Nature

Report any wildlife tracking collars found to Wyoming Game & Fish!

Published on June 12, 2017

My Dad used to be an avid duck hunter. One day many years ago, he brought home a mallard drake he’d taken on the river with a small silver bad around its leg. This was the first time I’d ever seen a banded duck. Dad explained to me the purpose of the band and it was really neat to hear the info he received back from US Fish & Wildlife regarding this particular band. Fast forward, 20 years later, Dad and I were driving past a local golf course pond and noticed about 15 Canada geese wearing bright yellow tracking collars. After grabbing binoculars, pen and paper, I managed to jot down a few of the numbers off the collars. Dad made a phone call to a local biologist friend and found out those geese had been banded in Canada just a week earlier!

I am pretty sure the first griz I ever saw in Yellowstone had a tracking device. I always, wondered if maybe the Craighead brothers had tracked that particular griz. They were my heros growing up in their study of grizzly bears. My childhood dream was to become a grizzly bear biologist. I changed career directions but still find it fascinating to see and hear about wildlife research.

Tracking devices can provide amazing research information to biologists. Wyoming is asking for anyone that comes across an animal with a tracking collar to please mark the location and notify their Game and Fish Department. The information collected can be crucial to the study of many species.

“The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is encouraging anyone who finds or harvests an animal that is wearing a tracking collar (or transmitter) to return that piece of equipment undamaged and as soon as possible to any Game and Fish office throughout the state.”

“In various areas of Wyoming, people may come across collared big game animals including moose, mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep or elk. There are also trophy game animals wearing collars, including black bears, grizzly bears, mountain lions and wolves; game birds and waterfowl.”

“If you do find a collar, contact the nearest Game and Fish Department office or call the Cheyenne Headquarters at (307) 777-4600.”