BASSETT – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission placed tracking collars on three elk near Bassett in north-central Nebraska on Tuesday, the latest installment of a multi-year effort to use real-time location data to determine populations, make harvest recommendations and monitor herd health.
Game and Parks contracted a helicopter wildlife capture crew to catch the elk and equip them with GPS tracking collars and ear tags. In addition, samples were taken from the three cows to obtain health and genetic information.
This is the third year of the collaring effort in the Niobrara River region between Valentine and Bassett. The crews placed collars on 17 elk the previous two years — 11 in 2014 and six in 2013.