Moose recapture takes flight

During the week of Dec. 2, Wyoming Game and Fish (WGFD) biologists continued their moose population monitoring in the Snowy Range using a helicopter to track and recapture some of the 30 cow moose they have collared in the last year.

The project is a cooperative effort between WGFD and the University of Wyoming's Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

Corey Class, Laramie Wildlife Coordinator, said, a lot of places throughout the west are seeing a decrease in moose population while the Snowy Range is thought to have a pretty healthy herd. For instance, the moose herd near Jackson, Wyo. seems to be decreasing in size.

Moose were reintroduced to the mountains above the Platte Valley in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The question for researchers now is, "Why is that population doing so well?" In order to address that question, biologists from the two groups are assessing the habitat usage and indicators of health in the Snowy Range herd.

The GPS collars collect location information every couple of hours. This provides precise information on migration routes, seasonal ranges and areas of preferred forage.

To assess body condition of the cow moose, the group take measurements of body fat reserves.

Class said that the animals he had seen during the recapture were "pretty fat cow moose."

The team check moose in early winter to get a baseline on their fat reserves going in to winter and in march to see how the animals fared through the winter. They also use a portable sonogram to see if the cows are pregnant.

Moose mate in the fall and according to Class, the cows are about two months pregnant during the December check. When they recheck the cows in March they are looking to see if the cows were able to carry their fetus through the winter. The cows are checked again in the late summer to see if they gave birth and if the calves survived the summer.

One of the questions that Class and his colleagues are asking is what are the best or fattest females doing compared to moose in struggling herds. Based on data collected from the best cows of the herds wildlife biologists can try to improve habitat and other conditions to improve herds all around.

Data from the seasonal checks will be combined into a database and eventually lead to long-term observations of seasonal and annual patterns in moose health and herd viability based on a variety of factors unique to individual herd locations.

 

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