Starting on Feb 22nd, the Idaho Fish & Game will be conducting capture operations in Magic Valley. The IDFG will be using a low-flying helicopter to capture both deer and pronghorn. The animals will be caught by a gunner using a net gun to capture them. The helicopter will follow after the animals while the gunner will ensnare them in the netting.
Once the animals are captured officials will equip them with GPS radio collars. These collars will allow biologists to track migration patterns. Likewise, they will be able to track habitat use and survival over the coming months. Once the data is collected from the GPS collars, biologists will be able to correctly manage wildlife numbers and land usage.
Where Will the Operations Take Place
These capture operations will take place almost entirely on public lands. The areas of capture within Magic Valley will include Hunt, Eden, and Hazelton areas, north towards Shoshone and Dietrich, and west towards Gooding and Bliss. The overall goal of these operations is to capture 45 mule deer and 35 adult pronghorn from Feb. 22nd – March 1st.
For the safety of the wildlife, helicopter chase times will be limited to no more than three minutes. However, most capture chases take less than one minute before an animal is caught. Likewise, it roughly takes 10 minutes to collar and take physical information from each animal. Once this is done the animal will be released again. Biologists will also try to avoid repeatedly stressing wildlife while conducting captures on the winter range.
Typically these GPS collars are meant to fall off anywhere between 12-18 months. After they fall off they will transmit a pick-up signal to biologists in the area. This will allow the biologists to easily find the collars.
You can read more about these capture operations by clicking here. Likewise, you can read more Idaho hunting news by clicking here.
