Alberta Mule Deer Collaring Project to Launch in Winter 2024/25

/EIN News/ -- STONY PLAIN, Alberta, Nov. 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) is pleased to announce the start of the Alberta Mule Deer Collaring Project in winter 2024/25. In the first year of this multi-year project, 100 mule deer will be captured and collared in southeast and southwest Alberta to gather information to help support mule deer management in Alberta.

The vision for the Alberta Mule Deer Collaring Project is based on a similar program that began in Utah in 2014, where radio collars were initially placed on 210 does and 210 female fawns. In addition to deploying collars, the capture crew takes numerous measurements on the collared animals, assessing body condition, age, reproductive status, and testing for disease. In Utah, continuance of their monitoring program over the last 10 years has resulted in robust and powerful information to help managers better understand mule deer mortality, survival, reproduction, and management.

To support the first round of collaring in Alberta this winter, as well as project management through the first year of the program in 2025, APOS has contributed approximately $675,000. The Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) has contributed another $100,000 to get the project started, and Alberta Forestry and Parks is committed to $250,000. Additional project partners are being sought to help support additional study areas and a larger number of collars in future years.

“After 4 years of building Alberta’s new Mule Deer Management Plan, an investment in data is the next logical step,” states APOS President, Corey Jarvis, “Aerial surveys generate valuable information, but they are costly and do not capture the same level of nuance that will be gleaned from the biometric and movement data available through the collars. APOS is excited to contribute to innovation in wildlife management in Alberta, and we are thankful to Dr Randy Larsen at Brigham Young University and others for their support and guidance.”

Information from the Alberta Mule Deer Collaring Project will increase our understanding of mule deer abundance and distribution and, most importantly, help inform management actions to ensure mule deer conservation throughout their range within Alberta.

Specific objectives of this Project are to evaluate:

1. adult female survival and determine causes of mortality,
2. adult male survival and determine causes of mortality,
3. efficient population monitoring methods,
4. seasonal movement, natural movement corridors, and seasonal habitat preference, and
5. regional deer body condition and the correlation to changes in mule deer abundance.
   

Led by consulting firm Wilderness Solutions Inc, the Alberta Mule Deer Collaring Project is being shaped by a Steering Committee comprised of the project funders and government, and an additional Technical Subcommittee is being established to help refine the study methodology. Mortality assessments and field collection of collars will be completed in collaboration with various agencies and organizations.

For more information about the Alberta Mule Deer Collaring Project and the Wildlife Management Fund (WMF), please visit apos.ab.ca/WMFGrants. Inquiries about the Alberta Mule Deer Collaring Project can be directed to Jeana Schuurman, APOS Managing Director, at jeana@apos.ab.ca or 780-414-0588.

We are also seeking landowners in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 102, 116, 118, 119, 624, and 303, 304, 305, 306, 308, 402 who are aware of mule deer populations residing on their land and willing to provide access for collaring efforts.

About the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS)
The Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) was established as a delegated administrative organization (DAO) for the Government of Alberta in 1997. APOS’ delegated responsibilities include licensing the province’s guides and professional outfitters, managing the distribution of big game allocations and waterfowl privileges, and holding members accountable to a Code of Ethics. We also provide members with access to competitive liability insurance, a voice within government, and advocacy on key issues.