California Wild Sheep Foundation

California
Wild Sheep
Fall 2010
IN THIS ISSUE
From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
25 Years of “Modern” California
Sheep Hunting to be Celebrated
at 2011 Fundraiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Golden Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Photos from the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Ballot on Possible Name Change . . . 11
Water in the Desert Benefits
Wildlife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Director Election Results . . . . . . . . . . 12
CA FNAWS Regional Dinners . . . . . . 13
Digiscoping Tips from Swarovski . . . 14
Green Gun, Blue Bullets,
Bighorn Sheep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Recovery of Sierra Bighorn . . . . . . . . 19
WSF Chapter & Affiliates Meeting . . 20
Two Tags in Two Years? Impossible! 23
Mountain Sheep, Mule Deer, and
Donkeys in the Desert . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Coyote Ridge is Occupied . . . . . . . . . 28
Trail Cam Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Recent Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Photo from Trail Cam
Bristol Mountains – where we
expect to get hunting tags
within the next two years
A Publication of the California Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep
C al-TIP
Californians Turn in Poachers and Polluters
1 888 DFG-CALTIP(888 334-2258)
Brian S. MacDonald
Vice President
Financial Advisor
Richard D. MacDonald
Vice President
Financial Advisor
Kristin Villasper
Client Associate
A Confidential Secret Witness Program
CalTIP (Californians Turn In Poachers and
Polluters) is a confidential secret witness program
that encourages the public to provide Fish and
Game with factual information leading to the
arrest of poachers and polluters.
101 California St., Suite 2575
San Francisco, California 94111-5898
415 274 6054 Direct
800 450 8655 Toll Free
FAX 415 644 5511
[email protected]
W estern W ildlife Taxiderm y
Aaron Armstrong
www.western-wildlife.com
[email protected]
Roseville, CA
CalTIP was introduced in California in 1981 in
order to give Californians an opportunity to help
protect the state's fish and wildlife resources. The
toll free telephone number operates 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week. You do not have to give your
name.
A laska Trophy H unts
Tom Shankster
www.aktrophyhunts.com
[email protected]
For more information go to
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/caltip.aspx.
CA FNAWS
Global Wealth Management
2
Fall 2010
From the Editor’s Desk
I hope you’ve already been hunting this season, or at least
soon will be! My season has started and I look forward to the
next hunt, which I will be on when you receive this newsletter.
I’ve talked with several of the lucky Desert Bighorn tag in CA
persons – we will have multiple stories from them in the next
two issues. I hope you enjoy this one, there is much to see. I’d
like to particularly draw your attention to:
• Some fun stuff – e.g. Photos from the Field, Cadomin Alberta
pictures, Argali Hunters Lament
• First installment of “anticipation” for our April 30 Banquet and
Fundraiser, and the WSF Convention in Reno February 10-12
• Ballot on name change
• Regional Dinners/Get Togethers
• Special inspirational message from President Ken Fish
• Digiscoping How To
• Donkeys in the Desert
• Wild Sheep Win Historic Victory - Payette Forest Decision
• Several great hunt stories
• And, as usual, much, much more.
I am always looking for new material of interest to members. Email, call or write! Input due date for the
4Q10 issue is November 30.
Mike J. Borel
CA FNAWS Newsletter Editor
925-937-4180; [email protected]
An Argali Hunter’s Lament
Request for Hunt Pictures
for the website (sheep and goats)
and the scrolling presentation during
the fundraiser (any species)
When I was young I read Jack O’Connor,
Who spoke of sheep hunting as quite an honor.
Towering ridges and canyons deep.
Dramatic settings for trophy sheep!
But alas, little did I suspect or know
About the related financial undertow!
Deposits and payments that never end,
The endless checks that we must send!
While I hope you do not think of me any less,
I did not intend to single-handedly redress
Some mid-Asian government’s financial mess!
It is undeniably an honor to hunt the proud Argali,
But financially, it’s like ten rounds with
Muhammed Ali!
We want and need your “in field” photos that
can be displayed in the Member Trophies
Section of our website, www.cafnaws.org, and
also used in the presentation we will scroll for
all to enjoy prior to dinner at our April 30,
2011 Fundraiser in Rancho Cordova.
Please send them as a jpg or tif file attached to
an email (I can receive up to 10 mg at a time)
to [email protected]. We will use
your pictures with a Sheep or Goat for the
website and the scrolling presentation. We
will also use your pictures with any species
taken in the last few years for the scrolling
presentation.
Fall 2010
(By a certain sheep hunter, CA FNAWS Life Member
and SCI Life Member in The Bay Area)
3
CA FNAWS
Events
Board of Directors
2010
Officers
Sept. 11
CA FNAWS Regional Get Together in LA at Chart
House Restaurant in Redondo Beach/King Harbor;
organized by Mike Borel
Sept. 12
CA FNAWS Regional Get Together in SF (East Bay) at
Zio Fraedo’s, 611 Gregory, Pleasant Hill; organized by
Mike Borel
Oct. 16
CA FNAWS Regional Get Together in San Diego at
Crab Catcher in La Jolla; organized by Ken Fish
Oct. 22
Sheep Summit VIII at Bass Pro Shops in Ranch
Cucamonga (near Ontario Airport)
Oct. 23
Hunter Clinic for Lucky Tag Recipients, Camp Cady
Nov. 6
CA FNAWS Regional Get Together in Orange County
at Ontario in Costa Mesa; organized by Ken Fish
Nov. 6
CA FNAWS Regional Get Together in Dixon at Bud’s
Pub & Grill; organized by Jason Hairston
Nov. 6
CA FNAWS Regional Get Together in Visalia at
Cafe 225, 225 West Main Street; organized by
Tom Griffiths
Nov. 6
CA FNAWS Regional Get Together in Eureka;
organized by Paul Brisso
Nov. 6
CA FNAWS Regional Get Together in Santa Barbara
and Auburn; organizers sought
Nov. 10
CA FNAWS Regional Get Together at 2596 Bay Road,
Redwood City; organized by Dwight Ortmann
Nov. 30
Due Date for 4Q2010 Newsletter to
[email protected]
Dec. ??
CA FNAWS Regional Get Together in or near
Williams; organized by Ben Gordon
President
Ken D. Fish (2012)
Northern California Vice President
Mike J. Borel (2012)
Southern California Vice President
Jim Fitzgerald (2011)
Vice President, Operations
Kyle Meintzer (2011)
Secretary
Paul A. Brisso (2011)
Treasurer
Steve Boitano (2012)
Board of Directors
John F. Cavin (2012)
Roger L. McCosker (2012)
John Drummond (2011)
Brenton Scott (2012)
Ben Gordon (2012)
Tammy Scott (2012)
Tom Griffiths (2011)
Chris Settelmeyer (2011)
Don C. Martin (2011)
2011
California Wild Sheep is published quarterly.
Please e-mail all articles and photos to
[email protected].
Photos should be high resolution and in color.
It is recommended that digital photos be sent by e-mail.
Please include photo credits and captions.
CA FNAWS
4
Jan. 20-23
ISE Show, Sacramento
Feb. 10-12
WSF Convention, Reno
Feb. 23-26
GSCO Convention, Las Vegas
April 29
Sheep Summit IX, Sacramento
April 30
Tour of DFG Lab (to be organized)
April 30
CA FNAWS “Drive to 35” Fundraiser/
Banquet in Rancho Cordova at Marriott
(note date change to Last Saturday in April)
Fall 2010
President’s Letter
Welcome to the August edition of the CA FNAWS newsletter.
Included in this issue is a ballot on whether to retain our current
name or to change it to the California Chapter of the Wild Sheep
Foundation. Depending upon the outcome of the vote, this may be
last issue of the CA FNAWS newsletter, which could henceforth be
published as the California Wild Sheep Foundation newsletter. As
we are all aware from recent elections, how (and whether) we vote
matters; please take the time to cast your ballot concerning the
name of our organization. Also, let that whet your appetite for the
upcoming November mid-term elections, which may be our single
best opportunity to bring change we can believe in to Washington.
You will also find in this issue an invitation to our Fall regional
dinners, the first of which will be held on September 11 and 12. I
hope you will make the time to RSVP and then to gather with your
fellow sheep hunters sometime this fall at one of our designated
regional dinners. As an added incentive, we have a small gift for
everyone who shows up at one of these events. Further to the topic
of gatherings, there is also a report on the Chapter and Affiliates
meeting that was held in Edmonton this summer, as well as an early peek at what is in store at the annual
fundraiser, to be held on April 30, 2011.
This newsletter also includes some very informative articles about the science behind wild sheep conservation
and management, and as always, we have also included some exciting hunt stories. I particularly like the story
about chukar hunting, which is the “poor man’s sheep hunt,” and happily one that can be done more than once
each year. I am often struck by the fact that, issue by issue, both our wildlife management stories and our hunt
stories are written by people who are leaders in the field of sheep biology and hunting. I hope you will make the
time to enjoy this banquet of articles that are laid out for your reading pleasure.
*******
As I write this, Fall has already come to the North Country where the leaves and the tundra are turning red
and gold. I’ve already heard a few reports of and from members who have returned from their hunting trips. It
gives one a sense of perspective, remembering that the mountains and the game they hold were there before any
of us got here; and they will still be standing long after we are gone. This is the time of year when our thoughts
turn to religious celebrations and to the weakening rays of the sun (in the northern hemisphere anyway), all of
which reminds of our own mortality. Hunting is (or should be) invested with a sense of the mystical, and perhaps
for some of us, of the religious. As hunters, we are active participants in the circle of life, and we are the carriers of
something more ancient than civilization itself.
The Greeks and the Romans recognized the importance of hunting, even as they built some of the most
magnificent cities the world has ever seen. The Greek goddess Artemis, whom the Romans called Diana, was the
guardian of the City of Ephesus during the 1st century. She was also revered as the goddess of the hunt, of wild animals, of wilderness (especially mountains and forests), and of virginity (chastity). She is normally depicted as a
young woman, perhaps 13 to 19 years of age, with a bow and arrows. Cypress trees, oaks and deer were sacred to
her. So, at least as far back as Greco-Roman times, hunters stood for a way of life that was in sharp contrast to the
decadence and excesses of urban life. In addition, it seems indisputable that her age and her gender serve as
reminders that we should all encourage youth and women to join our traditions. Hunting isn’t just for grown men!
Reaching even further back in time to the 2nd millennium BC, the biblical book of Genesis mentions both
Nimrod, who was “a mighty hunter before the Lord,” and later Esau the hunter, who as the eldest son of the
patriarch Isaac had a place of special honor. Isaac was especially fond of the game meat that Esau frequently
brought back to their encampment. Many centuries later in the Judeo-Christian tradition of the West, we
encounter St. Hubertus, the first bishop of Liège and the Apostle of the Ardennes Forest. According to histories of
the time, Hubertus was a skilled hunter who sought comfort and distraction on solitary hunts after his beloved
wife, Princess Floribana, died during childbirth. While hunting one Good Friday, he encountered a large albino roe
deer stag carrying a shining cross between its antlers (Although this sounds odd to our way of thinking, remember
that the Roman Emperor Constantine and his soldiers had a similar vision of a cross in 312 just before the Battle
of the Milvian Bridge. This vision led to Constantine’s conversion and to the subsequent Christianization of the
Fall 2010
5
CA FNAWS
Roman Empire. As with Constantine, St. Hubertus’ vision resulted in his own conversion.). St. Hubertus laid down
his high office and distributed his wealth among the poor and to the church, preaching among the forest dwellers
he had undoubtedly come to know while hunting in what is modern Belgium and France.
Since the 7th century, St. Hubertus has been the patron saint of hunters and those who care for animals [Note
that hunters and those who care for animals are considered together]. If food was scarce in the winter, St. Hubertus
would go out to the forest to provide it for the animals, often accompanied by his loyal hunting dogs. In European
religious tradition, rural inhabitants honor St. Hubertus by sharing their feasts of game meat with townspeople,
holding charity fundraising festivals and taking responsibility for the care of the animals on their lands, both
domestic and wild [animal husbandry, habitat improvement and conservation]. All of this sounds surprisingly
modern if you think of the holiday wild game drives that hunting organizations around our state routinely hold
each year, to say nothing of the habitat work that goes on as a result of our combined labors.
Since the 7th century and to this day, whenever a buck is hunted in Northern Europe, hunters have placed a small
branch of evergreen or of oak in the mouth of the fallen game. This is done as an offering of the Last Bite, signifying a
final salute to the animal and symbolically giving back to God “the soul which I received from Him.” By honoring the
forest’s creatures, St. Hubertus believed that he honored the Creator who made them. Those of you who have hunted
in Europe are familiar with this tradition, as it reminds us that hunting is about much more than the kill.
If we turn our thoughts to the East, we find that while vegetarianism is the ideal for the brahmin (priestly)
caste in Hinduism, abstaining from meat is not a rigid law. In fact, Hindu thought in the Vedas allows the
kshatriya (warrior) class to hunt for food. Moreover, the Hindu god Shiva was known to be a hunter, and there
is at least one account of him rescuing a deer hunter that a tiger had chased up a bilva tree. Consequently, while
many Hindus are vegetarians, meat eating in general and hunting in particular are not forbidden within the
broader context of Hindu religious tradition. Furthermore, at least one Hindu holy man has written that hunting
is more humane than raising animals in tight quarters, fattening them up and performing “mass killings” on
them. In his view, the principle of compassion trumps that of efficiency, as he writes, “factory farming constitutes
cruelty.” Share that with the next vegan you encounter on the streets of San Francisco or Hollywood!
There’s no doubt about it: Fall is a magical, mystical, spiritual time of year. I hope this year you will not only
have successful times afield, but that you will find yourself enriched and renewed as you participate in a drama
and in rituals that are as old as time itself.
For the sheep,
Ken Fish
President, CA FNAWS
Iron W heel G uest Ranch
John and Sherry Cargill
www.ironwheel.com
[email protected]
Whitehall, MT
C ordoba H unting SA
Faco Pavcovich
Los Andex 600 Villa Carlos PA3
Cordoba, Argentina
[email protected]
54.9351.373.0004
Tim berline O utfitters
Perry Hunsaker
www.timberlineoutfitters.com
[email protected]
Higley, AZ
H unt Trip Spain
Francisco Rosich
www.hunttripspain.com
[email protected]
Barcelona, Spain
U SA Shooting Team
Buddy DuVall
www.usashooting.org
Colorado Springs, CO
Zulu N yala G roup
Veena Joory
www.zulunyala.com
Holland, MI
CA FNAWS
6
Fall 2010
25 YEARS OF “MODERN” CALIFORNIA SHEEP
HUNTING TO BE CELEBRATED AT 2011 FUNDRAISER
by Paul Brisso
Twenty-five years of the “modern era” of California
sheep hunting, the 50th Anniversary of the California
Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep, and CA
FNAWS’s continuing “Drive to 35” sheep tags will be
celebrated at the next annual fundraiser on Saturday
evening, April 30, 2011.
The event returns to the Marriott at Rancho Cordova
in the Sacramento area for the second year. The venue for
the 2010 event drew positive reviews on the quality of
the dinner, banquet hall and accommodations.
The 2011 Hunt Donation Subcommittee, headed by
Adam Casagrande, already has many key hunts and trips
committed, including hunts in North America, Africa
and Europe, and trips that include a popular Idaho
whitewater rafting adventure.
Although not yet formally committed, we expect
to once again have desert bighorn auction tags for
California and Mexico. Spirited bidding and a roaring
crowd pushed the California tag to $60,000 and the
Tiburon Island tag to $100,000 at the 2010 auction.
Plans are being made to have a “work in progress”
auction list up on the chapter website in the near future.
Check the website for the upcoming auction list, and
then check back for updated information on hunts and
other auction items to plan your auction purchases. The
list will have outfitter information so you can “do your
homework” prior to the event.
Fall 2010
The 2011 Fundraiser Committee has plans in the
works for more taxidermy displays and exhibits for the
2011 event.
Save the date (April 30, 2011) and plan to attend!
Watch the website and e-mails for future information
and reservation details. Here is a brief “teaser list” of
items for auction:
Sheep & G oat
• Desert Bighorn Hunt – Tiburon, Mexico (WSF)
• Desert Bighorn Tag – California (CA DFG)
• Aoudad-Texas Hill Country - Point Blank Hunts
O ther N orth A m erica
• Coues Deer - Arizona – Steven Ward
• Antelope - Wyoming – John Harris
• Blacktail Deer for Youth – Arrow Five Outfitters
International
• Dove - Argentina – Dove – Pacu Pavcovich
• Plains Game – South Africa – Likhulu Safaris
M iscellaneous Trips
• Raft Adventure - Idaho – Whitewater Adventures
• Shooting Course – Nevada, Front Sight – Ken Fish
• Shooting Course - Utah – Thompson Long Range
C rooked H orn O utfitters
Danell and Lennis Janzen
www.crookedhorn.com
Tehachapi, CA
H unt in Europe
Srdja Dimitrijevic
www.huntineurope.com
[email protected]
Marbella, Spain
D ick Lym an O utfitters
Dick Lyman
www.huntfishmontana.com
[email protected]
Great Falls, MT
Black D og O utfitters
Darren Puetz
www.blackdogoutfitters.com
[email protected]
Idaho Falls, ID
C ape to C airo Safaris
Cedric & Karin Nieuwoudt
www.capetocairosafari.com
[email protected]
Marietta, GA
Fort Bragg Furniture M art
235 North Franklin Street
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
707.964.2501
7
CA FNAWS
GOLDEN BOY
by Marty Larsen
was a real eye opener. Prior to this trip all I had to go on
was pictures and misconceptions. I own a truckload of
camo clothes, but none of the lighter color desert pattern;
I couldn’t believe I had to buy more. Then one of my
buddies had to visit his folks in Alaska, and another had
stomach cancer. (Note: he is doing okay now, with a lot
of people in his corner praying for him.)
Fast forward many anxious months later, and finally
I arrive (sans buddies, for a true DIY hunt) on the hunting grounds with great anticipation, only to have the
truck immediately break down with no power. This is
really fraying my nerves and a bit worrying of a start. I
called Andy Pauli and the cavalry arrived. (well, one good
man in a Toyota named Le Hayes) More on this later. I
was furious about it at the moment, chomping at the bit
to hunt, and could have easily lost focus. With my truck
more than 80 miles away in Barstow being worked on, I
was still able to hunt a half day for two days thanks to
Le. Then we retrieved it, and after two fruitless half days
combing some of the most barren, treacherous, unforgiving and God-forsaken country I have ever seen, I again
called the local biologist and now my friend, Andy Pauli,
to relate the rescue and results of my time in the field.
He mentioned that on opening week the majority of
kills were in the Kelso Peak area instead of the Old Dads,
where I was concentrating my efforts.
The next day found me hiking deep into the
southeastern area below The Kelso, and I immediately
came into contact with groups of rams. It was exhilarating. The first two I spotted looked great at first glance;
however, upon closer inspection, and also practicing my
stalking skills, they were not shooters. I called them lefty
and righty, as each had one horn on opposite sides broken off. Having an absolute blast looking, finding, stalking and judging sheep was all they said it was going to
be. I could do this forever; however, I was losing track of
time, the day was getting long, and I finally spotted the
ram I wanted at approximately 450 yards away on the
next ridge with a stiff wind in my face.
I felt I could not reasonably make a confident shot
on such a magnificent animal, his full curl, class IV horns
glowing golden in the sunlight, with a beautiful contrasting dark chocolate coat. I wanted him bad. After watching for a long time, he and his entourage finally bedded
down as I finalized my plan to stalk him. No way to go
down into the draw separating us and then straight up
at him as exposure was too great. The best way was to go
back up the ridge in the blazing December sun (only in
California) approximately 2/3 mile where it connected
with the ridge they were on, then back down using boulders and cacti for cover, dropping below the crest to side
hill when needed. Willing to do anything needed to
Luck and a lotta help! That is the only way this could
have turned out as good as it did. I have been applying
for the highly prized Bighorn sheep tag ever since you
could. I, like many others in the lottery drawing for the
extremely limited number of tags available, figure the
odds are it won’t be you, but you gotta be in the game
at least. And being familiar with the preference point
system from other western states, I was extremely happy
with California’s adoption of one, knowing it will up the
odds if you stick with it. I am not usually happy with
anything this state does, fish and game especially.
Fast forward many years later, and pure bliss
happened in the form of a letter from DFG last July.
There were the words “successful” and Nelson Bighorn
Sheep tag. Unbelievable! It then hit me I knew next to
nothing about this magnificent, highly coveted big game
animal. The phone calls came soon after, starting with a
congratulatory call from a great guy, highly dedicated
biologist Andy Pauli. Then the outfitters, guides, and
members of various clubs, all real nice fellers willing to
spend a lot of time explaining some of the myriad of
questions I had concerning every aspect of the hunt. It
was a quick learning curve and very enjoyable, but alas,
in the end I just could not afford their services. But I just
had to pull this off somehow, as I also could not afford to
let this truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by.
As a seasoned deer and elk hunter with my own wall
tent and wood stove, I began to think I just might be able
to do a DIY hunt with a buddy. A big plus was I able to
use the savings to upgrade my optics, something that I
will continue to enjoy the rest of my hunting life. After
the orientation class in October I was able to get a couple
of good scouting days in, and a good thing, because it
CA FNAWS
8
Fall 2010
approach these three buddies, all facing outward in
different directions helped, as it was one, if not the most
challenging stalk for me ever. I wouldn’t have it any
other way. It took stooping, scooching, and crawling on
hands and knees in broken glass-like sand, not the soft,
beach type, getting poked by cholla (that really hurt),
sliced by a sword-like cacti, under the relentless desert
heat to get close enough undetected. (I know, it was
winter, but it was very warm)
I discarded my tall, dark backpack as I inched
ever closer to my final destination in the form of a
large boulder, which later proved a bad move because
my range finder was in it. Back to guesstimating, with
no spotter. Apparently I do not do well, because I
thought they were about 200 yards, which would have
been great, as that is what my rifle was sighted in for.
But that was no way near the actual distance as I was
about to experience in a dramatically and startling way.
I watched for a long time as they slept to make sure
which ram was the one, when suddenly they all jumped
up looking in my direction. I know not why — if the
wind changed, or I made a noise. Whatever it was, I
knew what time it was — it was Show Time.
Golden Boy gave me a perfect broadside shot, and
as I carefully squeezed off my first 165 gr. Hornady SST
bullet in 30-06 caliber, I fully expected something other
than him still standing there, still looking at me, and still
broadside. Not comprehending there was a problem, I
again dutifully placed the crosshairs dead on, hoping for
a better result this time, and pulled the trigger.
Wow, they were all still there, albeit shifting much
closer to the edge of the canyon for a quick drop out of
sight, and very much more noticeably nervous. I am too,
as I still cannot wrap my head around the distance only
being 100 yards and those first two shots went well over
his back. He was facing me now with a much smaller target opportunity being the front of his chest. I was grateful
and unbelieving I even had the chance of a third try.
Crack-whoom! Dadgum if he did not go down this time,
hoofs in the air, along with some hearty hollering. I
could finally make some noise, and lots of it, too.
Shaking as I approached this gorgeous creature,
I marveled at the large horns compared to a rather
smallish body. This could be why I thought the yardage
was much farther than the mere 100 yards I paced off,
and gradually began to put the picture together. As I
wiped his face off for the pictures, a small hole appeared
right between and just below the eyes for a practically
perfect, unintentional, head shot. Immediate kill, no bullet exit — that is how hard their head is. Holy cow, now I
realized just how lucky — really, really, lucky — I was to
harvest this trophy.
The factors involved were many: logistics, costs,
weather, machinery breakdowns, near mental breakdowns, among others. But above all, the unselfishness
of a few good men and women to help the sheep, and
sheep hunters, in a fix. It all came together, overwhelmingly — what had just transpired, the culmination of
events leading to this moment of realization, awe, and
extreme gratefulness to all.
I have special thanks to DFG biologist Andy Pauli for
his efforts to help me harvest a ram, but also for sending
the “Angel in the Desert,” as I call him. His real name is
Le Hayes of Baker, California, SCBS member and a very
good man I will never forget. I deeply appreciate his
many trips from town out to camp and back to help me
get my truck running. And by so doing, I was able to
keep hunting instead of wasting precious hours and days
trying to mobilize the right people myself. I so badly
wanted to reward him monetarily for his costs and rescue
efforts, but he would have none of that. His one request
was not for him, but for the sheep. He asked me to join
the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep, which
I promptly and proudly did in his honor, immediately
upon returning home.
In addition, I have a new appreciation for this special
country. It is very much not God-forsaken. I was astounded years ago when my grandparents used to visit the
wildflowers and revel in the beauty of the desert, not
having a clue why. I do now; it is so very amazing with a
magical quietness that anyone can appreciate, along with
a harsh beauty staggering in its intensity to survive. I
wish to return someday just to be an observer or take
some pictures and relive this unbelievable adventure. D
Low a Boots
Dan Hill
www.lowaboots.com
[email protected]
Truckee, CA
A ction W hitew ater A dventures
Verle Duerden
www.riverguide.com
[email protected]
Provo, UT
International A dventures U nlim ited
Michael H. Grosse
www.internationaladventures.us
[email protected]
Gunnison, CO
C hungo C reek O utfitters
Greg Kristoff
www.travelnordegg.com/chungocreek/
Nordegg, Alberta, Canada
Fall 2010
9
CA FNAWS
PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD
Anna Norris-Vorisek
Dall Ram
Alaska
First woman to achieve an Archery Grand Slam® / FNAWS
(Grand Slam is the registered trademark of GSCO)
Gary Schenone
Stone Sheep
August 2010
British Columbia
Corey Knowlton
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
August 2010
Wheeler Peak, NM
Rocky Mountain Bighorn
Winter Kill from Cadomin Mine
CA FNAWS
10
Fall 2010
Desert Bighorn Sheep at Drinker
Rocky Mountain Bighorn in Oregon
BALLO T O N PO SSIBLE CA FN AW S N AM E CH AN G E
Please let us know your vote on the follow ing by Septem ber 30,2010
(e-mail – [email protected]; fax – (650) 472-3889; or mail - 423 Broadway #617, Millbrae, CA 94030-1905)
• Idaho WSF (formerly Idaho FNAWS)
• WSF - Midwest Chapter (formerly MN-WI FNAWS)
• Montana WSF (formerly MT FNAWS)
• New Mexico WSF (formerly NM FNAWS)
• Wyoming WSF (formerly WY FNAWS)
My preference for what we call ourselves is:
1. California Chapter Foundation for North American
Wild Sheep (CA FNAWS) – Name remains unchanged
2. California Wild Sheep Foundation – New name
Costs for CA FNAWS to change are estimated to be ~$500
or less (website registry, name changes to website items,
stationery, display booth, new Banner)
a. If you select this option, please circle one:
CAWSF or CWSF or CAWS
If we change our name, there is an updated charter from
WSF that would also be included. Your Board has
reviewed this as a draft and believes any agreement made
would be fully consistent with our current commitments
and practices.
Background for your consideration:
The national/international organization formerly called
the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS)
has been doing business as the Wild Sheep Foundation
(WSF) for two years.
N ote:CA FNAWS already owns the domain name
cawsf.org
Of the 13 Chapters, 8 have changed their names:
• Alaska WSF (formerly AK FNAWS)
• WSF Alberta (formerly Alberta FNAWS)
• Eastern Chapter WSF (formerly Eastern Chapter FNAWS)
Fall 2010
The other two domain names — cawsf.org and
caws.org — are owned by other organizations.
11
CA FNAWS
WATER IN THE DESERT BENEFITS WILDLIFE
Agency Cooperation Needed
By Gary Thomas, SCBS Projects Coordinator
Now water is something I know about, old Billy
Bob knows what kind of water is best for whisky and
Dr. Vern Bleich knows where to put replacement
water. He also has seen how botulism in water can kill
a lot of wildlife and I have seen what happens when a
water hole goes dry.
In mid-August this year 39 or more Burros died at
Fenner Springs from one or the other, maybe both
were the cause of this die off. Let me say I wasn’t there
and only know what I have been told by the people
who were there and were involved later. Now Fenner
Springs isn’t a typical spring where water comes out of
the rock or ground, at Fenner Spring a tunnel was cut
in to the hill so water would collect in the back of the
tunnel and be used. A rancher checking on his cattle
found the tunnel packed with dead burros and others
outside dead. He call the BLM and they came out and
tried to remove the burros by tying a rope on the burros and pulling them out with a horse but could only
get a few out. They were packed in and starting to rot
so they brought in a back hoe to dig them out but
couldn’t get them all. At that point they caved the
tunnel in and buried the rest. The only problem is
water starts to come out from the caved-in tunnel so
they dig out a hole in front of the tunnel for wildlife
to drink. While all this is going on they also have 13
live burros looking for water so they bring in tanks
and use a helicopter to haul water in for the burros. As
burros are not supposed to be in this area BLM is
going to round them up and take them to Ridgecrest
for adoption.
At this point things are looking good but we have
to go back to what killed the burros, was it botulism
that killed them or a lack of water. BLM had a vet out
and he said that they died from dehydration. The
nearest water is 12 miles away and for burros that isn’t
a long ways even in August and because they have
been in the area for years they know where all the
water is. If it was botulism it will remain in the water
until all the protein is gone. BLM has taken water samples and will check the site daily for dead wildlife.
Now what can we learn from this, one is that
wildlife need to be elevated to the same level of concern and protection as the land because without the
wildlife the land is not worth a bucket of warm spit.
The California Department of Fish and Game need to
restart their program for building wildlife drinkers. The
BLM, NFS and NPS can help by working with them to
speed up the permitting and support drinkers in
wilderness areas. And last but most important is for all
the groups come together and support water for
wildlife where sound science shows it’s needed.
The desert is a harsh place and not easy to manage but years ago CDF&G, BLM and SCBS did a good
job taking care of the land and wildlife and can do it
again by working together. D
CA FN AW S 2010 D IRECTO R ELECTIO N RESU LTS
The above will join the following persons who
were elected in 2009 and whose terms run
through June 2011:
The following persons were elected for the term
of July 2010 – June 2012
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
STEVEN F. BOITANO, San Jose, California
MIKE J. BOREL, Alamo, California
JOHN CAVIN, Danville, California
KEN FISH, Rolling Hills Estates, California
BEN GORDON, Princeton, California
ROGER L. MCCOSKER, Reno, Nevada
BRENTON SCOTT, Littleton, Colorado
TAMMY SCOTT, Littleton, Colorado
•
•
•
•
•
PAUL A. BRISSO, Eureka, California
JIM R. FITZGERALD, Orange Cove, California
TOM GRIFFITHS, Woodlake, California
KYLE M. MEINTZER, Reno, Nevada
CHRIS SETTELMEYER, Verdi, Nevada
Officer elections are held in odd number years,
so current officers are still in place through
June 2011.
The following persons were elected for the term
of July 2010 – June 2011
• JOHN R. DRUMMOND, Lodi, California
• DONALD C. MARTIN, Elk Grove, California
CA FNAWS
12
Fall 2010
CA FNAWS REGIONAL DINNERS
By Ken Fish
Calling all CA FNAWS members! The Board of
CA FNAWS has consistently received input from
our members who have expressed a desire for more
opportunities to gather with other sheep hunters.
Your Board agrees, but we face a significant
geographical challenge: our members are scattered
throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, and even
Colorado, Washington, and Pennsylvania! Unless
we were to hold more fundraisers each year (ain’t
gonna happen), that makes getting everyone
together for regular member’s meetings extremely
challenging.
But we have members who have stepped up
to the challenge! We will be holding regional
dinners throughout the state starting in September.
In fact, the first dinner will be held on Saturday,
September 11, 2010 at The Chart House in
Redondo Beach, CA (Los Angeles area). Current
president Ken Fish is organizing this dinner, and
if you would like to attend, please contact Ken at
310-625-2406 or [email protected]. The northern California dinner will be held the next day on
Sunday, September 12, 2010 at Zio Fraeddo’s in
Pleasant Hill, CA (Oakland/San Francisco area).
Ex-president Mike Borel is organizing this dinner,
and if you would like to attend, contact Mike at
925-937-4180 or [email protected]. As
you read this, these two dinners are nearly upon
us, and we need to give the restaurants expected
headcount numbers very soon. You can help us
simply by deciding to attend and letting us know
that you will be there!
Fall 2010
Everyone reading this newsletter should also
have received a postcard in the mail inviting you
to the other gatherings that we have planned.
The first of these will be held on Saturday,
October 16, 2010 at The Crab Catcher in La Jolla,
CA (San Diego area; Ken Fish will also organize
this dinner).
We will conclude the year with five additional
regional dinners on Saturday, November 6, 2010.
These will be held at Bud’s Pub and Grill in Dixon,
CA (Davis/West Sacramento area; Jason Hairston
will organize this dinner), Location TBD in Eureka,
CA (North Coast area; Paul Brisso will organize
this dinner), Onotria in Costa Mesa, CA (Orange
County area; Ken Fish will organize this dinner),
the home of Dwight Ortmann (Silicon Valley area;
Dwight Ortmann will organize this dinner), and
Café 225 in Visalia, CA (mid-state/Central Valley
area; Tom Griffiths will organize this dinner). To
sign up for any of these dinners, please call the
CA FNAWS office at: 650-472-3889 or by e-mail
at [email protected].
Additional information will be sent via e-mail
prior to each of these events.
In order to ensure that we steward our funds
to deploy into sheep conservation projects, each
of these dinners will be dutch (self-pay), so you
can spend as little or as much as you wish for each
event. Please remember to let us know if you plan
to attend. We look forward to seeing everyone at
one of these upcoming regional dinners, and
remember to bring a friend who may share your
enthusiasm for wild sheep! D
G iuseppe C arrizosa Spain
Giuseppe Carrizosa
www.giuseppecarrizosa.com
[email protected]
Madrid, Spain
Sportsm an’s W arehouse
www.sportsmanwarehouse.com
Rocklin, GA
916.782.9900
W ild Sheep Foundation
www.wildsheepfoundation.org
Cody, WY
A rchery O nly
Wayne Piersol
www.archeryonly.net
[email protected]
Newark, CA
13
CA FNAWS
DIGISCOPING TIPS FROM SWAROVSKI OPTIK
see www.swarovskioptik.us
The following applies in principle: the shorter
the exposure time, the lower the risk of camera
shake that would result in blurring.
We therefore recommend that you use your
camera’s automatic ‘Speed’, ‘Sport’ or ‘S’
exposure mode (if available). This means that
your camera will select the shortest possible
exposure when the shutter release is triggered.
Preventing V ignetting
Use the zoom lens on the camera to zoom in and
see if you can eliminate the black areas around the
edge. Remain within the optical zoom range and
do not use the camera’s digital zoom! Using the
digital zoom will result in a loss of image quality.
The most suitable ISO sensitivity for the
prevailing lighting conditions will be selected
automatically by the camera, although you can
also change this manually.
Low ISO numbers, such as ISO 100 and 200, are
intended for use in good lighting conditions. If
the environment is darker or has poor lighting,
you should select a higher ISO number such as
ISO 400 or 800.
Avoiding Blurring
There are a number of reasons why digiscoping
images may be out of focus. You should bear the
following in mind when digiscoping:
In other words, you are unlikely to go wrong
if you select the most suitable level of ISO
sensitivity (the automatically selected sensitivity
is usually correct) and use the ‘Speed’ program
setting. At most, you may need to change the
ISO number if the light becomes weaker or you
want to photograph fast-moving subjects.
1.Ensure that the spotting scope is focused
properly
The camera can only capture the image that is
passed through the spotting scope. The better
the spotting scope is focused on the subject, the
better the result.
3.U se your cam era’s self-tim er or rem ote
control
2.Select the right cam era settings
When digiscoping, the aperture size, exposure
time (or shutter speed) and ISO sensitivity have
a large influence on image sharpness. The high
level of magnification created through the
combination of spotting scope and camera
results in a high risk of blurring. The aperture
is the opening through which light passes in
order to reach the camera’s sensor (CCD).
Rule number one: avoid all unnecessary
movement! Even the pressure of your finger on
the shutter release button can often be enough
to cause camera shake. The camera’s self-timer
is ideal for overcoming this problem. You have
two options: either use the camera’s in-built
self-timer or a remote control (not available for
all cameras). The first option is provided by the
camera itself; the second enables you to trigger
the shutter release without needing to touch the
camera. However, there are a decreasing number
of camera models on the market which feature
an electronic (remote control) or mechanical
(cable) remote shutter release.
The size of the aperture (referred to as an
f-number, e.g. f2.4 or f5.6), determines the
size of the aperture opening and, therefore,
the amount of light that is admitted into the
camera. To ensure that images are exposed
correctly, higher f-numbers (e.g. f7) and the
correspondingly small aperture openings require
longer exposure times. If the f-number is higher,
the aperture opening is larger and the exposure
time can be reduced.
CA FNAWS
4.Ensure your equipm ent is stable (tripod)
Ensure that the spotting scope and camera are
highly stable when the image is taken and that
14
Fall 2010
they are not subject to any movement. A tripod
is essential for sharp, high-contrast images when
taking photographs, much more so than when
observing. Optimal stability makes a considerable contribution to image quality.
setup on the spotting scope rail in a way that
ensures it is balanced horizontally. This will
prevent the setup from shaking or moving when
you move from your observation position to
take photographs.
Keep the tripod legs and centre column as low
as possible when shooting to allow them to
dampen vibrations more efficiently.
5.H igh-quality optics
High-quality optical and mechanical materials,
the lowest tolerance limits, 100% quality control
– just some of the parameters for outstanding
optical performance. Be sure to seek out the best
quality when choosing your camera, spotting
scope and eyepiece. High definition (HD) lenses
in particular help ensure that the images reproduced are bright with lifelike colors. D
It is particularly important that the spotting
scope, eyepiece, adapter and camera are all
perfectly balanced on the tripod. The spotting
scope rail for Swarovski Optik spotting scopes
allows this to be done quickly and easily according to your specific requirements. If the tripod
head is not fixed, aim to position the entire
Fall 2010
Bill Johnson C om pany
John Harris
Wheatland, WY
C alifornia D epartm ent of Fish and G am e
Thomas Stephenson
www.dfg.ca.gov/about/hunting/
A R H unting C onsultant
Abed Radwan
www.ibexman.com
[email protected]
Anchorage, AK
W estern W ildlife Taxiderm y
Aaron Armstrong
www.western-wildlife.com
[email protected]
Roseville, CA
D am a D am a Safaris
Resit Kaan Ozmen
www.damadamasafaris.com
[email protected]
Antalya, Turkey
Front Sight Firearms Training Institute
Ken Fish
www.frontsight.com
Rolling Hills Estates, CA
G rand Slam C lub/O vis
Taylor Deboer
www.wildsheep.org
Birmingham, AL
Steyn C aracal Safaris
Abie Steyn
www.scssafaris.com
[email protected]
Linden, South Africa
15
CA FNAWS
GREEN GUN, BLUE BULLETS, BIGHORN SHEEP
By Dr. Norris (Pokey) Cleek
1. Laurel May Hansen became Laurel May Cleek.
2. We used my first paycheck after marriage to
purchase my 300 Weatherby. Now that is a
woman to marry!
Both the woman and the rifle have stuck with me
through thick and thin, and both are my overwhelming favorites.
A suggestion for young hunters: Buy the best first
rifle you can afford and marry above your head.
I used the Weatherby for several years until
reading some popular outdoor literature. I concluded
that I obviously needed to discard the beautiful claro
walnut stock and replace it with plastic. I purchased a
Brown Precision stock and did the glass bedding
myself (solid glass in the chamber is very difficult to
remove, but that is another story). I finished the stock
with green wrinkle paint.
The Prelude
The five-ton rogue elephant was approaching
directly in front of me as I was hiding behind a
2-foot-high weed. This seemed somewhat inadequate
shielding. I put the crosshairs on his forehead for a
frontal brain shot, readjusted about 4 inches lower
corresponding for the up angle to meet the brain and
sent 300 grains of solid into his gray matter. The bull
collapsed 16 steps in front of me. Within an hour
there were dozens of Africans celebrating the end of
their nightmare with this killer pachyderm.
I lay in my sleeping bag that night in the chief’s
mud brick hut, the continuous question in my brain:
“What in the world do I hunt now to match this?” I
had no idea. Shooting a blacktail deer seemed like
shooting a gopher.
Final Product for the H unt
1. Green gun
2. Blue bullets: 130gr Barnes XLC ahead of 92gr of
reloader 22 at 3700 fps.
I spent a lot of time at the range until this combo
shot tight groups 2-1/2 inches high at 100 yards.
The Zone
The Sheep Hole Mountains are not the end of the
world, but you can see it from there. This zone has the
fewest sheep, the smallest horns, the most rocks and
the steepest terrain. One tag is given for the entire
zone for the season.
The Tag
I returned to America several months later after
completing four years as a medical missionary in West
Africa, teaching young African doctors the art and
science of modern surgery. I nearly suffered apoplexy
when I opened the mail and found the notice of a
successful draw for Nelson bighorn sheep in the Sheep
Hole Mountains. I returned the application the same
day by certified mail.
The O utfitters
Dry Creek Outfitters: I have hunted many species
with outfitters from Alaska to Africa; Dry Creek Outfitters are A#1. Hands down the best. Look no further if
you are hunting sheep. The hunt rapidly developed
into a friendship, not a business.
1. Tim Mercier: Slow talking, looks you in the eye and
means what he says. Vast knowledge of the desert
and its flora and fauna. A wealth of knowledge of
the history of Native Americans in this region.
The G un
Months in advance I began working up loads for
the big hunt. Hand loads included 100gr Barnes XLC
in a 25/O6 @3250 fps, 100gr XLC in 257 Weatherby at
3690 fps and finally 130gr XLC in my 300 Weatherby
magnum @ 3700 fps. Each of these guns were under 1
inch at 100 yards. I settled on the “Green Gun,” the
300 Weatherby.
Two big events occurred during my surgical
internship in 1976.
CA FNAWS
2. Cliff St. Martin: Very knowledgeable of sheep and
their habits. Able to judge a bighorn sheep through
15 power Swarovski binoculars within a gnat’s eyelash. Encyclopedic knowledge of firearms and ballistics. Tougher than old shoe leather.
16
Fall 2010
3. Grover Dobyns: Savvy wisdom that comes only
from years spent worshiping God. A great cook
and skilled at spotting sheep.
4. Clay Gibert: Vision of an eagle with the back of a
mule. A great guy with the vigor and enthusiasm of
youth — may some of it rub off on my aging bones.
5. Mike Trinca: My longtime hunting partner, and
the best hunter I know, who was invited to join
our hunt.
The G ear
1. Private tent for hunters with wall-to-wall carpet
2. Optics: Swarovski binoculars
3. The food: double throw down good
the mountain in the rain, I asked Cliff the usual
question, “Any rattlesnakes here?” After assurance
that this was not possible at this time of the year, a
couple of steps further and there beside my boot was
a Mojave sidewinder. Thankfully he was much too
cold to be any threat. We ascended the canyon and
could hear a sheep bleating, got a visual — a ewe,
no ram.
Day 6: The previous evening Cliff said he would
get up at 3:00 a.m. so he could walk several miles
further to a new area to scout. The rest of us hunted
all day without success. Time was now starting to close
in. This was a ten-day hunt and six days had passed
without a shot being fired. That evening Cliff returned
with news of spotting a big ram. We retired that night
with full stomachs, happy hearts and sore feet.
Day 7: Up at 3:00 a.m. After a hearty breakfast,
drove to the end of the road and started the long
pre-dawn walk. Cliff and I walked the desert floor
for miles while Tim and Grover scouted other areas.
At daybreak there he was — a beautiful ram,
perhaps a mile away up a canyon. Again the plan
was to skirt the ridges and ambush him over a ridge
we estimated to be 200 to 300 yards from his position,
with the sun at our back and no problem with the
wind. We stalked the ram all morning, finally coming
to the point of ambush. As we looked over the ridge,
our trophy had vanished. We scoured the ridge where
he was last seen for perhaps two hours. Still no sheep.
We were both exhausted, foot sore, discouraged, and
in general feeling lower than a centipede with fallen
arches. With perhaps only a hundred yards to the end
of the ridge, we sat down and rested and discussed the
major issues of life, sore feet and tired bones.
Cliff insisted that I put my rifle in his backpack
to give me a break on the walk out to the valley floor.
We regrouped and walked perhaps ten steps, Cliff with
the butt of my rifle sticking out of the top of his pack
and me dragging my 60-year-old soft surgeon’s body
after him. Then suddenly we heard the noise of falling
rocks, and the vision 30 yards directly ahead and
The Trip
Mike and I got a late start the evening preceding
opening day of the hunt. The rams in the Sheep Hole
Mountains migrate out of the zone into the adjacent
Marine Corps reserve and are out of bounds. Got to
get there in early season before the migration. My job
as medical director of trauma services gave us a late
start; however “the crew” left us explicit instructions
on reaching the camp, and just like Motel Six, left a
lantern burning. Arrived in the middle of the night.
Tom Bodett was not there, but a well-arranged tent
and comfortable cot were.
The H unt
This actually started with the guides scouting for
us several days before our arrival. They saw a huge
ram for this zone that they were sure would be the
zone record.
Day 1: We awakened to a hearty breakfast, then
drove to the jumping off point, followed by a walk to
the canyon of the big boy. This was going to be quite
an efficient hunt; unfortunately the ram did not
understand the rules. Glassed all day — no ram, only
a few ewes.
Day 2: Like the ‘60s song “Henry the Eighth,
second verse the same as the first,” no ram.
Days 3-5: Hunted hard, much walking, glassed
canyons until my eyes nearly fell out. Saw a really
good ram crest over a ridge. Hightailed it to the next
canyon — no ram. Do these sheep dig foxholes and
crawl in them? The next day Tim spotted a very good
ram, perhaps a mile away. All day was spent following
terrain to keep out of vision. We kept the sheep out of
our vision, but apparently we were not out of his. We
never saw him again. A long walk that night on the
desert floor to culminate a hard day of hunting.
A new idea for the next day — walk several miles
across the desert floor to a canyon that “always holds
sheep.” Beginning the climb from the desert floor up
Fall 2010
17
CA FNAWS
30 feet up on a rocky bluff was the sheep of our
dreams staring at us with only his head and shoulders
visible. Cliff fell on all fours and I grabbed the rifle
butt from the top of his pack and pulled, nothing
happened. Apparently the Harris Bipod was stuck in
the viscera of his pack. I now generated all of the force
of a desperate man and pulled with all of my dwindling strength, perhaps dragging Cliff across the rocky
ground. The rifle broke free and the pack vomited it
into my hand, but the sheep was gone again. A couple
of seconds later Cliff exhorted “Kill ‘im. Kill ‘im.” I
would have been glad to, but there was no sheep in
my visual field. Cliff directed my vision 80 degrees to
my right, and there was the ram perched on a ridge
100 yards away, one step from escape. I wanted to sit
down, extend the bipod and make a perfect shot;
however my gut feeling was to shoot now or he would
be gone forever. I threw the rifle up and sent 130
grains of copper in the direction of the ovis at 3700
fps. When I recovered the line of sight from the recoil,
the sheep was gone. I uttered a quick silent prayer to
the effect “God, I sure hope I hit him.”
Cliff stayed to watch the mountainside while I ran
down a gully and over the ridge. Just over the crest
was a xerophyte covered with red blossoms. Obviously
the desert does not bloom in winter, but lung blood
does. Ten yards further was a boulder painted red,
then a few steps further, the trophy of a lifetime. Tim
joined Cliff and I, and we skinned and boned the
meat and put it in our packs. Necropsy showed the
chest full of blood and the heart completely separated
from the great vessels.
Walking out we found a half dozen 20mm
cannon shells left over from World War II fighter
aircraft strafing training. Several miles further, the
walk into the night brought us to the 4X4 and the
end of a hunt of a lifetime.
Epilogue
At the checkout station, Andy Pauli, the DFG
biologist, said that this was the second largest ram
ever taken for the Sheep Hole Mountains. I do not
remember the B&C score and am not interested in it.
We place way too much emphasis on the marks of a
ruler and much too little in the pure joy of the hunt.
This was a good one. D
Lim crom a Safaris
Hannes Els
www.limcroma.com
[email protected]
South Africa
D rake D aw son
Safari Unlimited LLC
[email protected]
New Bloomfield, MO
W ard’s O utfitters
Steven Ward
www.wardsoutfitters.com
[email protected]
Wilcox, AZ
M exico H unts
Sergio Jimenez Lezama
www.mexicohunts.com
[email protected]
Nuevo Leon, MX
Sitka G ear
David Brinker
www.sitkagear.com
Napa, CA
Point Blank H unts
Joe Jakab
www.pointblankhunts.com
[email protected]
Pittsburgh, PA
C ordoba H unting SA
Faco Pavcovich
[email protected]
[email protected]
Cordoba, Argentina
Furs by Robert
Brian and Jeanne Smith
PMB #133 3760 Market St. N.E.
Salem, OR 97301
503.390.4786
CA FNAWS
18
Fall 2010
RECOVERY OF SIERRA BIGHORN
Active Management Supplements Colonization
By Tom Stephenson, Ph.D. CA DFG
A recent focus of the recovery program has
been to further our understanding of the dynamics
of the Mt. Warren Herd Unit, the northernmost
occupied herd unit. Lee Vining Canyon in the
southern part of this herd unit was the site of 2
reintroductions in 1986 and 1988. Immediately
following the initial translocations, the herd grew
but by 2002 it declined to as low as 5 females
(adults and yearlings). About that time, we began
to start placing GPS collars on animals in this
small herd. We discovered that over the next several years, the core of the population appeared to be
shifting to the north towards Lundy Canyon. During 2009, we augmented the Mt. Warren herd with
6 pregnant adult ewes (3 each from Wheeler Ridge
and Mt. Langley). Based on a habitat suitability
model and the recent shift north by the herd, we
translocated the 6 ewes into Lundy Canyon. By
well into fall 2009, 5 of the 6 lambs born to new
residents were still alive (83% survival is very high
for lambs in a wild population). One year posttranslocation, all 6 ewes had survived and the
number of yearlings suggested high overwinter
lamb survival as well. During summer 2010, a survey of Lundy Canyon revealed that the Mt. Warren
herd now numbers 21 ewes (16 adults and 5 yearlings) and 11 lambs. The optimal habitat in Lundy
Canyon along with the positive demographic trend
has created renewed optimism for the eventual
recovery of bighorn in the northern part of their
historical range as well as the southern. D
Recovery of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep is
dependent upon increasing the number and distribution of this unique subspecies throughout California’s highest mountain range. The recovery
effort is a combination of active management and
monitoring. In some areas, bighorn sheep are reoccupying historic range on their own. This is really
only possible in places where vacant habitat exists
adjacent to occupied herd units. A number of such
colonizations have occurred in recent years. In particular, the Bubbs Creek herd originated most likely from the Mount Baxter herd. Just this year, we
found evidence that the Convict Creek herd unit
was occupied and those animals likely moved in
from the Wheeler Ridge herd. In addition, bighorn
are selecting for preferred habitat within herd units
and in some cases expanding their boundaries. Past
authors have suggested that bighorn sheep were
poor colonizers; it may simply be that colonization
events are rare and difficult to document. Monitoring is an essential component to tracking the
progress towards meeting the numerical and geographic goals outlined in the Recovery Plan.
The Recovery Plan for Sierra bighorn requires
that 12 of 16 herd units be occupied for downlisting and delisting. There are 4 recovery units that
contain all herd units. Of the 12 herds that are
required, 8 are now occupied including the recent
addition of the Convict Herd to this list. Both herd
units in the Kern Recovery Unit are still unoccupied and the Southern Recovery Unit still has 2
unoccupied units. Both the Central and Northern
Recovery Units meet the geographic requirement
of 2 occupied herd units each. In the Northern
Recovery Unit, the recent focus has been on augmenting sparsely populated herds. Small herds are
likely more prone to the effects of random events
such as severe weather and inbreeding.
Society for the
C onservation of Bighorn Sheep
Steve Marschke, President
www.sheepsociety.com
K .E.Pack W atercolors
K. E. Pack
www.kepackwatercolors.com
Ramona, CA
Joshua Spies Fine A rt
Joshua Spies & John Coulter
www.joshuaspies.com
Tracy, MN
Fall 2010
19
CA FNAWS
WSF CHAPTER & AFFILIATE MEETING 10-0625-6 SUMMIT III
Notes from Meeting Held June 25-26 in Edmonton, Alberta
By Mike J. Borel, Representing CA FNAWS and SCBS
D irectors Present:Thornton, Meintzer, R. Young,
Nowicki, Boone, Rupp, Middleton, Gordon
(alternate)
• Wants us to be more involved in land use
decisions - $ are important, but it’s not enough
(vocal, active, at the table)
o We are bighorn sheep advocates and we believe
fire is needed to improve habitat
• Several levels of planning to be involved with
o Forest management plans (~15 year frequency)
o Allotment buyouts
o NEPA documents
• How do you start
o Understand the system
o Figure out who you can cooperate with (who
often will have opposing views on some items);
establish a Bighorn Sheep Coalition (include
persons bringing money, political influence,
legal knowledge and capability)
o Get on “interested parties” list so get
information and know schedules
o Ask for directions
• Neil is doing great, but he is not enough
• Resources
o Citizens Guide to NEPA from USFS
o Websites and other publications coming
separately
C hapters and A ffiliates Present:AK, ID, OR,
Eastern, Midwest, IA, CA, SCBS, MT, WY, TBS,
UT, RMBS, Alberta
President’s Report
• $2.85m on the ground this past year ($2.4m
to agencies from tag sales), not including any
chapter or affiliate work
N orthern Sheep & G oat C ouncil – K evin H urley,
N eil Thagard,C hris Barker
Neil Thagard
• Payette National Forest
• Total US livestock value $102B (excluding
poultry, with poultry $120B)
• Total US wildlife value $68B, $120B with fisheries
• Gross income in CA for grazing sheep $47.7m,
total US $377.1m
• Wildlife related activities $5.3B in CA, $21.138B
in US
• Perfect storm – die-offs elevating awareness of
domestic grazing and disease transmission, could
help get this sorted out
A laska D all Sheep Initiative – W ayne H eim er
• Working on a Management Policy
A lberta Sheep O verview – Jim A llen
Issues
• Habitat loss due to trees, fire needed
• Predation – wolves, cougars, grizzlies, eagles
• Disease although no domestic sheep grazing
on BH ranges
Kevin Hurley
• Northern Sheep & Goat Council
o Biennial symposium, Kevin has been leading
o http://www.nwsgc.org/ can sign up for enews
• WAFWA
o Kevin’s job goes away February 1, 2011
o Working on GIS map of all transplants ever,
goal to finish by end 2010
o Summer meeting in Anchorage mid-July
Trapping & Transplants
C hapter & A ffiliate A dm in
• Fundraising
o Packet in folder
o However do NOT depend on purchasing
and reselling items, go for 100% donations.
Suggest every other year at 100% over every
year at 50%
o Gray has draft position descriptions for
fundraiser roles – send an email request
to get it
Chris Barker, Wild Sheep Society of BC
• All Sheep recently inventoried. Stone Sheep (not
a good history), currently back to where it was in
’40s and ’50s
• Ecological Goods & Services idea
U S Forest Service Review – M elanie W oolever
• Bighorn Sheep, Your National Forests and YOU
• Grazing allotments reauthorized every 10 years
CA FNAWS
20
Fall 2010
• Membership Drive
o Regional Meetings / Trophy Room Tours
o Kathy Boone idea – “If you want to eat, you
have to join.”
• Magazine
• Make $380/table for ID FNAWS
• UT FNAWS endorses the Fishing Trip
Papers Provided (and available on request):
1. Understanding Bighorn Pneumonia by
Wayne Heimer
2. 2011 Convention Schedule (Proposed)
3. Disease Transmission between Domestic
Sheep/Goats and Bighorn Sheep: The Payette
National Forest Saga by Neil Thagard
4. WAFWA Update June 22, 2010
5. Chapter & Affiliate Banquet Offers from various
companies
W SF 2011 C onvention
• All Auctions in evening
• Wednesday afternoon sporting clays with USA
Shooting Team
• Wednesday night kickoff, Welcome Back, auction
• Thursday morning – Member Meeting, Ladies
Luncheon, International Night
• Friday morning – Ram awards, evening banquet
and auction (casual)
• Saturday – Life member breakfast
• Want Chapter & Affiliate Sponsors for “One
More for Four”
• Floor Credit drawings on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday in the hall (1:00 each day, for those
in the hall that day, drawing for $5000). Need
sponsors
• Considering a “wall of rifles” sponsored by
Chapters and Affiliates
PETA RED EPLO YIN G
FO RCES TO CALIFO RN IA
In what may be a sign of rough
economic times, PETA is shifting around
forty employees from its Norfolk, Virginia
office to Los Angeles. This move will get
the country’s most outrageous animal
rights group closer to the wealth of some
“bleeding heart” celebrities that have fallen
prey to PETA’s rhetoric.
According to Tracy Reiman, PETA’s
executive vice president, it will be transferring three divisions to L.A.: campaigns,
youth and online marketing. Reiman said
it only makes sense to move certain forces
to L.A. since the city “defines popular
culture and cultivates big personalities.”
She went on to praise the work of those
divisions and how they “conceive of and
carry out those eye and headline-catching,
envelope-pushing and just plain quirky
actions that have helped put animal rights
on the map.”
The divisions being moved make up
twenty five percent of PETA’s Virginia staff.
Permit Proceeds Accountability
• When checks went out, request for report on
how used was also made (for the first time). Only
three have replied. Working to establish higher
accountability.
PRAB – Professional Resource Advisory Board
• Have outlined a process that includes scrutiny
Chuck Middleton Chapter fundraising idea
• McDougall Lodge (Ron Jewett) AK Fishing trip
(100% donation – but have to bring another for
$2900) – to be raffled to 1 of 8 at table, 1 gun –
to be raffled to 1 of 8 at table, Memberships for
each, drink ticket for each, dinner for each.
Total cost
2009 LICEN SE & REVEN U E
IN FO FO R CA
• $63 million in revenue for fishing licenses
for 2 million anglers for DFG
Editor’s N ote – I’ve heard PETA is planning
to attend all F&G Commission meetings,
which means we will likely need to increase
hunting group participation. COHA is
always there representing us, but more may
be needed to “balance or overwhelm the
radicals.”
• $23 million in revenue for license and
tags for 300,000 hunters for DFG.
Source: DFG License Data on their website
Fall 2010
21
CA FNAWS
CA FNAWS
22
Fall 2010
TWO TAGS IN TWO YEARS? IMPOSSIBLE!
By Ken Crother
odds and drew the only ram tag in that zone that year. It
was the first year I had put in as well as the year after I
had drawn my California tag! Lucky, I suppose, but
throughout my life I had not used much of the supposed
luck I was supposed to have and I was glad to burn it up
in these two tags.
What do I do now? I now had a tag in a zone that
encompasses mountains that go to above 10,000 feet and
extends roughly 40 miles of range that I was familiar with
for deer and elk, but only knew about these sheep in
December when they were breeding and now I find that I
will be hunting in September. Uh Oh. Fish and game in
Idaho was very helpful after numerous phone calls and I
ended up with the phone numbers of the 3 previous
hunters. As well, my office turned into what looked like a
military zone. All walls were covered in maps from fish
and game, forest service, BLM, giant Google printouts and
also ended up with the Heli survey that was done the previous year but was done in springtime. I had spoken to a
few of the guides in the area and had decided that I did
not have the funds to go that route and as well the way
the guides were concessioned in that area I would be limited with areas to hunt with guides that were seasoned
sheep guides. I decided I would do this one on my own.
My buddy Mark Shires that had hunted in California was
up for going as he could archery elk hunt at the same
time, and the next phone call was to Cody Brinkerhoff
whom I’d become friends with on my hunt in California.
Mark is a great hunter and Cody had eyes like a hawk, but
we all had a lot to learn together as this was not going to
be your typical elk or deer hunt.
Mark and I got into the valley first and we got set up
in a friends cabin and started to glass a couple of days
before the season opened. Cody could not come until a
couple of days into the season as he had prior commitments. After the first few days of seeing nothing I was
getting a little concerned. These are big mountains and
finding areas to glass from took long drives, quad rides
and mean hikes just to get into good areas to set up
the spotting scopes. We had been getting in shape the
couple of months prior but the altitude seemed to rip us
up and it took a few days to get acclimated. Seems it was
the second day we ended up finally finding some ewes
and lambs and was kind of comical as we ended up getting within a10 to 15 yards or so from them. It couldn’t
be this easy, right? A couple of days passed and we continued to sit behind our spotting scopes morning and
night and eventually on the fourth day, the day Cody was
showing up, we found three rams. None too great, young
“Impossible!” “Let me touch you.” “You are the
luckiest person in the world.” “Have you bought a
lottery ticket?” “I hope some of that rubs off on me.”
“Are you kidding me?” Just some of the comments I heard
for the few months leading up to my hunt in Idaho in the
Fall of 2008.
You may have read about my desert sheep I had the
opportunity to hunt in California with Mike Hornbarger of
Black Rock Outfitters. I had never hunted sheep and had
spoken to many sheep hunters about it, and the resounding thing I will never forget was, “once you hunt sheep
you will never be the same” and I have to agree. This is
why after hunting the first sheep in the Mojave Dessert
had inspired a new passion that I may never get over.
After completing my first hunt, I could not get it
out of my head, it was all I could think about, I would
relive my hunt at all times of the day. Not having the
resources to start travelling the world hunting sheep, I
decided to start putting in all over the West to attempt to
get another tag through the process. I found the process
quite overwhelming trying to learn the states and their
regulations for putting in as well as what were the best to
hunt as well as what were the best opportunities to draw.
One of the areas I had decided to put in for was in Idaho
in an area I have been elk and deer hunting since the
early ‘90s. We would often see rams in December on
muzzleloader hunts down low and thought well this
ought to be a great place to put in and had only been
open a few years for hunting so there should be rams
all over.???
You might have guessed by now, but I had beat all
Fall 2010
continued on page 24
23
CA FNAWS
the day off and let things heal up. That evening we were
back looking with the sun at our back and Cody found
the rams. Four rams one with lamb tips and long, two
older rams broomed off and a young “banana head.” It
was on, we put em down that evening and headed home
to pack for the hike the next day.
3:30 a.m. came early and off we went, hit the trail at
5:00 a.m. and got to the bottom of the main trail headed
up the mountain at 7:00 a.m.. We stopped pulled out the
scope and started looking and Cody found them up about
9000 feet feeding and moving towards the top. We still
had about another 3000 vertical and a long trail to cover
to get in there and by noon we were just below the upper
basin at about the same level as where the sheep were
when we last saw them. There were elk all around, matter
of fact Mark had called two young bulls to about 15 yards
and we had a standoff for 5 minutes or so until they figured we just weren’t what we thought we were. It took us
awhile but eventually Cody found a horn, then the rest of
the ram and they were all bedded under some pines out
in the middle of the basin to the North. They were well
over 1000 yards and no place to make a stalk. Eventually
the rams got up and moved to the South and ended up
above us in steep very thick cover and we played cat and
mouse for the next 6 hours. During this time while we
waited we had unexpected visitors in the basin to the
South. The sound started as kind of a bark then proceeded
to a group of howls. We had a group of wolves below us. I
thought this was going to mess up the hunt and I called
to check on Cody and he was fine but was now up a tree
and was hard to glass from there.It was a blessing these
rams did not continue over the top or into the next basin
as we would never had seen them again. The country was
very steep and Mark and I started a stalk with Cody
behind glass trying to keep and eye on the rams. Right
around 6:30 one of the rams stepped out and looked right
down the hill towards Mark and I, I looked through my
scope, it was the ram with his lamb tips, this was the ram
I wanted. Mark confirmed and let me know he was 486
yards and that was a very long shot for me. I had been
practicing that “500” yard shot with my 300UM but was
windy. We had sat on these rams for 6 plus hours and I
was ready. I got a good rest adjusted for the wind and let
it go, all I remember seeing was dust and rams running.
Had I hit him, did I miss? All the questions brewing in
my head and I was feeling sick.
Cody let us know he saw the rams running and one
had blood on his leg but they were heading up hill, bad
news. We lost them for half an hour or so then they
started following this ram back down the hill and he did
not look like he was doing as good as we thought. They
disappeared until right before dark, 3 of the 4 rams took
off running across the hill and out of sight. We did not
see our ram in the group. There was no way to get to him
before dark and not a good spot to go in the dark and we
set up a little camp site, dined on what we had left to eat,
if you can imagine the best of which was Vienna sausages
continued from page 23
rams and it felt good to get our eyes adjusted to rams on a
hillside as we watched them for a couple of hours.
That evening Cody showed up and found his way to
the cabin. We set out the next morning to find the rams
from the previous day again, hoping that there were more
mature rams with the group on the backside of the mountain. I had secured access from a wonderful elderly lady
that owns private ground that blocked this drainage the
day before and off we went up the mountain. We eventually found the rams and unfortunately was just the same
group of youngsters maybe 3 or 4 years old, a sow brown
bear and her twins and a couple of deer. Well too early in
the trip to get dejected and off we went for the next 3 or 4
days, travelling, from one side of the valley to the other
looking through our spotting scopes from the right areas
and after this running into my eighth day, now was the
time to get dejected. Sheep hunting is hard, and this is
why I think I like it so much, but I still think there needs
to be a psychologist hotline on call for sheep hunters.
This seems to be the time when I can’t get my wife and
kids out of my head, the thought that you can never draw
this tag in this state again etc. and I had something that
kept repeating itself in my head.
I had spoken to quite a few people that I knew and
didn’t know in the area and one name kept coming up in
the conversation, Jim Martiny. Jim used to guide for sheep
and his name kept coming up as someone I should talk to
and I had not brought myself to track him down. Now
was the time.
I caught Jim at the local cafe and after a short
conversation about how we were doing and why hadn’t
we harvested one of the smaller rams, we were in Jim’s
driveway in the middle of the valley spotting scopes out
and looking at a miserable mountain that held a couple of
springs and he let us know there should be sheep within a
mile of either direction of that basin. After a lengthy conversation of “what would you do?” Jim explained of a trail
that runs up the Southern side of the mountain and that
it was a good trail, yet the local guide refers to it as the
“horse killin trail.” We started out early the next day on
the horse killin trail and left about 5500 feet and ended
up at about 9000 feet by the end of the hike. Sore legs and
tired spent the day glassing and looking for sheep on top.
Only saw a few elk and lots of elk sign and no sheep. Just
a little down, we headed down the mountain and only
hopped over one rattlesnake and back to the bottom. The
phone rang shortly after we got back in the valley and it
was Jim, “did ya see em?”, his son Tom had spotted rams
in the basin we had been looking in and come to find out
they were down in an area we could not have seen from
where we were and we were off the mountain. Once
again, get me the number to the sheep psychologist!
We looked in the basin the next day and did not see
the sheep from the valley, unfortunately the sun was
directly in our face that morning and we decided to take
CA FNAWS
24
Fall 2010
and oysters which at the time could have been fillet
mignon. Cody and Mark slept like babies and I laid in
my bag listening to elk bugle all night wondering if we
would find my ram the next morning. What a long night.
We took off at my pushing of the sleepers in the dark,
I couldn’t take it anymore, and started up the hill and
when we got our bearings, split up about 100 yards apart
and headed across the hill. It took about an hour and
there he was under a log that had stopped his downhill
tumble that had likely pressed the other rams to run off.
He was a gorgeous ram and I could not have been more
proud. Cody let me use his phone to call my wife and kids
and after about all the pictures we could stand, caped and
boned him out and started the most miserable walk of my
life. We made it off the hill with no major problems other
than running out of water which we replenished when we
hit the first creek with the pump and filter. Man water is
good when you are that thirsty. Made it to the truck and
the first call was to Jim to let him know and could not
wait to show him the ram when he got off the range
that day.
The celebration began and were we proud, tired and
needed a rest. Cody had lost the bottom of both heals on
the hike out, he offered to take the heaviest pack. We
were pretty beat up but in hindsight would do it again in
a minute.
I just got back from a week trip with my kids to
Idaho, and standing in the valley looking into that basin
continues to kind of haunt me. Caleb and Hannah are
11 and 9 and can’t wait til I can take them into the
mountains to enjoy some of the experiences with them
on their hunts.
I cannot thank my wife, Cindy, enough for her
understanding and my kids for being without dad for a
couple of weeks. Most of all thanks to Mark and Cody,
could not have done it without you two, and for Jim
Martiny and his son Tom for their tips and eyes that
helped us along. Also to Jim Sanders and his boys Joel,
Curt and Karl for allowing me to use a wonderful place
to call base camp. D
VO LUN TEER O PPO RTUN ITY
MISSION PROFILE:
Attract and recruit new CA FNAWS members
THEATRE OF OPERATIONS:
International Sportsman’s Exposition, Cal Expo Center, Sacramento, CA
INSERTION DATE:
January 20, 2001
EXTRACTION DATE:
January 23, 2011
DURATION OF ENGAGEMENT:
All or part (minimum 2-hour commitment)
SPECIAL TRAINING NEEDED:
BUDS/Underwater Demolition Training – None
Advanced Combatives (hand-to-hand) – None
Close Quarters Battle – None
Sniper Training – None
Friendliness – REQUIRED
Enthusiastic Hunter – REQUIRED
Passionate about California Sheep – REQUIRED
Willingness to Talk about CA FNAWS – REQUIRED
Able to help new members complete application – REQUIRED
DETAILS: In years past, the CA FNAWS booth at the International Sportsman’s Exposition has been a source of significant
membership growth. This January, we would like up to 34 CA FNAWS members to volunteer to staff 34 x 1-hour slots
(Th/F: 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Sa: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Su: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) during the duration of the Exposition, although two-hour shifts by the same member are encouraged. In the past, a small handful of our members has carried out this mission, but we would like to see wider involvement across our organization, especially from those who live
in the mid- and northern parts of the state, for whom Sacramento might be a reasonably short drive. However, out-of-state
members and those from Southern California are also invited to participate!
If you can sit, if you can gab about hunting in general and sheep in particular, if you read our newsletters and therefore
know a little about what CA FNAWS has been doing to help sheep populations in our state, if you think our annual dinner banquet is worthwhile, if you want to help recruit more members into the sheep hunting fraternity…then YOU are
qualified for this role. You can do something helpful and worthwhile for wildlife conservation this January, without having to sign up for a four-year hitch or go through bootcamp!
Please help us out by volunteering to work our booth. Please notify Beverly at the CA FNAWS office at (650)-472-3889 or
[email protected] so we will know when we can expect you.
Fall 2010
25
CA FNAWS
MOUNTAIN SHEEP, MULE DEER,
AND DONKEYS IN THE DESERT
by Vernon C. Bleich and Nancy G. Andrew
Donkeys, also known as wild asses or burros,
are the descendants of the African wild ass (Equus
asinus), a creature native to Somalia and Ethiopia
in northeastern Africa. They are physiologically
well-adapted to the hot, arid environment of
northeastern Africa, and have fared well in the
deserts of the southwestern United States. Donkeys
belong to the order Perissodactyla and the family
Equidae, which include modern day horses and
their ancestors. The Perissodactyla are ungulates
that walk on an odd-number of toes, unlike the
Artiodactyla, which are hoofed mammals that have
even numbers of toes, such as deer and mountain
sheep. Among the Equidae horses, donkeys, and
their close relatives walk on a single hoof; other
Perissodactyls, such as rhinoceroses, walk on
three toes.
Donkeys were first domesticated about 6,000
years ago, and were introduced to North America
by Spanish explorers, likely in the mid-1500s.
Donkeys became the favored pack animals of
desert prospectors hoping to strike it rich during
the 19th century. As the mining boom of the late
1800s subsided and railroads pushed westward
across the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, the utility
of donkeys as pack animals declined. As a result,
many were abandoned by their owners, which
resulted in free-ranging, or feral, populations distributed across the southwestern United States. It
is the offspring of those liberated animals that
inhabit many desert mountain ranges today, and
that are of concern to biologists working to
conserve native wildlife.
In 1971, Public Law 92-195 was passed by the
United States Congress. That legislation, known
as the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act,
provided unprecedented protection to feral horses
and donkeys, and made it illegal to capture, brand,
harass, or kill either species without proper authorization. Until passage of PL 92-195, shooting had
been the primary means of control, but without
that source of mortality populations of donkeys
became larger, and their distribution increased.
As a result, concern for impacts to native, large
mammals, such as mountain sheep and desert
CA FNAWS
mule deer, intensified.
Like most legislation that mandates new
programs, allocated funds were inadequate to
provide for the management of feral donkeys.
During the 1970s, the Bureau of Land Management
prepared the California Desert Plan, a multi-million
dollar effort that recognized the new-found legal status of feral horses and donkeys, yet also acknowledged the desirability of restricting populations of
those exotic equids to specific parts of the California
desert. The California Desert Plan identified a number of Herd Management Areas (HMAs) for donkeys,
and specified the number of animals to be maintained in each of those HMAs. Unfortunately, funding adequate to ensure that the number of donkeys
maintained within each HMA is consistent with
management objectives has not been a priority for
the federal government. As a result, many populations have continued to increase in size, and donkeys have not been restricted to the specified HMAs,
despite the dedication and ongoing efforts of many
hard-working personnel.
Some well-known and successful efforts to
manage populations of donkeys have, nevertheless,
been implemented in California. These include
efforts in Death Valley National Park, the China
Lake Naval Weapons Center and, more recently,
the Mojave National Preserve. Attempts to manage
donkeys in the HMAs established by the California
Desert Protection act have been less successful
because funding for those programs has constrained
the number of animals that can be processed each
year. Because free ranging donkeys can no longer be
managed by lethal methods, animals removed from
desert habitats must be adopted (a long and complicated process) by members of the public that are
interested in maintaining them in captivity.
Im pacts to M ountain Sheep
The potential impacts of uncontrolled populations of donkeys to desert habitats and, especially,
to populations of mountain sheep in the southwestern United States have long been recognized.
Following the most detailed analysis of potential
26
Fall 2010
conflicts yet undertaken, the late Rick Seegmiller
(an authority on the ecological relationships of
exotic donkeys and native mountain sheep) concluded that mountain sheep are too valuable and
too limited in distribution to accept the risks of
coexistence with those exotic equids. Seegmiller
recommended the removal of donkeys from areas
inhabited by mountain sheep, as well as areas to
which mountain sheep might be translocated in
the future. Long before Rick had conducted his
research, however, Richard (Dick) Weaver
(California Department of Fish and Game - retired)
had emphasized the problems that donkeys were
creating for mountain sheep. It is our experience in
southeastern California that donkeys have, indeed,
successfully exploited forage and, recently, water
sources in terrain that many biologists formerly
believed was habitable only by mountain sheep.
Impacts to Desert Mule Deer
Another native species for which habitat
overlap with free ranging donkeys is much greater
than for mountain sheep is the desert mule deer.
These large, native ungulates are well-adapted to
living in desert washes and in the gently rolling
intermountain areas of the Sonoran Desert in
southeastern California, areas that are used heavily
by donkeys. The impacts of donkeys to forage
resources used by mule deer have not been
described in detail, but are expected to be similar
to, if not exceed, impacts to forage used by mountain sheep. Similarly, dietary overlap between donkeys and mule deer has not yet been quantified
thoroughly, but donkeys unquestionably have the
potential to reduce availability of forage preferred
by native mule deer. Whether or not competition
for forage from donkeys would impact mule deer
populations is uncertain, but the potential exists
for such to occur. Currently, we are involved in
research to shed light on the degree of resource
overlap between donkeys, mountain sheep, and
mule deer.
In southeastern California, surface water is
an extremely limited resource. During a recent
drought, donkeys began to exploit water sources
that they had not formerly used. One method
of controlling the distribution of donkeys in the
past has been to fence them off of water sources.
During a recent period of drought, the authors
designed and tested a new-style fence that was
Fall 2010
effective in allowing native deer and sheep to
access water sources, but which prevented use of
those water sources by donkeys. That fence design
is lightweight, unobtrusive, and highly effective.
Although the fence has been installed at numerous
water sources outside of designated wilderness
areas, construction of those fences inside of wilderness established by the California Desert Protection
Act has been restricted severely. Nevertheless,
wildlife managers and interested sportsmen-conservationists likely will persist in their efforts to limit
the distribution of donkeys through the use of
such fences, at least until populations of those
feral equids are more effectively regulated by the
responsible federal agencies.
No matter how well-intentioned some
legislation may be, funding must be adequate
to allow full implementation. Concerned citizens
must do their part to ensure that the federal
government provides funds adequate to support
the programs that the Congress has forced upon
the American people, such as the Wild Freeroaming Horses and Burros Act. Contacting your
Congressional representatives, and demanding
that management programs for feral donkeys
receive adequate funding is a logical way to ensure
that impacts of these exotic ungulates to native
mountain sheep and mule deer will be less in the
future than what they currently are. Remember —
there is an election in November. D
D r.V ern Bleich w orked for the C alifornia D epartm ent
of Fish and G am e (C D FG ) for 34 years before retiring
in 2007;he rem ains active in w ildlife conservation,
education,and research and serves as an advisor to
severalregionaland nationalconservation organizations.V ern can be contacted at
vbleich@ ndsupernet.com
N ancy G .Andrew is an Associate W ildlife Biologist,
and has w orked for C D FG for m ore than 15 years,
prim arily in the Sonoran D esert of southeastern
C alifornia.N ancy w as honored in 2009 by the
C alifornia C hapter of the Foundation for N orth
Am erican W ild for her contributions to the conservation of m ountain sheep in C alifornia.This article has
been adapted from an article published earlier by the
authors,and that appeared in Tracks 17:10-12.
27
CA FNAWS
COYOTE RIDGE IS OCCUPIED!
Excerpt from Semiannual Report of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep
May 2010
The Coyote Ridge (unoccupied) herd unit is
found on a high flat that extends northeast of the
Sierra Nevada crest, located immediately SW of
Bishop and NW of Big Pine, and is bounded to the
west by Bishop Creek (Figure 2). Some patches of
excellent potential bighorn sheep habitat exist
around the edges of Coyote Ridge and wind
removes much of the snow from the top of Coyote
Ridge in winter. However, some isolated stands of
forest and the lack of steep rocky terrain make the
central part of Coyote Flat largely unsuitable habitat for bighorn sheep. Coyote Ridge was not
included among those required by the Recovery
Plan because alpine summer range and low elevation winter range are separated geographically with
suboptimal connectivity.
There have been some reports of bighorn sheep
sightings in this region over the past few decades.
Evidence has included tracks above Thunder and
Lightning Lake and an observation of six bighorn
including one ram and two lambs on a flat just
above Thunder and Lightning Lake by an F-18 jet
pilot in late August 1990. A bighorn group at the
head of Palisade Creek was observed by Boy Scouts
and a geologist familiar with wild sheep observed
three bighorn including one ram near Thunderbolt
Pass in the summer of 1992 or 1993. These observations all lacked definitive documentation of
bighorn sheep, but that changed this past summer.
On July 18, 2009, CDFG wildlife biologist Mike
Morrison observed and photographed (photos 1
and 2) two female bighorn sheep in Coyote Flat at
close range. The ewes were first seen in typical
rocky sheep terrain. They then moved lower into
brushy sage steppe habitat and continued down to
a willow thicket by Coyote Creek.
The documented sighting was followed by two
surveys conducted by CDFG personnel (Figure 1).
From the first survey, two bed sites were observed
just to the west of Lookout Mountain and four relatively fresh pellet samples were collected. During
the second survey no bighorn were observed, but
eight fecal samples were collected near the Hunchback. Genetic analysis indicates that the fecal samples collected were deer. Further surveys will be
conducted during the next year. D
Figure 1. Location of the ewes and subsequent
survey routes.
Bighorn ewes first seen in rocky terrain and then moved into brushy sage habitat.
CA FNAWS
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Fall 2010
PHOTOS FROM TRAIL CAMS ON
WILDLIFE WATER DEVELOPMENTS IN
DESERT SHEEP COUNTRY OF CALIFORNIA
Thanks to Bob Burke, SCBS Camera Coordinator and CA FNAWS member, for sharing these pictures!
Fall 2010
29
CA FNAWS
RECENT LITERATURE RELATED TO BIGHORN SHEEP
Assembled by Esther Rubin (DBC Secretary)
an area they avoided. Mountain sheep used steeper
slopes, areas of lower terrain roughness, higher elevations, and areas closer to escape terrain than
were random points. In contrast, sheep avoided
areas near roads (federal and state highways, local
roads, and off-road vehicle trails) but used areas
near hiking trails and a railway. Water sources had
the smallest effect of the factors considered, with
sheep being associated with areas further from
water points than were random locations. The disturbed area associated with the mines had a moderate influence on distribution, with sheep being
associated with areas closer to the mine than were
random points. Mining activities can alter terrain
features and vegetation structure or composition in
a way that promotes occupancy by sheep if they
create steep slopes and rugged terrain (escape terrain) or reduce vegetation density or height (i.e.,
improve visibility). Whether increased occupancy
reflects a benefit depends on the demographic
responses of those sheep to the resources and conditions available on mine sites; information about
those responses remains lacking.
Bleich, V. C., J. P. Marshal, and N. G. Andrew.
2010. Habitat use by a desert ungulate: predicting
effects of water availability on mountain sheep.
Journal of Arid Environments 74(6):638-645.
Abstract: Provision of surface water has been a
long-standing management strategy to enhance
habitat for large mammals in southwestern North
America. In this paper, we use a resource selection
function (RSF) developed from telemetered mountain sheep (Ovis canadensis) in three occupied
mountain ranges in the Sonoran Desert, California,
USA, to examine the effects of water development
on habitat quality within those ranges. Further, we
apply that model to four nearby and similar mountain ranges, but for which telemetry data are not
available, and again examine the effects of water
development. When distance to water was
decreased to 2,000 m from an average of 3033 m
(+/- 522 [SD]) in three occupied mountain ranges,
availability of high-quality habitat increased by as
much as 92%. When distance to water was
decreased to 2,000 m from an average of 3660 m
(+/- 799 [SD]) in three mountain ranges not occupied permanently by mountain sheep, and one
occupied range for which telemetry data were not
available, the proportion of high-quality habitat
resulting from application of our model indicated
increases that varied from 116 to 508%. We conclude that development of additional sources of
surface water can increase availability of high-quality habitat for mountain sheep inhabiting Sonoran
Desert mountain ranges, and that the technique
has implications for population persistence and
conservation of those large, specialized ungulates.
Brown, N. A., K. E. Ruckstuhl, S. Donelon, and
C. Corbett. 2010. Changes in vigilance, grazing
behaviour and spatial distribution of bighorn
sheep due to cattle presence in Sheep River Provincial Park, Alberta. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 135(3):226-231.
Abstract: The physical presence of livestock can
influence the behaviour of native ungulates.
Behavioural data on bite rates and vigilance of
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep were collected during the summer and fall of 2006 in Sheep River
Provincial Park, Alberta. Spatial distributions of
bighorn sheep and domestic cattle were recorded
using daily censuses and GPS collar locations during the same time period. We hypothesized that
the presence of cattle would induce a negative
behavioural response in bighorn sheep and cause
avoidance behaviour. As predicted, foraging bite
rates decreased and vigilance rates increased when
cattle were located nearby. Vigilance in females
was higher than in males. The average distances
between bighorn sheep and cows were found to be
smaller than expected at random, and minimal distances were not affected by the presence of cows.
The sheep were found in the same general areas
used by cattle. The cattle presence was shown to
influence distribution and behaviour of bighorn
sheep, although not in the way we expected.
Bleich, V. C., J. H. Davis, J. P. Marshal, S. G.
Torres, and B. J. Gonzales. 2009. Mining activity
and habitat use by mountain sheep (Ovis canadensis). European Journal of Wildlife Research
55(3):183-191.
Abstract: We studied mountain sheep in the
vicinity of three high-wall limestone mines in San
Bernardino County, CA, USA to evaluate factors
that influenced habitat use and, specifically, to
investigate the influence of mining activity on distribution of those specialized ungulates. We used
aerial telemetry data to estimate a resource selection function by fitting a logistic regression model
and then comparing environmental characteristics
at observed sheep locations to those at random
locations. Distribution of mountain sheep was
most influenced by a fire in 1999 that resulted in
CA FNAWS
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Fall 2010
Fall 2010
31
CA FNAWS
WILD SHEEP WIN HISTORIC VICTORY
by Kyle Meintzer, CA FNAWS Director of Operations
For far too many years, wild mountain sheep have been
losing a life-and-death battle over the issue of contact with
disease-carrying domestic sheep.
No more. In late July, the US Forest Service released its
long-awaited decision on the matter of separation of
bighorn sheep and domestic sheep in the Payette National
Forest … and wild sheep won! See this link for the full
report: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/payette/publications/
big_horn/index.shtml
This is a tremendous victory for wild mountain sheep
throughout the western and southwestern states. The decision allows the status quo to stay in place through the end
of 2010, but then requires a phased-in separation of wild
and domestic sheep from 2011 through 2013, when total
separation is required.
Interaction between domestic sheep and wild sheep is
likely responsible for the deaths of ~1,000 wild sheep this
past winter in four states and has been an on-going problem
for decades. Indeed, unregulated harvest and contact with
domestic sheep are the primary reasons wild sheep populations in the lower 48 plunged from as many as 2,000,000
animals in 1850 to just 15,000 in 1970. Thanks to the work
of The Wild Sheep Foundation and its many Chapters and
affiliates, there are now ~70,000 wild sheep in the lower 48.
This decision will affect all US Forest Service lands and
I’m told that BLM will implement a similar policy.
California’s wild bighorn sheep will benefit from this
decision, of course, as there are two domestic sheep producers who graze on USFS lands that have the potential to
impact the threatened Sierra bighorn sheep herd.
The Wild Sheep Foundation has been a major player in
winning this case, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on the contact issue. WSF’s Director of Operations, Neil
Thagard, has been WSF’s point man in this fight for the
past several years. Neil has gone anywhere and everywhere
he was needed to educate policy makers, politicians and the
public on this critical issue. His dedication and passion was
vital in helping WSF and its conservation partners win this
great victory for wild bighorn sheep!
The net result of this USFS decision will mean that wild
mountain bighorn sheep will soon see the threat they’ve
faced for generations is about to come to an end. Wild
sheep, conservationists, and therefore hunters will be the
beneficiaries of this decision. D
CA FNAWS
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Millbrae, CA 94030
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