Colville Indian Reservation welcome second pronghorn transplant

Pronghorn antelope repopulate the Colville Reservation

These two pronghorn antelope were spotted among a herd of domestic cattle on the Colville Indian Reservation near Brewster last week. A red ear tag is visible on the male at right while the female at left wears a tracking collar. The pair is likely part of a herd of nearly 100 animals captured in Nevada and released on the reservation late last month.

Pronghorns in transport bags attached by carabiners to a long line suspended under a helicopter are ferried to waiting horse trailers for the trip to their new home on the Colville Indian Reservation.

Posted Thursday, November 16, 2017 10:27 am

Mike Maltais

BREWSTER – The population of transplanted pronghorn antelope on the Colville Indian Reservation grew by nearly 100 when teams from Colville Tribes’ Fish and Wildlife (CTFW) and the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) released 98 animals on CCT lands late last month.
The first pronghorns were transplanted on the reservation in January 2016 when 52 animals were released.
A CTFW media release said NDOW and tribal personnel captured 12 bucks and 87 does near Elko, Nev.
“The total composition included 26 fawns, 20 yearlings, and 53 female adults,” said CTFW biologist Eric Krausz. “We lost one female antelope due to injury.”
Fifty of the adult females were fitted with Global Positioning System/Very High Frequency (GPS/VHF) collars that monitor locations at 12-hour intervals and detect mortalities following a period of 24-hour inactivity. The collars are designed to last up to four years.
The antelope were taken from the Elko area after a wildfire this year burned critical winter range needed to carry the animals through the cold months.
“Our objective was to reduce densities of pronghorn in these areas, and allow for those being transported to Colville lands time to acclimate to their new environment before the arrival of winter,” NDOW big game biologist Cody McKee said.
The animals were rounded up in October when their body temperatures and stress levels were best for transport.
A spotter plane was used to locate antelope groups and a helicopter net gun employed to capture target animals. A capture team of about 50 personnel included a helicopter capture crew, veterinarians from the Omaha Zoo, biologists, technicians and volunteers from NDOW and the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
Once an animal was net-gunned, a mugger from the capture team untangled the antelope from the net, applied a blindfold and leg hobbles, said Krausz. Each antelope was injected with a calming drug after capture. Horse trailers were used to transport the pronghorns to their new range on the reservation.