The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is planning to capture and collar 130 mule deer in the Wyoming Range mountains on December 1st and 2nd. The animals will be netted from a helicopte, fitted with a GPS collar at the capture site and then released. Most of the deer captures will take place on the winter ranges near LaBarge, Kemmerer and Evanston, and about 25 deer will be collared in Star Valley near the foothills of the Salt Range between Alpine and Smoot, and the Spring Creek area near Fairview.
This research project will build on existing data that has been ongoing in the Wyoming Range herd for the past 10 years. The 130 newly-collared deer will be in addition to approximately 80 animals that are already collared bringing the total to over 210 collared deer. The Wyoming Range deer herd, estimated at some 30,000 animals is one of the largest in the state.
This project is part of a new Wyoming Mule Deer Monitoring Program designed to assist the Game and Fish Department’s efforts to help struggling mule deer populations.
