Wyoming Game and Fish Department Pinedale Region Newsletter Trumpeter Count Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Biologist Susan Patla recently conducted an annual winter survey for trumpeter swans and other waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway portion of western Wyoming. The annual aerial survey is coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the states of Idaho and Montana to obtain a count of all trumpeters in the Rocky Mountain population in the western United States. The majority of these swans winter in the tri-state area of eastern Idaho, western Wyoming and southwestern Montana with small groups also found in Nevada and Oregon. Overall, a total of 6,775 swans were counted in the tri-state area, which is a 26% increase from 2014 when 5,368 birds were counted. Typically, over 90 percent (more than 5,000) of the wintering swans are migrants from interior Canada where nesting populations have shown strong growth for the past few decades. This year, Patla counted a total of 931 swans in western Wyoming, or 14% of the total tri-state wintering population. An additional 168 swans were counted in Yellowstone National Park. The numbers counted in WY outside of YNP are almost identical to the previous five year average. The total number of swans counted by drainage included: Snake River (515), Green River (211), and Salt River (119). (Left) An aerial view of the Green River and the main Hawley wetland unit at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, Feb. 11, 2015. A total of 122 swans were counted in this marsh area, which in past years remained frozen in February. This is the most productive wetland area for nesting swans in the Green River basin.
Winter Elk Counts Begin Wildlife biologists and game wardens count big game animals at different times of year based on when they are most visible and can be classified as males, females and juveniles. This gives managers a picture of not only how many animals there are, but how the population is trending: increasing, stable or decreasing. This information helps managers design hunting seasons that will keep the population at the established population objective. Winter is the best time to count and classify most big game, and especially elk since most elk in the Pinedale and Jackson regions attend winter feedgrounds, making them relatively easy to count. All of the game wardens, biologists and other regional personnel chip in to count the elk as it is a big job. Elk numbers in the Pinedale Region remain robust due to a relatively light harvest this past hunting season. Most big game populations saw little change from last year. Consequently, Pinedale wildlife managers do not plan much for changes to any of the big game hunting seasons for 2015. Managers will present all the current big game numbers along with their proposed hunting seasons at upcoming public meetings. Public meetings are scheduled for 6-8pm, March 24th at the Marbleton Town Hall and 6-9pm, March 25th at the Pinedale Game and Fish office. A bachelor herd of bull elk as seen from the helicopter on native winter in the southern Wind River Range. Photo by South Pinedale Game Warden, Jordan Kraft Saving Sage Grouse Pinedale office managers Lori Johnson and Layna Jones spent several hours applying reflective tape to nine cases of plastic strips used to make fence markers for a local sage grouse project. The reflective plastic strips will be cut into 4 sections and hung on fencing in an effort to prevent sage grouse collisions with fence wires. Volunteer Laurel Barrett of Pinedale attaches fence markers to a Sublette County fence to help prevent sage grouse collisions with the wires.
Elk Research Continues Jackson and Pinedale personnel in the Game and Fish Department s Brucellosis-Feedgrounds-Habitat (BFH) program spent much of January capturing elk using both corral traps and chemical immobilization at several elk feedgrounds. Adult cow elk were captured and fitted with GPS collars to document fine-scale movements and vaginal implant transmitters (VIT) to identify elk parturition, or calving areas. In addition, a blood sample is taken from each to continue long-term database on the percentage of elk that are exposed to brucellosis. All this information is useful in developing seasonal range maps, determining areas of high brucellosis transmission risk and providing land managers with additional information to make important resource management decisions. A total of 459 elk were handled this winter including capture efforts at Alpine, Dell Creek, Fall Creek and Muddy Creek feedgrounds. Several additional elk were darted from a haysled at 12 different feedgrounds. A total of 52 GPS collars and 48 VITs were deployed and will be used to continue multi-agency studies on feedground elk ecology. Additionally, 274 yearling and adult cow elk were bled to test for exposure to Brucella bacteria. Impressively, the Game and Fish Department s BFH personnel have handled over 13,500 elk since 1993 (including recaptures). Since 2006, the program has deployed a total of 579 tracking collars (both GPS & VHF) on elk in northwest Wyoming, quite likely more than any other entity. This has resulted in an extensive database of elk movements, calving areas and elk ecology in general. (Photos clockwise from left) 1) BFH Biologist Ben Wise collects a blood sample from a cow elk to test for exposure to brucellosis 2) BFH Biologist Eric Maichak prepares the tranquilizer drug to immobilize the elk for processing 3) Elk captured in a corral trap on a chilly morning 4) Pinedale BFH GIS Specialist Cheyenne Burnett steadies a cow elk while waiting for the reversal drug to take effect.
Brucellosis-Feedground-Habitat (Continued) An elk feeder prepares to shoot a biodegradable biobullet of Strain 19 brucellosis vaccine, and a paintball to mark it as vaccinated, at a calf elk. BFH again coordinated implementation of the ballistic elk vaccination effort on 17 feedgrounds in February, including the National Elk Refuge. The goal of the program is to implant a dose of lyophilized Brucella Strain 19 vaccine encased in a biodegradable bullet in as many juveniles attending targeted feedgrounds as possible. Delivery of the vaccine has been highly successful, with an average of 96% of all elk calves classified on feedgrounds have been vaccinated since 1985. Additionally, BFH personnel spent considerable time visiting with Game and Fish elk feeders to ensure low density feeding was occurring on select Target Feedgrounds. Hay distributed in a low density fashion (Below) at the Fall Creek feedground near Pinedale in February of 2015. Note the relatively equal distribution of elk and the absence of a single line of hay. Research with GPS and proximity data logging collars has proven that contacts with aborted fetuses can be reduced between 66-75% by preventing a single line of hay, which elk tend to move up and down numerous times per day, increasing the chances that they contact a fetus and ingest the Brucella bacteria. With low density feeding, elk can move up, down, over or across to reach the adjacent pile of hay. Low density feeding takes more time, but is a relatively easy method to directly reduce brucellosis prevalence among elk attending feedgrounds, and indirectly reduce risk of brucellosis spillover into livestock.
Looking for Sheds Big Piney Game Warden Adam Hymas reports that deer on winter ranges in his district do not have much snow to contend with. While he has noticed a few deer that have died this winter, numbers are not significant at this time. Hymas and other regional wardens continue to patrol the deer winter ranges reporting there are several people out keeping a watchful eye for violators of the shed antler regulation. Hymas is seeing a marked increase in calls and reports of winter range violations, or suspected illegal activity, regarding the shed antler season. While most of the activity is legal, Hymas is encouraged by the overall support for the regulation and people watching out for illegal activity and the wintering wildlife. Shed hunting has become so popular and competitive that an antler hunting season was implemented to protect wintering wildlife from being harassed. Wyoming s shed antler hunting season has been in effect since 2009 and prohibits the collection of antlers from January 1 through April 30 on all federal and state lands west of the Continental Divide. South Pinedale Game Warden Jordan Kraft responded to several calls of injured/urban deer and moose in February. Jordan Kraft patrolled mule deer winter ranges and checked ice fishermen, trappers and mountain lion hunters in the district and investigated reports of dogs chasing deer. Kraft also responded to several reports of moose damage in the Pinedale and Boulder areas. Antelope migrating north into the Duke s Triangle area as a result of unseasonably warm weather in mid-february.
On the Furbearer Front Big Piney Game Warden Adam Hymas reports having tagged bobcats for a few trappers, but has noticed a decrease in both trapper numbers and bobcats being harvested. It is thought that the increase in trapping harvest over the last few years may have thinned bobcat numbers. In today s fast -paced society, with kids spending much of their free time on various forms of electronics, Hymas thought it good to provide this photo (right) of a youngster enjoying the outdoors trapping muskrats for his first year and enjoying every minute. North Pinedale Game Warden Bubba Haley responded to numerous complaints of elk damage and commingling throughout the North Pinedale District. Fencing materials were delivered to landowners and numerous hours were spent hazing elk away from cattle. Haley also investigated the possible illegal take of a mountain lion, but no violations were discovered. Growin Fish The Boulder Rearing Station received 59,000, 2 inch long brown trout that were hatched at the Speas Hatchery near Casper. The fish will be reared for a couple months and grow about an inch, before being stocked into Big Sandy Reservoir. Boulder is currently rearing several species of fish including 140,000 Kokanee salmon that will be released into the Green River below Fontenelle Reservoir and end up in Flaming Gorge. Pushin Snow The Pinedale Habitat & Access crew spent time replacing broken and damaged rafters on the Muddy Creek and Black Butte Feedground haysheds. They also assisted the Brucellosis- Feedground-Habitat crew with clearing the Dell Creek Feedground elk trap in preparation for capturing elk there in February.