IF&G tagging white-tailed deer, hopes to learn survival rate

The Panhandle region is the base location for multiyear research conducted by Idaho Fish and Game to check animals’ survival, particularly the white-tailed deer.

Idaho Fish and Game is monitoring wildlife game as part of a research project to understand better how various management activities, such as harvest levels, influence significant game interactions.

The research efforts will provide data related to vital rates and habitat use for white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose, mountain lions, black bears and wolves.

White-tailed deer are the most populated big game species in north Idaho. They play a vital role in the predator-prey dynamics in northern Idaho.

The University of Idaho and the University of Montana researchers use GPS collars and remote cameras to monitor adult and newborn fawn survival and how predators use white-tailed deer in several north Idaho study areas.

Animals will be captured from ground traps and fitted with satellite GPS collars. Animals, like moose and elk, will be darted and captured using helicopters.

The collared animals will provide data on survival and cause of mortality of adult animals, monitor their offspring’s survival from birth through the remainder of the year, and continue to develop methods of watching wildlife with remote cameras.

The goal of Fish and Game is to go in quietly, release the animal on site and leave the area immediately to limit the amount of stress caused on an animal.

Idaho Fish and Game ask you do not to disturb traps or deer in the traps. If you find a collar, please contact the Fish and Game office to return it.

Idaho Fish and Game monitor seasonal habitat selection, movements, and the effects of severe weather and nutrition on white-tailed deer population performance.