Colorado Parks and Wildlife will begin elk capture work in Northwest Colorado starting Monday. 

The work is done to help the agency better understand elk calf survival and it will be done using helicopters. 

Work begins on the Bears Ears herd in Routt and Moffat counties with crews eventually transitioning to either Montrose or Pitkin Counties. Each study area requires roughly two days of flying time to complete. 

CPW plans to place GPS collars on elk calves, cows and bulls throughout the state during the winter. Elk calves are captured using net guns and are quickly collared and released by helicopter crews at the capture site. 

“The data we collect from these efforts is critical to help us proactively manage elk populations in the state,” said CPW Wildlife Researcher Nathaniel Rayl, in a news release. “In general, it is beneficial to conduct capture work in winter because the lower temperatures and snowfall provide better conditions for this work. Elk, moose, deer and pronghorn prefer cooler temperatures and are actually less stressed than if we were to capture in the summer when they may overheat.” 

Helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft classification flights for big-game species such as deer, elk, moose and bighorn sheep will also begin in December and be carried out through January. 

“Classification flights are an important tool to help us understand herd health and how recent winters have affected birth rates and survival of elk calves and fawns,” said CPW Northwest Region Senior Wildlife Biologist Brad Banulis, in the release.