JACKSON, Wyo. — Jackson’s first moose collaring program started with the study of just 10 moose and limited data. In four years, it has evolved to shed light on seasonal movement patterns and mortality trends.
According to Aly Courtemanch, wildlife biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), the study started in 2019 with collars for 10 moose funded by the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) around the WY 22/390 intersection. The initial aim of the program was to directly inform the Snake River Bridge Project and wildlife underpasses, but the program has expanded over the past few years to bring in other groups and funding. To date, there have been approximately 30 moose collared.
Courtemanch told Buckrail the research specifically looks at cows over the age of two with collars that stay on for two and a half years before detaching and falling off; the collars from 2019 have already been detached. Each collar captures the moose’s GPS location every 30 minutes in order to provide fine-scale movement information.
Courtemanch says bull moose have not been collared for the program because they are much harder to fit a collar on as their neck size can change, particularly during breeding season.
All of the moose have been caught in the wintertime in mostly residential areas. While the initial study captured moose within a mile of the 22/390 intersection, recent years have collared moose in other residential areas closer to Teton Village, up by the airport and over near Indian Trails.
Courtemanch confirms that the data collected so far shows about half of the moose population migrates up into Grand Teton National Park or onto the Teton Pass area for the summer, while about half stay in the valley as resident moose.
“It’s pretty common that within a population there are different strategies, and individuals are doing different things,” Courtemanch says. “The one thing that is striking, I think, is we’ve had 30 moose collared and none of them have died in a vehicle collision yet, which is surprising.”
Courtemanch notes that there have still been moose mortalities outside of the collared population due to wildlife-vehicle collisions.
The collared moose mortality doesn’t seem to be showing any particular trend for either resident or migratory moose. Causes of death have included a moose falling through ice and drowning, a moose falling off a cliff, an accidental antifreeze poisoning and deaths related to backyard feeding.
Mark Gocke, public information specialist with the WGFD, says that the collars don’t seem to be contributing to any type of incident negatively impacting the moose. Since this is the first time these moose have been collared, Gocke says they’re always evaluating the stress the process could cause an animal and if it’s worth the information gained.
“Any time we think an animal is being bothered by a collar or impacting it, we try to recapture and get that collar off,” Courtemanch adds.
According to Courtemanch, a full analysis of the data will be possible once the last six collars, those fitted onto moose in 2022, fall off.
The 2022 Jackson moose herd winter trend count put the moose number at 297, which is a little over a third of the population objective of 800 moose. A new 2023 program collaring calves will explore why increased calf populations aren’t resulting in an increased overall moose population; there are currently four collared calves in the valley so far, with plans for a bigger collaring effort next winter, Courtemanch says.
