July 16th-31st Range Rider Update
Range Riders have been out regularly riding through seven different herds, setting and checking cameras, and helping elsewhere as needed. There have been a few cattle losses since the last report, all related to natural causes (pneumonia, poison, etc). Range riders have deployed cameras on most of the carcasses and collected information on grizzly bear and wolf activity.
One of the carcass cameras was particularly interesting, documenting at least 5 different grizzly bears and one wolf in one night. The grizzly bears included a sow with 2 cubs and two lone bears, one of which looked a bit worse-for-wear. As always, these observations were shared with the producers and other folks in the area to help increase safety and awareness while out working and recreating.
Although the Centennial Valley had a stretch of hot and dry days, we are thankful for the recent rain! Hopefully the moisture will help keep the landscape green and reduce the wildfire potential. Although moisture is always welcome, it can reinvigorate some of the poisonous plants deadly to cattle. Range Riders will be paying extra attention to the poisonous plants found in some pastures.
The program collected 17 grizzly bear observations in the last couple weeks, the majority of these (13) being game camera events at two carcasses in the same area. Observations at the carcasses included repeat visits from a sow with two cubs and two lone bears. The remaining observations included two additional bears at a different carcass, and tracks seen by Range Riders. Most of the activity documented on camera was at night or in the crepuscular hours.
There were two black bear observations on game camera since the last report. Both were small bears at different ends of the Valley. One of the events included a black bear using a fence post to scratch its back on!
There were 10 wolf observations in the last several weeks, including eight game camera events of the same wolf at two carcasses over a three-day period. The remaining two observations were tracks seen by Range Riders and a community member.
The CVA game cameras had many deer and pronghorn events on our game cameras, and only a handful of moose and elk. It has been observed that pronghorn starting to group up in preparation for mating season.
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!
*** 2023 content is property of the Centennial Valley Association. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without written permission. ***