Elk Collared in North-Central Nebraska

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission recently placed tracking collars on 11 elk in north-central Nebraska. The collars provide real-time location data and help Game and Parks better determine populations.

Game and Parks contracted a helicopter animal capture crew to tranquilize and place GPS tracking collars and ear tags on the animals. Four elk – a bull, two cows and a female calf – were collared near the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge on Feb. 21. Later that day, one bull and six cows near Bassett were equipped with the tracking devices. The elk were shot with a tranquilizer dart and processed by the crew on location.

At Fort Niobrara, biologists are using the data to determine if there are enough elk in the area to warrant hunting on the refuge. Six elk in that region received collars by the same process in 2013.