The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is continuing its wolf monitoring effort this winter with the capture and collaring of several animals across their range in northwest Wyoming. The Game and Fish Department is responsible for management of the state’s wolf population outside Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Indian Reservation. So far this winter, approximately 35 new collars have been deployed, bringing the total number of marked animals to over 80 within the state’s trophy game management area. Managers like to have at least 1-2 collared animals in each pack to monitor the changing distribution and derive an accurate count for the population. Regular aerial surveys are flown to keep tabs on the collared animals and their associated packs. The crew will typically net-gun the animals, collect blood and other biological samples, fit it with a GPS collar and release it on-site. The collars then will transmit information for the next two to three years.
