Regan Berkley Quotations

Fred is taking on more of the backcountry duties for us. He has been trained to do necropsy (autopsy of animals) on dead elk to determine how they died and their physical condition.

It is a neat thing for us and a neat thing for him. It gives us a way to track the elk herd in there almost every day.

We start feeding after considering several factors. Snow depth, temperature, elk body condition and elk numbers are monitored by our local conservation officer, Greg Wooten.

In general, elk numbers and composition in Unit 48 exceed our objectives. This year's estimate represents a significant increase in elk numbers over the past several years. Potential causes for this increase include fluctuations in winter weather conditions over the past few years and possible changes in seasonal migration patterns from Units 43 and 44 to Unit 48. We are currently plotting the locations of cows with radio collars to see how they have moved between where they were captured in the summer and where they are now.

In 1999, we estimated the elk population to be at 963 elk in the unit. After this year's count, we estimate the population to be 1,537 elk. That is a significant increase, and puts elk numbers in Unit 48 well above our objective.

The collars will help us understand deer migration patterns and identify important seasonal ranges. The radio collars will allow us to locate these deer regularly over the next several years. The deer locations will help us better understand the locations of winter range, what habitats they use during the spring when fawning, and where they are spending their summers. We will also be able to track their survival.