Montana Deadhead Recovery

[genesis273]

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks :: New law allows recovery of bighorn sheep skulls, horns

fwp.mt.gov

I didn't see anything posted on this, so I hope it's not a repeat.
I understand the mindset of the MT law against removing bighorn deadheads, but I am glad to see that it is now legal to pick them up under certain instances. I've never stumbled across a dead ram, but my elk hunting partner has found mountain goat remains at the bottom of a massive rock cliff where we hunt.

Usually when there are rules changes, we hear from both sides. Curious as to others thoughts on this one.

 

[antlerradar]

Looks good to me. I would like to see the part about contacting the warden and the prohibition on selling the head extended to trophy deer and elk.
Not likely I will find another Big Horn skull here in SE Montana unless FWP decided to reintroduce them.

 

[Bambistew]

Not likely I will find another Big Horn skull here in SE Montana unless FWP or the decides to reintroduce them.

Going off memory, I seem to remember there was huntable population sheep east/southeast of Miles City? Do you know what the status of that heard is these days? Did they all die off? Where there any other herds out your way?

 

[mthillrunner]

I grew up by miles city, hunted towards baker often. I saw bighorn sheep 3 times. I have not been back much since early 2000’s but I saw a couple mature rams last time I hunted there in about 2001. They’re still around in low numbers. I started hunting in 1988 & there has not been a season for them since that time that I’m aware of. They’re mostly on private land and getting access would be exceedingly difficult

 

[JLS]

Going off memory, I seem to remember there was huntable population sheep east/southeast of Miles City? Do you know what the status of that heard is these days? Did they all die off? Where there any other herds out your way?

Yep, about twenty miles east/southeast of Miles City. Back in the early 2000s a couple of young rams wandered into the Custer Forest north of Ashland. Remember that @antlerradar?

 

[mdunc8]

There’s still some running around the Strawberry Hills

 

[antlerradar]

Going off memory, I seem to remember there was huntable population sheep east/southeast of Miles City? Do you know what the status of that heard is these days? Did they all die off? Where there any other herds out your way?

I am a long way from the sheep east of Miles City. I think the sheep are still there but access is an issue. I have heard two sides to that story.

Like JLS said there was a few young rams on the north end of the Custer 15 or 20 years ago and a lone ram a few years back. My dad saw a young ram in Tongue River Canyon just north of Tongue River Dam in the late 70's. Those few sightings and maybe a few others are the extent of sheep in the Tongue River Valley in the last 100 years. My great grandfather could remember seeing sheep quite often when he was young around 1900. I think the last band he saw was just south of the reservation in the 1920's. The Tongue River Valley would make great sheep country.

 

[Dinkshooter]

The Tongue River Valley would make great sheep country.

Unless its full of range maggots.

 

[antlerradar]

Unless its full of range maggots.

You need to read about what happened to sheep that were put on the Tongue side of the Tongue/ Pumpkin Creek/Powder divide in 1900. Things haven't changed much in the last 120 years. There are few if any domestic sheep south of Ashland.