A Message to SFW from UDWR Big Game Program Coordinator Justin M Shannon
Here is a summary of the big game captures/transplants that took place this past fall/winter. Overall, we captured 1,276 big game animals this year.
I want to thank all of you who helped with the captures. Many of you contributed time, money, and efforts to make these captures happen, and we appreciate it. There is a lot of momentum in Utah’s big game program right now, and I believe it is because of the strong partnerships we have with sportsmen and our great biologists. I also want to thank Kent Hersey for taking the lead on organizing these projects, Brock and Randy from BYU for all the great research they are doing, Bill Bates and our Director’s Office for their continued support, and the project leaders and safety officers for carrying out the captures in a safe and professional manner.
This radio collared bighorn ewe was photographed near Moab, Utah in Arches National Park. Photo by Phil Douglass, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Bighorn Sheep – 142 animals
Disease profiling and monitoring
Zion – 16 animals
San Juan – 18 animals
Dirty Devil – 19 animals
Stansbury – 21 animals
Avintaquin – 7 animals
Transplants
12 sheep were transplanted from Zion to Pine Valley
49 sheep were transplanted from Antelope Island to Oak Creek
Mountain Goats – 21 animals were transplanted from Willard Peak to Mt Dutton
Bison – 15 bison were captured and disease tested on the Book Cliffs
The helicopter brings a captured bison to the handling area on the Henry Mountains. Photo taken 1-10-09 by Bill Bates, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Elk – 259 animals
189 elk (144 cows, 45 bulls) were captured as part of the Wasatch elk study
30 cow elk were captured in the Southern Region (10 on Southwest Desert, 10 on Panguitch Lake, and 10 on Beaver) to monitor movement patterns
6 collars were deployed on the San Juan Unit
34 animals from Park City to other portions of the Wasatch unit
Deer – 839 animals
Survival monitoring – 548
Pine Valley (40 does and 20 fawns in December, 23 does in March)
Wasatch/Manti (40 does and 20 fawns in December, 21 does in March)
Oquirrh-Stansbury (29 does and 20 fawns in December, 21 does in March)
Cache (40 does and 20 fawns in December, 21 does in March)
South Slope (21 does and 20 fawns in December, 13 does in March)
San Juan (41 does and 20 fawns in December, 26 does in March)
Monroe (30 does and 20 fawns in December, 20 does in March)
Vernon (22 does captured to monitor migration patterns)
Urban deer – 291 animals
94 animals from Bountiful to Big Wash
93 animals from Bountiful to Raft River
69 animals from Bountiful to the southeast Manti
2 animals from Bountiful to East Canyon WMA
32 animals from Herriman to southeast Manti
1 animal from Herriman to East Canyon WMA
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Justin M Shannon
Big Game Program Coordinator
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
