Painted Rocks Sheep Capture and Collar

• Feb 13, 2019

• #1

BigHornRam

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"Land of Giant Rams"

MTFWP, MTWSF, and RCFWA pool resources to make this project happen. Good job to all involved.

http://bitterrootstar.com/2018/12/monitoring-local-bighorn-sheep-population/

 

• Feb 13, 2019

• #2

Big Fin

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These are great projects. Sheep benefit and on some projects volunteers get to help out.

 

• Feb 13, 2019

• #3

406LIFE

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That was a tough one. The sheep werent cooperating and they had the keep rescheduling it.

 

• Feb 13, 2019

• #4

T

tjones

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A bit more about the original transplant.

• In March 1990, 38 sheep (28 ewes, 10 rams) were translocated from Sun River to Painted Rocks. By April, some sheep had moved up Little Boulder Creek and Rombo Creek. By late June, one sheep had moved to Fire Creek (near Warm Springs). By July, a sheep had moved to Piquett Mountain. A second collared sheep showed up at Piquett Mountain by summer 1991. Other sheep were regularly found in Blue Joint, Coal, and Mud Creeks.


• In February 1991, 28 sheep (22 ewes, 6 rams) were translocated from Anaconda to Painted Rocks. 1 of these rams, which was transplanted as a 1.5-year-old, was harvested in Sheep Creek in the Selway in 1997.


• In February 2004, 10 sheep (9 ewes, 1 ram lamb) were translocated from Sun River to Painted Rocks



I have some pics from the 1991 capture in Anaconda. It was great fun I will see if I can post a few.

 

Last edited: Feb 13, 2019

• Feb 13, 2019

• #5

BigHornRam

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Duncan Gilchrist wrote a lot about those Painted Rocks sheep transplants in one of his books. Land of Giant Rams 1 I believe. Very good tales of how it went down.

 

• Feb 14, 2019

• #6

BigHornRam

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Edit: Painted Rocks transplant was in Land of Giant Rams 2. Looking forward to your pics Tony when you can post them.

 

• Aug 12, 2021

• #7

BigHornRam

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Follow up on study and additional trap and collar work. Winter range area does have some serious knapweed infestations. Good to hear that the Forest Service is planning on addressing the weeds there.

Bighorn sheep collared near Painted Rocks for study

Last Friday, a crew of biologists and volunteers assembled at the Scripps' Ranch. By the time the long day was over, they had drawn blood, collected other samples and attached

ravallirepublic.com

 

• Aug 12, 2021

• #8

BigHornRam

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A few pics from winter range from several years ago.

 

• Aug 12, 2021

• #9

MThuntr

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Last fall I was talking with Rebecca at the check station and she mentioned a potential lion kill to one of the collared sheep way up in Blue Joint. She was excited to go investigate. I was told the sheep didn't come down to their normal spots last year though haven't confirmed.

I hiked around that area a lot last year and the amount of knapweed in the entire West Fork is alarming. Not sure there is much they can do about it but glad to see they're trying something where they can.