The helicopter appeared from the northeast over ranks of spruce and birch. Its payload, roughly 900 pounds of moose, dangled in an orange sling below the chopper.

The cow was delivered gingerly to a snow-covered gravel pit about 30 miles north of Two Harbors early last week.

She was the first of 60 moose that biologists hope to fit with radio-transmitter collars as part of a five-year study.

The agencies hope the information they gain each week from radio-tracking 30 cows and 30 bulls for five years will help them estimate the moose population in northeastern Minnesota.

The population is reasonably healthy, biologists say, but not much is known about moose movements or mortality other than the hunting harvest.

The cow had been “net-gunned” by a three-person crew from Helicopter Capture Services of Maryvale, Utah. After shooting a net from the helicopter to ensnare the moose, crew members tied the moose’s legs and it was transferred to a sling.

The study will cost $148,000 the first year and about $85,000 annually for the next four years.