RIVERTON, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will be conducting aerial captures of mule deer in the Riverton area in late January, using low-level helicopter flights.
This is the third year of a research project focused on the reasons behind the high prevalence of chronic wasting disease in the Project Deer Herd, Hunt Areas 157 and 171. Eighty-two mule deer were collared in the previous two years, including two collars with cameras. This year, an additional 52 collars will be placed on deer, 32 on mule deer and 20 on white-tailed deer.
Captures will happen over several days. Animals will be netted from a helicopter by a professional wildlife capture crew, fitted with the GPS collar and have an ear tissue sample collected to test for CWD. Deer will then be released at the capture site.
Habitat use and animal movement will be compared between deer where CWD is detected and deer where it is not detected. Data gathered from the project may be used to identify disease management strategies.
Other project partners include the Shoshone and Arapahoe Fish and Game, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
For more information, people can contact Daryl Lutz at 307-332-2688.
