Utahs Bighorn sheep status

nochawk

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FNAWS and the DWR fund a PHD student who is monitoring and studying 6 new sheep herds started in the last 6 years along the populous Wasatch Front.


Jericho Whiting reports the following Lamb counts as of June 10.


Nebo ? two year old herd, Montana stock 11 lambs.

Rock Canyon ? 5 year old Herd, Alberta stock, 12 lambs

Timpanogas -6 year old herd, Rattlesnake stock, 9 lambs

Antelope Island ? 6 year old herd, BC and Nevada stock 35 lambs

Newfoundland Mts. 4 year old herd, Antelope Island and Nevada 32 lambs

Stansbury Mts. 6 month old herd, Antelope Island stock, 19 lambs.



Flaming Gorge 2 year old herd, Montana Stock 17 Lambs ? last years count, this years expected higher.



These herds are having 60-80% or so lamb survival.



FNAWS has spent over $450,000 in habitat funds to secure the habitat for these new herds. The DWR has done an awesome job getting sheep captured and turned loose. Additional efforts have been made to keep predation at a minimum, and based on survival of collared sheep, predation is minimal.


These herds are doing very well, as are the other 15 or so additional Rocky Mountain and Desert bighorn herds in Utah.


FNAWS is out looking for additional mountain ranges that need some habitat work completed to restore more sheep to more native mountain ranges. 10,000 Bighorn and 200 plus annual sheep permits may be achievable in the future. That is a long ways from perhaps a thousand sheep and 9 permits, with existing herds facing serious risk, risk that has been eliminated.


Your money at work.
__________________Nate
 
Great information. Looks like a promising future for our younger generation of sheep hunters.
 
Definately the VERY POSITIVE side of the Conservation Tag program.

Habitat improvement, predator control--coyote and Mnt. Lion and ofcourse the transplants......

Thanks Nate


Robb
 
Awesome, I have been hearing lots of good news about sheep and new herds etc following it a little with excitement.

Hoping to see 1 NR tag for rockies again soon, the number 1 animal I want to hunt is rocky mnt bighorn sheep and I have been getting NR points in Utah for a few years - and missing mnt goat apps and starting to feel stupid (OK more stupid!).

Hoping the put in a tag, they should, they say 10% to NR - and do so for deserts but only once for rockies? And yes there are no units with 10 tags to give 1 to NR but that also occurs for deserts and they do give a tag and make it 10% of the total.
 
Does anyone have info on the few sheep that have been seen around logan and blacksmith fork? I was wondering if they were transplants or just lost looking for a new home?
 
LB,
The last trasplants of Rocky Mt. Bighorns close to Logan was near Brigham City back in 1966-70. They transplanted 60 sheep during that period from Alberta and Wyoming, but the transplants did not take. If there are sheep in the Blacksmith fork area, they are probably wandering. It would be great if they could get started up there, as it sure looks like sheep country to me. If you want a history of Sheep in Utah, go to the DWR website and look up their sheep management plan.
Are the sightings of sheep credible?
Also, if there are domestic sheep herds in the area, wild sheep will not survive the deseases that they get from domestics.
 
the sightings are very credible, I have a picture of a small ram standing in the bottom of blacksmith fork. I have a freind that seen some while hikeing up providence canyon. Another friend drives a team of horses at hardware ranch he told me that some of the other ranch workers have seen bighorns on the south side of blacksmith. Thanks for the info. Ken
 
Ken,
Are there domestic sheep in the Blacksmith Fork? If not, it might be a great place for a supplimental transplant. Are you guys seeing just this ram, or are they seeing ewes and lambs too?
 
yes, domestic sheep are area. I can only verify the small ram, but another guy told me that he has seen 3 to 4 up provedence canyon. I dont know if they are male or female. We can only hope they make it. The picture is in montana there were 17 rams in the area
 
Nice group of bighorns and yes it would be great if sheep in Utah could be like Montana. Unfortunately sheep herds are very tempermental and hard to get started. I don't want to burst your bubble, but it sounds like as long as the domestics exist, you won't see a herd like that in the Blacksmith. But it's fun to know some are there now so keep us posted. It is probably a good idea to share your sightings with the Utah Fish and Game!
 
I just got back from a sheep capture (desert)here in Nevada out past Fallon . We caught 20 sheep, 3 rams and 17 ewes. They are headed for southern Utah tonight and will be released tomorrow morning. I had a blast can't wait to do it again.
 
Ryan,
Great news about the transplant! Do you have any idea where in Utah they are going? I understand that mixing sheep genes is vital to the health of a herd and especially to trophy quality. Maybe some of the Nevada genes will help improve the runt status of the Utah deserts. I'm still following your upcoming hunt in Nevada, so keep the posts coming and good luck!
 
Littlebighorn,

I know it was somewhere between Cedar City and St George. I can't remember where I was told. The UDOW biologist told us there were sheep already in the area. The area the sheep came from holds some nice ones. They killed a 181 ram back in 1999 the first year you were able to hunt there.

I'll have a post here as soon as I get back from the upcoming bighorn hunt. Less than two weeks away.
 
WOW. A 181 ram would blow away the Utah state record.
They are probably headed for the Virgin River area. That herd already grows some of the biggest sheep in Utah. Thanks Ryan and go get'em on the hunt!
 
The sheep were going to be put on the Karparowits east but the roads were washed out so they dumped them out on the K. west.
Thanks Nev.!!
 
man I wish I could draw a tag

mule.gif


NBJB
 
Thanks for the update isay! Too bad they couldn't make it to the K east. I hear the K east needs the sheep much more than the west.

For Nate's question on Pilot Mt. Sheep, I checked the DWR sheep plan and it showed as of 1998 they estimated 100 sheep on that unit. I doubt that they are doing that well though because you don't hear about them. Does anyone know for sure? According to the last FNAWS meeting I went to, the New Foundland herd is going gang-busters. Maybe a few will wander accross the salt flats and help out the Pilot Mountain boys.
 

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