Researchers are trying to get a handle on how many elk are using key migration routes in western Wyoming.
According to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, the majority of the herd poured out of the Gros Venture valley this past winter for the first time on record. Yet, researchers documented nearly 2,000 elk that still passed through a key migration corridor.
“It’s good to see that, yes, the elk are coming back,” Aly Courtemanch, Wyoming Game and Fish wildlife biologist, told the Jackson Hole News & Guide. But questions remain: “What are those numbers? Is it a few hundred elk? Is it thousands of elk? This is definitely a minimum count, as there were several large groups that went through and ‘mobbed’ the camera, blocking the view.”
Researchers will now focus on how many elk return to their summer range compared to previous years.
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(Photo source: Wyoming Migration Initiative)