Powder River and Pumpkin Buttes mule deer herd captures
Research began the last week of November 2019 to study movement of deer in the Powder River and Pumpkin Buttes herds east of Sheridan and Buffalo. The Powder River herd unit is north of Interstate 90 and Pumpkin Buttes is south.
Eighty-five mule deer were captured by a professional wildlife capture helicopter crew on Nov. 21 and 22. GPS collars were placed on the deer to follow their movements for the next three years to identify movement patterns and important areas of use for the deer.
A 24-mile stretch of interstate in this area is listed as a priority area in WYDOT District 4 for addressing wildlife-vehicle collisions. These collisions are a safety issue for drivers and are considered a significant mortality factor for mule deer in the area. This project will give wildlife managers a better understanding of how deer are moving across or along the interstate as well as along nearby Highway 16.
Information gained from the study will be used by wildlife managers and WYDOT engineers to implement strategies such as fencing, signage or under and overpasses to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.
The study is being led by Hall Sawyer of Western EcoSystems Technology with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Interior Secretarial Order 3362, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission’s Mule Deer Initiative, the Wyoming Sportsman's Group and the Wyoming Migration Initiative.
Eighty-five mule deer were captured by a professional wildlife capture helicopter crew on Nov. 21 and 22. GPS collars were placed on the deer to follow their movements for the next three years to identify movement patterns and important areas of use for the deer.
A 24-mile stretch of interstate in this area is listed as a priority area in WYDOT District 4 for addressing wildlife-vehicle collisions. These collisions are a safety issue for drivers and are considered a significant mortality factor for mule deer in the area. This project will give wildlife managers a better understanding of how deer are moving across or along the interstate as well as along nearby Highway 16.
Information gained from the study will be used by wildlife managers and WYDOT engineers to implement strategies such as fencing, signage or under and overpasses to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.
The study is being led by Hall Sawyer of Western EcoSystems Technology with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Interior Secretarial Order 3362, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission’s Mule Deer Initiative, the Wyoming Sportsman's Group and the Wyoming Migration Initiative.
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