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Show 62 Deer- Chukars transplanted from Capitol Reef National Park At the request of the National Park Service, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources personnel recently trapped 62 deer and, coincidently enough, 62 chukar in the boundaries of Capitol Reef National Park. Both the deer and chukar were transplanted to new locations where suitable winter range was available. The National Park system is seeking to restore a natural balance to the environment of Capitol Reef Park. Part of the plan called for planting of alfalfa. The deer within the park boundaries were too numerous to exist near the alfalfa without extensive damage to the crop. Deer The deer were trapped with two different types of traps. A large big game drop net was used in addition to the more widely used clover trap that catches individual animals. The drop net was set on large poles and then dropped on the animals that came to the bait. Apples and alfalfa hay were used for bait. This project was the first in Utah's history to utilize the big game drop net technique. Norm Bowden, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Southern Region game manager, indicated in-dicated that the technique worked very well. "The net is a tangle net. It allowed us to catch more animals with less effort and fewer people. It also proved to be very safe. Not one animal was injured," Bowden commented. com-mented. All 62 head of deer were transplanted to the winter range west of Fish Lake. The deer were marked with yellow identification iden-tification collars which will help to quickly identify any movements away from the new location. The deer remain the same herd unit, North Boulder. Chukar The chukar taken from the park were captured by use of a rocket net. Small explosive charges are used to launch projectiles which are attached to a small mesh game net. When the birds are feeding in the baited area, the explosives are ignited. The net hurls over the birds and traps them beneath it as it settles to the ground. The chukar were transplanted in Brush Creek near Vernal, Utah. The birds will be the base for what is hoped to be a re-establishment re-establishment of a chukar population in that area. 1 Bowden indicated that ; the project's success was due, in part, to the helpful cooperation extended by both the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. He also noted that the project was likely to continue on a limited basis in the future. . |
