Tagging Devices for Roosevelt Elk and Mule Deer

Abstract

Collars, earmarkers, and ear tags were attached to Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) in Oregon. Collar flaps made of 18-oz were the most satisfactory for both elk and deer. Eighty-nine percent of the elk collar flaps were intact after 6 months and 82 percent of the deer collar flaps after 8 to 9 months. Reinforced Herculite 80 earmarkers resisted folding but showed a fairly low rate of retention in elk; only 46 percent remained after 6 months. Dayglo Saflag earmarkers were retained best on both elk (79 percent) and deer (87 percent). Ear tags with round post attachments were most suitable for securing fabric earmarkers because they were less apt to be torn through the ear cartilage. The aluminum Perfect ear tags were the most satisfactory for use without fabric earmarkers. For a study of the ecology of elk and mule deer in Oregon it was necessary to tag large numbers of animals in a manner that would permit continual field identification. Marking devices had to be visible at distances up to a mile and be resistant to loss or mutilation. The elk study area was the Millicoma Forest in Coos and Douglas counties of southwestern Oregon. The mule deer project was conducted on the Silver Lake deer winter range in northern Lake County of south central Oregon. The elk were drugged with succinylcholine chloride by means of the Cap-Chur gun and syringes (Harper 1965). The mule deer were trapped on their winter range by corral, Clover, and panel traps as reported by Lightfoot and Maw (1963). METHODS AND MATERIALS Several types of collars and earmarkers were used on both elk and mule deer. Herculite vinyl-coated nylon fabrics, in weights of 10 and 18 oz per square yard, were the principal materials used. The heavier material (Herculite 80) was used in several colors for elk collars, deer and elk collar flaps, and for elk earmarkers. The lighter fabric (Herculite 20), in a bright red fluorescent called color guard, was tested for collars and used for some elk earmarkers. These materials are manufactured by Herculite Protective Fabrics, 661 Fourth Street, Newark, New Jersey. Dayglo Saflag, a fluorescent colored fabric purchased from the Safety Flag Company of America, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was used for both elk and deer earmarkers and streamers. Some elk collars were made of S. Fiberthin (18 oz per square yard), a product of the U. S. Rubber Company. Numbers, letters, and symbols were painted on the tagging devices with vinyl upholstery paint obtained from Ram Cote Products, 1139 West 69th Street, Chicago. Braided, 1/4-inch polyethylene rope was used to secure the ends of some elk collars and for collars to which flaps were sewn for both deer and elk. Collars and Collar Flaps In constructing the collars, primary considerations were resistance to folding and wear and whether the and numbers could be identified for at least a year. It 1 The elk and deer studies were contributions from Pittman-Robertson Projects W-59-R and W-53-R, respectively, and the Division of Wildlife Research, Oregon State Game Commission, Corvallis.