The skies over Colorado's Western Slope will soon be busier than usual. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is revving up for its annual aerial inventory of local wildlife, including deer, elk, and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. The in-air operations are set to kick off early December and will go on through January's end, weather permitting. These flights have been known to stretch into February.
During the colder months, to minimize disturbance and potential harm to feathery and furry residents, CPW's biologists take to the skies in helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Spotted flying at low levels, they're not just buzzing the treetops for kicks; you're actually seeing wildlife management in action. As reported by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, these classification flights are part and parcel of how the state gets a bead on its big-game populations, particularly looking to tally up the number of young animals that have managed to survive to adulthood, as well as sex ratios and overall wildlife headcounts.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the data harvested from these aerial surveys is critical. "Classification flights are an important tool to help us understand herd health and how recent winters have affected birth rates and survival of elk and deer," expressed Brad Banulis, CPW Northwest Region Senior Wildlife Biologist.
