Below is a news release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Operations to capture and radio-collar adult female elk in the Blue Mountains start this month to better understand factors affecting the population growth rate of elk in the area.

The effort will help inform Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) wildlife scientists’ understanding of the Blue Mountains elk population status as well as how nutrients in the environment influence the population growth rate.

“We hope to learn more about the elk population’s resilience to weather events, such as drought and severe winters, as well as diseases such as chronic wasting disease,” said Dr. Melia DeVivo, ungulate research scientist at WDFW.

Understanding what is impacting the growth rate of elk is key to informing management actions that ensure conservation of the population.

WDFW biologists plan to capture and radio-collar 100 adult female elk in Columbia, Garfield, Walla Walla and Asotin counties in GMUs 162, 166 and 175 from Dec. 9-19. Using collars to track them, biologists will monitor the elk over two years to obtain data and insights into what impacts survival and reproduction, and ultimately the population growth rate.

During the captures, members of the public may see a helicopter flying close to the ground.

This work is conducted in the winter when elk are in large groups that are easy to spot. Because conducting captures in winter can cause some stress to animals, biologists take all precautions to minimize stress, including conducting short pursuits, completing collaring quickly and monitoring animals’ temperature, breathing and heart rate during the process. Biologists are also very cognizant of avoiding any actions that could cause elk to run through fences or scare livestock in the area. Strict protocols guide how flights are conducted to ensure the safety of both humans and animals.

Data from a study WDFW conducted between 2021-23 suggests that elk calf survival is not driving population declines as some expected. As reported in the Blue Mountain elk herd: Juvenile recruitment and mortality monitoring report, the elk calves’ survival rate was extremely low during the first study year, which experienced a severe summer drought, but increased the second and third years. During years without drought, calf survival did not explain the low population estimates assessed over the last several years.

(Photo credit: Randi Kyle/ Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)