MT Bighorn Realease and Possible Removal program

[katqanna]

9 Bighorn Ewes were captured from the Breaks, transplanted to the Pioneer Mountains this Sat. That is the good news.

I got an email from a biologist this morning and just got details on the phone. From Helena, they are seeing about adding this discussion to this Thursdays commission meeting on conducting a test of sorts. The discussion has been floating around of possibly taking a population that has had a number of die offs, which is lingering, no or low lamb recruitment and removing the population by hunts. The question of whether to transplant or wait a short period before transplanting is another facet to the discussion. Then they transplant from another population, hoping to restore a healthy population to the landscape. I have heard this discussion before with some biologists. It has not been done here in Montana, so if attempted, this would be new.

The proposed area for this hypothetical discussion and possible test is the Tendoys (south of Butte, north of Idaho Falls) - a herd of about 50 (10 rams, 40 ewes). They have experienced a number of die offs with no rebounding, little to no lamb recruitment. This population had augments from several source herds.

One of the biological questions has been, can a bighorn population develop an acquired immunity over generations? If so, how long would that take? What of the genetics?

So far there is nothing on the commission schedule, as this is being worked on right now, but if it definitely gets added and a time slot, I will post as soon as I am notified for those of you that want to attend or listen to the audio online.

edit: misspell in title, cant edit titles.

 

[RobertR]

Katqanna I'm going to clarify where the release was. It close to the Big Hole River about five miles north of Melrose at the Maiden Rock fishing access site which is close to ten miles from the Pioneer Mountains.
I think this was a mistake on part of FWP because this the same location the sheep mingles with domestic sheep and had a big die off. Acheson found a record ram around Maiden Rock and if memory serves me it scored 204.
Personally I think these bighorns needed released farther away from agriculture fields.
Maybe the only reason they chose this location is there are still some sheep in the area.

 

[katqanna]

Robert, thanks for the clarification, but the articles said the eastern Pioneers, I was not told the specific location when I was talking with the biologist about the Tendoys proposal. And I am sorry to hear if this is in an area where there is possible domestic commingling. That would not be good news. I was meaning good news that they were in Montana, not Utah or South Dakota, but if FWP is choosing a location that is almost certain to fail, when other sites could have been chosen, I would not view that as responsible or good stewardship of our wildlife.

Thanks for the heads up on that.

 

[RobertR]

What's left of the original introduction of big horns is widely scattered. There are a few up canyon creek which would be to the west of the transplant. Then to the east up moose creek and over towards camp creek. Last year there was a couple of rouge rams on Mcartney. Mountain.
I can remember when I was a kid watching the lambs jump in and out of the sink holes from the mine shafts above the Maiden Rock Mine.

 

[jryoung]

A buddy lives up Maiden Rock, says he has the rams down close all winter but there's a heavy cat population up there too and with the "Butte-ians" (as he calls them) hammering the deer he thinks the cats are focusing on the rams.

 

[RobertR]

It surprises me there would be any cats left because they wiped them out in couple other drainages by shooting females and yearling cats. Sheep are an easy target for cats but golden eagles prey on the lambs when their small.

 

[LopeHunter]

Predation is shown to be a big factor in parts of Arizona so that is a possibility in MT, too. Curious if there is information from collared sheep re cause of death (illness, old age, hunter, poacher, predator, winter kill, ???). I hear about die-offs from illness. I wonder if predation is a bigger factor and we just do not see the rapid die-off. I spoke to a non-scientist in Oregon years ago and he was convinced that the longer a herd is in place that the genetics get muddled leading to fewer lambs being born and surviving. He felt one solution was aggressive transplanting between herds though that could introduce an emerging illness to several herds.

 

[----]

I don't know how I feel about hunting a population gone. That's a weird one.

I'm with Robert, I think they need to try to get these sheep up in to more of their historical range around Soap Gulch/Moose Creek/Negro Mountain etc. There's some great habitat back in there, and we used to always bump into rams when I was elk hunting there back in the day. I have a hard time imaging them every doing very well down around the Interstate. Maiden Rock itself is perfect habitat, but it's hard for them to really go anywhere from there without getting in trouble.

I haven't been in there in a couple years now, does anyone know where the bulk of the sheep are hanging out? Where the two rams were killed this year? I kind of assumed Camp Creek from the pictures I saw, but I'm not sure. The hunting unit is only East of the Interstate correct?

 

[RobertR]

Randy here's what happened.

The original 340 east boundary was I-15 until the sheep crossed the interstate and took up residence around maiden rock. The area now goes up the big hole to the wise river and up to Jacobson meadows then east and down rock creek to the glen interchange.

It's hard to say but I think the majority of the sheep are on the maiden rock side. The sheep on the east side are really scattered. There use to be a good bunch on table top by red mountain until a pack of wolves moved in and scattered them.

I agree there is better habitat farther from civilization but I think because there were sheep in the present location that's why it was chosen for the release.

 

[----]

Thanks Robert, interesting (and kind of a bummer) that they aren't using that Highlands foothill country anymore. Camp creek is just too rugged of country to not have sheep in it. It's a shame.

This was the first year in probably ten that I haven't hunted down your way, I missed it.

 

[katqanna]

I got sidetracked today, so I missed whatever was discussed at the Commission meeting today about depopulating bighorns in the Tendoys, but saw this article about another of the bighorn transplants here in Montana.

Bighorn sheep moved to south of Great Falls - 21 bighorn sheep to the Sheep Creek drainage that flows into the Missouri River south of Great Falls.