MONTANA COOPERATIVE WILDLIFE RESEARCH UNIT 



The Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research 

 Unit was established at the University of Mon- 

 tana on February 8, 1950. It is operated through 

 a coordinating committee with representatives 

 from the State Fish and Game Department, 

 State University, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Serv- 

 ice, and Wildlife Management Institute. 



Unit Objectives 



1. To provide technical and professional 

 training on various levels in wildlife manage- 

 ment, teaching, research, administration and 

 demonstration. 



2. To investigate and correlate the produc- 

 tion, utilization, management, and restoration 

 of desirable population of wildlife compatible 

 with good land use. 



3. To demonstrate research findings through 

 extension and practical management of game 

 and fur-bearing animals and of other desirable 

 species of wildlife, and encourage wildlife res- 

 toration through programs with schools, youth 

 clubs, and adult groups. 



4. To make available to landowners and 

 operators, sportsmen, conservation officials, ex- 

 tension workers, teachers and others, the facts, 

 methods, and new findings discovered through 

 research and through literature suited to local 

 and state conditions. 



5. To disseminate research findings through 

 the publication of reports, bulletins, circulars, 

 and journal and magazine articles. These are 

 to include scientific and semi-popular material 

 at all levels. 



Highlights of Some Unit Studies 



Grizzly Bear Population Study 

 in Yellowstone National Park 



This long-term study of the grizzly bear in 

 Yellowstone National Park is designed to in- 

 vestigate all important aspects of grizzly bear 

 ecology. The general as well as many of the 

 specific objectives are dependent upon obser- 

 vations of marked, known-age animals either 

 in the wild or when captured and placed under 

 sedation. The procedures of capturing, mark- 

 ing, and then recapturing and observing iden- 

 tifiable individuals in the population must of 

 necessity be carried on from year to year. The 

 time and effort devoted to this is considerable. 



A total of 37 grizzlies was captured during 

 1965. Of these, 19 were free-roaming animals 

 which were captured by shooting them with 

 drug-laden automatic projectile syringes. Eigh- 

 teen grizzlies were captured in culvert traps. 

 As in 1964, Sernylan, a fast-acting immobilizing 

 drug was used extensively during the past 

 season. 



A drugged griiily beor, sleepy from drugs, is weighed 

 during the course of o unit study in Yellowstone Na- 

 tional Park. 



Thirteen new individuals were captured and 

 marked during the year. Since the study began 

 in 1959, 212 different grizzlies have now been 

 captured and individually marked. Together 

 with recaptures, these make a total of 385 

 grizzlies which have been handled during the 

 seven years of research. 



Eleven mortalities were recorded this year. 

 Four grizzlies were shot by hunters outside the 

 Park, two died from an overdose of drugs ad- 

 ministered by National Park Service Rangers, 

 two were sacrificed for autopsy, two cubs were 

 killed by larger grizzlies, and one cub died of 

 unknown causes. Other than the cubs, those 

 bears lost from the population consisted of 

 three two-year-olds, two three-year-olds, one 

 four-year-old, and two six-year-olds. 



Autopsies were performed on four grizzlies 

 and representative organ and tissue specimens 

 were preserved for future histological and path- 

 ological study. In addition, blood specimens 

 were obtained from seven grizzlies to supple- 

 ment extensive blood chemistry data obtained 

 in 1964. 



Radiotracking Grizzlies 



During 1965 six dilieieiit grizzlies were instru- 

 mented and tracked by radio. Two of the six 

 were instrumented twice during the season. 

 Five animals were radio tagged with the ex- 



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