Back in the day at Montana FWP, wildlife surveys meant a paper map, a pencil, and probably a lot of squinting at landmarks. Today, biologists are rolling with handheld GPS units and digital mapping tools that track their routes down to the last zigzag. Instead of guessing where they’ve been, they can pull up detailed tracklogs, review their coverage, and analyze movement patterns with way more precision than a highlighter on a topo map ever allowed.
Elk, meanwhile, don’t always stick to the script. In some parts of Montana, they bunch up on winter ranges like clockwork. But when winters are mild and the habitat plays nice—like this year—they spread out and keep biologists on their toes. By recording survey tracklogs, staff can make sure they have covered every corner, avoid double-counting, and stay consistent year after year. All that modern mapping magic adds up to sharper data, better insights into where elk are hanging out, and smarter wildlife management decisions across Montana’s open landscapes.
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