Seven Devils Mountain Goats To Be Surveyed

RIGGINS - Idaho Department of Fish and Game will conduct a survey of the Seven Devils mountain goat herd to evaluate the status and health of the population. Goats will be marked during mid-March, then an aerial survey will be conducted later in the month. By analyzing the mathematical relationship between the total number of marked goats to the total number of goats observed during the aerial survey with and without marks, IDFG can better assess the precision of goat population estimates. The robust Seven Devils herd has been used to augment or establish goat populations in other areas of Idaho. The herd started with 17 animals transplanted from another Idaho capture site in the early 1960's. Eight goats from Washington's Olympic Park were added in 1989. An estimated 180 mountain goats occupy the rugged Seven Devils. Idaho's mountain goat population has declined from a high of 3,000 in 1995 to a current low of 2,400. Fluctuations are normal, but goat populations have been enhanced with transplants into suitable, yet unoccupied habitat.