FWP Approves Montana's First Bighorn Management Plan

FWP Commissioners approved what seems to me a much overdo state-wide management plan for bighorn sheep. Biologists say about 5700 bighorns in 45 herds scattered across the state could be expanded by as many as 1000.

As with just about everything involves Montana wildlife, or anything else for that matter, the news received enthusiastic boorahs from some and loud boos from others; still others on both sides the fence took a more cautious wait and see approach. No news there, eh?

The biggest hurdle to expanding the bighorns' range is the very real hazard the wild sheep come in contact with domestics--which carry a lung infection fatal to wild sheep but harmless to the carriers. Wool growers are of course concerned about losing public land grazing leases. But there is a line in the plan says FWP will not lobby federal land managers to remove domestics to enable bighorn expansion unless ranchers involved are on board. Quentin Kujula, FWP's biologist point man on such issues says, "Without that collaboration expansion is pretty much dead in the water in most cases."

The Safari Club has gone on record as feeling the plan does little but maintain the status quo...in other words hardly worth the paper it's printed.

John Helle, major domo Dillon wool-man, says, "We're not opposed to wild sheep just the propaganda and attempts to remove us from lands we've been ranching for generations.

Jim Weatherly, Montana Wild Sheep Foundation, basically approves the idea, adding concerns for needing rancher approval are largely unfounded since given how much land they control expansion is impossible without it.

And the beat goes on...

Looking For Sick Bighorn Sheep

HAMILTON - FWP Biologists and volunteers combed the hills of the East Fork of the Bitterroot on Wednesday in an effort to slow the spread of disease killing bighorn sheep. Of the eight collected all were dead or dying of the pneumonia-like disease.

This is the first time culling has been tried in Montana.

Dieoffs have occurred often in bighorn sheep and in the past nothing was done and dramatic die-offs in the 60-80% range resulted. Over the past several weeks biologists and others have collected about 40 of the estimated 200 in the herd.
Other volunteers are checking the bighorn herds in the West Fork and Skalkaho drainages.

The dead sheep were delivered to a mobile state wildlife laboratory where researchers took tissue, blood and fecal samples.

While the cause of the die-offs remains controversial, researchers at Washington State University have pretty much concluded domestic sheep are the culprits…obviously conclusions sheep-men don’t agree. But a die-off almost 30 years ago in the East Fork was pretty much proven to have started when domestic and bighorn sheep mixed together on state land.