Tracking collars help researchers
Beginning this week, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will conduct mule deer captures from helicopters in three study areas along the east slope of the Cascades, including the Methow watershed.
The department will use contracted professional crews to capture approximately 125 adult female mule deer across the study areas, which include Okanogan, Chelan, Kittitas and Klickitat counties, and the Blue Mountain counties of Walla Walla, Columbia and Garfield.
The contracted crews have special training in humane capture methods to make the captures as safe as possible for both deer and humans, said Staci Lehman, WDFW communications manager.
The deer will be fitted with GPS/satellite tracking collars. This will allow researchers to track them to evaluate movement and migration patterns and learn more about habitat use and survival of these mule deer populations, according to information from WDFW.
Each animal will be collared and released at the site where they are captured. The collars are programmed to drop off the deer after four years.
Captures and collaring in Okanogan County will inform ongoing research to improve WDFW’s current aerial mule deer population survey techniques, as well as investigate movement patterns of mule deer in the Methow watershed, WDFW said.
Conservation efforts
The captures and deer studies in Chelan, Kittitas and Klickitat counties are supported through a long-term partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior to bolster mule deer conservation efforts in Washington. The captures in southeast Washington are adding to an ongoing study in which WDFW has already collared 64 deer over the past three years, but require some additional sampling in the foothills of the Blue Mountains.
“In eastern Washington, many issues related to habitat condition and movement barriers can affect mule deer populations over time,” said Sara Hansen, WDFW Ungulate Specialist. “Working with our partners at the Department of the Interior, we will be able to use information from these collared deer to assess large-scale movement patterns, which will, in turn, help us prioritize development of conservation projects with local partners that address the most pressing habitat and population connectivity issues.”
In recent years, mule deer have lost winter habitat along the lower elevations of the east slope of the Cascades to human development and declining habitat quality caused by drought, wildfire, and invasive plant species.
Captures are scheduled to begin in Okanogan County this week and continue south and east as work is completed in each study area. Work in the Methow Valley was delayed by a few days when a helicopter contracted for the job crashed while landing in Winthrop last weekend (see related story, page A1).
Mule deer are broadly distributed in Washington from the crest of the Cascade Mountains east to the Idaho border, providing hunting and viewing opportunities for thousands of people each year. WDFW is the primary state agency tasked with preserving, protecting and perpetuating fish and wildlife and ecosystems, while providing sustainable fishing and hunting.
