Arizona Bighorns
- Thread starter HighDesertSage
- Start date
Zach
Well-known member
I saw the same article. I'm curious if the ML hunts will increase.
Are you refering to the targeted removal of lions, or general mountain lion hunting? That unit is open year around to anyone with an OTC tag, with no quota. The area where the sheep were transplanted is closed to hunting with dogs, due to the proximity to Tucson.
There is very good data out there to support the targeted removal of lions preying on a recovering population of bighorn sheep. Losses to predators are often high in the first 6 months after sheep are translocated, because the sheep are not familiar with their surroundings. Those losses tend to taper off dramatically once the sheep adjust to their surroundings. Targeted removal of lions that prey on sheep during that period can greatly reduce losses during that adjustment period.
The primary reason that desert bighorn sheep were removed from the NM State Threatened list a few years ago and tags were increased from 1 to 16 was due to an agressive program to target lions that preyed on sheep (see below). And BTW, you have about 4 more hours to apply for one of those new licenses.
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Zach
Well-known member
Oak, I was referring to targeted hunts. Interesting info, I figured you'd chime in.
