Sheldon Feral Horse Management Plan (Nevada unit 033)

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FiveMileRanch

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Help Us Save the Sheldon Mule Deer, Bighorn Sheep & Antelope herds

The back fence of my 5~Mile Ranch is the Sheldon National Wildlife Range. The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge is half a million acres of high desert habitat for large wintering herds of pronghorn antelope, mule deer, scattered bands of bighorn sheep, and a rich assortment of other wildlife.A truly unique high desert with sage brush and mountain mahogany which used to be one of the most superb mule deer and antelope habitats in Nevada or the western U.S. Large groups of deer and antelope could be seen at almost any time and whether you were a hunter, wildlife photographer or just someone that likes to watch wildlife in their natural beautiful habitat the Sheldon was the place to be.

I have run Nevada Trophy Hunts for close to twenty years. I also have a 160 acre ranch that joins the Sheldon and from my point of view it was heaven. Just a few short years ago I would guarantee my clients that every third hunter would get to take or at least have a shot at a 30? plus wide 180 B&C type buck and I had the photos to prove it. Many of you receiving this email have taken those bucks with me in the past. Well, the genetics are still there and with your help we can bring our mule deer back.

A dark cloud has descended on the Sheldon in the form of an out of control feral horse and burro population championed by the liberal California and Colorado Wild Horse lobby the same people that champion and brought you the wolf! The overpopulation of non-native feral horses has an obvious and lasting impact to resources like fisheries, sage-grouse or other non-game species, as well as the large native bighorn sheep, antelope and mule deer. Large grassy riparian areas around the clear flowing springs of the refuge that used to give cover to sage hen are gone. Now these important areas are dusty areas devoid of grass or sage brush and the springs are mud holes. These devastated spring areas are guarded most of the day by aggressive feral horses that not only prevent antelope and bighorn sheep the opportunity to come to water, as I have witnessed, will chase them from water.

There is one hope of saving this wonderful refuge and it is that U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is in the process of drafting a management plan to deal with the Feral Horse & Burro Population among other issues and you are being invited to give your opinion. Only you have the power to make the Sheldon what it was set aside to be, a true wildlife refuge. Only you have the power to remove the destructive non-native species that are there now, feral horses and burros. It will only take a few minutes of your time and with a few clicks of your computer you will be helping to restore one of the greatest mule deer habitats that has ever been from becoming a horse corral.

Be assured the liberal Wild Horse lobby is taking those few minutes to push for no control.

Use this link to take you to the Sheldon webpage.



http://www.fws.gov/pacific/planning/main/docs/NV/docssheldon.htm

then at the left side of this screen click on: Use this link to submit your comments to us electronically link on the left hand side of the page below the antelope photo. Fill out the form info and scroll down to the first set of choices.



~Managing Feral Horses & Burros~

Then check alternative ? 2? = Remove all feral horses and burros within five years

Then in the comment box make a comment:

For example: ?Please make the Sheldon a true wildlife refuge as it was set aside to be and take out all feral horses & burros.?

Then click Submit Comments

If you will take the time to do this small thing we may be able to save one of the greatest wildlife areas in the western United States. Then maybe in a few years you or your kids may be lucky enough to hunt one of those thirty inch plus 180B&C mule deer that used to be common on the Sheldon. Like I said the genetics are still there we just need your help.

This is a time sensitive comment period that ends in December so do not put it off. Send this to every hunter you know and we can whip the liberal horse lobby on this one.

Thanks in advance for helping on this very IMPORTANT issue,

Tony Diebold

[email protected]
 
Tony, is the real deal. Feral horses and burros in the Sheldon Reserve are destroying this fragile ecosystem.
Take a moment and log in and vote.

If we could get the wild horses out of the Sheldon range, in the years to come, it would be living proof of the damage they have been doing in NV and CA.
 
I just completed the survey, it was easy and only took a minute to do.

At least BLM removed a bunch of horses and burros off much of the country south of the Sheldon this year, all along the border. Now, they need to make this an annual event and keep the populations of these non-native species down to low levels that the range can support.
 
Best thing would be to completely remove them. There were horses on the White Sands range in NM, and they are no longer there.
 
The largest mule deer I have ever seen was on the Sheldon in August of 1993, a non-typical that was 35+.

The Sheldon is one of those truly special places in the West! The wild sheep, antelope, and deer need the habitat, free from horse and burro invasion.
 
I hunted there last year for thirty one days. In this time I payed very close attention to the horses. There are horses every where you look. The biggest problem in my opinion is the water holes. They aren't trampled out like cows do but they guard the water holes and make it almost impossible for wildlife to water. That seems to me as the huge factor. The land actually looks way better than when you go off the Sheldon and all you see is powder dirt and cows every where.

This is such a hard thing to tackle because there are so many that think they are "wild" and want them. The only way I can see to control them is to treat them as wildlife and hunt them. We need to open back up being able to take horses to process for meat. Just my two cents.
 
Done! I hope they take care of all the wild horses around Nevada. They are starting to take over areas in eastern nevada as well.

__________________________________________
-TEAM HOSSBACK- "Making Blood, Not Profit"
 
Done, horses belong in a corral eating hay. I've seen the damage first hand, it's pathetic that the Sheldon is now a freakin' horse and burro refuge instead of the gorgeous deer, antelope, and sheep habitat it once was. buckspotter7
 
Hey, bearman, what do you think a non-resident horse tag would go for? I'd meet you over there for a hunt (if it was legal)!
 
Tell Boone T. Pickens and his wife to take every wild horse they want and stick them up there asses. We don't need them destroying the Sheldon, or the rest of the West. I only wish you could still shoot them on sight! They were great coyote bait! The only hope we have, is the wolves start eating them. THEN HAVE A BIG F N WOLF HUNT!

They have a saying in North West Nevada,

"NO SHITTERS, IN THE SHELDON!"

Maybe Uteytooty can still kill them?

Go TEAM HOSSBACK, MAKING BLOOD, NOT A PROFIT!
 
Hi guy, believe me I feel your pain but lets use the old keyboard and mouse first. If I can get enough of you guys as motivated as I am to motivate every hunter you know we can whip these people on the horse as well as the wolf. I am an ex government trapper and an outfitter for twenty years, Trust me, we can not win this one with a Winchester but we can with emails. Thanks for your support. TONY
 
Paul has hit right the horse on the head. The feral horse people are in a panic over this. National organizations like The Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited and The Wildlife Society want the horses out of the Sheldon. If this happens it will show the rest of the country how destructive to wildlife and their habitat horses are. Email some one else, we can win this one! Thanks for your help, TONY
 
Tony I will complete the survey. I agree that there are too many horses up there as I have seen them with you. Hope you are doing good. Louie
 
Hi Louie, thanks for posting a comment on the Sheldon Feral Horse problem. We need every response we can get. I have one more hunt in unit 015 and there is a 35" whopper there. If I can get my guy on him I will you send some photos. Say hello to your dad, TONY
 
Good to hear from you Tony. Work interfered with me coming to see you in early November and look at some bucks. How did the season go? I will give you a call sometime to say hi. Louie
 
Ive been over there and the Horse population is Actually Amazing to seen.
Then you start looking around at the country and realize the distruction,its hard to believe our manage leaders have let this happen..
 
Wild horses have their place, but need to be managed. Each state should have a few. Two old males per state is just about right.

from the "Heartland of Wyoming"
 
I sent in my comments.

There are some wild horses in the White Mountain wilderness in New Mexico and they are doing pretty good damage to the habitat there as well. Amazing how deep and established a horse trail is over an elk trail.
 
It's sad to see what the horses have done to the Sheldon. They need to be completely removed so it can be a wildlife refuge. I completed the survey, it only took a minute, hope everyone who cares about wildlife will do the same.
 
Thanks , lets take it one bite at a time. First the Sheldon then the Red Desert. TONY
 
The Sheldon will not survive with out guys like you responding, Thanks , TONY
 
Thanks guy, we need ever body we can get to respond. We have to win this one or the Sheldon is finished. Tony
 
Thanks please get someone else to respond also. If we lose this one the Sheldon is dead. TONY
 
Thank you, The fact of the matter is that there is not enough water resources to support the wild horse in it's present numbers as the area only receives 3 to six inches of total moister a year. The wild horse may be part of the west but in this ecosystem the horse like all the wildlife that shares the range must be managed. The fragile high desert environment cannot take the impact of the uncontrolled feral horse whose numbers double every four years. Think about that the 1500 horses on the Sheldon now could be as many as 3000 horses in 2015 and on and on......... Then they will die as they have in the past and everything around them will die also. The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge will die and turn into a horse corral.

In 1976 I watched as 500 wild horses starved to death in the Buffalo Hills winter range. There was not a stick of grass left on the winter range when was thousands of mule deer & antelope migrated there as they always have, they died because of under managed wild horse. As a horse person who also loves wildlife it was one of the saddest and avoidable disaster I have ever seen. The horse lobby said that it was natures way, I call if under management.

Nevada covers 110,567 square miles and there are around 20,000 wild horses living in our state. There are just 400 square miles in the Sheldon National Antelope Range which is one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in our state and I think it is not too much to ask that it be free of non-native livestock of any kind as it was set aside for.
Ge your friends to comment also if we loose this fight the Sheldon is dead and nothing but a big horse corral. TONY
 
Thank you all that have replied,
The fact of the matter is that there is not enough water resources to support the wild horse in it's present numbers as the area only receives 3 to six inches of total moister a year. The wild horse may be part of the west but in this ecosystem the horse like all the wildlife that shares the range must be managed. The fragile high desert environment cannot take the impact of the uncontrolled feral horse whose numbers double every four years. Think about that the 1500 horses on the Sheldon now could be as many as 3000 horses in 2015 and on and on......... Then they will die as they have in the past and everything around them will die also. The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge will die and turn into a horse corral.

In 1976 I watched as 500 wild horses starved to death in the Buffalo Hills winter range. There was not a stick of grass left on the winter range when was thousands of mule deer & antelope migrated there as they always have, they died because of under managed wild horse. As a horse person who also loves wildlife it was one of the saddest and avoidable disaster I have ever seen. The horse lobby said that it was natures way, that is how these people think.

Nevada covers 110,567 square miles and there are around 20,000 wild horses living in our state. There are just 400 square miles in the Sheldon National Antelope Range which is one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in our state and I think it is not too much to ask that it be free of non-native livestock of any kind as it was set aside for.

Get your friends to comment also if we loose this fight the Sheldon is dead . TONY
 

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