDFGWildlife Conservation Educator
Fish and Game biologists in Idaho’s Panhandle
region have started the fourth year of a
comprehensive elk mortality study. Working with
a private helicopter contractor, biologists have
been in the field capturing and collaring elk
since January 8.
In this study, elk are being captured with
either nets or tranquilizer darts depending upon
the terrain and density of the forest canopy.
Cow and calf elk are being fitted with radio
collars to monitor their survival rates and
movements. The plan includes collaring an
additional 60 elk calves and 50 cow elk in the
coming weeks if conditions permit. If the
targeted numbers are achieved, there will be a
total of 180 elk on the ground wearing collars
in the ongoing project.
The study area includes big game Units 4, 6 and
7. The most recent capture work was completed in
the Silver Valley, the North Fork Coeur d’ Alene
River, and the St. Joe River.
The GPS collars record the animal’s location
twice per day. Collars will function for several
years. The location, time, and other pertinent
data are transmitted to a satellite and then to
biologists as an email.
The study plan is to collar and follow cow and
calf elk so that Fish and Game can monitor
survival rates, habitat use, seasonal movements,
and perhaps most importantly to determine the
specific causes of elk mortality.
Once an animal is restrained or under
anesthesia, a handler fits the animal with a GPS
collar. Blood and fecal samples (for disease and
pregnancy surveillance) are taken, and estimates
are recorded for the age of each animal. The elk
is then released at the capture site just a few
minutes later.
The capture operation has gone very well in past
years and is off to a good start this year.
Prior to the development of GPS collars,
biologists had to use an antenna in hand or on a
plane to determine an animal’s location. Most
locations were usually midday, during weather
that allowed safe flights and good visibility.
Now, locations are taken regardless of weather,
giving a much better picture of what is going on
with elk in the three units.
A unique signal is produced if the collar is
stationary for four hours, tipping biologists
off that there may be a dead elk. In that event,
the collar can be located as soon as possible
and biologists can often (but not always)
determine the cause of death.
Of the elk captured in 2014 through 2016, the
annual cow survival rate has been 95 percent.
Calf survival has been 82 percent.
New technology, such as the use of GPS collars,
has changed wildlife management over time. New
equipment and techniques have enabled better
data collection and a better understanding of
what is actually happening outside in all kinds
of weather in both daylight and dark...all year
long.
If you see a helicopter circling in the skies at
a low elevation in the Panhandle over the next
few weeks, it may be a part of this study.
However, wildlife managers will also be
conducting the annual winter aerial surveys of
elk herds, and will be spending a lot of time in
the air getting trend information on elk
numbers. |
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