August 1st - 15th, 2024 Range Rider Update
This summer has been flying by, and Taylor left the Team to go back to school on the 16th. A huge thanks to Taylor for a third season with us. She has been a great asset to our team and community. Good luck with school, we will miss you! Filling in for Taylor for the rest of the season will be Patrick Solomon. His first day is the 18th, and we look forward to having him join us. Pat is from Idaho, has many years of experience riding in remote areas, and has been in the valley previously doing day work for several ranches.
Range riders have been staying busy riding, addressing vehicle and trailer maintenance issues, monitoring cameras, and participating in CVA’s spray days. Most of the herds have remained healthy with minimal issues to report to producers. Unfortunately, one herd experienced a depredation and attempted depredation. The depredation was on a calf that had been doctored for pneumonia, the sickness making it more vulnerable. Range riders found a second calf that had clearly been attacked by a bear, but was still alive and moving around. The wounds were extensive enough that the producer had to put it down. Range riders have extra cameras up in the area and are in regular communication with the producers so that our combined efforts are as effective as they can be considering the recent depredations.
Archery season for the special 900-series antelope opened August 15. This will bring some increased traffic to the Valley but not nearly as much as general archery for most ungulate species on September 7. Just as a friendly reminder, if you are a hunter please be respectful of the Centennial Valley and its community; do not trespass, practice good hunting ethics, clean up after yourself (i.e. garbage and toilet paper), and drive respectfully. Also, if you shoot a moose, deer, or elk this season please consider submitting samples for CWD testing. Thank you!
The Team documented six grizzly bear observations including two sets of tracks, two game camera events, a depredation, and an attempted depredation. Most of this activity was in the north central part of the valley. Only one black bear observation was made in the north central part of the valley.
There was one wolf report of a depredation on the south side of the valley. This was with cattle we do not ride, and range riders do not have cameras in the area.
Pronghorn are herded up into harems, or breeding groups, generally consisting of one male with many females. Pronghorn will be breeding now through beginning of October. Elk will be soon to follow so keep an ear out over the next few weeks for some early bugling. Moose also start to rut towards the end of August, and can be more aggressive. One participating producer had a bull moose jump into their horse corral a few years back, spooking their horses and injuring one. Needless to say, pay attention for more than just grizzly bears this time of year when out recreating and working!
The Team and the cameras cannot capture the entire Valley each day, so community reports are extremely valuable to understand how wildlife use the Valley. If you have any wildlife reports to share (big or small!) please contact Erika Nunlist, Wildlife Program Coordinator, at wildlife@centennialvalleyassociation.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
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