BigHornRam
Well-known member
Explains why keeping the herd populations at or below carrying capacity is good for the long term health of the herd. And why hunting is an effective management tool to keep the populations in check.
"While it may seem counterintuitive, hunting bighorn sheep when data shows the sheep are in very poor condition is an effective way to support the herd by keeping numbers at a more stable, sustainable place.
“Hunting is one of our main tools for managing populations, so we’re constantly trying to avoid these big increases in population so that we don’t have the big crash,” Gocke says."
Also mentions the benefits of good habitat and how it relates to carrying capacity.
"Enhancing habitat carrying capacity can be done through prescribed burns, mowing sagebrush and invasive plant species control, but these steps can take a long time to implement......."
Jackson bighorn sheep herd may be heading towards an 'all ages die-off'
JACKSON, Wyo. — A special bighorn sheep study between the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) and University of Wyoming (UW) is showing a pattern for the Jackson bighorn sheep herd where, when the population reaches about 500 sheep, an all ages pneumonia die-off follows. The Jackson herd is...
buckrail.com
"While it may seem counterintuitive, hunting bighorn sheep when data shows the sheep are in very poor condition is an effective way to support the herd by keeping numbers at a more stable, sustainable place.
“Hunting is one of our main tools for managing populations, so we’re constantly trying to avoid these big increases in population so that we don’t have the big crash,” Gocke says."
Also mentions the benefits of good habitat and how it relates to carrying capacity.
"Enhancing habitat carrying capacity can be done through prescribed burns, mowing sagebrush and invasive plant species control, but these steps can take a long time to implement......."