Working with three ranchers and an animal-tracking vendor, the state last month wrapped up a pilot test that involved tracking 130 animals using passive RFID tags.

The state will start a second test in March that uses active RFID tags, which should extend the tracking range, said Scott Leach, a field investigator at the Colorado Department of Agriculture .

If the tests are successful, the state hopes to use RFID technology to help track animal diseases, including chronic wasting disease (CWD), a degenerative neurological illness endemic in Colorado and some other states.

CWD is viewed as a very serious threat to both captive and wild elk and deer. The state wants to use an automated system to track and isolate any CWD outbreaks.

Implementing an RFID tracking system could be an essential part of any effort to protect the elk population, said Myrna Hansen, co-owner of the Top Rac Elk Ranch in Fort Collins, Colo., which took part in the state's recent test.