A Collar for Identification of Big Game

Abstract

All methods yet devised for marking big-game mammals individually have undesirable features. Colored plastic ear tags, as used by Leopold, et al. (1951) to mark mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), may be recognized up to one-quarter mile if conditions are optimum and a telescope is used. However, these markers are usually recognizable only at much shorter distances if many different colors and patterns are employed; moreover, they are often lost. Ear cuts used in combination with tags are usually recognizable only at short distances and are sometimes confused with natural deformities. Large areas of dyed pelage can be seen farther, but some dyes fade, and at best they are lost with the molt (Webb, 1943; Clover, 1954). Natural deformities and markings have been used to identify individuals (Kabat, et al., 1953), but often too few animals have distinctive markings. The use of bells enables observers to secure records for many deer that are not seen, but it is possible to mark only small numbers of animals individually with bells (Taylor, 1947 and pers. comm.). During a study of movements and home ranges of white-tailed deer (0. virginianus) in Missouri, the writer developed a conspicuously colored collar that proved superior in some ways to the marking schemes discussed above. The coll r was made of belt leather, heavy weight Dura upholstery plastic (obtained from T. M tthews Upholstery Company, Kansas City, Missouri), nd a 1-inch buckle, according to the specific tions given in Fig. 1. The buckle was attached so that the plastic could be cemented to the rough side of the leather. Goodyear Pliobond cement proved to be most satisfactory for fabricating the plastic design and attaching it to the leather; the plastic was best cemented to the leather when the ends of the collar were buckled together. The plastic nd leather sometimes were also sewn together for added strength. Outdoor-exposure tests of the plastic made for one full year indicated that this material is durable, color-fast, and flexible even at below-freezing temperatures. Five colors of plastic (red, yellow, green, black, and white) were used in combination with five designs shown in Fig. 1. In favorable light these designs were easxContribution from the Missouri Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Management Institute, Missouri Conservation Commission, Edward K. Love Foundation, and the University of Missouri cooperating.