Yeti GOBOX Collection

Mt goat release NV East Humboldt Range

Gr8bawana

Gr8bawana

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In a monumental effort to support herd health and diversity, NDOW introduced 16 mountain goats to the East Humboldt Range in November 2024. Witness the incredible journey and the teamwork behind this conservation success. (Photo credit: Miranda Crawford)

Maybe I'll be able to draw a goat tag before I die of old age. 👴 Sitting on 19 bonus points now.

Watch the video


 
It's great to see an iconic species supplemented and re-introduced into locations in Nevada for everyone to enjoy and possibly someday hunt!

Unfortunately, in states like Colorado and Washington goats are often considered a nuisance and invasive non-native wildlife species. Often culled in areas where they tend to spread. There are vast areas in many Western states where mtn goats could prosper but are prevented from living.

Bighorn and mtn goats have lived together in some of these areas for decades (Mtn Evans/Bluesky in Colo as a prime example). It is controversial whether in fact they are native or non-native in some of these regions and if in fact, goats and sheep actually compete with each other on the same landscapes.

Brook, rainbow, and brown trout as well as pheasants, huns, chuker, and other non-native species are allowed to flourish, but mtn goats are not? I think it's great that Nevada is doing their best to allow these species to prosper. This is probably weird coming from someone that is an invasive weed manager!
 
jimss said:
Bighorn and mtn goats have lived together in some of these areas for decades (Mtn Evans/Bluesky in Colo as a prime example). It is controversial whether in fact they are native or non-native in some of these regions and if in fact, goats and sheep actually compete with each other on the same landscapes.
Click to expand...

BuzzH said:
Wyoming begs to differ.

www.wyomingwildsheep.org

In the Rockies, goats beat bighorn sheep - Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation

A wildlife researcher from Colorado State University, found that mountain goats displace bighorn sheep 95% of the time when there's conflict — and changing conditions continue to force them into conflict more frequently.
www.wyomingwildsheep.org www.wyomingwildsheep.org
Click to expand...


Buzz beat me to the punch, the goats on Mt. Evans definitely dominate and displace the sheep, I've seen it. If there's habitat for the goats to live somewhere, then fine, but not when it comes at a cost to our struggling bighorn herds.
 
Its a bunch of bullcrap using the salt-lick aggression approach to exemplify the idea that goats are aggressive and displacing sheep.

Obviously the salt lick deal may happen from time to time but that is the one and only significant case there is for goats being aggressive that I’m aware of.

I admit that goats are certainly aggressive around salt licks. It makes total sense that a researcher spending months watching salt lick interactions will likely observe a few conflicts. Using bedding areas as an excuse is bullcrap!

Anyone that spends any length of time watching goats and sheep in areas where they coexist outside of salt licks are aware goats and sheep hardly interact. In fact, most of the time they are in separate locations and totally avoid each other.

Take a look at the above article and notice there is no mention of diets of sheep and goats at different times of the year and pinpointing exactly which habitats and browse or grazing species in their diets that conflict. I haven’t seen any of this in the literature.

There is no mention of conflicting coexistence during the critical time of year on winter and early spring ranges. On mtn evans/bluesky and the Georgetown areas, 99% of the sheep and goats winter in totally separate locations. Again, where is the literature supporting conflict on critical winter ranges?

So is there proof that lamb survival is decreased in locations where sheep and goats coexist? From my understanding, there has been no proof.

It’s a bunch of frick’n hogwash unless proven otherwise.

Making aggressive mtn goat culling decisions based off 1 or 2 salt lick conflicts over extended periods of time in an entire sheep/goat range is ludicrous!

Maybe I’m missing something?
 
Last edited:
I don’t know if goats truly displace sheep or not but I’m okay with people continuing to think they do.

Myself and a couple friends got a new goat unit opened a few years ago in Montana. We provided the bio with goat locations and classification data for a few years and always asked, why are we seeing 20-40 non native goats that we can’t hunt, while on sheep hunts where we can barely find a sheep.

He proposed the season, it was approved and now goats are being hunted.

Want to start a new sheep unit where there are known sheep herds?
Get ready for surveys, collar studies, feet dragging, apprehension etc
 
jimss said:
Its a bunch of bullcrap using the salt-lick aggression approach to exemplify the idea that goats are aggressive and displacing sheep.

Obviously the salt lick deal may happen from time to time but that is the one and only significant case there is for goats being aggressive that I’m aware of.

I admit that goats are certainly aggressive around salt licks. It makes total sense that a researcher spending months watching salt lick interactions will likely observe a few conflicts. Using bedding areas as an excuse is bullcrap!

Anyone that spends any length of time watching goats and sheep in areas where they coexist outside of salt licks are aware goats and sheep hardly interact. In fact, most of the time they are in separate locations and totally avoid each other.

Take a look at the above article and notice there is no mention of diets of sheep and goats at different times of the year and pinpointing exactly which habitats and browse or grazing species in their diets that conflict. I haven’t seen any of this in the literature.

There is no mention of conflicting coexistence during the critical time of year on winter and early spring ranges. On mtn evans/bluesky and the Georgetown areas, 99% of the sheep and goats winter in totally separate locations. Again, where is the literature supporting conflict on critical winter ranges?

So is there proof that lamb survival is decreased in locations where sheep and goats coexist? From my understanding, there has been no proof.

It’s a bunch of frick’n hogwash unless proven otherwise.

Making aggressive mtn goat culling decisions based off 1 or 2 salt lick conflicts over extended periods of time in an entire sheep/goat range is ludicrous!

Maybe I’m missing something?
Click to expand...
You are missing something.

Everything must be removed to make room for the curly horned "Gods" of the wildlife world.

Mountain goats and sheep have lived in the same mountain ranges for thousands of years, but now for some reason it's a huge problem.
 
it's pretty odd that mt goats are thriving as non-natives, while populations are cratering in their native haunts.
WA Cascade range is prime native mt goat habitat.
1961 - >10,000 goats
2012 - 3,200 goats
2015 - 1,537 goats
2024 - as few 900
 
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