Saturday, January 29, 2011

Elk Update

Elk- Freshare MDC
We just reported the first stages of elk trapping actives on this blog.  There is already news on the elk restocking program.  Freshare, MDC's Blog reports that 46 elk have been collected and are in quarantine to exclude diseases from the herd before their trip to Missouri.
"Trapping crews had to experiment with techniques to exclude mature bulls from the traps. They also had to work through technical hitches with the automatic gates.
This year’s catch includes seven spike bulls, 21 adult cows, 10 yearling bulls, four yearling cows and four female calves. Nearly all the mature cows are expected to be pregnant."
They will be kept under observation for three months.  During that time, observation will be mostly distant as human activity make the animals nervous.  At the end of that time, they will be fitted with GPS collars to track their activity in  their new home state.   Their next home will be in holding pens at Peck Ranch.