Boots on the Ground: Fawn Capture Season

Joey and Chris are back with a field recap from two days assisting the Monteith Shop's mule deer research in the Wyoming Range. Their work focused on fawn captures, a key part of understanding mule deer survival, reproduction, genetics, and how harsh or mild winters impact the herd. They explain how collared adult does, implant transmitters, satellite location "clusters," and telemetry help researchers locate birth sites and newborn fawns. Once found, each fawn is carefully processed for data like weight, measurements, and genetic samples before being safely returned. Tuesday brought a tough challenge with doe 338, who was believed to be carrying rare triplets. A premature VIT release led to a long, cold, steep hike, but with updated data and help from Ollin Company's Starlink setup, the team eventually found and processed one fawn later confirmed as hers. Wednesday went more smoothly, with Joey helping process a set of twins after a clearer VIT signal and birth site. The episode also highlights Ollin Company's live social coverage and the bigger picture of the Monteith Shop's research, which has been tracking mule deer in the region since 2013. Thank you to Ollin for the fantastic coverage.