March 22, 2004
ROAD REPORT
Jeff and Janel Pickens of Nampa, ID joined Center Director June Sampson for a tour of Torrey Valley this morning. The first stop was the kiosk and spotting scope at Whiskey Basin where they saw two ewes resting on BLM Ridge.
Moving slowly down Trail Lake Road, they spotted a golden eagle, Clark's nutcraker, mule deer and lots of mountain blue birds, a sure sign of spring. But no bighorns!
Wyoming Game and Fish Department Game Warden Cole Thompson was also on Trail Lake Road and stopped to chat. He was in the process of counting and classifying the bighorns a second time. Although there were some bands that he spotted with low lamb to ewe ratios (18 lambs to 130 ewes), the average was 26 lambs to 100 ewes. Good news and worth sharing!
Dubois Frontier, November 13, 2003
Bighorn Herd Will Benefit from Project; Animal Damage Management Board, Wyoming FNAWS partner in lamb survival effort
The Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board recently approved funding to assist the Wyoming Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep in a comprehensive three-year project to improve lamb survival and stabilize the Whiskey Mountain bighorn sheep herd.
The bighorn sheep herd is located south of Dubois in the Wind River Range. It consists of hunt areas 8, 9, 10, and 23. The project will focus on hunt areas 9 and 10.
According to Jim Collins, past president of Wyoming FNAWS, the Whiskey Mountain bighorns have been the “Crown Jewel” of Wyoming’s wildlife for over 50 years. It is known as the largest concentration of bighorns in North America. Since 1941, this herd has been the source for trap/transplant activity and herd establishment throughout Wyoming and five other western states. Due to poor herd performance and low lamb recruitment, no transplants have taken place since 1995.
This high-profile bighorn herd attracts tourists and big game hunters alike. The National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center was opened in Dubois to bring awareness of the popular bighorn sheep herd. The center is known for its tours of the herd, as well as for bighorn sheep education and public outreach.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department estimated the herd population to stand at approximately 1,480 in 1990. Over the winter of 1990 and 1991, a significant die-off from a pneumonia outbreak occurred. Speculation has been that while pneumonia was the major factor, other causes may have contributed to the mortality as well. Historically, it has been determined that major die-offs are followed by several years of poor lamb recruitment.
According to Collins, when lamb [/ewe] ratios did not respond after five years, an alarm was sounded and through cooperative efforts between the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming FNAWS and others, more intensive studies were instituted. A possible selenium deficiency was suspected and treatment began immediately through the placement of selenium blocks in strategic areas. But after four years of putting out the blocks, lamb survival and yearling recruitment showed no improvement. The last 13 years of studies addressing mineral deficiency, habitat problems, disease and poor forage have also shown little to no improvement in lamb recruitment.
In 2001, Wyoming FNAWS began researching the possibility that the herd could be experiencing a predator pit scenario. Document research in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and British Columbia showed a recurring theme of coyote predation to be a major cause of mortality in bighorn sheep herds. While there may be linger effects from the pneumonia outbreak, Wyoming FNAWS, along with the Wyoming & Fish and other involved agencies concur that intense coyote control around the winter ranges and fall transition ranges may provide a much-needed boost for the population.
At this time, with funding assistance from the Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board, a three-year, carefully structured project for coyote control in the area is underway. Wyoming FNAWS has taken the leadership role to work through this complex puzzle for a remedy to boost the level of recruitment to result in population growth near 1,100 sheep wintering on Sheep Ridge, BLM Ridge and Torrey Rim.
Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Sheep Herd Lamb Recruitment
Year Lambs Per 100 Ewes*
1990 44
1991 10
1992 12
1993 26
1994 23
1995 18
1996 25
1997 27
1998 19
1999 29
2000 16
2001 17
2002 10
2003 26
*Table provided courtesy of Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Estimated Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Sheep Population
Year Population*
1990 1,480
1991 1,145
1992 1,002
1993 1,000
1994 933
1995 907
1996 918
1997 929
1998 890
1999 897
2000 812
2001 747
2002 665
2003 624
*Table provided courtesy of Wyoming Game and Fish Department
